At 9:08 on March 9, 2024, an A340-600 aircraft taking off from Bournemouth International Airport in the United Kingdom successfully arrived in Haikou. At 7:04 on March 10, the aircraft flew to Bournemouth carrying 51 tons of cargo. , marking that Haikou Meilan International Airport (hereinafter referred to as Meilan Airport), a subsidiary of Hainan Airport Group under Hainan Holdings, officially opened the Haikou=Bournemouth international cargo route. This is the first international air route to the United Kingdom opened by the Hainan Free Trade Port. Freight routes have further expanded Hainan's international freight channels and laid a solid foundation for promoting the high-level opening up of Hainan Free Trade Port.
It is reported that this route is operated by British European Cargo Airlines. The main types of cargo transported are e-commerce cargo, general cargo, etc. The route will operate three times a week after its first flight.
In order to ensure the smooth launch of the route, Meilan Airport proactively contacted the airlines to understand the needs of the company, actively coordinated with the relevant operation support units, and cooperated in a short period of time to complete various preparatory work before the launch, such as establishing an information communication mechanism and clarifying support details, with a high level of efficiency. Quality operational services ensure the smooth opening of new routes. As of 2024, Meilan Airport operates a total of 3 international cargo routes: Haikou=Paris, Incheon=Haikou=Singapore, and Haikou=Bournemouth, and connects 4 international cargo destinations. It has initially built a network that radiates from Haikou to Europe and Northeast Asia. , international freight route network in Southeast Asia and other regions.
In the future, Meilan Airport will closely focus on the goal of building an aviation regional gateway hub facing the Pacific and Indian Oceans, strengthen cooperation with domestic and foreign airlines and charter operators, orderly lay out the international cargo route network, focus on the leading industrial chain of Hainan Free Trade Port, and accelerate Build an international trade channel that links the world and promote the high-quality development of Hainan Free Trade Port.