HAIKOU -- A new air cargo service connecting South China's coastal city of Haikou with Incheon in the Republic of Korea (ROK) was launched on Sunday.

On Sunday morning, an Air Incheon cargo flight took off from Incheon International Airport, bound for Haikou. It flew on the first all-cargo route opened by the Chinese city's Meilan International airport in 2023.

The new route's weekly round-trip cargo volume is expected to surpass 30 metric tons, exporting mainly general cargo, e-commerce cargo, parcels and flowers, and importing mostly duty-free goods.

The route will be operated twice a week, departing from Incheon every Tuesday and Saturday, and returning to Incheon every Wednesday and Sunday.

The flights will increase the speed and convienience of duty-free imports from ROK in Haikou, and boost the efficiency of the duty-free goods supply chain.

This year, Hainan has operated an average of 18 cargo flights per week, with an approximate total international inbound and outbound cargo volume of 958 tons.