(Photo/Yan Lei)

A milestone has been achieved on the path to developing Nantong Xingdong International Airport into a freight hub of China’s e-commerce giant JD.com.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is ready to issue the Air Operation Certificate to the proposed Jiangsu Jingdong Cargo Airlines, according to a media report on May 24.

In 2018, JD and Nantong government signed an agreement framework for the freight hub plan. Then in the next year, Suqian Jindong Zhanrui Enterprise Management, a unit of the e-commerce platform, and Nantong Airport Group announced a joint venture with registered capital of 600 million yuan, holding 75% and 25% of shares respectively.

The carrier plans to operate domestic and international air cargo transport, with three Boeing 737 freighters already approved by the CAAC. The new company has basically completed its preparatory work and pledged to adopt strict systems for safe operation.