(CFP Photo)

Nanjing airport hub centered on Lukou International Airport has made it onto the 2022 list of national logistics hub development recently released by the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner.

The hub will step up efforts to support seven functional areas dedicated to air cargo, bonded logistics, cross-border e-commerce, express delivery, supply chain, intelligent warehousing and distribution, and airside services.

Nanjing is a national pilot city for the innovative development of modern logistics. In 2021, the hub handled 3.2 million tonnes of cargo including 720,000 tonnes of air freight. The city is currently home to more than 70 large logistics enterprises, and major carriers include Suparna Airlines, China Postal Airlines, Neos and China Eastern.

Nanjing has also made steady progress in development of aviation manufacturing and other related industries. The city's enterprises also play an active role in providing onboard systems for the C919, China's first homegrown large jetliner.

In Jiangning Airport Development Zone, projects by companies including AVIC Electromechanical Systems and Figeac Aero have given birth to a cluster of interconnected businesses working together in the area. The zone ranked first in terms of the R&D and technical strength of aviation electromechanical systems. It's the production base for key components of C911 as well as an industrial center for fuel, hydraulics and other aircraft systems.

As the only such airport-based national logistics hub in the Yangtze River Delta region, it also boasts one of China's industrial powerhouses and the largest foreign trade base in China.

Meanwhile, Lukou International Airport is a regional aviation hub and a distribution center for air cargo and express freight. It also has a flight circle radius of 4 hours to major cities in China, Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia.