An all-cargo plane of Turkish Airlines arrived at Zhengzhou airport on May 16, marking the successful launch of the air freight route linking Zhengzhou with Istanbul, the largest city of Türkiye. Its launch expands the international air freight network of Zhengzhou airport and enhances the influence of Zhengzhou as an international air freight hub.

Located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Türkiye is an important country on the Belt and Road route. Founded in 1993, Turkish Airlines is Türkiye's flag carrier. The Zhengzhou-Istanbul air freight route will be operated with Airbus A330-200F planes, which are scheduled to run 3 times weekly. The newly-opened air freight route is expected to not only strengthen the economic and trade exchanges between China and Türkiye, but also drive the economic and trade exchanges between Henan and the "Belt and Road" countries and regions. Besides, it will further enhance the influence of Zhengzhou airport in Europe, Africa, South America and the Middle East region.