On September 13th, Haikou Meilan International Airport officially opened the Tbilisi-Haikou-Paris fifth-freedom international cargo route. Meanwhile, the original Haikou-Tbilisi-Tel Aviv international cargo route has been upgraded to a fifth-freedom route between Tbilisi, Tel Aviv, and Haikou.

The weekly routes are operated by Georgian Airways using B767 freighter aircraft, with outbound cargo from Haikou primarily consists of cross-border e-commerce goods. The Tbilisi-Tel Aviv-Haikou route, which now operates two sector patterns, Haikou ⇌Tbilisi and Tbilisi-Tel Aviv-Haikou, is the result of an adjustment of the Haikou-Tbilisi-Tel Aviv route that was opened in May this year. 

Georgian Airways’ B767 freighter aircraft waits on the apron at Haikou Meilan International Airport, ready to fly the newly opened Tbilisi-Haikou-Paris fifth-freedom international cargo route. Photo provided by Haikou Meilan International Airport.

These two fifth freedom cargo routes offer more convenient and efficient air freight services for cross-border e-commerce and international logistics companies, facilitating smoother economic and trade cooperation between the Hainan Free Trade Port and regions in Europe and the Middle East.

The “Fifth Freedom of the Air” refers to the privilege granted by one state to another to offload and to take on, in the territory of the first state, passengers and/or cargo coming from or destined to a third state. Fifth-freedom rights are hailed by the aviation industry as the most generous and economically significant of the nine currently enumerated rights, and are an important symbol of the level of opening up and business environment of a region. The two cargo routes allow goods exported from across China to be transported via Haikou to Tbilisi and Paris, while also enabling the return of goods from those cities to China.

Ground staff load cargo onto Georgian Airways’ B767 freighter. Photo provided by Haikou Meilan  International  Airport.

Since the beginning of this year, Meilan Airport has been operating six international cargo routes: Haikou ⇌ Paris, Tbilisi-Haikou-Milan, Haikou ⇌ Tbilisi, Haikou-Cyprus-Rome, Tbilisi-Tel Aviv-Haikou, and Tbilisi-Haikou-Paris. These routes form the basis of a hub-and-spoke air cargo network centered on Haikou and covering Europe, West Asia, and the Middle East.

As of September 13th, total international cargo and mail throughput at Meilan Airport in 2025 reached approximately 16,600 tons. This includes 8.79 million cross-border e-commerce orders, with a total cargo volume of 7,180 tonnes and a total value exceeding RMB 680 million.

An airport representative stated that going forward, the airport will leverage the policy and geographic advantages of the Hainan Free Trade Port to further expand and optimize its cargo flight network. Its eventual goal is to provide more competitive air logistics services that connect with international logistic supply and industrial chains, accelerating the development of Haikou as a regional aviation gateway hub facing the Pacific and Indian Oceans.