This is the only Ethiopia-bound route operated by a Chinese airline and Hunan's second direct passenger route to Africa. The new route is served by a Boeing 787 wide-body aircraft. Outbound flight CZ8095 departs Guangzhou at 10:10 Beijing time, arrives in Changsha at 11:35 for a stopover and departs at 13:50, and lands in Addis Ababa at 20:00 local time. Return flight CZ8096 sets off from Addis Ababa at 23:00 local time, arrives in Changsha at 15:10 the next day and departs at 17:10, and lands in Guangzhou at 18:45. Through Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, passengers can transfer to 11 major African cities such as Harare, Lusaka, and Cairo within seven hours.
The Hunan-Ethiopia International Trade Corridor was officially inaugurated that day. It is expected to further strengthen Hunan's aviation network to Africa, address shortcomings in international trade corridors to Africa, and broaden cooperation channels between Hunan and East African countries such as Ethiopia. Going forward, efforts will focus on boosting Hunan-Africa cooperation in three areas:
- First, increasing flight frequency based on market demand, expanding belly-hold capacity, and accelerating the development of an air logistics system that serves both passengers and cargo and ensures smooth two-way flow;
- Second, solidly advancing practical cooperation with African countries and promoting deep integration of industrial, supply, and value chains between the two sides; and,
- Third, optimizing customs clearance facilitation measures to safeguard business cooperation and personnel exchanges between Hunan and Africa, and support Hunan in accelerating the building of a regional international aviation hub for Africa.
In 2019, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council authorized Hunan to be the permanent host of the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo. In 2024, the State Council approved the establishment of a pioneering zone for in-depth China-Africa economic and trade cooperation in Hunan, and the Civil Aviation Administration of China explicitly supported Changsha Airport in developing into a gateway hub for African countries. With multiple major policies overlapping and taking effect, Hunan's role as a national pacesetter in China-Africa economic and trade cooperation continues to be enhanced. Since 2019, Hunan and CSA have worked together to ensure the steady operation of the Changsha-Nairobi passenger route, handling more than 200,000 passenger trips between China and Africa and transporting over 6,200 tonnes of goods and parcels. Hunan-Africa economic and trade cooperation continues to heat up.
Starting from May 1 this year, China has expanded its zero-tariff treatment to cover all 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic ties. According to Changsha Customs, from May to September after the implementation of the zero-tariff measures, Hunan's imports from Africa eligible for preferential treatment amounted to 169 million CNY, with tariff reductions of 17.8323 million CNY.
This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.
Translator: Pang Yuehui
Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn
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