LEIPZIG/HALLE: Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding (MAG) and the Henan Province Airport Group (HPAG) have agreed to develop cargo flights between their respective airports of Leipzig/Halle and Zhengzhou.

This follows last month's confirmation of a 35.0 percent shareholding by Henan Civil Aviation and Investment (HNCA) in Cargolux.

HPAG chairman An Huiyuan commented: "We selected Leipzig/Halle because we value the airport's central location, its outstanding intermodal transport links and its unrestricted operating times. Based on these factors, we're expecting our cooperation arrangement to be constructive and successful," he added.

Meanwhile, Cargolux is now scheduled to begin a four times a week service from Luxembourg to Zhengzhou from June 14.

According to MAG, efforts to move industries to new inner Chinese development zones is predicated on relevant global logistics chains and the availability of associated services. The airport group says Chinese political and business leaders are looking for well-located sites in Europe able to handle and distribute their goods in a short amount of time and with high-quality service.

"We've found a highly promising partner to network our ambitious region with the European continent in the shape of Leipzig/Halle, the fifth largest cargo airport in Europe. We selected Leipzig/Halle, because we value the airport's central location, its outstanding intermodal transport links and its unrestricted operating times. Based on these factors, we're expecting our cooperation arrangement to be constructive and successful," said An Huiyuan, chairman of HPAG.

Markus Kopp, Mitteldeutsche Flughafen CEO added: "We've now managed to expand our global cooperation network to four Asian and two American partner airports as a result of this agreement with Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport. Consequently, we'll be able to work even more intensively on developing new air freight services and expanding existing ones." Kopp said he expected an increase in diverted airfreight traffic through Leipzig Halle - home to Aerologic - as a result of the new agreement.

In March this year MAG signed a partnership with the New Kansai International Airport following a similar deal with Shanghai Pudong in 2012, and Memphis and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky in 2013.