Zhengzhou airport, fastest growing air freight hub in China, has made an arrangement with Germany's Mitteldeutsche Airport Holding serving Leipzig.

This is designed to enable Mitteldeutsche and Henan Province Airport Group to develop air freight flights and strengthen their airports as central hubs for goods in China and Europe.

Said Leipzig mayor Burkhard Jung: "The interest on the part of the Chinese confirms that the expansion and investments at Leipzig/Halle have paid off. We're expecting greater commitment from Asian investors."

Said Henan Province Airport Group chairman An Huiyuan; "We selected Leipzig/Halle because of the airport's location, its outstanding intermodal transport links and its unrestricted operating times."

In March it was reported that Zhengzhou 2013 air cargo volume up 69.1pc to 255,700 tonnes year on year, making it the fastest growing airport in China, reported Xinhua.

In January, Cargolux signed with Henan Civil Aviation & Investment Company and made Zhengzhou its hub. Cargolux accounts for 3.3 per cent of the world's cargo market.

Last year, Zhengzhou airport launched 14 new freighter services and raise its weekly cargo services to 80 flights. It now has a cargo network covering 24 destinations.

DHL, Damco and China Eastern logistics have set up operational facilities at Zhengzhou and expanded the airport intermodal transport network as well as domestic and international transshipping.

Zhengzhou's fast growing cargo business has become a magnet for shippers. In November last year, Microsoft for the first time shipped a batch of 11,000-tonne electronic products via Zhengzhou. The airport shipped the batch of goods in 40 days on 105 freighters.