JADE Cargo International''s first fully loaded freighter took off earlier this month from Shenzhen Baoan International airport on its maiden commercial flight to the Dutch city of Amsterdam.

The Boeing 747-400ER freighter then returned to its home base in Shenzhen from where it departed the next day on its first flight to Seoul, South Korea.

During a handover ceremony in Shenzhen, the Central Southern Administration of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China officially awarded an Air Operator Certificate to Jade Cargo International, marking the beginning of regular commercial flight operations for the airline.

An airline statement said that a "grand ceremony" was held at Kylin Villa in the hills surrounding Shenzhen. It was attended by Jade Cargo International shareholders and partners as well as senior government officials.