Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport introduced their third US airline company - Federal Express Corporation (FedEx), after United Parcel Service (UPS) and Evergreen International Airlines, opening the first direct airfreight route from Chengdu to the United States.

On the morning of Dec 6, the MD-11F cargo aircraft with a giant panda painted on its body, made a smooth landing at the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. The FedEx aircraft was dedicated to freight transport between Chengdu and the United States.

The route is Delhi-Chengdu-Guangzhou-Anchorage, and the flight number is FX16. There are five flights from every Tuesday to Saturday. The aircraft arrives at Chengdu at 1:30 am and takes off at 3:30 am after two hours of cargo unloading and loading.

The first flight of FedEx carried a total of 37 tons of cargo, all of which were exporting electronic products.