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Taiyuan opens a direct air freight route to Brussels, capital of Belgium, on Dec 10. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

An international flight with 29 metric tons of cargo took off from Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province, bound for Brussels, capital of Belgium, on Dec 10. 

It's the second international air cargo flight route opened by Taiyuan Wusu International Airport following the Taiyuan-Chicago air freight service put on in June, and is the province's first international air freight route to Europe.

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Ground service staff members load 29 tons of cargo onto the plane, on Dec 10. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

The flight uses an Airbus A330 operated by Tianjin Airlines and runs every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. 

The launch of the route is being widely viewed as a concrete measure taken by Shanxi to build a new inland hub for its opening-up. 

It is expected to expand Taiyuan and Shanxi's international air freight business, smooth economic and trade exchanges between Shanxi and Europe, effectively improve regional socioeconomic benefits and advance the construction of an air logistics transportation hub in North China.