Central Airlines (I9, Haikou) has started a new year-round scheduled service to Nottingham East Midlands on behalf of the Chinese logistics company YunExpress. The airline plans to operate the route 2x weekly.

The inaugural flight from Xiamen via Tianjin operated on May 13, although ADS-B data indicates Central Airlines first flew to Nottingham East Midlands on May 5. The return leg to Xiamen is operated non-stop. The airline deployed its B777-200F B-2079 (msn 37715) on the route. The same aircraft has since been flying to Nottingham every three days.

This marks Central Airlines' entry into the UK market, with Nottingham East Midlands being the first point served by the airline. The airport confirmed to ch-aviation that YunExpress plans to establish a stronger presence in the East Midlands and that the company is developing a warehouse facility at the airport.

Alongside the new service from the Chinese carrier, the airport also saw the introduction of cargo flights by Ethiopian Airlines and Atlas Air in May.

According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Central Airlines currently operates two B737-300(F)s, four B737-800(BCF)s, and four B777-200Fs. It has plans to grow its widebody fleet and scale back its narrowbody services.