Europe: Research reveals surge in cargo flights exposes supply chains to Uyghur forced labour risks
"UHRP Research Reveals Surge in Cargo Flights Embedding Uyghur Forced Labor Risks in European Supply Chains", Uyghur Human Rights Project, 30 July 2025
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The report, Manifest Risk: New “Air Silk Road” Cargo Flights Carry Risk of Uyghur Forced Labor into Europe, documents how, since June 2024, nine cargo companies have launched new air freight services between Ürümchi and destinations in the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom (UK), and Switzerland.
“These cargo routes are not just logistical developments, they represent a dangerous normalization of trade with a region where atrocity crimes are ongoing and forced labor is widespread,” said Peter Irwin, Associate Director for Research and Advocacy at the Uyghur Human Rights Project. “Goods transported on these flights are at high risk of being produced through a system of state-imposed forced labor that is integral to a broader campaign of repression targeting the Uyghurs.”
Since June 2024, cargo companies have operated direct flights from Ürümchi to London, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Bucharest, and Budapest, as well as indirect flights to European cities including Leipzig, Vienna, Zurich, and Athens. According to Chinese state media, cargo on these flights include textiles, footwear, electronics, and agricultural products, all sectors that have been documented as linked to state-imposed forced labor targeting Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples. State media also note the presence of e-commerce goods on many of the flights.
“Europe’s commitment to eradicating forced labor from supply chains must extend beyond policy declarations. It must result in real, measurable action to disrupt the economic mechanisms that sustain atrocities. [...]
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On July 14, 2025, the authors sent emails to Alpha Sky, Camex Airlines, European Cargo, Geo-Sky, MNG Airlines, My Freighter, MyWay Airlines, SF Airlines, Silk Way Airlines, Titan Airways, and Uzbekistan Airways informing them that their company had been named in a forthcoming report. [T]hree companies' responses can be found online.