Operating once a week, the Boeing 777 freighter will offer 100 tonnes of cargo capacity to the logistics arm of Alibaba Group.
Cainiao Network, the logistics body of the Chinese online retail platform Alibaba Group, announced that it has entered an agreement with Qatar Airways (QA) to provide weekly all-cargo charter flights from Hong Kong to Sao Paulo in Brazil.
Sao Paulo is one of the company’s fastest-growing e-commerce destinations in Latin America, according to QA.
The first Cainiao charter flight took off on March 5th from Hong Kong Airport with a Boeing 777 freighter. The flight made a technical stop at the airline’s hub in Doha, carrying beauty and fashion goods, jewellery, watches, appliances, toys, and sports equipment, QA added.
“Cainiao’s mission is to deliver globally within 72 hours; a goal that can be achieved with the right logistics partners. In just over a year, Cainiao has established a comprehensive operation in Latin America, and we see that e-commerce retail in Brazil, in particular, is growing at a phenomenal rate. With Qatar Airways Cargo, we are in a good position to support that growth, and look forward to a long and fruitful partnership,” said Cainiao’s Chief Strategist and General Manager for Export Logistics, William Xiong.
The Chinese logistics company has experienced a “three-figure growth rate in its Latin American business” over the past year which is a testament to its focused air cargo network expansion to maintain a “smooth supply chain performance,” QA noted.
The partnership with QA further expands on Cainiao’s freighter investment efforts as it signed a long-term charter agreement with Atlas Air last month, for extra Boeing’s 747-400 freighter to increase their flight capacities to the Americas. The new aircraft will assume operation in the second quarter, linking China with Brazil and Chile and bringing Cainiao’s dedicated fleet to six jumbo jets. The service started with only one aircraft in October 2020, reports said.
Follow Doha News on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube