ITJ exclusive: Qatar Airways flies for Cainiao
Following the recent expansion of its business with Atlas Air, Cainiao, the logistics arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, will fly goods from Hong Kong to São Paulo-GRU via Doha on B777 freighters operated by Qatar Airways Cargo. The service will begin tomorrow, 5 March 2022, and initially offer one flight per week.
Asked by ITJ, Guillaume Halleux, chief officer cargo of Qatar Airways, said: "The demand in the e-commerce market is too large to allow for an exclusive partnership or operator. Moreover, e-commerce companies also need the bellies of passenger flights as they offer high frequency capacity."
Dandy Zhang, commercial director of global line haul of Cainiao's cross-border business, added: "The pandemic has accelerated consumers’ shift to digital platforms and an e-commerce boom. We are witnessing a phenomenal rise in cross-border trade and parcel volume, particularly between China and Latin America."
Find other news from Latin America in the regional supplement of ITJ 11-12/2022 out today, 4 March! (ah)