SF Airlines has launched its second freight service to India in a bid to expand its operation there.

The Chinese cargo airline owned by SF Express added a new flight from Shenzhen in China to New Delhi, after launching in 2019 a direct service between Shenzhen and Chennai.

The new service will be operated twice a week starting 31 December, in a 

B747-400F aircraft that has a weekly round-trip capacity of 400 tonnes.

SF Airlines said the Shenzhen-Delhi operation is intended to complement the carrier’s existing Shenzhen-Chennai service.

“With its population of 1.4 billion, India is an enormous market with a rapidly growing GDP and a thriving e-commerce market,” said SF Express India chief Sam Sun.

“As the capital of India, New Delhi is an important location for Chinese companies to invest, develop and expand their business in the country.”

“To leverage these advantages, SF Express has launched an all-new direct air freight route to New Delhi to fully penetrate the Indian market and provide comprehensive cross-border logistics coverage.”   

SF Express mainly provides economy express (international) and cargo freight services between its China-India connections.

“The latest Shenzhen–New Delhi direct route is a crucial milestone as SF Express continues to enhance its South Asian airfreight network,” it added.

In 2019, SF Express added eight international routes, all operated by SF Airlines’ all-cargo aircraft.