Cainiao has announced the launch of its chartered flight between Xi’an, China and Liège, Belgium, further boosting its China-Europe air cargo capacity.

The e-commerce logistics provider and logistics arm of Alibaba said the flight operates twice a week.

"[This] further bolstering Cainiao's China-Europe cross-border delivery capacity ahead of peak shopping season."

The inaugural flight, a Boeing 767-300F freighter, departed from Xi'an carrying over 50 tons of cross-border e-commerce goods, including over 150,000 cross-border parcels. 

Upon arrival at Cainiao's Liège eHub, the goods from Cainiao's chartered flight are immediately processed for customs clearance and sorted for onward delivery.

Cainiao noted that this process allows Cainiao to leverage seamless "air-to-ground transportation" connectivity, ensuring fast delivery to Spain, France, Germany and other destinations in Europe.

This dedicated air freight route also provides Cainiao's cross-border merchants with reliable and consistent delivery capability. 

"This newly launched chartered flight marks a significant step forward with Cainiao's commitment to building a robust and resilient global logistics network," said William Xiong, vice-president of Cainiao Group.

"By expanding our airfreight capabilities, we are providing our merchants with faster and more cost-effective shipping solutions while also ensuring that consumers receive their orders on time and with the best quality," he added.

Over the past years, Cainiao has been developing its smart regional eHub at the Liège Airport, which serves as a key node in its global logistics network, connecting chartered flights between China and Europe.

This is further complemented by an extensive intra-European trucking network covering more than 30 European countries.

"Together with the Xi'an-Liege chartered flight, Cainiao will provide a seamless cross-border logistics experience across Europe," Cainiao said in the announcement.