Cainiao Network, (Cainiao) the logistics arm of Chinese e-commerce behemoth Alibaba Group has announced its partnership with Atlas Air to launch a new air freight route connecting China to Colombia to further enhance freight stability in Latin America.

In its announcement, Cainiao said the 747-8F plane, with capacity of 133 tonnes of cargo, will depart Hong Kong International Airport and transit in Miami International Airport, with final destination at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia.

 Source: Cainiao Network

Following this initial launch, the air freight route will be further optimized and upgraded to include transit in São Paulo, Brazil, flying a Hong Kong – Miami – São Paulo – Bogotá route which will shorten flight duration to only 37 hours.

Increased freight services to Latin America

Currently, Cainiao has increased its charter flights to Latin America to eight per week.

It noted that with the development of Cainiao's logistics facilities in Latin America, cross-border e-commerce parcels from Chinese merchants will see a 76% improvement in delivery time, from up to 50 days to as fast as 12 days.

The launch of new routes is further complemented by the launch of Cainiao's "Must-Go" logistics service, which seeks to address issues along the cross-border shipping value chain such as cargo sortation and processing by tagging selected goods for priority services in the areas of warehousing, cargo booking and dispatch.

Cainiao said this is a further expansion of its ongoing partnership with Atlas Air.

In October 2020, Cainiao announced that in response to the growth of cross-border trade between China and Latin America, Atlas Air will operate three weekly charter flights to link Hong Kong, China with Brazil and Chile.

In November 2021, Cainiao also expanded this partnership to include daily charter flights between China and Santiago, Chile and most recently, in February, Cainiao added a new Boeing 747-8F under a long-term agreement to increase capacity on routes from China to Brazil and Chile.

Meanwhile, Cainiao noted that Boeing 747-8 freighter provides a maximum payload of 133 tonnes, 20% higher than that of Boeing 747-400 freighters, with 16% lower fuel consumption than the 747-400F making it an excellent choice for the service.