Zongteng Group's YunExpress has launched its first freighter flight from Shenzhen to Paris, citing the surge in cross-border trade between China and Europe.

Utilizing a Boeing 777F freighter (B-777F), the introductory flight took off from the Bao'an International Airport in Shenzhen to Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) on January 16. 

In the announcement, Zongteng noted that the Chinese e-commerce logistics express carrier has a planned annual cargo capacity of over 15,000 tonnes.

"We were honoured to celebrate this special day with our partners. The Boeing freighter significantly extends our line-haul transportation capabilities and strengthens end-to-end supply chain infrastructure, so the launch of this flight route is a milestone," said Jack Peng, senior vice president Zongteng Group and general manager YunExpress.

"Zongteng Group looks forward to realizing the immense potential of Sino-European cross-border trade in collaboration with our European partners. We strive to build on our strategic investment in self-owned freighters and logistics network and identify further opportunities to maximize the capabilities of the air freight supply chain," Peng added.

The newly-launched flight route will support Zongteng Group's customers with highly reliable e-commerce logistics services and optimized lead times.

Flights will depart from Shenzhen and connect with further transport hubs at CDG Airport in Paris.

Second freighter service in Q3

 Credit: Maxime Letertre @Groupe ADP

Zongteng said a second B-777 freighter is expected to enter service in Q3 2023, and there will then be 6-8 direct flights per week from Shenzhen to Paris.

In 2024, the total annual cargo capacity is projected to reach 28,000 tonnes.

"The Shenzhen-Paris flight route underscores the airport's importance as a vital gateway to international trade and reinforces its key role in e-commerce logistics," the announcement said of the decision to connect to CDG in France.

It added that the Zongteng Group is also working closely with local logistics partners to continuously facilitate cross-border e-commerce via intra-Europe network connectivity.

"These strategic partnerships play a significant role in strengthening cross-border trade between China and France," the announcement said, further saying that the Group is committed to creating value for the e-commerce express market by forming air-to-ground connections with global air cargo collections, line haul transportation, fulfilment warehouses, and distribution centres in Europe and beyond.

Zongteng Group earlier welcomed the arrival of its first Boeing 777-F freighter at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in September — and it conducted the first flight from Shenzhen to Riyadh that month.

The freighter was meant to take routes from Shenzhen to the Middle East and Europe three to four times per week.