Shun Feng boosts freighter fleet
07 / 06 / 2012
CHINESE all-cargo carrier, Shun Feng Airlines, will expand its freighter fleet from seven to more than 25.
Chairman Li Dongqi says the expanded fleet is necessary to meet growing demand for domestic express delivery.
Despite the country’s air cargo slowdown due to a drop in rates of manufacturing, Li predicts Shun Feng’s cargo traffic volume will increase from the 450,000 metric tonnes recorded last year to more than 600,000 tonnes this year and well over 1.5 million tonnes by 2015.
Li admits the fleet’s capacity expansion will only just match the growth in demand for air freight. This can be mitigated partly by its agreements to be able to lease freighters on a charter basis from other domestic cargo carriers, such as Shenzhen Donghai Airlines and Yangtze River Express Airlines.
He adds that “being short of a comprehensive cargo route network and an airport tailored for air cargo [will] hinder further growth of the carrier’s cargo business”.
