Cainiao ramps up Latam freighter flights with Atlas

Cainiao Network – the logistics arm of e-commerce firm Alibaba – is extending its partnership with Atlas Air as it looks to cater for growing demand in the Latin America region.

The two companies announced a partnership on three flights per week between Hong Kong, Brazil and Chile last year but will now expand the agreement.

Atlas has added an additional B747-400F to fly between Hong Kong, China and Santiago.

This brings the total dedicated fleet that Atlas operates for Cainiao to five aircraft and means the partners will offer daily flights on the route.

“With the launch of daily flights, Cainiao’s weekly cargo volume from China to LatAm has increased 144% compared to last October when there were only three chartered flights per week,” Cainiao said.

According to Cainiao, the number of parcels shipped to Brazil in September 2021 increased by 200% as compared to the same month last year.

In response to the growth, Cainiao rolled out “12-day delivery service” in Brazil’s core metropolitan areas.

In addition, Cainiao plans to establish a distribution center in Brazil to offer next-day or even same-day delivery in partnership with local delivery firms.

“Our partnership with Atlas Air continues to strengthen our network between South America and other destinations around the globe as we further enhance Cainiao’s capabilities to support merchants worldwide efficiently and reliably,” said William Xiong, Cainiao’s chief strategist and general manager of export logistics.

Alibaba targets South America e-commerce with Atlas Air deal