SF Airlines adds second cargo service to India to cater for e-commerce

Fast-growing Chinese express firm SF Airlines has added a second service to India to cater for growing demand for e-commerce.

The airline said that on October 17 it carried out its first flight between Shenzhen and Delhi using a B474-400F.

The service is SF Airlines’ second operation to India – the other operating Shenzhen-Chennai – and its eighth international route.

Exported goods are mainly consumer electronics and industrial equipment, and imports are mainly e-commerce parcels and general cargo.

“[The service] can render assistance to the Sino-Indian crossborder e-commerce development and the promotion of Chinese brands in overseas markets,” SF Airlines said.

The airline pointed to statistics showing that in 2018 the Indian e-commerce market was worth more than $19.5bn, with mobile phone products the main driver of growth.

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“As the e-commerce industry thrives and the trade flows are on the rise, the demands for cross-border aviation logistics between the two places are emerging,” SF Airlines said.

“On the other hand, Shenzhen is an innovation centre [for] the international science and technology industry, with highly integrated high-tech manufacturing services and dynamic import and export trades. This places greater demand on market-based and professional cross-border logistic services.”

SF Airlines has grown rapidly over recent years and today operates a fleet of 57 freighter aircraft, flying to more than 60 cities.

The carrier launched its first service to India in August last year using a 56 ton B767, which was later upgraded to a 110 ton B747F on the back on increasing demand.