YTO goes west with new joint-venture airline and hub

Shanghai-based YTO Express will build a new hub at Xianyang Airport (XIY) in the city of Xi’an in central China. Further, the company’s airline subsidiary, YTO Express Airlines, signed a memorandum of understanding with Western Airport Group to establish a joint-venture airline in Xi’an under the name China Northwest International Cargo Airlines. YTO’s CEO, Yu Weijiao, said that Xi’an would serve as an important strategic location for parcels bound for Russia, Central Asia, and Europe – reflecting China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative.