Cainiao launches direct Africa connectivity with HKG-Nigeria cargo service

Cainiao Smart Logistics Network, the logistics subsidiary of Alibaba Group, launched direct air cargo connectivity from Hong Kong (HKG) to Africa, with a route connecting HKG to Lagos (LOS) in Nigeria on June 24. The flight operates more than six times each week using either 747 or 777 passenger and freighter aircraft, and can transport cargo between HKG-LOS in 20 days; cargo transport previously took 60 days to transit the Middle East. “When we first launched the Middle East trans-shipment center, Chinese merchants [would] send their cross-border goods to the Middle East via Dubai using Cainiao's chartered planes [and] the parcels [would] then be transferred to cargo trucks to be transported to Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates and other countries,” a Cainiao spokesperson told Air Cargo World . Going forward, the precise route will be adjusted according to the specific situation and may include possible transit through Ethiopia. Depending on the operating aircraft, the HKG-LOS route can transport 30 to 100 tonnes of cargo, and Cainiao may eventually increase the frequency of flights depending on parcel volume growth, said the spokesperson. They further noted that e-commerce goods currently in demand include: wigs, computers, communications and consumer electronics, mobile phones, cosmetics and accessories. Africa is now one of Cainiao’s key emerging markets, according to a June 24 press release from the logistics company. Cainiao saw 163% year-over-year growth in cross-border e-commerce parcel volume between China and Africa in May compared to the same month in 2020, due to demand driven by local consumers. Consequently, the HKG-LOS route is the first of many African destinations to come, said the Cainiao spokesperson, adding, “We have plans to cover Morocco, Ghana, Kenya, Egypt, South Africa and other African countries this year.” Carriers have also been slowly increasing their Africa connectivity. For instance, Delta Air Lines recently restored service to all of its pre-COVID African markets earlier this month while Kenya Airways Cargo added two additional flights to its weekly cargo service between Nairobi (NBO) and New York (JFK) in May . In March, Kenya-based cargo airline Astral Aviation launched a twice-weekly route connecting NBO to Sharjah (SHJ).

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