Qatar Airways Cargo, Cainiao ink deal to grow e-commerce delivery

Qatar Airways Cargo and logistics firm Cainiao Group agreed this week to expand their collaboration and accelerate cross-border e-commerce delivery. Cainiao , the logistics arm of Alibaba, will more than double its weekly charter flights on key China-Europe routes, using Qatar Cargo’s network, according to a Sept. 11 joint release. [caption id="attachment_57291602" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] (Courtesy/Qatar Airways Cargo)[/caption] The broader flight schedule will give shippers greater flexibility in planning and delivering exports from China to Europe, the release said. The partnership allows Qatar Cargo “to meet the fast-changing needs of the global e-commerce market,” Mark Drusch, the airline’s chief cargo officer, said in the release. Cainiao, which launched five-day delivery in September 2023 and expanded it to Europe in April 2024, aims to achieve global delivery within seventy-two hours, Cainiao Chief Executive Wan Lin said in the release. Top exporter China exported about $3.58 trillion worth of goods in 2024, an increase of 5.9% from 2023, according to data platform Statista. The country was the top exporting country by export value in 2024, according to Statista. “China is one of the most important trade partners globally, playing a pivotal role in the evolution of e-commerce and continuing to drive the highest demand for air cargo capacity worldwide,” Drusch said in the release. Asia-Pacific cargo carrier traffic grew 11.1% year over year in July and Middle Eastern cargo carrier traffic grew 2.6% YoY that month, according to the most recent available cargo traffic data from IATA . July was the third consecutive month in which Asia-Pacific saw the highest cargo traffic growth of all regions. E-commerce to Europe North American cargo carrier traffic has fared poorly compared with the other regions in the past few months, likely a result of the end of de minimis exemptions and the implementation of reciprocal tariffs . North American cargo carrier traffic grew just 0.7% YoY in July and European cargo carrier traffic grew 4.1% YoY that month, according to IATA. “Many e-commerce shipments have been re-directed to the China-Europe corridor due to U.S. de minimis bans,” Niall van de Wouw, chief airfreight officer at ocean and airfreight rate analytics platform Xeneta, said in a release last week. This is opening opportunities for expanded relationships between Chinese and European companies, such as Etihad Cargo and SF Airlines signing an agreement in June to market their services jointly. Additionally, Cargolux this week signed a memorandum of understanding with China Henan Aviation Group to “further enhance the dual hub development between Luxembourg and Zhengzhou, China,” according to a Cargolux social media post. Register here for Cargo Facts ’ upcoming free webinar, “Air cargo route networks: Strategies for improved results and greater efficiencies,” on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 11 a.m. ET. Cargo Facts Symposium, the quintessential event for stakeholders and key leaders in the global freighter and air cargo industries, will take place Oct. 22-24 at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville . Learn more and register today to attend this key industry event.

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