Chinese fleet surpasses 300 freighters

The total active jet freighter fleet in China has exceeded 300 units. Cargo Facts counted 304 freighters in service across nineteen operators as of March 20, representing a year-over-year increase of 6.7%. The freighters consisted of 153 widebodies and 151 narrowbodies. The widebody segment drove the expansion, with large widebodies growing by almost 11% and medium widebodies growing by 9.7%. By contrast, the narrowbody segment grew by 1.3%. A330s lead growth The widebody freighter type that saw the highest growth by far was the A330 — specifically the shorter -200 variant. There were twenty-four units in service as of March 20 compared to fifteen a year ago, an increase of about 38%. Most the growth came from converted A330-200P2Fs. Air China Cargo contributed the most to the increase, taking redelivery of four more units to complete its conversion order with EFW. With eight aircraft, the carrier is now the largest operator of the type in China. [caption id="attachment_57295974" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] JD began operating its first A330-200P2F in early 2026. (Courtesy/Nantong International Airport)[/caption] Two new A330-200P2F operators have emerged in the past twelve months. Hong Kong Air Cargo, part of the HNA Aviation Group, added the first conversion to its fleet of five production A330-200Fs, with the 2009-vintage, Trent 700-powered aircraft (1028) having completed conversion at the STARCO facility in Shanghai (SHA). JD Airlines, the in-house carrier of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com and its JD Logistics division, leased a 2007-vintage A330-200P2F (832) from Titan Aviation Leasing toward the end of 2025. JD put the freighter into domestic service at the end of January and deployed it on international operations less than a month later. This marked diversification for JD, which previously only operated 737-800BCFs. Elsewhere, Capital Airlines added another A330-200P2F that it operates on behalf of Jiangxi Cargo Airlines, and Air Hong Kong added two production A330-200Fs for CMI service on behalf of DHL. 777F becoming most popular model Boeing had sixty-one of its large twin-engine production freighter type in service with six carriers in China as of March 20. [caption id="attachment_57295988" align="aligncenter" width="1834"] Suparna received its first 777F in September 2025. (Courtesy/Boeing)[/caption] HNA Aviation Group subsidiary Suparna Airlines became the most recent Chinese carrier to add the 777F to its widebody fleet in the past twelve months, taking delivery of two new units in the fourth quarter of 2025 after placing an order with Boeing for them in December 2023. The airline plans to eventually replace its three 747-400 freighters. China Cargo Airlines continued to expand its 777F fleet, taking delivery of its nineteenth unit in February. With the arrival of that aircraft (70509), China Cargo and China Southern Cargo are tied as the largest 777F operators in the country with nineteen units apiece. However, China Cargo told Cargo Facts in February that it expects to add four aircraft in 2026. The number of 777F carriers in China has doubled over the past four years to six. Central Airlines expanded into the widebody segment with its first 777F in 2022. It grew its fleet to six 777Fs in 2025 after adding two ex-Emirates units on lease from DAE Capital. The 777F will shortly become the most numerous freighter type in China, overtaking the 757-200F. Narrowbody activity relatively subdued The number of 757 freighters in China has not changed in the past twelve months. In fact, the narrowbody segment overall experienced limited YoY growth. The 737-800F type increased to fifty-three active units from forty-nine. Most notably, Shandong Airlines added two 737-800BCFs that it had removed from passenger service as conversion feedstock. Both aircraft were converted at the STAECO facility in Jinan (TNA). There is still only one Chinese carrier with A321 freighters: Sichuan Airlines. It took two more A321-200PCFs and now has five. 2026 may see Qingdao Airlines expand into the freighter market and become an A321F operator. The airline in September 2025 said that it would hire Sichuan to provide training on A321 freighter operations. Additionally, EFW announced in July 2025 that it had obtained approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China for its A320 family P2F programs . Given that these approvals are granted in connection with a prospective operator, it may not be long before more Airbus narrowbody freighters enter service in China. Cargo Facts will present four invaluable events for airfreight professionals in 2026, the next of which is <a class="Hyperlink SCXW113043295 BCX0" style="color: #ff0000;" href="https://cargofactsevents.com/asia/?utm_campaign=22235567-CF%20Asia%202026&utm_source=Editorial&utm_medium=article%20event%20footer&utm_term=CF%20website&utm_content=Learn%20More&utm_source=Weekly+Update+-+Cargo+Facts&utm_campaign=fbe548904b-CF+Update_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_621baa6827-fbe548904b-40083601&mc_cid=fbe548904b&mc_eid=adbe8bb0b4" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Cargo Facts Asia on March 23-25. To see the agendas and register for the events, visit CargoFactsEvents.com .

Chinese fleet surpasses 300 freighters

Widebody segment grows by around 10%

Fraunhofer looks to bring autonomous tech to air cargo

LaGuardia crash kills two after Air Canada jet hits vehicle

Related Posts

From the Cockpit with K2 Aviation’s Karl Ryan

Production freighter activity highlights May FATs

Widebodies account for more than half of April’s transactions

LaGuardia crash kills two after Air Canada jet hits vehicle

Cargo Facts Free Newsletters

Cargo Facts Connect Podcast

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password