Aviastar-TU sees more 757Fs on the horizon

After taking delivery of a 757-200PCF (25731, ex-American Airlines) on-lease from New Zealand-based Airwork this month, Russia-based Aviastar-TU confirmed to Cargo Facts that it plans to add another freighter-converted 757-200PCF later this year, and possibly more in 2019. The carrier’s second 757-200 (25696) is already in conversion with Precision Aircraft Solutions at the Aersale facility in […]

• Caryn Livingston
• August 22, 2018

Volga-Dnepr Group finds its HUB-2 at Liege

Earlier this week, when the Volga-Dnepr Group and its UK-based affiliate CargoLogicHolding inked a massive deal with Boeing for up to thirty-four widebody freighters – a letter of intent to purchase twenty-nine 777 freighters, and an order for five 747-8 freighters, we questioned where some of these aircraft might up. Yesterday, Volga-Dnepr Group and U.K.-based […]

• Charles Kauffman
• July 19, 2018

YTO Cargo Airlines chasing cross-border e-commerce with 757Fs

Hangzhou-based YTO Cargo Airlines this year added two Precision-converted 757-200PCFs to its fleet, which previously consisted of just six 737-300Fs, with the intention of going global. Although it has taken YTO longer than anticipated to launch international cargo flights, new flight rights may soon be granted, and the carrier’s pursuit of chasing cross-border e-commerce volumes […]

• Charles Kauffman
• July 10, 2018

Google looks to e-commerce in partnership with China’s JD.com

Today, Google and JD.com announced a strategic partnership leveraging one another’s areas of expertise, to develop new e-commerce products and services for global markets, including Southeast Asia, the United States, and Europe. As part of the agreement, Google is investing US$550 million in Beijing-based JD.com, which will issue discounted Class A shares to the Silicon […]

• Charles Kauffman
• June 18, 2018

Will partnering with Alibaba’s Cainiao payoff for global carriers?

In recent weeks, Alibaba’s Cainiao Smart Logistics Network has redoubled its focus on cross-border e-commerce with a string of new investments into logistics centers at six cities around the world, and, as of this week, new partnerships with global carriers. These initiatives support the Alibaba Group’s goal of reducing average delivery times to 24-hours across […]

• Charles Kauffman
• June 13, 2018

Is Alibaba’s new joint venture at Hong Kong International Airport a game changer?

Last week, Alibaba’s logistics-affiliate, Cainiao, announced plans to open five global hubs in Asia, Europe and the Middle East “to meet the surging cross-border e-commerce needs”. Today, Hangzhou-based Cainiao unveiled a separate US$1.5 billion investment in a joint-venture logistics center at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), what will effectively be the sixth hub. With six […]

• Charles Kauffman
• June 6, 2018

Alibaba refreshes blueprint for achieving global deliveries within 72 hours

  The goals remain much the same. Alibaba co-founder and chairman, Jack Ma has a steadfast vision for global e-commerce logistics that aims to make parcel shipments significantly cheaper, while boosting the speed of point-to-point deliveries so that a delivery between any two city pairs within China or between any two global cities can be […]

• Charles Kauffman
• May 31, 2018

Walmart to acquire Indian e-commerce giant in largest such deal on record

Globally, there exist just a few e-commerce companies that could fetch more than the estimated $16 billion Walmart yesterday announced it will be paying for a 77% stake in India’s leading homegrown player, Flipkart. Pending customary regulatory approval, the acquisition could upend efforts by giants like Alibaba and Amazon to expand their presence in the […]

• Charles Kauffman
• May 10, 2018

Overheard at Cargo Facts Asia Part I: It’s Safe to be Bullish

SHANGHAI – A record crowd of senior air cargo executives gathered for Cargo Facts Asia 2018, held at the Mandarin Oriental Pudong. Once again, the crowd was enlightened with presentations and discussions from some of air cargo’s best and brightest while enjoying focused networking opportunities with the people shaping the air freight industry. The opening […]

• Caryn Livingston and Charles Kauffman
• May 7, 2018

CAAC grants first commercial drone operation license to SF subsidiary

Yesterday, the eastern bureau of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) granted Jiangxi Fengyu Shuntu Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of SF Holdings, the first domestic UAV Aviation License. With the license, SF Logistics now has the legal authority to operate and expand the scale of its delivery drone delivery pilot operations, which began […]

• Charles Kauffman
• March 28, 2018