Cainiao, Qatar Airways Cargo launch weekly HK-Sao Paolo flight

Cainiao Network, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, in association with Qatar Airways Cargo, announced a weekly chartered flight from Hong Kong to Sao Paulo, Brazil.

With a capacity of over 100 tons of cargo, the flight will strengthen Cainiao in Latin America, one of its fastest-growing e-commerce destinations.

The first flight under the partnership took off from Hong Kong on Saturday and arrived at San Paolo's Guarulhos Airport on Monday, Cainiao said.

It delivered, among other things, online retail products like beauty and fashion goods, jewellery, watches, appliances, toys and sports equipment.

"In just over a year, Cainiao has established a comprehensive operation in Latin America, and we see that e-commerce retail in Brazil, in particular, is growing at a phenomenal rate," William Xiong, Cainiao's chief strategist and general manager for export logistics, said in a press release.

Cainiao has recorded triple-digit growth rate in Latin America during the period and has expanded its air cargo network in recent months to secure smooth supply-chain performance.

Cainiao first started chartered flights between China and Latin America in April 2021 in cooperation with Atlas Air. It began operating such flights on a daily basis since November, in response to the surge in cross-border trade between China and Latin America.