Cainiao teams up with Volga-Dnepr Group for a new China-Europe route to accelerate cross-border logistics

PRESS RELEASE JULY 15

Volga-Dnepr Group (the Group), one of the leading groups of air cargo carriers worldwide, together with its strategic partner, CargoLogicAir, continues to expand its partnership with Cainiao Network (Cainiao), pursuing the growing demand for e-commerce shipments.

On July 14, AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC), part of VDG, operated its first flight for Cainiao from Hong Kong (China) to Madrid (Spain), while also providing capacity on the way back from Spain.

ABC’s Boeing 747 freighter carried over 100 tonnes of parcels, all of which contained high-tech products and consumer goods exporting from the sellers on AliExpress e-commerce platform.

Starting from weekly frequency, the flights will be gradually increased till three in August.

Apart from that, the flight will be operated via Liege (Belgium) that has been another popular ecommerce destination within VDG’s network. The parcels will be quickly distributed all over Europe after arriving in Liege and Madrid, through Cainiao’s network of trucking and terminal distribution in Europe, ensuring the delivery timeframes of the whole process from China to Europe are kept within 10 days.

Madrid will complement existing ABC Northern destinations in Spain, Zaragoza, while offering the options to deliver to Southern and Central Spain from the Hong Kong catchment area.

“Since 2018, we have been closely working with Cainiao Network to develop fast, flexible, and cost-efficient solutions. This included expansion of our network, realignment of commercial and operational issues, choice of the most appropriate freighter type, and introduction of digital solutions. Starting from An-124-100, we have then begun operating other freighters within the Group for Cainiao to guarantee a greater choice and convenience through our CargoSupermarket concept.

“We will further support Cainiao with the fleet of best-in-class 39 freighters to accommodate e-commerce volumes, which have tripled within the Group for the first five months of 2020 and reached the level of 20,000 tons,” highlighted Tatyana Arslanova, Executive Operating Officer, Volga-Dnepr Group.

“Cainiao has been working with partners globally to raise logistics efficiency and optimize user experience,” said William Xiong, Cainiao’s Chief Strategist and General Manager of Export Logistics. “This year, Cainiao plans to launch 1260 chartered flights to safeguard cross-border logistics and help Chinese merchants sell globally.”

The new route will support cross-border deliveries, which have been booming for the last years and intensified during the Covid-19 lockdown period when consumers refocused from offline to online shopping.