News / New cargo airlines ready for take-off as Chinese e-commerce firms start to fly

© Khunaspix Dreamstime.

Retail and express companies in China are gearing up to take advantage of its rapidly growing e-commerce market, with two new cargo airlines getting the nod from the Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC).

Chinese e-commerce grew 31.4% last year, to $2.1trn, the majority comprising online business-to-business trading, according to China E-Commerce Research Centre. The online retail market grew by almost 50%, to $450bn.

And the competition to grab some of that market is heating up. YTO Express, which according to media reports is ...