Qatar Airways Cargo, Cainiao to support growing ecommerce market in South America

Cainiao and Qatar Airways Cargo have partnered up to support the growing e-commerce market in South America. The two-year strategic partnership sees the launch of a weekly B77X freighter service linking Hong Kong, China and Sao Paolo, Brazil.

The first Cainiao chartered Boeing 777X departed Hong Kong Airport on March 5, headed for Guarulhos Airport Sao Paolo, Brazil, via Qatar Airways Cargo’s hub in Doha.

“We hope to expand our partnership in future as e-commerce between China and Latin America is growing rapidly,” says Dandy Zhang, commercial director of global line haul, Cainiao’s cross border business.

“Over the past few years, especially during the pandemic, e-commerce growth spiraled and Latin America was not immune to this growth,” explains Guillaume Halleux, chief officer cargo at Qatar Airways.

“As per research, Latin America has very strong potential where e-commerce traffic is growing fast, so we will see a demand for increased services in future.

“With our existing extensive fleet as well as the new order for freighters, we are perfectly placed to serve the current and future e-commerce demand.”

Cainiao has been serving Brazil for six years. It is one of its most important emerging markets with huge potential for e-commerce. The country is Cainiao’s preferred gateway to Latin America, along with Chile on the West Coast and Mexico in Central America.
Zhang says: “We offer cross-border, clearance, and last-mile delivery services for AliExpress’ merchants and customers in Brazil. In September 2021, Cainiao’s parcel volume to Brazil surged by over 200% compared to the same time period in the year of 2020.”

Halleux also notes that Latin America is a ‘key market’ for the carrier. “We operate a mix of passenger aircraft and Boeing 777 freighters from Doha to Mexico City, Bogotá, Quito, Campinas, São Paulo, Santiago de Chile and Buenos Aires,” he says.