China-based YTO Cargo Airline has started a 3x-weekly freighter service between Hangzhou (HGH) in eastern China and Singapore (SIN), as Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba looks to improve service fulfilment to southeast Asia.

This will also be SIN’s fourth new cargo service from China since the start of pandemic-related border closure measures in April.

YTO is Alibaba’s logistics arm, which aims to deliver e-commerce products to southeast Asian destinations within 72 hours.

According to Fleet Discovery, part of Aviation Week Intelligence Network Fleet & Data Services, YTO currently operates seven Boeing 737-300 freighters and five 757Fs.

SIN operator Changi Airport Group said air cargo traffic to/from China has remained "resilient" during the pandemic and has grown 7% year-over-year to over 108,000 tonnes, consisting of 60% import and 40% export volume.

There are currently 14 cargo links between the two countries, including to Chengdu (CTU), Chongqing (CKG) and Nantong (NTG).

“Singapore is one of the key hubs in the southeast Asia market, while Hangzhou is the cradleland of e-commerce in China. We are committed to responding to customer demands by providing five-star service and supporting bilateral trade between China and Singapore," YTO Cargo Airline chairman David Su said.

Photo: YTO Cargo Airlines’ Boeing 757F at SIN

Credit: Changi Airport Group