China's SF Airlines creates global freight route network

SHENZHEN - SF Airlines has become China's largest cargo airline and created a global air cargo service network with 65 destinations, said the airline Tuesday.

SF Airlines has evolved into a medium-size cargo airline with a total of 58 all-cargo freighters, announced the airline on its 10th anniversary.

The Shenzhen-based SF Airlines is the aviation branch of China's express giant SF Express. It provides specialized services for the booming express delivery business and other air freight services such as the chartered freight flights.

On Dec 31, 2009, SF Airlines launched its first route linking Shenzhen in South China's Guangdong province and Hangzhou in eastern Zhejiang province. It also represented the operation of China's first private cargo airline.

Over the past 10 years, its fleet has carried more than 2.5 million tons of air cargo in around 330,000 flight hours worldwide, according to the airline.

In 2018, China's civil aviation industry handled a total of 7.38 million tons of air cargo, a 4.6 percent year-on-year increase, according to statistics released by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.