SHANGHAI -- Mail and cargo flights between Shanghai and Osaka in Japan went into operation on Tuesday, shortening delivery times between the two cities by at least 12 hours.

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A Boeing 737-300 of China Postal Airlines, specializing in express mail services (EMS) and cargo transport, took off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport early Tuesday morning and was scheduled to land at Osaka about two hours later, airline sources said.

This is the second international cargo flight service that China Postal Airlines has launched this year. It launched a Beijing-Seoul cargo flight on August 3.

The new flight will boost economic exchanges between China and Japan and give China Postal a surer footing in the international market, said a source with China Postal Airlines.

China Postal Airlines will fly from Shanghai to Osaka five times a week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, company sources said.

The flights depart Shanghai at 3:00 a.m. Beijing Time and arrive in Osaka at 5:50 a.m. local time. Return flights depart Osaka at 7:10 a.m. local time and arrive at Shanghai at 8:10 a.m. Beijing Time.

Shanghai-based China Postal Airlines, a 51/49 percent joint venture between China's State Post Bureau and China Southern Airlines, boasts a fleet of 13 aircraft and operates 30 flights to a dozen domestic cities. The company has established a delivery network covering over 300 Chinese cities.

In line with its commitments to the World Trade Organization, China has fully opened its express delivery market. International delivery companies such as DHL, TNT and UPS are now competing in China.

As competition at home from international delivery giants and private domestic companies hots up, China Postal Airlines is pushing into the international cargo market.

According to company sources, China Postal Airlines will run daily flights for Korean electronics giant Samsung starting January 2007.

The airline plans to extend its air routes to Europe and America as well as other countries in Asia when the time is ripe, company sources said.