Cainiao launches global air freight service

Courier aggregator Cainiao Network Technology Co Ltd has launched its first international air freight service, a solid step toward the goal of serving 2 billion customers within two decades set by its parent company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

The maiden flight, which took off on Thursday linking Hangzhou and Moscow, will effectively shorten transportation time from China to Europe to five days.

Russian carrier Aviastar-TU is operating the service for Cainiao. The cargo plane stops in Novosibirsk, Russia and the Latvian capital Riga en route between the two cities.