Singapore Changi Airport today welcomed the arrival of Chinese express carrier SF Airlines’ inaugural flight from Shenzhen, China.
SF Airlines is the first Chinese express airline to operate between Singapore and China, and its arrival strengthens air trade flows between the two countries.
The weekly service will operate from 4 September to 27 October 2018. Subsequent services are subject to approval from the regulatory authorities.
UPS also operates freighter services on the Singapore-Shenzhen route while bellyhold capacity is provided by passenger airlines Scoot, Shenzhen Airlines and SilkAir.
China is Changi Airport’s largest air cargo market, registering more than 270,000 tonnes of airfreight throughput (+8 per cent year-on-year), for the 12 months ending June 2018.
With the addition of SF Airlines’ weekly service on a Boeing 767F aircraft, main deck airfreight capacity to and from Shenzhen will increase by about 16 per cent on this route.
Changi Airport Group’s managing director for air hub development, Lim Ching Kiat said: “We welcome SF Airlines to Changi Airport’s family of cargo airlines. Significantly, this allows for more cargo flows from China to and through Changi Airport, and will secure Singapore’s position as a premier regional cargo hub.
“There is also growing demand by the Chinese market for perishables and pharmaceutical products from the Southwest Pacific and Southeast Asian regions; both are among the top cargo segments passing through Changi Airport from these regions to China, with a robust year-on-year growth.
“Singapore is a gateway for such flows between China and countries in the two regions. The added capacity by SF Airlines marks the start of expected growth of express flows on these routes.”
SF Airlines’ vice president of maintenance and engineering, Liang Xi said: “The successful launch of direct flights to Singapore is a testament to SF Airlines’ ability in responding quickly to market demands, and showcases its commitment to its customers in providing competitive and reliable route options.”
SF Airlines is the largest express carrier in China by aircraft fleet. As a member of SF Group, SF Airlines’ new Singapore services will be an extension of the Group’s business in Singapore.
SF Group’s express delivery arm, SF Express, has been operating in Singapore since February 2010, and established warehousing facilities in the Changi Airfreight Centre (CAC) in September 2012. With SF Express’ growth in operations in the region, CAG has worked closely with the express player to facilitate its expansion in Singapore.
As of 1 July 2018, Changi Airport is connected to 36 cities in China with more than 380 weekly services. Shenzhen is among Singapore’s top five Chinese cities for cargo throughput.
