SINGAPORE: September 04, 2018. SF Airlines has begun operating a weekly B767-300 freighter between Shenzhen, China and Singapore in competition with United Parcel Service until October 27 next month. Continuation of the service is subject to regulatory approval.

The company is the first Chinese express carrier to operate between the two city pairs currently served with bellyhold capacity by passenger airlines Scoot, Shenzhen Airlines and SilkAir.

As a result, air cargo volume is expected to increase 16 percent on the route says Changi Airport Group (CAG) with Shenzhen one of Singapore’s top five Chinese destinations for air cargo.

Serving 36 cities in China with more than 380 weekly services, Changi handled over 270,000 tonnes of China-related airfreight volume for the 12 months ending June 2018 – an increase of 8.0 percent year-on-year.

Commenting on SF launch, CAG managing director for Air Hub Development Lim Ching Kiat said: “There is 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,” he added.

The new service follows the introduction of SF freighter service from Shenzhen to Chennai, India in August and 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,” according to Liang Xi, vice president of Maintenance and Engineering.

Currently more than 100 airlines operate 7,200 weekly scheduled flights at Changi connecting 400 cities in 100 countries and territories worldwide.