YTO Express steps up international air-cargo as Jiaxing Nanhu Airport opens

by CHEN Yixuan

YTO Express, one of China's largest parcel couriers by volume, is ramping up its international air-cargo business after Jiaxing Nanhu Airport began operations on December 26, giving the courier a dedicated freight hub as it seeks growth beyond China's domestic parcel market.

Jiaxing Nanhu was planned as a cargo-led airport under a broader regional development blueprint proposed in 2019, an uncommon model in China's largely passenger-focused aviation system. The airport has 56 aircraft stands, including 33 dedicated to cargo, with freight operations mainly handled by YTO's in-house airline.

The opening advances what YTO calls its "YTO Sky Hub" project, a logistics base combining a cargo airport with industrial parks and trade services. YTO told Jiemian News that YTO Cargo Airlines, its in-house aviation arm, plans to roll out 28 international cargo routes in phases, linking Asia, Europe and North America. Initial routes will focus on Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia.

As part of the build-out, the network will be anchored at Jiaxing as the main hub, with seven overseas satellite hubs planned in key logistics centers including Almaty, Dubai, Budapest, São Paulo, Los Angeles and Bangkok, creating a linked global supply-chain network.

Owning air capacity has become increasingly important for Chinese couriers as competition intensifies and growth in domestic express deliveries slows. Most operators still rely on leased slots at congested passenger airports, while only two companies—YTO and SF Express—operate dedicated cargo airlines with their own fleets.

SF Express built its aviation network around Ezhou Huahu Airport, which opened in 2022 as a high-throughput domestic transfer hub. YTO is pursuing a different model, with Jiaxing Nanhu designed around freight demand to ease slot constraints and support more point-to-point international services.

YTO Cargo Airlines, founded in 2015, previously operated mainly from Hangzhou Xiaoshan and other passenger airports. Industry sources said the move to Jiaxing allows the company to rely less on third-party hubs and operate owned infrastructure.

Data from the Civil Aviation Administration of China show air-cargo and mail volumes and revenue have recovered faster than passenger traffic in recent years, though profitability depends on route density, load factors and stable cargo flows.

YTO said in October it would add mid- to large-sized, long-range freighters as demand warrants, signaling a gradual build-out. Whether the new hub delivers the scale efficiencies the company is targeting will depend on how quickly international routes mature and cargo volumes ramp up.