China Southern Airlines, the largest airline by fleet size in the country, has added two Boeing 777 jets to expand its services to Europe and the U.S. Two aircrafts may not seem a lot but the Shanghai Daily reported they increased the airline’s capacity by 92%.The two Boeing 777 jets, each with the capacity of carrying 105.9 tons of goods, to its cargo fleet. They will fly two new routes: Shanghai to Frankfurt and Shanghai to Chicago.
Frankfurt is an important European destination. 43% of exports from Europe and 21% of imports from China go through Frankfurt.Chicago is also a key city. The cargo volume on the Shanghai to Chicago route accounts for 30% of the total cargo volume departing from the Chinese city.
Alibaba reports the carrier will introduce four more Boeing 777s by 2011, increasing the size of its cargo fleet to eight aircraft, including two B747 jets.