JD.com to become China’s first e-commerce company with its own airline

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com is on track to become the country’s first e-commerce player with its own air cargo fleet, reported the South China Morning Post.

The East China bureau of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the authority in charge of civil flights, has given preliminary approval for the establishment of Jiangsu Jingdong, according to an announcement by the authority on Tuesday.

The air cargo unit will be a joint venture between the e-commerce giant and Nantong Airport Group, with the e-commerce giant contributing 75% of the starting capital.

The joint venture will become the first cargo airline in China funded by an e-commerce platform and the country’s third private cargo airline after SF Express and YTO Express.