Alibaba logistics firm Cainiao launches next-day cross-border deliveries by way of Hong Kong
Through a new route from the Hong Kong airport to Zhuhai, online purchases can reach buyers in Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu as fast as one day
The service allows the goods, stored at a Cainiao warehouse near the Hong Kong International Airport, to be moved across the Pearl River Estuary to Zhuhai, in Guangdong province. They will then be flown to Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province before being delivered to customers, according to a company statement on Wednesday.
The new service is currently only available to residents of Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu who made e-commerce purchases of overseas items, as cross-region parcel delivery is the fastest in these areas.
The Zhuhai route disrupts the current model that transports goods primarily by train or lorry, a relatively slow option, or by air from Hong Kong to Shanghai, which is costly. The new service – called Gangzhufei, roughly meaning “Hong Kong-Zhuhai by air” – can reduce transport time by at least one day, and customers in certain areas can receive the parcel as soon as the day after placing an order, Cainiao said.
In collaboration with the airports in Hong Kong and Zhuhai, Cainiao is “actively optimising” the service so that it can be applied to exports from mainland China in the future, according to the company.
