YTO chooses Hactl as Hong Kong handler

YTO Cargo Airlines (YG) – the aircraft operating arm of Chinese courier firm YTO Express – has appointed Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd (Hactl) as its handling agent in Hong Kong.

The carrier commenced operations in September 2015, and launched its newest route – Wuxi-Hong Kong – on January 29 this year, using a newly-acquired 30-tonne capacity B757-200F to operate the four times a week service.

The aircraft joins the airline’s existing fleet of seven B737-300Fs, and further B757Fs are due for delivery during 2018.

Hactl is providing a one-stop-shop ramp- and terminal handling service for all YG flights through Hong Kong, the airline’s first international destination. It plans the addition of scheduled flights to Philippines, Russia, Japan, South Korea and Macau in due course.

YG’s parent, Shanghai-based YTO Express, is now the second largest network coverage parcel carrier in China (after China Post), handling 20m parcels per day - mainly e-commerce goods.

YTO Express is one of 14 partners that work closely with Alibaba’s Cainiao logistics subsidiary, which integrates multi-modal transport suppliers and express couriers across China, to deliver express packages. The Cainiao network now averages around 42m parcels per day.

Weijiao YU, chairman and president of YTO Express, said: “We are very excited about our new services to Hong Kong, marking the beginning of the next stage in our global expansion plans. Hactl’s considerable experience in handling express operators and e-commerce shipments makes it our ideal service partner.”

Mark Whitehead, chief executive of Hactl, said: “We are very pleased to have been given the opportunity to assist YTO Cargo Airlines in this important stage of their development, and look forward to creating a successful partnership.”