First Flight to Europe

SF Airlines' Official Launch of Its First Intercontinental Route

At 00:30 a.m. on September 15, 2019, a B747-400ERF of SF Airlines Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as "SF Airlines") took off  from Wuxi in the moonlight and successfully landed at Frankfurt–Hahn Airport, Germany at 16:30 p.m. on September 15, 2019 (Beijing Time) after a stopover at Chongqing, being the first flight to Europe after nearly a decade of incorporation and symbolizing the official launch of SF Airlines' first intercontinental air freight route "Wuxi-Chongqing-Frankfurt Hahn-Wuxi".

Figure 1 SF Airlines' first flight of "Wuxi-Chongqing-Frankfurt Hahn-Wuxi"

Figure 2 Cargo loading for SF Airlines' first flight of "Wuxi-Chongqing-Frankfurt Hahn-Wuxi"

The route has been the longest one operated by SF Airlines so far. It has a flight mileage of 9,540km and is undertaken by B747-400ERF aircraft, the largest aircraft model of SF Airlines by now. With a maximum payload of 110 tons to accommodate cargo loaded in Wuxi, Chongqing and Hahn, the flight is able to consolidate and ship cargo between East China, West China and Hahn (a critical air freight distribution hub of Europe) through air-air and air-land transit under huge support from local customs in Wuxi and Chongqing. Highly valued by local customs in Wuxi and Chongqing and through efforts in communication and coordination, the flight features a simplified flight approval procedure, an optimized transit regulation process and a highly efficient, orderly customs clearance service. It also promotes cross-border trading and value realization through cargo circulation and facilitates implementation of the "Belt and Road" Initiative in business trading and circulation. 

Figure 3 Cargo loading for SF Airlines' first flight of "Wuxi-Chongqing-Frankfurt Hahn-Wuxi"

Figure 4 SF Airlines' first flight of "Wuxi-Chongqing-Frankfurt Hahn-Wuxi" is undertaken by B747-400ERF

After the operation is normalized, the new route is able to transport more than 600 tons of shipments for SF's international business from Chinese Mainland to Europe. It is expected to build a stable air logistics channel between China and Europe for manufacturing and business trading enterprises in Wuxi, Chongqing and surrounding areas, further facilitate building of the modern air logistics system of Wuxi and Chongqing and promote local foreign trade businesses.

Figure 5 Flight crew of SF Airlines' first flight of "Wuxi-Chongqing-Frankfurt Hahn-Wuxi"

Figure 6 Logistics team of SF Airlines' first flight of "Wuxi-Chongqing-Frankfurt Hahn-Wuxi"

Since 2019, adhering to the development concept of "Aviation-based Win-win Logistics", SF Airlines has successfully launched six international air routes and gradually extended its network from Southeast Asia to Central Asia and further to European regions. As the two B747-400ERF aircraft were put into use in succession, SF Airlines' international air logistics service capability has been improved significantly, thus paving the way for successful launch of SF Airlines' first intercontinental route.

Figure 7 SF Airlines' first flight of "Wuxi-Chongqing-Frankfurt Hahn-Wuxi" undertaken by B747-400ERF arrives at Frankfurt–Hahn Airport, Germany

SF Airlines is an cargo airline company that has the largest fleet size in China so far. It has 57 all-cargo aircraft in service, flying to more than 60 cities and regions at home and abroad, and is able to provide highly competitive air support to customers.  In future, SF Airlines will continuously improve its international air route operating capability and cross-border logistics service quality to become the most trustworthy air transportation partner of customers.

Figure 8 Inbound cargo unloading for SF Airlines' B747-400ERF in Hahn