ATC Responds to Flights Cutback

The coronavirus pandemic heavily affected capacities availability in the market of air freight from Asia to Russia and Europe. Flight connection between China and Russia has been cutback, and flights from China to East and South-East Asia are being cut or cancelled. We asked the General Director of ATC China Alexey Maltsev about the situation in the air freight market.

What goods exporting routes does ATC offer to its customers?

Aeroflot has retained its flights to Russia and operates them daily from Beijing and Shanghai and four times a week from Guangzhou. Freight carriers restore their timetables, though not to the same extent as before the pandemic. In general, the supply of capacities is definitely much lower compared to cargo owners’ demand. In this context, we offer our customers alternative solutions, in particular transit carriage through third countries, including the use of a multimodal sea+air freight scheme. Delivery by these routes is less timeconsuming than by express train, and the fare is lower than air freight fare in the market.

What is the current level of air freight fares?

The fare is formed based on market conditions, and current rates are high. All this reflects a general excitement. The fares will go down, when the situation is settled and capacities are sufficient to export all the volumes.

Have express and regular mail pieces volumes reduced? Are people buying less on Chinese trading platforms?

No, they understand that it is impossible to become infected with coronavirus by mail, so they continue to buy goods from Chinese web stores and e-commerce sites. The volumes have gone up since mid-February and continue to rise.

 

How do you manage to export these volumes?

Regular carriers’ capacities are definitely insufficient. Therefore, we are starting a charter program. The March charter cargo flights timetable between Hong Kong and Novosibirsk will be as follows: on March 11, the flight will be operated by Hong Kong Aircargo Carriers A330 aircraft; on March 12, 16, 21, 23 and 27 by Aviastar TU B757 aircraft.