Turkish Cargo and Air China Cargo have entered a partnership to meet air cargo demand between Turkey and China.
Air China Cargo is now operating scheduled cargo flights between Chengdu Shuangliu International (CTU) and Istanbul (IST), as part of its partnership with Turkish Cargo.
The cargo division of Turkish Airlines announced the partnership in a LinkedIn post today.
“We have started scheduled cargo flights between Chengdu and Istanbul, operated by Air China Cargo,” said Turkish Cargo.
“With three weekly frequencies, this new route supports efficient connections from Chengdu to a wide geography through our global network, while reinforcing İstanbul’s role as a key transfer hub.”
Turkish Cargo did not specify what aircraft would be used for the flights, but according to fleet tracking site Planespotters, Air China Cargo has 13 Boeing 777 freighters, two Boeing 747-400Fs, and eight Airbus A330-200 passenger to freighter (P2F) aircraft.
Meanwhile, Turkish Cargo currently operates nine 777Fs and 10 Airbus A330-200Fs. It has a further three 777Fs on order, along with five Airbus A350Fs.
Turkish Airlines’ 2033 Vision targets 813 aircraft, with the freighter fleet anticipated to expand to 44 units.
In January, the airline announced the second phase of its SmartIST air cargo terminal and a new e-commerce facility to further support Turkish Cargo’s business growth.
