Ukrposhta JSC and the Chinese international logistics operator Cainiao Network, part of the Alibaba Group, launch cargo flights to Ukraine.
Such cooperation will reduce the delivery time of orders from AliExpress under quarantine. Air routes started from the cities with the largest Cainiao distribution centers in Europe, the Ukrposhta press service said on Thursday.
According to the company, the partners in organizing flights are Eleron Airlines, AirBaltic and the national postal operator of Latvia. Regular flights (with a carrying capacity of five tonnes) are carried out by AN-26 aircraft to Lviv, where the parcels undergo customs clearance, sorting and will be delivered to recipients in Ukraine. At the first stages, the aircraft will arrive in Lviv twice a week, but the schedule will be revised later depending on the load.
Ukrposhta also reports that the delivery of parcels will be transferred to non-contact mode – all AliExpress orders worth up to $2 will be delivered to the mailbox (in good order). Home delivery options for more expensive items will be carried out either by a courier or a postman.
The Ukrainian postal operator added that in the first quarter of 2020, Ukrposhta delivered over 4 million items from AliExpress, an increase of 26% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Among the most popular categories of goods that Ukrainians ordered in March were: electronics, accessories, clothing and household goods.
