Air India (IATA: AI, ICAO: AIC) is the Indian flag carrier, founded in 1932, with Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi as its core hub. Air India Cargo runs belly and cargo sales across the network and restored nonstop service between New Delhi and Shanghai Pudong from February 2026, so Chinese exports reach India through the Delhi belly network and connect onward to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The airline's history and the restoration of India-China air links explain why its belly capacity is worth considering.
Air India traces its origin to Tata Airlines, founded by J.R.D. Tata in 1932. It became a public limited company in 1946 under the Air India name, and was nationalised in 1953 to operate international routes. Over nearly ninety years it built a network centred on New Delhi reaching South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Southeast Asia and North American cities. In 2022 the Tata group again became controlling shareholder and began fleet renewal and service upgrades, with the restoration of China routes a key part of rebuilding its Asian network.
Air India's links with China were suspended for a period because of bilateral relations and the pandemic. During the years without nonstops, air cargo between India and China moved mainly on Air China, China Eastern and China Southern, or through Middle Eastern and European hubs. In November 2025 Air India announced the restoration of mainland China service, starting with Shanghai Pudong and terminating in Delhi on the Indian side. That choice matches Shanghai's position as the largest gateway for China-India trade: the Yangtze Delta accounts for a large share of Chinese exports to India, with factories and warehouses for textiles, machinery, pharmaceutical intermediates and auto parts concentrated along Suzhou, Jiaxing, Ningbo and Wuxi, and Pudong is the nearest large gateway to that industrial belt.
The restored flights are AI351/352: the outbound leaves Pudong and reaches Delhi the same night, while the return leaves Delhi in the morning and lands back at Pudong in the evening. The timing suits Chinese exporters: cargo is delivered to the terminal during the day at Pudong, loaded at night and arrives the next morning, so the consignee can file clearance in Delhi during the local working morning. On receiving a booking instruction, Goodhope Freight works back from those times to set cut-off, cargo acceptance, screening and build-up milestones, so load planning is not squeezed by the flight.
Air India's China cargo business uses Shanghai Pudong as its only fixed gateway and passenger bellies as the main capacity, with distribution from the New Delhi hub to Indian cities and transit onward.
In November 2025 Air India announced the restoration of mainland China service, launching nonstops from Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi to Shanghai Pudong International Airport from 1 February 2026, returning to the mainland market after nearly six years. The route began with four round trips a week using Boeing 787-8 widebodies, with belly space carrying export cargo and mail. Under the airline's later plan the frequency increased through 2026, reaching five flights a week from September 2026, making it one of the most direct air cargo channels between India and China today.
Air India also disclosed plans to add nonstop flights from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai to Shanghai Pudong during 2026, subject to regulatory approval. Once open, Chinese exports gain a second direct point on India's west coast, shortening last-mile delivery for apparel, pharmaceutical intermediates and machinery in Maharashtra and Gujarat. As of compilation no public information covers the Mumbai to Shanghai schedule or belly availability; Goodhope Freight will update its booking guidance once Air India publishes it.
Ground handling at Shanghai Pudong is provided by Eastern Air Logistics (EAL) at the Pudong west cargo terminal, covering receipt, screening, build-up, loading and arrival distribution. After a shipper submits a booking instruction through Goodhope Freight, the cargo enters the Pudong terminal on the Air India belly flight schedule, is screened and load-planned, built into Boeing 787-8 belly containers, flown to Delhi overnight and is ready for Indian clearance and delivery early the next morning.
On products, Air India Cargo has introduced a new cargo management system supporting online booking by agents, capacity confirmation, waybill tracking and special cargo declaration. As a booking channel in the China market, Goodhope Freight can check available capacity and ULD space on the PVG to DEL sector in real time and lock flights to the shipper's shipping rhythm. For contract customers we can help Air India's sales team put annual belly agreements in place with fixed rates and reserved capacity.
China-India trade has run at a high level for a decade. Chinese exports to India span machinery and electrical goods, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, auto parts and textile raw materials, and reliance on air freight has grown as orders fragment and JIT replenishment spreads. With the nonstop restored, exporters no longer route cargo through Dubai, Bangkok or Hong Kong first; it can be loaded at Pudong and fly straight to Delhi, removing one transfer with its loading cycles, ULD transfers and document handovers, and lowering the risk of damage and delay. In our operations we find that for high-value, time-sensitive pharmaceutical intermediates and automotive electronics, the direct belly shortens total transit by one to two days against a three-point routing, and the manifest stays traceable throughout.
From Shanghai Pudong, the network fans out through the New Delhi hub to cover India and connect onward to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Schematic network; actual Air India schedules and belly availability apply, and the Mumbai to Shanghai route awaits regulatory approval.
Air India's scheduled belly capacity to mainland China is concentrated at Shanghai Pudong, with Hong Kong used for transit historically; no direct service to other cities is published.
| China destinations | Airport | Indian point | Capacity format | Current schedule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai | Pudong International Airport PVG | New Delhi DEL | Boeing 787-8 belly capacity | Five flights weekly (from September 2026) |
| Shanghai | Pudong International Airport PVG | Mumbai BOM | Passenger belly capacity (planned) | To be announced after regulatory approval |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong International Airport HKG | Delhi / Mumbai | Belly connection | Historic point; no current frequency is published |
| Guangzhou, Beijing, Chengdu | — | — | — | No published information shows Air India operating its own nonstop |
The Boeing 787-8 hold matters in practice: the forward and aft lower decks take both PMC/PAG standard containers and loose pallets, with piece size and weight limits clearly better than a narrowbody. Low-density cargo such as machinery parts, textiles and consumer electronics components can be built at Pudong and loaded on the same evening's AI351, arriving in Delhi early the next morning and giving the northern Indian market a reliable JIT window.
For shippers outside the Yangtze Delta, Goodhope Freight offers domestic trucking consolidation, gathering cargo from warehouses in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Ningbo and Xiamen at the Pudong west terminal before cut-off for a single AI351 departure. This combination of domestic consolidation and the Pudong nonstop lets factories in South, North and East China share capacity on the Shanghai to Delhi sector instead of booking separately and ending up on scattered flights.
Given the structure of China-India trade and what the 787 belly can carry, Goodhope Freight organises bookings and handling for the categories below.
Engine components, bearings, wiring harnesses, braking systems and auto parts exported from China to India are mid to high value and time-sensitive; they suit both ambient and temperature-controlled belly carriage, with distribution from Delhi to the Gurgaon and Chennai automotive clusters.
India is the global center of generic drug production and has steady demand for API intermediates and fine chemical raw materials from China. Air India has temperature-controlled transit capability at the Delhi hub, and Goodhope Freight can book within a 15 to 25 degrees Celsius range.
Fabrics, trims and partly finished garments from the Yangtze Delta go to textile clusters in northern India. This is classic low-density cargo charged on volumetric weight, suited to pallet consolidation and grouped shipments.
Phone accessories, smart hardware and small appliance parts move to Delhi and Bangalore through e-commerce channels, with express and general cargo on the same flight; the AI351 schedule matches the Pudong express clearance rhythm.
Small and medium industrial instruments, testing equipment and laboratory apparatus with piece weights within 787 belly limits can move as general cargo; out-of-gauge pieces need dimensions and piece weight declared to Goodhope Freight in advance.
Jewellery components, high-end samples and exhibition items can be covered by all-risks cargo insurance, fly direct to Delhi in the belly with full traceability, and be sorted on priority for handover to the consignee.
Exports to India also carry regulatory and declaration requirements. Before booking, Goodhope Freight checks Indian import product access, BIS certification and packaging and labelling rules so incomplete paperwork does not cause return or delayed declaration at destination. For cargo requiring local Indian EDPORT filing, we share manifest data with our partner broker in Delhi in advance to shorten document processing after arrival.
Shanghai cargo does not stop at India. New Delhi is itself the fan-out center of the Air India network linking Europe, the Middle East and the subcontinent.
At New Delhi the airline has built an air connection network covering Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata, and brings European points such as London Heathrow and Frankfurt into the through-routing system. From April 2025 Air India moved its Heathrow cargo operations into a dedicated facility in Building 552 and is piloting a new cargo transit framework in India that extends to the India-Europe corridor. For exporters needing Chinese stock, Indian transit and European delivery, Goodhope Freight can book the PVG to DEL to LHR/FRA belly routing on one booking and avoid re-documenting at Hong Kong or a Southeast Asian hub.
On the ground, Goodhope Freight works with a partner broker and local trucking in Delhi covering the National Capital Region of Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad plus industrial areas in Punjab and Rajasthan. Cargo can be trucked direct to the factory under DAP or DDU terms, and cargo moving to an Indian inland container depot can connect to rail. For consignees in Dubai or Riyadh, belly capacity on India-Middle East corridors can be connected in Delhi without detouring through Southeast Asia.
For e-commerce clients the Delhi hub also supports an airport-to-warehouse flow: instead of entering a traditional bonded warehouse, cargo is sorted, labelled and handed to last-mile delivery inside the airport customs area, shortening the path from aircraft to consumer. Goodhope Freight can tailor a PVG to DEL to local courier handover SOP around the client's last-mile partner so fast-moving parcels are not held up by long storage.
The shipper gives Goodhope Freight the commodity, pieces, weight and dimensions, temperature requirements and consignee details; our team replies with belly rates and cut-off times for the AI351/352 schedule.
We submit the booking in Air India's new cargo management system, send a warehouse entry note once space is confirmed, and the shipper delivers to the Pudong west terminal in the allotted slot.
The Eastern Air Logistics terminal weighs, screens, builds and labels the cargo to the Boeing 787-8 belly load plan and issues waybill and manifest data.
Cargo departs Pudong on AI351; we provide waybill tracking and pre-alert the Indian consignee with arrival details and clearance documents.
Delhi airport completes import clearance, examination and distribution, and local trucking is arranged under the agreed terms or the cargo connects to an Air India domestic sector or a European transit leg.
On timing we advise submitting the booking instruction three working days before departure to leave a screening and build-up window; dangerous goods, live animals, valuables and oversize pieces need five to seven working days extra for declaration. Contract customers can pre-lock a fixed weekly allocation so peak season sell-outs do not disrupt them.
PVG to DEL is a nonstop of about six and a half hours that does not route through Southeast Asia, so transit is shorter for northern India and for cargo connecting to Europe.
The 787-8 hold offers better volume and ULD compatibility than a narrowbody, suiting grouped shipments of low-density or high-value cargo.
Delhi connects to India, Europe and the Middle East at once, so one booking covers multi-destination distribution.
Eastern Air Logistics provides handling at the Pudong west terminal, whose procedures and cut-off rules Chinese shippers already know.
Since the Tata group took control, Air India has been renewing its fleet. Widebodies provide most of the China belly capacity, supported by standardized cargo products.
On the China sector Air India deploys the Boeing 787-8, a current-generation widebody whose lower deck takes both PMC and PAG ULDs, with two AMA positions plus loose load forward and four PMC positions plus loose load aft. Its fuel efficiency and range let the Delhi to Pudong sector fly without a refuelling stop, so Chinese export cargo is not loaded twice en route. Beyond the 787-8 the fleet includes Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 widebodies on European, North American and Middle East routes, and cargo connecting in Delhi can move into their bellies.
Air India Cargo offers general freight, express priority, temperature-controlled pharmaceutical, dangerous goods and live animal products to agents and direct shippers. On the China route general and express cargo dominate; pharmaceutical temperature-controlled traffic is open according to capability at the Delhi hub, and dangerous goods require declaration seven working days ahead with carrier approval. Goodhope Freight can recommend between general, priority and temperature-controlled products based on transit and temperature needs, avoiding paying a premium for speed you do not need or being offloaded for a missing temperature declaration.
For a typical Pudong to Delhi export shipment, Goodhope Freight works to the milestones below so the shipper can plan production and receipt.
| Milestone | Indicative time | What we handle |
|---|---|---|
| Booking instruction submitted | 3 working days before departure | We quote, book and release space |
| Cargo received at the terminal | Afternoon, 1 working day before departure | Delivered to the Pudong west terminal, weighed and screened |
| Palletising and loading | Evening of the departure day | Built to the 787-8 belly load plan and handed over for loading |
| Airborne | About 6.5 hours | AI351 leaves Pudong at night and reaches Delhi early the next morning |
| Customs clearance on arrival | 1 to 2 working days after arrival | Delhi broker declares, examination, duty paid and release |
| Local delivery | Same day or next day after release | Trucked direct to the factory in the capital region or moved to an Indian domestic sector |
These times are a reference for ordinary general cargo and exclude holidays, expedited examination and e-commerce charter arrangements. For orders that must arrive during the Indian working morning, we can arrange the priority product and an expedited clearance channel at destination to compress clearance to under half a working day.
Air India restored the New Delhi to Shanghai Pudong nonstop from 1 February 2026, carrying cargo in Boeing 787-8 bellies, starting at four flights a week and increasing to five from September 2026. It currently deploys no freighters to China.
Yes. Cargo arriving in Delhi from Shanghai Pudong can connect to Air India belly capacity for London Heathrow, Frankfurt and other European points; we can book the PVG to DEL to Europe through routing.
No published information shows Air India nonstops from Guangzhou, Beijing or Chengdu; cargo can move by domestic truck or feeder flight to Shanghai Pudong and depart on AI351. We quote door-to-airport and last-mile delivery combinations.
Ambient general cargo and 15 to 25 degrees Celsius temperature-controlled cargo can be booked, with the range declared in advance and certified temperature-controlled containers used; deep-frozen, dry ice and dangerous goods shipments need separate confirmation of suitability from Goodhope Freight.
Air India plans to add a Mumbai to Shanghai nonstop during 2026 after regulatory approval; no schedule or belly arrangement is published yet, and we will update once the airline announces it.
Once the booking is confirmed we issue the Air India air waybill number; track loading and arrival at cargo.airindia.com, and our team pushes key milestones as they happen.
Air India is responsible only for the air leg; arrival clearance and delivery are handled by our partner broker and trucking companies in Delhi. The shipper may nominate its own broker, and we hand over the manifest to that agent.
For the Diwali, Singles Day and pre-Christmas shipping peaks we advise locking space two to four weeks ahead and signing a short-term belly reservation; peak season rate and schedule changes follow Air India sales notices.
Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited provides Chinese shippers with one-stop service for AI351/352 belly bookings, Pudong cargo receipt, Delhi clearance and local delivery.
Prepared by Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited (Goodhope Freight) as an outline of Air India and the booking and connection options for its China cargo service. Schedules, aircraft types and belly capacity follow Air India's official publication; available capacity, rates and times change with the season, so confirm with Goodhope Freight before booking.
Contact: Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited. Phone and email are as published on the company website, goodhopefreight.com.
Air India, Air India Cargo and related marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Air India Limited. Third-party airline names are used only to describe cargo connections and imply no brand endorsement; the relationship between Goodhope Freight and Air India is governed by a formal agency agreement.