Company profile
China Postal Airlines' full name is China Postal Airlines Co., Ltd. Its IATA code is CF, ICAO code CYZ, IATA accounting code 804 and radio call sign CHINA POST. Founded on 25 November 1996, it began operations on 27 February 1997 as the first Chinese airline dedicated to express mail and air cargo, and it is a full member of IATA. The company is wholly owned by China Post Group and carries the trunk capacity of China Post's own air network, the air platform for the national universal postal service and express delivery system.
The registered and management head office is in Beijing and the main operating base is at Nanjing Lukou International Airport. From the Nanjing air hub the airline runs a hub-and-spoke overnight pattern: freighters arrive from the node cities late at night, mail and cargo are sorted and transferred, and aircraft fan out again before dawn, which supports China Post's time-definite, next-day and next-morning delivery across more than 300 cities. This overnight pattern fits e-commerce parcels and express mail, and makes the Yangtze River Delta the air transit core linking the nodes of North, East, Northeast, South and Southwest China.
The fleet is built on Boeing 737 and Boeing 757-200F freighters, with Boeing 777F widebody freighters on intercontinental routes. Public reports put the freighter fleet at about 42 aircraft, with own-operated routes to more than 30 domestic cities and several international and regional points. As a platform serving national strategy the airline has carried emergency supplies, relief mail and priority agricultural produce, and its operation has been proven over years of night flying for Chinese shippers and the postal network. Its website is cnpostair.com.
For Chinese shippers the value lies in China Post's collection and delivery network covering cities and countryside: the air trunk does not stand alone but joins postal road routes, county-level offices and overseas warehouses into a chain from domestic collection to delivery in the destination country. Cross-border e-commerce parcels, international EMS mail, fresh produce and time-critical express all move through the overnight trunk, and that network link is what sets the airline apart from a commercial freighter operator.
The operating rhythm is a long-standing overnight pattern: aircraft are maintained and prepared during the day and depart in a bank at night, so scarce slots match the mail sort window. Flights therefore run late at night and before dawn; shippers rarely see the aircraft in daylight, yet that night capacity delivers the mail and parcels that arrive the next morning. For companies in domestic e-commerce and postal delivery, understanding the night rhythm helps in setting cargo cut-off times and the domestic tender schedule.
As the only freighter platform under China Post Group, the airline holds the trunk role in the national postal logistics system, and route and fleet decisions follow faster delivery and self-controlled cross-border logistics. In recent years it has added international routes and worked alongside mail by intercity high-speed rail, mail on China-Europe block trains and overseas warehouses, building a postal air logistics network that combines air and surface, covers the country and reaches worldwide.
International air services from China
International cargo routes start mainly at Nanjing Lukou. Since the first own-operated international route, Beijing to Seoul, opened on 3 August 2006, the airline has built a cargo and mail network covering Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia and reaching into Europe. Its own international and regional routes carry mainly international EMS mail and cross-border e-commerce cargo, moving export shipments from the Yangtze River Delta quickly to nearby hubs and completing last-mile delivery through the destination postal network.
| China origin ports | Main destination stations | Aircraft operated | Indicative schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nanjing Lukou NKG | Osaka Kansai and Tokyo in Japan, Seoul in Korea, Manila and Clark in the Philippines, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Luxembourg | Boeing 737F, Boeing 757F, Boeing 777F | Nanjing to Osaka 3 flights a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday); times are local; the schedule changes with the season and the carrier's confirmation on the day of booking governs |
| Beijing PEK | Seoul, Korea (the airline's first own-operated international route) | Boeing 737F, Boeing 757F | Actual schedules vary with the season and are subject to carrier confirmation on the day of booking |
| Domestic node cities | Transit at Nanjing to Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and Europe | Boeing 737 series freighters | Overnight hub-and-spoke consolidation, following domestic trunk schedules |
The table lists main directions compiled from public sources; actual routings and schedules are confirmed by the carrier on the day of booking.
In Northeast Asia, the Nanjing to Kansai cargo and mail route started with flight CF235 on 27 April 2021, carrying international EMS and cross-border e-commerce mail from Nanjing, Suzhou and Wuxi three times a week, which cut two to three days from the time Jiangsu export mail takes to leave Japan. In Southeast Asia the airline keeps adding routes to Manila, Dhaka, Clark and other points; the Nanjing to Clark freighter route opened in April 2026 carrying garments, shoes, bags and accessories made in China, adding an air channel from the Yangtze River Delta to RCEP markets.
On intercontinental service, the airline opened Nanjing to Luxembourg Findel on 26 June 2024 with Boeing 777 freighters, China Post's first own-operated intercontinental route, extending international mail and e-commerce cargo into the European interior through Luxembourg's cargo centre. Public reports say own-operated routes now reach nine international cities and regions across Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and Europe; schedules and capacity on other international routes are not publicly listed and are subject to carrier confirmation on the booking day.
By cargo type, international routes carry mainly international EMS mail and cross-border e-commerce cargo, combining the policy role of the universal service with commercial freight. Chinese shippers using these channels to Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia can complete last-mile delivery through the local postal network, linking the air trunk to postal delivery. For bulk exports of garments, shoes, bags, accessories and consumer goods, new routes such as Nanjing to Clark offer steady space into RCEP markets; for time-critical documents, samples and e-commerce returns, the short Northeast Asia routes offer same-day or next-day delivery.
Network map
The map shows the China Postal Airlines network centred on Nanjing Lukou. Dotted lines follow the postal style, radiating from Nanjing to domestic node cities and connecting Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and Europe. City labels are indicative; actual coverage and schedules follow the carrier's confirmation on the day.
Freight advantages for Chinese shippers
Nanjing hub-and-spoke hub
Overnight hub-and-spoke consolidation runs through Nanjing Lukou: cargo from node cities arrives at night and fans out before dawn, giving fast transit in the Yangtze River Delta and supporting next-day and next-morning delivery nationwide.
Link to the postal network
The air trunk connects to China Post's nationwide collection, road routes and last-mile delivery, so e-commerce parcels and international EMS mail enter the destination postal system directly after the flight lands.
Cross-border e-commerce service
The Nanjing to Kansai route carries mainly international EMS and cross-border e-commerce mail from Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou, three times a week, giving Yangtze River Delta exports fast access to Japan's main airports.
Own intercontinental capacity
Boeing 777F aircraft fly Nanjing to Luxembourg, giving Chinese cross-border e-commerce and international mail a self-controlled European channel and, through the Luxembourg hub, the European interior.
Seasonal perishable services
Seasonal charters such as Taizhou to Nanjing and Dalian to Nanjing run for bayberries, cherries and other seasonal produce, one flight a day at peak harvest and about 18 tonnes a flight, to protect freshness.
State-owned operator
As the wholly owned air platform of China Post Group, the airline carries universal service and emergency supply tasks, and its fleet and route investment is stable over the long term, so capacity in peak and emergency periods can be planned for.
Freighter fleet and aircraft types
The fleet is mostly small and medium freighters with a few widebodies, matching a high-frequency overnight point-to-point postal network. The main types fly the overnight hub-and-spoke pattern on domestic trunks, while the Boeing 777F is used on the Nanjing to Europe route. Published payload figures and suitable cargo are below; actual payload and space are confirmed by the carrier on the day.
Boeing 737 series freighters
The series covers the Boeing 737-300F, 737-400F and the converted 737-800BCF and 800F, and is the main type on overnight domestic consolidation and short Northeast Asia routes. It suits mail, express and dense e-commerce cargo; the Nanjing to Kansai route is flown by 737 freighters, and the Taizhou to Nanjing bayberry service uses 737-800 freighters at up to about 18 tonnes a flight.
Boeing 757-200F
The Boeing 757-200PCF is a converted passenger aircraft with hold volume and range between the 737 and the widebodies. It suits domestic medium-range trunks and bulk mail and e-commerce cargo to Southeast Asia, and is an important addition to the hub-and-spoke network. The number in service changes with the fleet; published data applies.
Boeing 777F
The Boeing 777F is a twin-engine widebody freighter with large main deck payload and long range. The airline uses it on Nanjing to Luxembourg, flying mail and cargo nonstop to a European cargo hub for China Post's own long-haul international trunk.
Fleet size and operations
Public reports put the freighter fleet at about 42 aircraft, with nearly 80 flights a day and more than 100 at peak, flown overnight on domestic consolidation and international routes. The mix changes with deliveries and conversions; exact numbers in service follow carrier and civil aviation authority data.
Airports served in China and schedules
The main operating base and air hub, the transit core of the overnight domestic network and the main origin for international routes to Osaka, Seoul, Luxembourg and Clark.
The North China node and the company's management head office. The airline's first own-operated international route, Beijing to Seoul, started here, and the point handles mail and cargo consolidation for North China.
The core East China node. International EMS and cross-border e-commerce cargo from the Yangtze River Delta can be tendered nearby and connect at Nanjing to Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and Europe.
An important East China node and one of the cities on the overnight trunk network, serving e-commerce and express cargo from Zhejiang and around.
South China nodes. Export mail and cargo from the Pearl River Delta gathers on the overnight trunk at Nanjing and fans out; services such as Zhanjiang to Nanjing link western Guangdong directly by air to the delta.
Own-operated routes reach more than 30 domestic cities, with seasonal or scheduled cargo services such as Taizhou, Dalian and Harbin to Nanjing added as cargo dictates.
Schedule confirmation: schedules at each airport change with the season and demand; overnight consolidation times are local, the schedule changes with the season and the carrier's confirmation on the day of booking governs. Seasonal services such as the bayberry and cherry charters run only during the harvest, and no regular schedule is publicly listed at other times.
The domestic network radiates from the Nanjing hub to the main cities of North, East, Northeast, South and Southwest China and shifts with cargo distribution. Beyond the core nodes of Nanjing, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the airline has added scheduled or seasonal routes such as Harbin to Qingdao to Nanjing, Zhanjiang to Nanjing, Taizhou to Nanjing and Dalian to Nanjing, linking the Northeast, western Guangdong and eastern Zhejiang directly by air to the delta hub. Shippers can tender at the nearest node to cut the domestic road leg.
Booking path from China
Capacity serves China Post's own delivery system and authorised agents. Other shippers and cross-border e-commerce senders book through authorised forwarders. After tender at a Chinese airport, cargo goes through overnight consolidation, export clearance and loading into the trunk flight, and at destination connects to postal or agent delivery.
Provide cargo volume details
The shipper gives the commodity, weight, volume, origin node and destination city and asks a forwarder for a rate.
Confirm space and rate
The forwarder confirms the route and capacity, quotes the rate and transport plan, and fixes the tender date.
Tender at the consolidation node
Cargo is delivered as agreed to the China Postal Airlines terminal at the domestic node airport for tender and security screening.
Overnight consolidation
Cargo arrives at the Nanjing hub late at night for central sorting and trunk distribution.
Customs clearance and loading
After export clearance and document checks, cargo is loaded by allotted space and flown to the destination.
We coordinate on your behalf
We can verify capacity, prepare the air waybill documents and coordinate tender at the domestic nodes.
Specialist freight services
Fresh fruit air services
Seasonal charters run for bayberries, cherries and other produce: the Taizhou to Nanjing bayberry service flies daily at peak harvest with about 18 tonnes a flight, and the Dalian to Nanjing cherry charter stops at Yantai, delivering fresh fruit next day.
International EMS and e-commerce
Routes such as Nanjing to Kansai carry mainly international EMS and cross-border e-commerce mail, giving exports from Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou fast access to Japan and last-mile delivery through the postal network.
Seasonal and extra flights
Around harvests and e-commerce peaks the airline opens seasonal services and raises frequency; large or concentrated lots can request temporary capacity through a forwarder.
Emergency and universal service
As the national postal air platform the airline carries relief mail, medical supplies and universal service traffic, keeping the air channel open in emergencies.
Sea, air and rail connections
The own-operated air network connects to mail by intercity high-speed rail, mail on China-Europe block trains and overseas warehouses, so international mail can reach more points by combining air trunks and surface routes.
Reaching inland Europe
After landing at Luxembourg, mail and e-commerce cargo move into the European interior through the Luxembourg cargo hub, serving markets along the Belt and Road and RCEP.
China contact
China Postal Airlines Co., Ltd. has its management head office in Beijing and its main operating base at Nanjing Lukou International Airport; its website is cnpostair.com. Capacity serves China Post's own delivery network and authorised agents, and no single public booking channel for outside shippers is listed. Contact its authorised agent in China, or let us coordinate capacity and handling at the Chinese nodes; we can check the season's routes and space.
FAQ
Airports served by China Postal Airlines freighters
The main base is Nanjing Lukou, with overnight consolidation flights at Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Wuhan. International routes start mainly at Nanjing and reach Osaka, Seoul, Tokyo, Manila, Clark, Dhaka and Luxembourg.
China to Osaka cargo service
The Nanjing to Kansai cargo and mail route opened in 2021 and is flown by Boeing 737 freighters three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday), carrying mainly international EMS and cross-border e-commerce mail from Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou; times are local and the actual schedule is subject to carrier confirmation on the booking day.
Intercontinental service to Europe
Yes. The airline opened Nanjing to Luxembourg in June 2024 with Boeing 777F freighters, China Post's first own-operated intercontinental route, reaching inland Europe through the Luxembourg hub.
Booking channel for outside shippers
Capacity serves China Post's own delivery system and authorised agents; outside shippers book through authorised forwarders, or let us coordinate. Capacity and rates are subject to the agent channel and carrier confirmation.
Air carriage of fresh produce
Yes. Seasonal charters run for bayberries, cherries and other produce, such as the Taizhou to Nanjing bayberry service at one flight a day and about 18 tonnes a flight at peak harvest; seasonal services run only during the harvest, so ask about regular capacity at other times.
Fleet size and main aircraft types
Public reports put the freighter fleet at about 42 aircraft, built on Boeing 737 and Boeing 757-200F types with Boeing 777F aircraft on intercontinental routes; exact numbers in service change with the fleet and follow carrier and civil aviation authority data.
Flight schedule confirmation
Domestic overnight flights follow the hub-and-spoke network, and international schedules change with season and cargo; all times are local, the schedule changes with the season and the carrier's confirmation on the booking day governs.
Our booking support
We can verify the season's routes and space, prepare the air waybill and export documents, and coordinate tender and consolidation at the domestic nodes. Contact details are at the end of the page.
Disclaimer and trademark notice
Information here is compiled from China Postal Airlines official and public sources for shippers' reference and is not an offer of carriage; routes, schedules, capacity and prices are subject to carrier confirmation on the booking day.
Airline names, IATA and ICAO codes, aircraft types and trademarks mentioned here belong to their respective owners. The content is provided only to describe freight forwarding services.
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