Aeroflot is Russia's state flag carrier, tracing back to the Dobrolet volunteer air society founded in 1923 and adopting the Aeroflot name in 1932. It is based at Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport, relies mainly on passenger belly capacity for cargo, and has kept adding China routes since 2025, serving Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Harbin and Sanya. Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited (Goodhope Freight) provides SU belly booking, customs declaration and Moscow hub connections for Chinese shippers.
Aeroflot history, hub layout and cargo business model.
Aeroflot (PJSC Aeroflot) is Russia's largest airline and the state flag carrier of the Russian Federation. Its history traces to the Russian volunteer air society Dobrolet, founded on 17 March 1923, which opened the first scheduled route from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod on 15 July that year. On 26 March 1932 the Soviet civil air fleet adopted the abbreviated name Aeroflot, making the company one of the oldest airlines in the world. In 2023 the Aeroflot group marked its centenary.
The company is headquartered in Moscow, with its operating hub at Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) and secondary hubs in Krasnoyarsk and St. Petersburg. The group also includes S7 Airlines (S7 is an independent carrier outside the group), Pobeda and Rossiya, but cargo sales sit with Aeroflot itself.
Aeroflot's cargo model rests on passenger aircraft belly hold. The group historically ran a separate all-cargo subsidiary, Aeroflot-Cargo, equipped with Il-76 and Boeing 747 freighters; that unit was later restructured, and cargo sales now rely on the lower-deck holds of the passenger widebody and narrowbody fleet. The model resembles American Airlines: no dedicated freighters, with cargo capacity released as the passenger network runs.
Per the public financial report for the second quarter of 2026, the Aeroflot group widebody fleet is about 63 aircraft, including 32 Boeing 777s, 8 Boeing 747s, 16 Airbus A330s and 7 Airbus A350s; the narrowbody fleet is about 212 aircraft. Widebody lower-deck holds are the main source of belly capacity on long-haul routes to China and Europe.
After 2022 the group restructured its fleet, concentrating widebodies formerly with Rossiya and Pobeda under Aeroflot itself to protect long-haul routes. The narrowbody fleet is mainly Airbus A320 family aircraft on domestic, CIS and short-haul international routes. Belly capacity sales are handled centrally by Aeroflot cargo, the carrier code on cargo documents is SU, and cargo air waybill numbers begin with the SU prefix.
| Full company name | PJSC Aeroflot |
| Predecessor founded | 1923 (Dobrolet) |
| Aeroflot name adopted | 1932 |
| Head office | Moscow, Russia |
| Hub airport | Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) |
| IATA code | SU |
| ICAO code | AFL |
| Radio call sign | AEROFLOT |
| Freight model | Belly hold of passenger flights |
| Official lookup website | aeroflot.ru |
China destinations and route connections.
Since 2025 the group has kept expanding its China network. Public financial reports show flights from 9 Russian cities to 6 Chinese cities, about 47 flights a week. In the 2025 operating permit list issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the Rossiya Beijing to Krasnoyarsk route continues as a combi service twice weekly. Chinese shippers can book SU belly capacity at the following airports:
| China cities | Main airports | Direction | Cargo value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | Capital International Airport (PEK) | Moscow Sheremetyevo, Krasnoyarsk and others | Main North China export gateway with stable belly capacity |
| Shanghai | Pudong International Airport (PVG) | Moscow Sheremetyevo | Main departure point for Yangtze River Delta electronics and time-sensitive cargo |
| Guangzhou | Baiyun International Airport (CAN) | Moscow Sheremetyevo | Gateway for South China manufactured goods to Russia |
| Harbin | Taiping International Airport (HRB) | Russian Far East and Moscow | Border trade with Russia and Northeast Asia connections |
| Sanya | Phoenix International Airport (SYX) | Moscow (extra flights in tourist season) | Seasonal route; belly capacity adjusts by season |
With Moscow Sheremetyevo as its core hub, Aeroflot carries China-origin cargo to Moscow in the belly and connects to its domestic Russian network for distribution to St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Vladivostok and other major cities, as well as to CIS, Middle East and South Asia routes. Under sanctions Aeroflot does not fly to Europe or North America, so China cargo transiting Moscow to those regions must connect with other carriers and falls outside SU belly direct carriage.
For Chinese exports to Russia, the core value of SU belly capacity is that it is an operating, high-frequency, direct China-Russia air channel flown by Russia's flag carrier. Electronic components, apparel and footwear, e-commerce parcels, machinery spares and time-sensitive consumer goods from China reach Moscow quickly and then distribute across Russia.
Compared with the era when Western carriers flew China-Russia routes, far fewer carriers now operate nonstop China-Russia air cargo and capacity is tighter. As Russia's flag carrier, SU belly capacity has irreplaceable channel value in China-Russia trade logistics. Shippers planning Russia-bound logistics should include SU belly capacity in rate comparisons as a standard option rather than applying only after other carriers are full.
For Chinese exporters shipping to several Russian cities at once, one Moscow transfer with multi-point distribution reduces the cost of booking separately at several gateways. Goodhope Freight can plan the domestic connections after Moscow transfer in one pass against the consignee list and quote an end-to-end plan.
The Sheremetyevo cargo area has several terminal warehouses, and Aeroflot cargo mainly uses the main warehouse for inbound and outbound freight. After import clearance at SVO, China-origin cargo can transfer within the same airport onto Aeroflot domestic flights across Russia, avoiding transfers between airports. Cargo bound for CIS countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Belarus can also complete transit at Moscow and connect to regional flights.
Diagram: Sheremetyevo as the hub with China points linked by red arcs; current directions are China, the CIS, the Middle East and South Asia, while Europe is not served under sanctions.
Since 2025 the group has run about 47 flights a week linking 6 Chinese cities and 9 Russian cities, among the steadier carriers on China-Russia routes and suited to frequent replenishment.
SVO is Aeroflot's core hub, with mature warehouse capacity and Russian domestic connections; China-origin cargo moves quickly to secondary Russian cities.
Lower-deck holds on Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 widebodies take PMC pallets, with better per-piece weight and size limits than narrowbody bellies, suiting volume general cargo.
With Western carriers out of the Russian market, SU belly capacity is one of the few direct air channels still open to Chinese shippers for Russia and cannot easily be replaced.
Chinese shippers book SU belly capacity through an IATA freight forwarder. The process: the shipper provides piece weight and dimensions, origin city (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Harbin and others), destination city and time requirement; Goodhope Freight checks available belly tonnage with Aeroflot cargo sales for the day and confirms rate and documentation cut-off; after booking confirmation the shipper delivers to the airport warehouse or Goodhope Freight arranges pickup and handles the export declaration; once loaded, Goodhope Freight provides the SU air waybill number for tracking; on arrival in Moscow the destination agent completes import clearance and truck delivery, or the cargo transfers to Aeroflot domestic flights for secondary Russian cities.
Documents required: export declaration, commercial invoice, packing list, contract and destination clearance documents. Restricted commodities such as products with batteries, liquids and powders need a transport assessment report in advance. Because carriage is in the belly, piece size and weight are limited by passenger aircraft cargo doors and ULD specifications, so oversize pieces must be measured and confirmed beforehand.
After booking, Goodhope Freight provides the SU flight number, departure and arrival times, documentation cut-off and warehouse address. The shipper delivers to the nominated warehouse by the cut-off and Goodhope Freight supervises loading and checks the manifest. After departure the shipper can track node status by air waybill number in the Aeroflot cargo system or through Goodhope Freight customer service. After arrival in Moscow, clearance and delivery are handled by Goodhope Freight local partner agents, and the consignee takes delivery against the arrival notice.
For Chinese exporters with steady Russia volumes, Goodhope Freight can apply for Aeroflot cargo contract rates, fixing a base rate by quarter or half year to limit the effect of peak season rate swings. Applications require shipment data for the past six months and a forecast for the next six months, compiled by Goodhope Freight and submitted to Aeroflot cargo sales.
SU belly capacity best suits apparel, accessories, consumer electronics and e-commerce parcels. Widebody schedules are stable and suit small and medium businesses with time requirements but volumes too small to charter a freighter.
In normal seasons passenger belly holds can carry ambient temperature-controlled cargo; active refrigerated containers need specific ULD positions and must be confirmed before booking. For pharmaceuticals and biological reagents, assess specialist cold chain carriers first.
SU belly holds have limited temperature recording capability and cannot actively control temperature through long sectors. For medicines that must stay at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, use passive temperature-controlled containers with loggers and declare the temperature range at booking.
Live animals on Aeroflot belly capacity require approval per shipment; pets, breeding poultry and laboratory animals are not suited to routine booking. For large animals and breeding stock exported from China, choose a carrier with live animal qualifications. Goodhope Freight assesses before booking whether the commodity needs an upgraded handling plan.
For high-value precision instruments and electronic sub-assemblies, buy all-risks cargo insurance before shipment. Carrier liability for damage is limited by the Warsaw and Montreal conventions, and shipper-arranged insurance covers the excess. Goodhope Freight can introduce an insurance broker.
Aeroflot cargo sells mainly to business shippers and agents, and small and medium Chinese exporters usually book through an IATA agent such as Goodhope Freight. The value of an agent is not only capacity but handling: cut-off reminders, manifest checks, exception reporting and destination connections all need people familiar with Aeroflot procedures. Goodhope Freight has long experience on China-Russia routes, including warehouse acceptance and documentation at SU cargo terminals.
For exporters planning long-term Russia business, Goodhope Freight provides a monthly operations report summarizing capacity utilization by segment, rate trends and exception records, to help keep logistics cost and transit time under review.
Rates on China-Russia routes move widely with season, exchange rates and sanctions. Every quote states the rate validity and how long space is held, and shippers should return the booking confirmation promptly after confirming to avoid space being released.
Goodhope Freight recommends confirming final capacity and documentation cut-off one week before shipment, or two weeks in peak season, so the flight departs on time.
If the carrier changes schedules at short notice, Goodhope Freight informs the shipper immediately and proposes rebooking on another flight or postponing shipment for the shipper to decide.
Lithium batteries, magnetic items, dry ice and other dangerous goods must be declared under the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, and some classes are more restricted on combi flights. Submit the MSDS and UN number to Goodhope Freight for assessment before booking.
Belly cargo doors are size-limited and cannot take engineering vehicles or large machinery. Such cargo moves by Volga-Dnepr An-124 charter or another freighter option, which Goodhope Freight can match.
China-Russia belly capacity tightens in the fourth-quarter e-commerce build-up and before Chinese New Year, when rates rise and cut-offs move earlier. Book two to four weeks before peak season and include alternative carriers such as Chinese airlines on China-Russia routes in the comparison. Goodhope Freight flags capacity trends ahead of peak season to help plan shipment timing.
Aeroflot historically had a ticketing and sales office at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, and public sources show the Pudong T2 office traded openly. Given changes in the international operating environment since 2022, the latest information on its direct sales and cargo offices in China is not publicly available. Shippers needing to book should contact its local Chinese agents or work through Goodhope Freight.
The carrier official site is aeroflot.ru, which carries passenger flight status and company information. Real-time belly availability and rates are subject to confirmation by its cargo sales department or an authorized agent on the day of booking.
Besides Guangzhou and Beijing, East China shippers can truck or use domestic feeder services to Shanghai Pudong for the SU Shanghai-Moscow flight. For Chinese exporters with small volumes spread across locations, Goodhope Freight offers multi-city consolidation, single declaration and consolidated booking, building small shipments into full pallets to cut unit cost.
Prepared by Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited (Goodhope Freight). Airline names, codes and brand marks mentioned here belong to their respective owners, and our company has no affiliation, agency or investment relationship with the airlines described. The information is compiled from public sources for reference only and does not form a contract of carriage or a commitment. Space, rates and schedules are subject to actual confirmation by the carrier or its authorized agent at the time of booking.
Contact:Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited; website https://goodhope86.com; based in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
Goodhope and the airline names, trademarks and codes mentioned here belong to their respective owners; The material serves only to describe cargo services.