HNA Cargo
HNA Cargo is the air cargo sales and coordination arm of New HNA Aviation Group, selling belly cargo capacity from 11 member airlines across ~2,000 routes and 300+ cities to enterprise customers in e-commerce, pharmaceutical cold chain, fresh imports, and agricultural export sectors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersBeijing, China
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What HNA Cargo does
HNA Cargo Co., Ltd. (海航货运有限公司) is the dedicated air cargo sales and coordination subsidiary of New HNA Aviation Group (新海航航空集团), the Liaoning Fangda Group-controlled successor to the former HNA Group following its 2021 restructuring. The company manages belly cargo operations for 11 member airlines — including Hainan Airlines, Tianjin Airlines, Beijing Capital Airlines, and the freighter operator Tianjin Cargo Airlines (B738F) — selling capacity through a direct sales organization of 32 branch offices organized into five regional sales areas (North China, Central South, East China, West China, Hainan) with reach across approximately 2,000 domestic and international routes and over 300 cities. HNA Cargo is headquartered in Haikou, Hainan Province, and was originally established in 2010.
The company's product portfolio is anchored by belly cargo capacity sales and chartered freighter operations (including B747F services offered via an online competitive bidding portal), and extends into a set of branded specialty products: 温心达 (Wen Xin Da) for temperature-controlled pharmaceutical logistics, 活力递 (Huo Li Di) for fresh produce imports with a 24-hour green-channel service, 空地联运 (air-ground intermodal) and 次日达 (next-day express) for time-definite delivery, plus the 飞尝鲜 (Fei Chang Xian) self-operated fresh goods trading platform. Supporting infrastructure includes electronic air waybill (e-awb) implementation at 45 domestic airports targeting an 85%+ e-awb rate, real-time cargo tracking via web and WeChat mini-program, an SPA interline network with European ground handlers (Swissport, WISAG) and trucking partners (Wallenborn, Georgi), and a strategic cooperation with COMAC Shanghai Xiangyun signed in May 2023.
HNA Cargo generates revenue primarily on a transaction-fee basis by selling belly cargo capacity and chartered freighter services to freight forwarders, e-commerce platforms, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and agricultural exporters; secondary revenue comes from the 飞尝鲜 trading platform and express line products along China-Europe, China-US, and China-Russia corridors. Pricing is quote-based and negotiated per shipment or per charter contract, with no publicly disclosed rate cards. The customer base spans four primary segments: large e-commerce companies requiring batch transportation, fresh goods importers (Russian king crab, Norwegian salmon, European seafood), pharmaceutical manufacturers requiring cold chain handling, and agricultural exporters (Hainan lychees, Xinjiang fruits, Qingdao cherries, Hainan shrimp seeds). Notable 2023 milestones included the 8-ton Beijing-Bangkok vaccine shipment on HU0429 (the largest single international cold chain pharma flight of the year), 600+ tons of imported fresh goods through 活力递, and receipt of IATA's Digital Freight 10th Anniversary Commemorative Medal for electronic waybill leadership.
HNA Cargo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HNA Cargo
- Legal name
- HNA Cargo Co., Ltd.
- Website
- https://hnacargo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- HNA Cargo is the air cargo sales and coordination arm of New HNA Aviation Group, selling belly cargo capacity from 11 member airlines across ~2,000 routes and 300+ cities to enterprise customers in e-commerce, pharmaceutical cold chain, fresh imports, and agricultural export sectors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HNA Cargo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Air Cargo Services
- NAICS
- Scheduled Air Transportation (48111), Scheduled Freight Air Transportation (481112), Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation (481212), Support Activities for Air Transportation (4881), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812)
- SIC
- Air Transportation, Scheduled (4512), Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Air Courier Services (4513)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Belly-Cargo Operators (Passenger Airline Freight Divisions) (THABAEAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- General Cargo Air Freight Carriers (Scheduled & Charter) (TLADAAAA), Air Cargo Charter Specialists (On-Demand) (TLADAAAE), Full-Service Airlines (Passenger + Belly Cargo Integrated) (THABAAAF)
Keywords
Where HNA Cargo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Beijing
- HQ country
- China
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
HNA Cargo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Belly Cargo Capacity Sales: HNA Cargo generates revenue by selling belly cargo capacity from 11 member airlines of the New HNA Aviation Group to freight forwarders, e-commerce companies, and traders. The network covers nearly 2000 domestic and international routes.
- Chartered Freighter Services: Revenue from chartered B747F and other all-cargo aircraft operations, offered through competitive bidding on routes such as LEJ-NKG/PVG.
- International Interline Services: Revenue from international interline cargo转运 and联运 services, including Brussels-Leige next-day delivery and Berlin-Frankfurt same-day truck transfer, leveraging partnerships with Wallenborn and other truck operators.
- Specialized Fresh & Cold Chain Products: Revenue from specialized products including '活力递' (fresh import), '温心达' (cold chain pharma), '空地联运' (air-ground intermodal), and '次日达' (next-day express) services.
- Trade Platform '飞尝鲜': Self-operated fresh trade platform leveraging belly cargo resources to import and sell premium global fresh products, generating both freight and product sales revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | B747F charter service LEJ-NKG/PVG — max payload 95 tons, volume 600 cbm, 2 flights/week on Mondays and Fridays, March–December 2023 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
HNA Cargo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HNA Cargo sells belly cargo capacity on 11 New HNA Aviation Group member airlines across ~2,000 domestic and international routes and 300+ cities, supplemented by full-freighter charter operations (e.g., B747F), international interline transfer services, and specialized cold-chain (pharma) and fresh-produce air logistics products. It also operates an integrated air+ground multimodal network and a self-run fresh goods trading platform leveraging its belly capacity.
Product overview
HNA Cargo operates as a comprehensive air logistics service provider under HNA Aviation Group, managing belly cargo business across 11 member airlines with a network covering over 300 cities. The company offers an integrated product portfolio including core cargo services (belly cargo and freighter aircraft), specialized express lines (China-EU, China-US, China-Russia), cold chain solutions (温心达 for pharmaceuticals, 活力递 for fresh produce), transfer solutions (warehouse, apron, SPA interline, air-ground, pallet), and a trading platform (飞尝鲜). The portfolio serves e-commerce, agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, and general cargo transportation needs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Fei Chang Xian (飞尝鲜): Fresh produce trade platform and self-operated product brand offering imported fresh products and agricultural goods from global suppliers
- Wen Xin Da (温心达)
- Huo Li Di (活力递)
- Sheng Xian Tou Deng Cang (生鲜头等舱)
Products and services
- Belly Cargo Business (腹舱业务) Sale of belly cargo capacity on 11 member airlines of New HNA Aviation Group to freight forwarders, large e-commerce companies, fresh goods traders, and pharmaceutical companies across domestic and international routes.
- Freighter Aircraft Services (全货机业务) Dedicated all-cargo aircraft operations including B738F scheduled freighter service and chartered B747F operations, providing additional cargo capacity beyond belly cargo.
- International Interline Service (国际联运服务) International air and air-ground interline transfer service combining HNA belly capacity with partner airline and ground trucking capacity to deliver cargo to first/second-tier Chinese cities and high-yield international destinations.
- Express Line (专线快递)
- Wen Xin Da (温心达) — Cold Chain Pharmaceutical Logistics Temperature-controlled air logistics for pharmaceuticals and vaccines, offering priority space allocation, shortest apron handling time, cold storage, and cabin temperature control across 30+ international routes.
- Huo Li Di (活力递) — Fresh Produce Import International fresh supply chain product with 'fresh green channel' customs clearance and door-to-door delivery for premium perishables including Russian king crab, Norwegian salmon, and European bread crab.
- Fei Chang Xian (飞尝鲜) — Fresh Trade Platform Self-operated e-commerce trade platform offering premium imported and domestic fresh products (seafood, fruits, agricultural specialties) sourced through HNA Cargo's belly capacity and airport zones.
- Air Express Fast pickup and delivery service built with airport and ground handling partners to shorten acceptance cutoff and pickup windows by at least one hour end-to-end.
- Air-Ground Combined Transport (空陆联运) Multimodal service combining air transport with fixed-schedule trucking partners (e.g., Wallenborn, Georgi) for door-to-door cargo delivery with stable transit times.
Companies that use HNA Cargo
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
HNA Cargo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
HNA Cargo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.
- SwissportmajorGround handling agent partner for HNA Cargo's European operations, collaborating on the Shenzhen-Vienna-Warsaw interline express product. Swissport provides ground handling at European hub stations to enable next-day delivery service.
- Wallenborn (trucking company)majorEuropean trucking partner for Brussels-Leige and Brussels-Frankfurt transfer operations, enabling next-day delivery for Brussels-Leige transfers and same-day delivery for Berlin-Frankfurt transfers. Q3 2023 transfer volume reached 1,200 tons with 102% quarter-over-quarter growth.
- Georgi (Berlin trucking)minorNew trucking partner introduced in the Berlin region to enable Berlin-Frankfurt same-day transfer service.
- WISAG (Berlin ground handling agent)minorEffective May 1, 2026, WISAG became the ground handling agent for HNA Holdings' passenger belly cargo flights at Berlin (BER), replacing the previous handler. Located at AirCargoCenter BER.
- COMAC Shanghai Xiangyun (中国商飞上海翔运)coreHNA Cargo and COMAC Shanghai Xiangyun signed a strategic cooperation agreement on May 4, 2023, covering aircraft materials transport, all-cargo aircraft operations, and belly cargo business collaboration. Discussions included Hangzhou-Sydney and Hangzhou-Amsterdam B747 full freighter charter cooperation. Both parties aim to collaborate on cross-border logistics, aircraft materials transport, and Hainan Free Trade Port opportunities.
- Suparna Airlines (扬子江航空/Y8)coreSuparna Airlines, operating B747F freighters, issued a competitive bidding notice for LEJ-NKG/PVG charter operations (March–December 2023, 2 flights/week). The airline collaborates with HNA Cargo on all-cargo charter services.
- China Post Express (中国邮政速递)majorStrategic partnership for international mail transport signed in 2023. Enables international mail direct shipping from Haikou to Sydney via HNA flights, marking the first international export mail from Haikou via belly cargo. Haikou International Mail Exchange handles connectivity with 127 countries and regions.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
HNA Cargo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- China Southern Air Cargo: Cargo arm of China Southern Airlines, operating belly cargo across the largest Chinese airline fleet with extensive domestic and international route coverage. Direct competitor offering comparable belly capacity and freighter services to similar Chinese e-commerce and freight forwarder customers.
- Tianjin Cargo Airlines: HNA Aviation Group's dedicated cargo subsidiary operating B738F freighters, providing supplemental capacity to HNA Cargo's belly operations. Treated as a corporate sibling but operates as a comparable freighter business on similar domestic Chinese corridors.
- Suparna Airlines: All-cargo subsidiary (Y8) operating B747F freighters that HNA Cargo itself partners with for charter services. Directly competes in the Chinese dedicated-freighter market and on key Asia-Europe charter lanes such as LEJ-NKG/PVG.
- China Eastern Airlines Logistics: Logistics subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines covering belly cargo, dedicated freighters, and integrated supply chain solutions. Comparable business model leveraging a major Chinese carrier group's network for domestic and international freight services.
- SF Airlines: Cargo airline affiliated with SF Express, China's largest express delivery company, operating a sizable fleet of dedicated freighters. Directly competes in Chinese e-commerce and time-definite air freight, with deeper integration into B2C logistics.
- Air China Cargo: Cargo subsidiary of Air China, providing scheduled and charter air freight across Air China group's passenger and freighter fleet. Directly competes with HNA Cargo for the same Chinese e-commerce, cold chain, and international freight customers.
Broad incumbents
- Lufthansa Cargo: Dedicated air freight carrier within the Lufthansa Group, operating a fleet of freighters and offering specialty cold chain and pharma products. Comparable in its pharma and temperature-controlled offerings and competitive on Europe-Asia lanes.
- Cathay Pacific Cargo: Cargo arm of Cathay Pacific group, a major Hong Kong-based international carrier with extensive global freighter and belly cargo capacity. Overlaps with HNA Cargo on international Asia-Europe and trans-Pacific lanes.
- COSCO Shipping Air: Air freight arm of COSCO Shipping, one of China's largest logistics conglomerates, offering combined air, ocean, and ground freight services. Comparable to HNA Cargo on integrated Asia-Europe trade lanes and as a Chinese-headquartered multimodal logistics provider.
Regional players
- China Postal Airlines: China's designated postal air carrier operating freighters and belly cargo for express mail and e-commerce parcels. Overlaps with HNA Cargo on domestic Chinese e-commerce and international mail routes, including the Haikou-Sydney mail corridor HNA Cargo serves.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
HNA Cargo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HNA Cargo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
HNA Cargo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HNA Cargo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about HNA Cargo
What does HNA Cargo do?
HNA Cargo sells belly cargo capacity on 11 New HNA Aviation Group member airlines across ~2,000 domestic and international routes and 300+ cities, supplemented by full-freighter charter operations (e.g., B747F), international interline transfer services, and specialized cold-chain (pharma) and fresh-produce air logistics products. It also operates an integrated air+ground multimodal network and a self-run fresh goods trading platform leveraging its belly capacity.
Is HNA Cargo a public or private company?
HNA Cargo is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was HNA Cargo founded?
HNA Cargo was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is HNA Cargo based?
HNA Cargo is headquartered in Beijing, China, in the Asia region.
How does HNA Cargo make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Belly Cargo Capacity Sales are the primary driver. The others are chartered Freighter Services, international Interline Services, specialized Fresh & Cold Chain Products and trade Platform '飞尝鲜'.
Who are HNA Cargo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are China Southern Air Cargo, Tianjin Cargo Airlines, Suparna Airlines, China Eastern Airlines Logistics, SF Airlines and Air China Cargo. Broad incumbents are Lufthansa Cargo, Cathay Pacific Cargo and COSCO Shipping Air. China Postal Airlines is listed as a regional player.
Does HNA Cargo have an API?
No public API is recorded for HNA Cargo.
What industry is HNA Cargo in?
HNA Cargo's product category is Air Cargo Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THABAEAE, Belly-Cargo Operators (Passenger Airline Freight Divisions), with a secondary code of TLADAAAA, General Cargo Air Freight Carriers (Scheduled & Charter). Its NAICS code is 48111 and its SIC code is 4512.