Hong Kong Air Cargo has expanded into Europe for the first time with a new flight operating to Italy targeting e-commerce volumes.

The new three-times-per-week service will operate between Hong Kong International Airport and Milan Malpensa on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday with a departure time of just after midnight and arrival in Italy at 09:15am.

The flights will be operated by one the carrier’s Airbus A330-200 freighters. The first flight took place on October 29.

This service is a dedicated solution for e-commerce logistics, ensuring same-day delivery of goods, the carrier said.

The airline added that it hoped to add more flights to Europe in the future with Belgium and the Netherlands on the radar.

Captain Clifford Hung, president and chief operations officer of Hong Kong Air Cargo, said: “Under the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle also the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative, Hong Kong has distinctive advantages.

“These include strong support from our country and close connections to the world. Hong Kong will continue to play a key role as an international aviation hub and in positioning as one of the main gateways for trade between Mainland China and other places around the world.

“Being part of the airfreight industry, Hong Kong Air Cargo is committed to providing highly reliable and efficient airfreight solutions to meet customer needs. Looking ahead, we are expanding our route network and will launch more new routes between Hong Kong and Europe.

“We look forward to further expanding our European route network in the near future, including destinations such as Liege in Belgium and Amsterdam in the Netherlands.”

The carrier has been in expansion mode over the last 18 months, having opened a new Greater Bay Area Office (GBA Office) in Shenzhen as well as conducting charter flights to Sydney and launching a service to Tokyo.

The carrier was awarded a license to operate scheduled flights to Europe  in May 2021. It has operated charter flights in the past.

Hong Kong Air Cargo currently operates a fleet of five Airbus A330-200 freighters.