File photo: A jet plane of Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines is parked at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China.

Delta Air Lines, one of the major US carriers said it is now operating a weekly cargo flight from China to the US in order to meet growing international freight demand. 

The flight, which started this month, is from Detroit to Shanghai, using an Airbus A350. It is the carrier’s first cargo flight to China.

Wong Hong, Delta Air Lines' president for China, gave the details about the flight at a press briefing in Beijing. Currently, Delta operates four flights a week connecting China and the US. Two flights start in Seattle and stop at Shanghai Pudong International Airport via Seoul. The other two flights start in Detroit and take the same route to Shanghai. 

The demand for US-China flights in summer was very high, as many Chinese students were going to the US to prepare for the start of the new semester. Now, demand has returned to a relatively normal level, he said. 

Delta Air Lines recently reported financial results for the third quarter of 2021. It achieved adjusted pre-tax revenues of $8.3 billion and adjusted profit of $216 million. This marks its first quarterly profit since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“Our September quarter marked an important milestone in our recovery, with our first quarterly profit since the start of the pandemic,” CEO Ed Bastian said. “Our revenues reached two-thirds of 2019 levels thanks to the industry-leading operational performance our people delivered through a busy summer.”

Although cargo revenue accounts for a relatively small proportion of Delta's total revenue, the cargo revenue in the third quarter increased to $262 million, an increase of 39 percent over the same period in 2019. 

Wong said that Delta Air Lines' profit from cargo is now more important. At a time when global shipping prices are soaring, some goods are turning to the air cargo market instead, thus pushing up air cargo revenue.

The airline also plans to arrange charter flights to transport American athletes, referees and journalists from the US to China for the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics in February 2022. The airline is still discussing more details with the government and relevant departments.

Global Times