E-commerce has indeed transformed the airfreight market, leading to robust activity last week in advance of the Christmas holiday. What may be less known is that aircraft transactions are becoming part of the online shopping experience.
Last Thursday, the China-based e-commerce platform Taobao, owned by Alibaba, successfully auctioned off a 747-400ERF for US$23.3 million — the last of three 747 freighters formerly operated by the now-defunct Jade Cargo International that have been sold online over the last several. For more on the convoluted saga that led to the winning clicks in these online transactions, please see Charles Kauffman’s story in our sister publication, Cargo Facts:
https://cargofacts.com/taobaos-hidden-air-cargo-connections/