E-commerce forwarder to launch China-US freighter operation

E-commerce forwarder to launch China-US freighter operation

By Damian Brett | 6 August 2026

Source Chicago Rockford

E-commerce specialist freight forwarder Rich Sale International will launch freighter flights between China and the US through a new partnership with Atlas Air.

The flights will operate between Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport (TNA) and Chicago Rockford (RFD) in the US.

The Chinese firm’s new operation will begin with eight charter flights in August before becoming a twice-weekly scheduled operation in September.

Ten lowboy trailers, arranged by Gateway Sales and Solutions, supported the unloading and onward transportation of the cargo to destinations across the Midwest.

The addition of the new cargo operation was welcomed by the Illinois airport.

“China to North America is one of the largest lanes in air cargo, and e-commerce is its backbone right now,” said Zack Oakley, executive director, RFD.

“We are creating the premier operation for bringing e-commerce into the US, continually developing our solutions and supporting them with a growing number of flights from China and Southeast Asia.

“Rockford’s capabilities are particularly well-suited to e-commerce, providing an efficient, reliable, and flexible operation without the congestion or restrictions found at many larger passenger hubs, with aircraft moving from wheels down to engines off in as little as five minutes.”

Shanghai-based Rich Sale is a freight-forwarding and logistics company specialising in services for the cross-border e-commerce sector.

“E-commerce requires fast and adaptable cargo operations, which cannot always be found at passenger hubs where cargo often plays second fiddle,” added Jacky Wu, president, Rich Sale.

“When we assessed the best entry point for e-commerce cargo into the US, Rockford stood out for offering the dedicated, cargo-focused operation we need to serve our customers effectively.”

E-commerce volumes between the US and China have been recovering this year after the US removed its de minimis exemption for low-value parcels last year.

The new service win follows two recent additions by DSV at the US airport.

In July, the Danish forwarder launched a scheduled weekly freighter service between RFD and Incheon International Airport in South Korea.

And in June, DSV launched a new weekly freighter service from Luxembourg to RFD.