Cainiao Smart Logistics Network Ltd, an arm of Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd, has struck a deal meant to speed up the delivery of parcels sent from China to Peru and Colombia via Brazil and Chile, the Air Cargo News website reports.

The website says the deal entails US airline Atlas Air flying the parcels from China to Brazil and Chile on thrice-weekly services it has flown specially for Cainiao since last November, and then Chilean airline Latam Cargo flying the parcels onward to Peru and Colombia.

The report quotes a Cainiao executive, William Xiong, as saying the deal can help satisfy demand for cargo flights from China to South America which has built up since the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed such services.