Representatives hold a banner celebrating the opening of the Hangzhou-Singapore cargo flight at the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport on Aug 27. [Photo/hznews.hangzhou.com.cn]

Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, launched its first cargo flight to Singapore on Aug 27, carrying 20 tons of packages.

This is the fifth international cargo flight that has been launched at the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, following flights to Bangkok, Clark, Ho Chi Minh City, and Madrid.

The cargo flights were launched by Cainiao, a logistics arm of Alibaba, in partnership with DJY Express. In the early stages, the flights will be operated four times a week.

Officials said the cargo flight will help ease logistics pressure amid the COVID-19 pandemic and promote Hangzhou's trade with other countries.

During the pandemic, Southeast Asian countries saw a boom in e-commerce consumption. According to the Thai E-Commerce Association, the number of both sellers and commodities sold on e-commerce platforms tripled that of 2019.

To improve delivery speed and cut costs, Cainiao teamed up with Lazada, a leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia, to set up an overseas warehouse.