New Boston/China air freight service

New Boston/China air freight service China’s HNA Group has launched a new three-times-a-week air cargo service between Boston and Shanghai.
   Yangtze River Express will offer direct air cargo service from Boston to Shanghai three times a week with Boeing 747 aircraft. Yangtze River Express is a subsidiary of the Hainan Group and Hainan Airlines. The inaugural flight of the service was commemorated by company and government officials Thursday at Logan Airport.
   According to the Massachusetts Port Authority, prior to the start of the Yangtze River Express service, 70 percent of New England’s air exports to China were sent through New York, adding delays and increasing shipping costs for local companies.
   Massport said China is the sixth-largest destination for Massachusetts products with export values growing an average of 20 percent per year since 1998. Massachusetts’ leading exports to China include electrical machinery and audio video equipment, industrial machinery and computers, and optic, photo and medical instruments.
   “China is one of our most important export markets, and in the past five years alone, Massachusetts exports to China have increased over 200 percent,” said Gov. Deval Patrick. “We have seen a tremendous interest in China among Massachusetts firms and expect that the Yangtze River Express direct air cargo service will open doors for even more local exporters to access the emerging Chinese market.”