Aviation express sector taking off

China's aviation express sector is taking off as major delivery players expand their fleets, but industry experts said it is just the beginning of the industry's full-blown development.

The 45th all-cargo plane of SF Airlines Co Ltd, the aviation branch of China's express giant SF Express Co Ltd, arrived at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport and entered operation on July 1.

The Shenzhen-based company owns the largest freight fleet in China. With its nationwide and global network, SF Airlines has transported around 2 million metric tons of cargo since it began operating in 2009.

The logistics firm received approval in February to build its air cargo hub in Ezhou, a city near Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province. With an investment of 2.3 billion yuan ($334.5 million) from SF, the hub is expected to become Asia's first professional cargo airport, handling 2.45 million tons of cargo annually by 2025.

In addition to SF Express, China Post and YTO Express have also established their own fleets, with 33 and 10 planes respectively. ZTO Express announced in June it will form a fleet with international partners.

YTO Express also has plans to build a cargo airport. In June, it announced it had won the bid to build the high-end logistics center of Hong Kong International Airport with partners.