# Air China Cargo (IATA CA · ICAO CAO · AWB 999)

> Air China Cargo is the freight airline of the Air China group; its shipments move under IATA designator CA and AWB prefix 999 of Air China Limited, while its own ICAO designator is CAO. The company has been listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange since December 2024 and is controlled by China National Aviation Holding, with Cathay Pacific holding a significant minority stake. It operates its own freighters and at the same time exclusively markets the belly capacity of Air China's passenger fleet. For forwarders, Air China Cargo offers main-deck capacity from Shanghai Pudong and Chengdu to Europe and North America, plus a dense belly network out of Beijing. When issuing the air waybill, note that the airline has no prefix of its own and uses 999.

## Quick facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Legal | Air China Cargo Co., Ltd. |
| IATA | `CA` |
| ICAO | `CAO` |
| AWB prefix | `999` |
| Country | CN |
| Group | Air China Limited / China National Aviation Holding (CNAH) |
| Tracking | https://www.airchinacargo.com/cargo_en/gzcx/hkyd/list/index_pc.html |

## Overview

Air China Cargo Co., Ltd. is the freight airline of the Air China group and, by its own account, the only Chinese cargo carrier flying under the national flag. Its registered office and headquarters are in Beijing's Shunyi district. The company has been listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange since 30 December 2024 (ticker 001391). At the end of 2025, China Aviation Capital Holding, controlled by China National Aviation Holding, held 39.40 percent of the shares, Cathay Pacific held 21.01 percent through two entities and funds of China Reform Holdings held 5.40 percent.

Air China Cargo holds its own air operator certificate, numbered CAO-A-006-HB, and is authorised by EASA as a third country operator; its radio callsign is "Air China Freight". Forwarders should note that the company does not hold its own IATA designator or its own AWB prefix. It uses designator CA and prefix 999 of Air China Limited; its own ICAO designator is CAO.

As at 31 December 2025 the fleet comprised 28 freighters, including four already withdrawn from service and held for sale. In operation were 13 Boeing 777F, three Boeing 747-400F and eight Airbus A330-200P2F. Ten Airbus A350F are on order. In addition, Air China Cargo markets the belly capacity of Air China's passenger fleet.

Beijing Capital is the main base for belly cargo, while the freighter fleet relies on Shanghai Pudong and Chengdu. At the end of 2025 the carrier served 30 freighter routes, 27 international and three domestic, to 24 cities in 14 countries. Revenue for 2025 was 22,878 million yuan, an increase of 11.15 percent year on year.

## Hubs

- PEK
- PVG
- CTU

## Fleet

- Boeing 777F × 13

- Boeing 747-400F × 3

- Airbus A330-200P2F × 8

- Airbus A350F × 10

## Sources

- [Air China Cargo Co., Ltd. – Geschäftsbericht 2025 (PDF)](https://www.airchinacargo.com/cargo/tzzgx/jbxx/xxpl/0410/2c9865b6-9b11fcbc-019d-75eea616-2fd8.pdf)

- [IATA - Current Airline Members: Air China](https://www.iata.org/en/about/members/airline-list/air-china-/16/)

- [IATA CNS Airline Directory (PDF)](https://www.iata.org/globalassets/cnsc/airline-directory.pdf)

- [EASA - Authorised Third Country Operators, Status Report (PDF)](https://www.easa.europa.eu/download/tco-lists/TCO%20Status%20Report.pdf)

- [Airbus - Air China Cargo increases A350F freighter order to 10 aircraft (26.05.2026)](https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2026-05-air-china-cargo-increases-a350f-freighter-order-to-10-aircraft)

- [China National Aviation Holding - 20 Jahre Air China Cargo (19.01.2024)](https://www.airchinagroup.com/cnah/xwzx/zhxw/01/625741.shtml)

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