With the acceleration of global economic integration and the booming development of e-commerce, China's air express service industry is ushering in unprecedented development opportunities. This article will deeply analyze the market trends, technical characteristics and future development directions of China's air express services to help relevant practitioners and investors better grasp the pulse of the industry.

I. Market Trends

(I) Market Demand Growth
In recent years, the demand for China's air express market has continued to grow. In 2024, the scale of China's air logistics market reached 84.11 billion yuan. This growth is mainly due to consumption upgrades, the rapid development of cross-border e-commerce and the increase in industrial logistics demand. Consumption upgrades have driven the demand for high value-added and time-sensitive products, and the rapid development of cross-border e-commerce has become an important growth point for air express services.
(II) Service Chain Extension
Air logistics companies are committed to improving their "door-to-door" service capabilities and extending their services to both ends of the logistics chain. For example, companies such as China Eastern Airlines Logistics and China Southern Airlines Logistics have accelerated the transformation of traditional freight business and integrated multiple service functions such as transportation, warehousing, distribution, and information. This extension of the service chain not only improves the overall competitiveness of enterprises, but also enhances the driving role of the aviation logistics industry in the international development of the industry.
(III) Digitalization and intelligence
Air express services are moving towards digitalization and intelligence. Electronic freight has become an important development trend in the industry, and its demand is urgent and developing rapidly. Through the electronic data interchange (EDI) system, air express companies can provide more convenient online services, including cargo tracking, inquiry and other functions, which greatly improves customer experience.

2. Technical characteristics

(I) Center distribution theory
Air express companies mostly use the center distribution theory to organize their global networks. Express parcels collected from various places are sorted and exchanged at the distribution center in the central area, and then transported to the destination by plane. This method reduces the intermediate links and improves operational efficiency and delivery speed.
(II) Transport documents and operation procedures
The air express industry has its own unique transport documents and operation procedures. The proof of delivery (POD) is an important document for air express, in four copies, which are used for export customs declaration, accompanying goods, internal settlement and retention by the sender. The use of this document ensures the transparency and traceability of the transportation process.
(III) Service Quality
Air express services are known for their speed, safety and reliability. Compared with traditional air cargo and postal transport, air express has significant advantages in speed, safety and convenience. For example, intercontinental express delivery is usually completed within 1-5 days, while intra-regional express delivery only takes 1-3 days.

III. Future Development Direction

(I) Intelligent and Digital Transformation
In the future, air express services will be more intelligent and digital. Through big data, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things technologies, air express companies can achieve more efficient cargo tracking, forecasting and management.
(II) Green Logistics
With the increase of environmental awareness, green logistics will become an important development direction for air express services. Companies will use more environmentally friendly materials and energy-saving technologies to reduce the impact on the environment.
(III) Cross-border Logistics
The continued growth of cross-border e-commerce will promote the development of cross-border air express services. Companies need to strengthen the layout of international routes and enhance cross-border logistics service capabilities.

IV. Summary

China's air express service industry is in a stage of rapid development, with continuous growth in market demand, continuous extension of service chains and continuous technological innovation. Despite the challenges of infrastructure construction, information technology application and market competition, factors such as consumption upgrading, cross-border e-commerce and policy support have brought broad development opportunities to the industry. In the future, intelligent, digital and green logistics will become the key directions for the development of the industry, driving China's air express service industry towards high-quality development.