Yangtze River Express Airlines (YRE) last month started a new freighter service between Shanghai and Luxembourg, in a move to explore the overseas freight market and secure a fi nancial turnaround, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The company received a new Boeing 747-400 aircraft last month, which will operate four times a week on the Shanghai-Luxembourg route. Yangtze River Express was the fi rst cargo airline to service the China-US routes, and already fl ies to Los Angeles and New York. With the delivery of two more Boeing 747-400 aircraft in May and November 2008, the company will add more fl ights to Chicago.

By 2011, the carrier plans to have eleven wide body aircraft, enabling it to expand its business to points in Asia, North America and Europe.