Yangtze River Express Airlines will start China's first Sino-European cargo airline in August, in a move to explore the overseas freight market and secure a financial turnaround.

The company received a new Boeing 747-400 aircraft on July 27 and plans to fly it on the Shanghai-Luxembourg air route four times a week.

Sun Hongxiang, the new president of Yangtze River Express, said the company wants to become more competitive through exploring international cargo routes, especially to Europe and the United States.