Meituan Health and SF Express Establish China's First Pharma E-commerce Air Logistics Hub

On November 14, Meituan Medicine and Health and SF Express officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Ezhou, Hubei Province, jointly announcing the official opening and operation of Meituan’s Pharmaceutical E-commerce Air Logistics Center.

It is reported that Meituan’s pharmaceutical e-commerce air logistics center is located within Ezhou Huahu International Airport. As the industry’s first pharmaceutical warehouse with “zero distance” to cargo airport express sorting facilities, it enables same-day orders to be dispatched with zero distance, zero transshipment, and zero wait time. This facility breaks away from the traditional reliance of e-commerce retail air freight on passenger flights, no longer “following passenger routes,” but instead operates with its own independent route network and transportation capacity. It allows for nationwide distribution from a single warehouse, meeting the health needs of users across all regions. Previous media reports indicated that Meituan established Ezhou Meituan Grand Pharmacy Co., Ltd. as the operating entity for this center.

It is reported that as early as late 2022, Meituan’s self-operated pharmacy partnered with SF Express to transport certain medications via air freight. During the 2025 Spring Festival holiday, Meituan’s self-operated pharmacy and SF Express jointly launched a “Non-Stop Service During Spring Festival” initiative to address the difficulties and high costs associated with purchasing medications during the holiday period, providing a new solution for household medication needs during the Spring Festival.

Following the opening of Meituan’s pharmaceutical e-commerce air logistics center, users will benefit from enhanced fulfillment services. Cargo flights now cover nearly all provincial capitals across China, enabling “next-morning delivery” in 35 cities and “next-day delivery” in 318 cities. Orders placed by users are generally loaded onto flights on the same day.

In response, Shen Hongjiu, Vice President of SF Express Group, stated that high-value, cold-chain pharmaceuticals departing from Ezhou—particularly those sensitive to temperature and demanding strict timeliness—would be delivered “quickly, accurately, and reliably” to households across China via SF’s dedicated cargo aircraft, reaching both first-tier cities and remote mountainous areas.

In addition, Meituan has integrated cold chain technology with air freight to create a closed-loop cold chain solution characterized by “high speed and high stability,” addressing the transportation challenges of temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals such as biologics and oncology drugs.

Li Xiaohui, General Manager of Meituan’s Healthcare Business Unit, also stated on-site that Meituan Healthcare is willing to join hands with SF Express to leverage their respective strengths in their fields, drive a comprehensive upgrade of the pharmaceutical e-commerce delivery chain, and meet the health expectations of millions of families across China.

Some industry experts believe that the collaboration between Meituan and SF Express to jointly build an aviation logistics center will significantly transform terminal pharmaceutical delivery services, comprehensively enhance users’ medication experience, and create greater opportunities for innovation within the industry.

▲ Meituan Medicine and Health Enters into Strategic Partnership with SF Express Photo: Gao Chen

▲ Meituan Medicine & Health and SF Express Jointly Establish an Aviation Logistics Center for Pharmaceutical E-commerce | Photo: Gao Chen