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New K-Mile Asia flight will add over 200 tons of capacity weekly between Hong Kong and Bangkok
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Air Hong Kong will offer over 1,200 tons of weekly total gross payload for Hong Kong-Beijing and Hong Kong-Cebu-Manila flights
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AeroLogic will add 610 tons of capacity to its service from Hong Kong to Cincinnati
DHL Express has expanded the capacity of its Asia-Pacific airfreight network to cater to rising demand within Asia and between Asia-Pacific and the US.
With over 2,000 tons in total capacity every week, the additional flight routes allow DHL Express to increase delivery speed amidst surging shipment volume in Asia Pacific, the international express parcel and package service provider said in a release.
Following the recent introduction of a newly converted B737-800 freighter that connects Hanoi, Hong Kong and Bangkok, DHL said a B737-400SF operated by K-Mile Asia that flies six times a week between Hong Kong and Bangkok has been added, providing over 200 tons of capacity.
Furthermore, Air Hong Kong has added a sixth flight rotation to the two existing routes powered by the A300-600: Beijing-Hong Kong-Beijing, and Hong Kong-Cebu-Manila-Hong Kong. This addition will offer over 1,200 tons of weekly total gross payload.
To cater to the intercontinental cargo demand, an aircraft operated by AeroLogic, the joint venture cargo airline of DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo, will fly six times a week from DHL Express’ Central Asia Hub in Hong Kong to Cincinnati Hub in the US to add 610 tons of capacity to the service. This B777F aircraft is part of a recent delivery of the original order of 14 aircraft made in 2018.
“We are investing close to EUR 750 million in our ground infrastructure and air network in Asia Pacific to ensure we respond nimbly to changing market needs. As economies recover from the global pandemic and income levels rise, we expect intra-Asia market to grow substantially, with a corresponding increase in demand for express logistics services propelled by the thriving e-commerce sector,” said Ken Lee, CEO of DHL Express Asia Pacific.
The pandemic and pandemic-related restrictions have further accelerated online sales growth, with Asia-Pacific leading the charge. In 2020, e-commerce comprised half of the retail sales in Asia-Pacific, and is expected to grow by 10% to 61% in 2025.
This growth can be attributed in part to social e-commerce—the business of selling goods online through people’s social networks—particularly in China and emerging countries in Southeast Asia such as the Philippines. The e-commerce sector in the Philippines has seen a surge in the midst of the pandemic, contributing 3.4%, or US$12 billion, to the country’s GDP in 2020, with the goal to increase e-commerce revenue to $24 billion, or 5.5% of GDP, by 2022.
DHL Express’ Asia-Pacific air network operates on a multi-hub strategy, supported by four main hubs—Central Asia Hub in Hong Kong, North Asia Hub in Shanghai, South Asia Hub in Singapore and Bangkok Hub, linking to 50 DHL Express gateways in the region.
Photo from DHL website
