DHL Forwarding charters 777 cargo jets to beef up Transpacific capacity

DHL Global Forwarding this month launched a series of dedicated air cargo flights between Southeast Asia and the Midwest, expanding capacity on its Transpacific network for businesses seeking predictable flight availability.

As FreightWaves first reported on May 4, DHL Group’s (DUSS: DHL) air and ocean freight management arm, has begun service three times per week from Hanoi, Vietnam, and Taipei, Taiwan, to Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport and Chicago O’Hare Airport, utilizing Boeing 777 freighters from sister company DHL Express.

Chicago and Cincinnati alternate as destinations, with road feeder service providing a daily connection between the hubs as well as other cities. DHL Global Forwarding has also introduced a connection between Bangkok, Thailand, and Cincinnati, with service three times per week, according to a news release last week.

Cincinnati is the location of DHL Express’s main North American air hub. DHL is the latest global freight forwarder in recent weeks to time-charter aircraft from an all-cargo airline and offer dedicated service to Chicago.

Ceva Logistics, Kuehne+Nagel and DSV have also established dedicated flights to O’Hare and Chicago-Rockford airport to cater to import demand from Asia and Europe.

Operating own-controlled aircraft is a strong selling feature for freight agents during a time of geopolitical disruptions and volatile rates because they can ensure reliable capacity, stable routes a;nd schedules that best serve their customers, improved cost predictability and airport ground handling, which translates into shorter transit times and allows businesses to more easily plan supply chain flows compared to tendering freight to multiple commercial carriers.

Kalitta Air is operating a Boeing 777-300 converted freighter on the Hanoi-Chicago route on behalf of DHL, according to a spokesperson and aviation database Flightradar24. The other flights are under management of DHL Aviation, the in-house airline of DHL Express.

It is unclear if DHL is operating its own aircraft or using partner carriers, besides Kalitta, for the Bangkok and Taipei flights to Chicago and Cincinnati. DHL Global Forwarding’s decision to add exclusive capacity on the Asia-U. S. trade lane follows the recent expansion of charter flights between Asia and Europe.

DHL Global Forwarding introduced weekly flights at the end of March connecting Liège, Belgium, and Hong Kong to meet growing transport demand for general cargo. A service between Shanghai, China, and DHL’s hub in Leipzig, Germany, commenced on June1.

DHL intends the services to be long-term operations that continue into the peak winter season, with market conditions determining any further extension, a spokesperson explained. Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch. Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves. com.

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