DHL announced today it has further enhanced its overnight service between Hong Kong and Beijing byincreasing its dedicated flight frequency to meet the growing demand for cargo capacity fuelled by
the robust trade between Hong Kong and Mainland China.Customers utilizing this ten-time weekly dedicated service will now enjoy more options fortheir Hong Kong-Beijing shipment delivery schedule with the newly-added weekend flights,representing a 25 percent uplift capacity, DHL said in a statement.
As part of the service enhancement, DHL will utilize a larger Boeing B727-200F aircraftoperated by Air Hong Kong – a 60/40 joint venture between Cathay Pacific and DHL – and customerswill benefit from an overall 58 percent increase in payload capacity as the new freighter has acapacity to hold 24 tons per sector.
Dan McHugh, Acting CEO, DHL Express – Asia Pacific, said, “We foresee sustained cargo volumegrowth, as Hong Kong and Mainland China become more intricately linked as an integrated supplychain due to deepening economic integration. The decision to add capacity to the route reflectsDHL’s commitment to enhance our service offerings so that our customers will continue to enjoyefficient and reliable first-rate express and logistics services.”
Trade between Hong Kong and Mainland China has been registering double-digit growth in recentyears, boosted by strong Chinese exports. According to figures from China’s Ministry of Commerce,two-way trade figures in 2006 rose an impressive 21.6 percent, reaching US$166.2 billion. Theuptrend continues in the first half of 2007, as trade volume expanded by a further 23.5 percentcompared to a year ago. Hong Kong was China’s fourth largest trading partner and third largestexport market last year.
Tom Murphy, Senior Vice President, Aviation, DHL Express – Asia Pacific, said, “Theseadditional flights will offer our customers the option of dispatching urgent or time-sensitiveshipments over the weekend, allowing them to enjoy greater flexibility and convenience in meetingtheir business needs.”
The upgraded Hong Kong-Beijing service will further strengthen DHL’s Asia Air Network. Thenetwork currently comprises more than 30 destinations in 16 countries and territories, served byover 20 aircraft in dedicated air operations. This allows major Asia Pacific cities and otherbusiness centers to be interconnected through DHL’s regional hubs and gateways, providing DHL’scustomers with overnight services across the region.
