FedEx Express has launched domestic express services within India to compete with DHL subsidiaryBlue Dart and other Indian-owned players in one of the world’s major emerging markets and following
similar rollouts in China, the UK and Mexico.FedEx now offers a next-business-day delivery service from 14 key cities to 50 majordestinations across the country, including real-time online tracing, on-call pick-up and amoney-back guarantee, Indian media reported. The ‘FedEx India’ service is available in Ahmedabad,Bengaluru (Bangalore), Chennai, Coimbatore, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Jaipur,Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Noida, and Pune.
The domestic services are offered as ‘Priority Overnight’ for documents and ‘StandardOvernight’ for commercial goods up to 32 kg, according to information on the FedEx India website.
The domestic express launch follows FedEx’s $30 million acquisition of its Indian servicepartner Prakash Air Freight (Pafex) in 2007. Pafex, with 384 offices and depots, offers nationwideexpress delivery services to 4,300 destinations but with slower transit times than the new FedExIndia service. Pafex’s Nationwide (lighter shipments) and Sky Cargo (heavier shipments) servicesoffer door-to-door delivery in 1-3 business days. The Pafex Ground Cargo service is an economicalsurface express service with transit times of up to five days.
“FedEx is committed to supporting Indian businesses by providing a competitive service to keymarkets across India. Adding a domestic express service to our broad portfolio of internationalproducts increases our ability to further facilitate commerce for customers doing business inIndia, demonstrating our continued commitment to the market and our confidence in its futuregrowth,” stated Robert W. Elliott, president, FedEx Express, Europe, Middle East, IndianSubcontinent and Africa.
“As one of the world’s fastest-growing economic markets, India has great untapped businesspotential,” added Kenneth F Koval, vice president, Operations, FedEx Express, India. “The fourteencities selected for FedEx India were singled out for their highest commercial potential. Customersin these cities will get the same excellent customer experience for both domestic and internationalshipments,” he said.
FedEx Express introduced its International Economy service in the Indian market earlier thisyear.
