FedEx Express has opened a new facility in Dubai to expand its activities in the Middle East andadded a new flight to Poland to target more customers in the country.
In Dubai, FedEx’s new facility in Al Garhoud was officially inaugurated yesterday by HisHighness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairmanof Dubai Airports, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline & Group, along with GeraldLeary, President of FedEx Express Europe, Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa, and DavidRoss, Senior Vice President Operations for the region.
The 59,000 square feet (5,500 sqm) facility is a new office for more than 200 FedEx Expressemployees, and houses a brand new operations station, the 24/7 Customer Service Call Center and aRetail Service Center. It is the fourth and largest FedEx station in the U.A.E, with capacity tosort up to 3,000 packages an hour, and also serves as the eighteenth Retail Service Center in thecountry.
Fedex, which has operated in the region for more than 20 years, said the expansion is indicativeof its continual growth and commitment to customers in the Middle East, and represented anothermilestone. Last year, the company celebrated the opening of a 48,000 square feet facility in theJebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA). In 2011, FedEx also launched its new B777 Freighter intercontinentalflight route, which provides significant service improvements for customers shipping between NorthAmerica and the Middle East.
“FedEx has been operating directly in Dubai for more than 23 years, establishing our regionalhub here, with flights linking the Middle East to the rest of the world. The investment in theGarhoud facility is in line with FedEx’ strategy to continue offering outstanding services that fitour customers’ needs”, said Leary. “Dubai has, and continues to be at the center of our regionaloperations, as a result of its access to large regional and global markets, its open trade andinvestment policies, as well as its strong macroeconomic environment,” added Ross.
Separately, Fedex launched a new flight to and from Gdansk in Poland on Monday, November 5, toimprove global connectivity for companies in the region. An ATR42 plane will fly four times weeklybetween the company’s European air hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and the Polish port city,with a stopover in Berlin.
Thanks to the new flight, customers in Northern Poland will benefit from improved services.Pick-up and delivery times change, as pick-ups can take place up to three hours later whileshipments can be delivered up to three hours earlier. A next-business-day service to the US EastCoast will also be possible for shipments from the Gdansk region.
Another customer benefit resulting from this flight is increased direct service coverage inGdansk and Bydgoszcz, and new service coverage in Slupsk, Koszalin and Elblag. Transit times forintra-European shipments to and from these regions will be reduced by one business day.
The leading industries in the region include shipbuilding, petrochemical, chemical, electronics,telecommunications and IT. The area also has strong representation the pharmaceutical and foodindustries.
The new connection from Gdansk to the FedEx network is the most recent step in the company’sexpansion in Poland, which saw the acquisition of Polish courier service Opek in June 2012.
