DHL boosts Asia Air Network with service upgrade for Hong Kong-Nagoya route
DHL, a leading express and logistics company, has boosted its dedicated overnight service between Hong Kong and Nagoya by replacing its existing A330-200 passenger aircraft service with an Airbus A300-600F aircraft operated by Air Hong Kong, which DHL has a 40 percent stake in.
The new freighter – which will continue to ply between Central Japan International Airport (Centrair) located in the Chubu region of central Japan, and DHL’s Central Asia Hub at the Hong Kong International Airport – has a capacity of 45 tons, which represents an increased capacity of 125 percent, or 25 tons, from the previous belly space agreement with Cathay Pacific, and it offers more than two times the current processing capacity.
The ten times weekly service will commence operations from 29 October 2006, further strengthening DHL’s Asia Air Network. DHL’s air network currently comprises 30 destinations, served by over 20 aircraft in dedicated air operations. This allows major Asia Pacific cities and other business centers to be interconnected through DHL’s regional hubs and gateways, providing DHL’s customers with overnight services across the region.
“Over the last 12 months, we have been actively strengthening DHL’s Asia Air Network with new flights, more direct connections, technology upgrades and strategic partnerships,” said Ross Allen, Senior Vice President, Aviation – DHL Express Asia Pacific. “The Hong-Kong-Nagoya route has been experiencing steady growth in volumes since its launch last year. The upgrade of this service reflects our pledge to our customers to constantly review our operations to serve their business imperatives.”
Guenter Zorn, President of DHL Express Japan, added, “The use of a new freighter with increased capacity resonates well with our promise to our customers ¨C made when we first opened the Chubu gateway in March 2006 ¨C to continuously upgrade both ground and air networks, boost our service capabilities, and enhance efficiency and speed in cargo processing.”
The inauguration of DHL’s Chubu Gateway brought a host of high-level services to DHL’s customers, including maximum service efficiency and improved speed in cargo processing owing to the gateway’s location next to the runway; latest pick-up and earliest delivery times; extended shipment pick-up times of up to three hours for nearby cities like Kariya and Anjo; wider coverage for same-day dispatch, and same-day delivery that cut transport times by as much as a day.
The new freighter completes the original order of eight A300-600F planes that DHL placed together with Air Hong Kong. The freighters come with a special loading system, and a side door capable of handling large items of general freight in addition to small packages.
DHL constantly reviews its business operations and upgrades its services when necessary. In June this year, it further strengthened its partnership with Transmile, an air cargo carrier based in Malaysia, by forming a strategic network alliance that affords DHL the flexibility to add new air services or upgrade existing service offerings. More recently, DHL announced a strategic partnership with U.S.-based Polar Air to further improve its Trans-Pacific transit times and strengthen its market leadership in Asia.
