Competition on China-US Cargo Airlines to Get Stiffer

FedEx Express and NWA Cargo, the two world-leading cargo airline carriers, have both obtained permissions in late last week by the US Department of Transportation to start four additional weekly flights to China, and that signals stiffer competitions among cargo carriers flying between China and America, insiders said.

The newly-permitted additions, which is to go into effect in March 2007, will bring FedEx’s weekly flights to and from China to a total of 30 ones, and then that will allow FedEx to operate more all-cargo flights between China than any other US airlines, according to a director for the China operation of FedEx Express, the cargo airline division of FedEx Corp., operator of the world’s largest express transportation company.

Meanwhile, the added flights will also help NWA Cargo, Northwest Airlines Corp.’s cargo division, to further expand its freight services between the two countries, and then the carrier’s weekly all-cargo flights will be increased to 14 ones, said a senior executive of NWA Cargo.