FedEx adds flights to Colombia

FedEx has continued its expansion in Latin America by adding five weekly flights to Colombia to strengthen its presence in the country, according to a media report.

FedEx has launched five weekly flights between Bogotá and Memphis with an A300-600 freighter, in addition to its existing domestic operations comprising a network of 29 shipping centres and a fleet of 45 trucks, the La Republica newspaper reported.

Guillerme Gatti, FedEx Express marketing director for Latin America and the Caribbean, said that Colombia was becoming a more important market for the company thanks to the growth of the flower industry and SMEs. “We are excited about the development of the Colombian economy and therefore we are expanding our coverage and are optimising our processes,” he commented.

FedEx, with some 250 direct and indirect employees in the country, aimed to benefit from increasing foreign investment in Colombia and a resulting growth in demand for transportation and logistics services, Gatti said. “Our idea is to grow with the country to ensure not only that our business is profitable but also to strengthen local industry,” he pointed out.

Thanks to its strategic alliances with local carriers such as Servientrega, Deprisa and Fascs, FedEx is able to offer coverage of 300 other locations in the country. “These agreements enable us to strengthen other services such as priority freight transport which we offer in combination with integrated logistics in the USA so that sensitive goods arrive rapidly,” Gatti explained.

The FedEx director also called on Columbian authorities to improve customs clearance procedures in order to support import and export traffic flows.