UPS launches new express flights into Chengdu
UPS has introduced new flights into Chengdu, China, which will expand the company’s connections between Asia, Europe and the US. The “around-the-world” flight through Chengdu will originate in UPS’s European hub in Cologne, Germany, and make a stop in Warsaw before transiting Chengdu’s Shuangliu International Airport, China’s sixth largest cargo and passenger facility. It then will operate to UPS’s Asia hub in Shanghai.
The daily MD-11 flight began Monday, UPS confirmed.
“China’s ‘Go West’ programme is making it very attractive for companies to move production facilities to inland cities like Chengdu and we believe the area is poised for accelerated growth in express shipping,” commented UPS International president Dan Brutto.
Chengdu is the capital of China’s western Sichuan province and is growing rapidly. Gross Domestic Product in the city of 13m has grown by approximately 15% each of the past two years and the province’s retail sales swelled nearly 19% in 2010. Its foreign trade surged 36% in 2010 to $32.78bn. In addition, the Chinese government declared the area an export processing zone in December 2010.
With the Chengdu flight, UPS now will connect Europe and Asia with a total of 24 flights per week, providing more next day options than any logistics carrier.
The Chengdu flight represents another step in UPS’s growing portfolio in China. The company serves 330 cities in China and operates 200 weekly flights connecting China to markets around the world.
On Tuesday, UPS revealed a 25% growth in earnings for Q2 as company performance was boosted by “quality of revenue in US Domestic, superior export volume growth in International, and record Supply Chain & Freight results”.
