FedEx Express has launched a flight offering the first overnight express link between India and China, the FedEx Corp. subsidiary said yesterday.
The flight is part of a new eastbound around-the-world route — connecting Europe, India, China and Japan with the FedEx U.S. hub in Memphis, TN — that will provide unprecedented access to and from the world's largest markets. Using a wide-bodied MD-11 freighter, FedEx doubles its capacity between Europe and Asia with the addition of 850,000 pounds per week.
“This new route will relieve mounting capacity constraints for international express service across Europe to Asia, especially the two powerhouse economies of India and China,” said Michael L. Ducker, executive vice president-international, FedEx Express.
Economic integration between India and China is deepening rapidly. Last year, China became India's second-largest trading partner while India emerged as one of China's top 10 Asian trading partners for the first time. Bilateral trade between them is expected to exceed $20 billion in 2008. The five weekly flights from India to China respond to India's vibrant economic growth.
Earlier this year, FedEx Express launched a westbound around-the-world route, which included the express air cargo industry's first direct flight from mainland China to Europe (Shanghai to Frankfurt). The new eastbound route complements the westbound one, meeting supply and demand needs in both directions.
Melissa Campanelli covers postal news, CRM and database marketing for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
