Geodis expands its AirDirect cargo charter network in Asia

Geodis will expand its AirDirect cargo charter network in Asia Pacific as it looks to meet “surging demand” in the region.

As part of the expansion, the forwarder will add a new weekly rotation from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Shanghai (PVG) and Sydney (SYD) and will also add a second weekly rotation to its existing KUL – Hong Kong (HKG) – Chennai (MAA) – KUL service.

All the flight schedules are serviced by aircraft chartered on a long-term basis and will add an extra 320 tonnes of capacity to its charter network each week, the company said.

“This will significantly ease the strain on the supply chains, which saw load factors and yields reach historic highs in 2021 when cargo capacity struggled to meet the surge in e-commerce transactions,” Geodis said.

“With demand for airfreight forecast to increase, particularly amidst ongoing delays and flight cancellations across Southeast Asia following the impact of the Omicron variant, Geodis believes its extended AirDirect schedules will become a pivotal component in ensuring seamless, reliable, and efficient air transport services in the region.”

As well as the new airfreight services, Geodis will establish a multimodal hub in Kuala Lumpur that will integrate with its road network linking Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

The start of the year has seen other forwarders also ramp up their air cargo charter network as they expect a busy 12 months ahead.

In mid-January, DB Schenker added charter capacity out of India as it looks to meet capacity constraints. The forwarder will offer charter capacity on a weekly flight operating on the route: Bengaluru-Doha-Munich-Chicago.

Meanwhile, DSV responded to Covid restrictions and lockdowns in Asia by adding extra freighter capacity from Hong Kong and Singapore.

The freight forwarder is adding two extra weekly flights – offering 100 tonnes of capacity each – to its Hong Kong-Liege-Hong Kong loop, bringing its weekly flights on the route to three.

Last year, Geodis expanded its airfreight operation to combat capacity shortages by leasing an aircraft for the first time. aircargonews.net