FedEx Express bolsters Asia-Europe connectivity with new route

FedEx Express has announced a new route between Asia and Europe, which is set to provide improved connectivity and service reliability for customers across North Asia, including China and Japan.

The express transport company said that customers in Singapore will also benefit from additional inbound capacity from Europe.

The new route will connect China’s capital Beijing to the FedEx Charles de Gaulle (CDG) hub in Paris France for the first time with ten connections per week via Osaka, Japan.

FedEx said that businesses will benefit from the extended cut-off time for same day outbound shipments from Beijing to Europe, which will offer more time for customers to arrange their shipments.

In addition, Japanese businesses shipping time-sensitive packages or items requiring rigorous temperature control and monitoring such as those in the healthcare sector, as well as heavy weight packages, will have access to direct connection between Kansai International Airport, FedEx North Pacific Regional Hub and the CDG Hub in Paris, France.

The new route also provides one day a week direct connection between FedEx’s CDG Hub to Singapore.

Singapore is the EU’s second-largest commercial partner in the ASEAN region, and the direct connection will offer Singapore customers enhanced weekly inbound capacity of almost 50,000 kg (50 tonnes).

“As one of the most important trade lanes in the world, Asia-Europe is where mega-economies will converge in the coming years,” said Kawal Preet, president of the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa (AMEA) region at FedEx Express.

“Addressing capacity demand is critical, along with service enhancements like extending cut-off times to better support today’s on-demand economy,” Preet said.

“This latest flight route is another example of our continuing efforts to enhance our operational strength and meet customer needs along a growing trade corridor. This will help importers and exporters on both sides build more nimble supply chains and give them better access to new markets,” he said.

Trade between Asia and Europe countries accounts for about half of the world’s merchandise commerce due to the strong trading momentum led by China, the world’s second-largest economy.

2021 saw trade between China and Europe grow to $800 billion, and the trajectory continues with a 12% YoY increase over January and February 2022 to $138 billion, further strengthening China’s position as the EU’s biggest trading partner in the world. Trade between other Asian markets like Japan, Singapore and the EU also continues to show a healthy momentum.

Last year, FedEx introduced six new intercontinental flights originating from Asia Pacific (APAC), contributing additional capacity of almost 2,700 tonnes (2,690,000 kgs) and a total of over 220 weekly flights in and out of APAC to the U.S. and Europe.

Related: FedEx increases capacity from APAC ahead of year-end holiday peak