Express carrier and logistics provider, DHL, announced a new, dedicated flight connecting Qingdao and Hangzhou with its Central Asia Hub in Hong Kong. The move will increase the economic connectivity of the three cities and accelerate the inbound and outbound express business in Zhejiang and Shandong provinces, said DHL. The carrier has already started gateway operations at the Hangzhou International Airport. These latest investments are part of the planned US$110 million investment in its China business in the next few years, which DHL announced in February this year.
The new ten-time weekly flight allows DHL to better meet the increasing demand for international express and logistics services and capabilities due to the rapid economic development in these regions, according to the carrier. The new flight, operated by a Yangtze River Express Airlines 737-300 freighter aircraft with a payload capacity of 13 tons, marks Hangzhou Airport's first international air express cargo connection. The flight, together with DHL's new 2,000 -square-meter (21,500 square-foot) Hangzhou Gateway, will boost the economic development in booming cities like Hangzhou, Ningbo and Qingdao, said DHL officials.
