TNT starts dedicated Chongqing-Europe freighter service

TNT Express is launching a direct scheduled Boeing 747 service between Chongqing, a fast growing hi-tech manufacturing centre in western China, and Europe, through TNT's Liege hub in Belgium.
The service to Chongqing will operate three times a week. TNT said in a statement that it is the first express company to offer dedicated flights between Europe and Chongqing in response to growing demand from the region's hi-tech industry.
It highlighted that in the first eight months of 2010, exports from Chongqing rose by 62.1 per cent to US$4.2 billion. The city's GDP increased by 17.6 per cent in the first half to $54.51 billion.
"Chongqing has developed as an important hi-tech manufacturing centre in western China. We are pleased to contribute to the hi-tech industry's development in the region by providing pioneering international delivery services between Chongqing and Europe," said Michael Drake, regional managing director, TNT north Asia.
"China is a strategically vital market for TNT globally," he said. "By leveraging our strengths and capability in both international express and domestic road transportation, we are in a unique market position to offer customers a combined delivery service that can meet both growing export and domestic demand across the country including western China."
Since September 2010, TNT has increased its flight frequency to Shanghai and Hong Kong to seven and five times a week, respectively. TNT said it is also strengthening its Chinese domestic road delivery services and, in particular, its national day-definite road distribution network, the Shipping Gazette reports.
 

Source: Transportweekly