DHL Global Forwarding will expand dedicated air capacity for businesses shipping between Southeast Asia and the United States with the launch of three widebody flights per week starting on 1 June, according to reporting in FreightWaves.

The new service will operate Hanoi-Taipei-Anchorage-Chicago/Cincinnati-Seoul-Hanoi with Boeing 777 freighters flown by partner carrier Kalitta Air. United States destinations will alternate between Chicago and Cincinnati.

DHL Express operates a global air network using multiple airlines, including its own fleet and third-party carriers, to move overnight packages for customers. Remaining capacity is sold to logistics companies with heavy business-to-business shipments. DHL Global Forwarding is the largest buyer of the excess capacity, whilst DHL Aviation manages airline operations within Express.

Providing self-controlled charter aircraft allows logistics companies to offer shippers more reliable capacity and service than tendering shipments through regular scheduled flights from passenger and all-cargo carriers.

DHL Global Forwarding's decision to add exclusive capacity on the Asia-US trade lane follows recent expansion of charter flights between Asia and Europe. On 29 March, DHL Global Forwarding introduced weekly flights connecting Liège, Belgium, and Hong Kong to meet growing transport demand for general cargo. A service between Shanghai, China, and DHL's hub in Leipzig, Germany, is scheduled to commence on 1 June.

DHL intends the services to be long-term operations continuing into the peak winter season, with market conditions determining any further extension. Global Forwarding has secured one Boeing 777-300 converted freighter aircraft and a brand new factory-built 777 for the new Asia-Europe routes.

Global Head of Air Freight at DHL Global Forwarding Henk Venema stated in a previous announcement: "Expanding our controlled capacity on the Asia-Europe corridor reinforces our commitment to reliability, speed, and resilience for our customers.

View DHL Global Forwarding's complete Asia-US air cargo capacity expansion and route details in the full report.