Geodis: HK-Mexico freighter to meet demand for Lithium transport and faster transit

Geodis’ new Hong Kong-Mexico freighter service aims to cut delivery times and cater for lithium battery transport demand.

Eric Martin-Neuville, executive vice president, Geodis Freight Forwarding, told Air Cargo News that while there were existing services between Hong Kong and Guadalajara, they tended to be fed through the US border, which had an impact of reliability and resulted in an extended transit time.

“In addition, capacity to carry hazardous goods in safe conditions on the route is severely limited,” Martin-Neuville added.

“We have therefore been encourage to initiate a service offering that bridges both the capacity gap in general and the need for the safe carriage of lithium batteries.”

He explained that the service would cater for a range of customers of varying sizes and was not limited to a specific customer type.

“The original target customer base was the electronic manufacturing sector heavily concentrated in Jalisco State, in which Guadalajara is located,” he explained.

“Still the bulk of our cargo is currently electronic parts and components. We are however expanding the service for the use of clients in diverse industries from industrial equipment to sports equipment and apparel.”

Other target sectors on the eastbound leg include finished goods, mobile phones and automotive.

The return leg will be target perishables, some finished goods and other ad hoc requirements.

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The forwarder announced it had launched the service earlier this week, with the first flight taking place on October 23.

The company said the charter service, named AirDirect Mexico, was a “completely new, non-stop service” that would provide customers with a “highly reliable solution” and secured capacity.