DSV responds to Asia Covid restrictions with extra freighters
07 / 01 / 2022
Mads Ravn. Source: DSV
DSV has responded to Covid restrictions and lockdowns in Asia by adding extra freighter capacity from Hong Kong and Singapore.
The freight forwarder is adding two extra weekly flights – offering 100 tonnes of capacity each – to its Hong Kong-Liege-Hong Kong loop, bringing its weekly flights on the route to three.
Meanwhile, the company has also introduced a new weekly route from Singapore to Los Angeles.
DSV vice president and head of the DSV Air Charter Network, Mads Ravn, said: “Right now, the market is greatly underserved – especially out of Asia where the situation is being impacted these days by increased Covid incidents and by new restrictions. We are monitoring the situation closely, so we can continue to do what we can to keep our customers supply chains flowing.
“We are also introducing a new DSV Air Charter route from Singapore to Los Angeles (LAX), which can further relieve the pressure on some of the other hubs in the region and also bring a little more flexibility to our customers on our airfreight offerings out of Asia.”
He added: “At DSV, our finest job is to serve our customers, and they rely on us to provide them with reliable transport solutions. That is why we are now adding more capacity to the DSV Air charter route from Hong Kong to Liege and back to Hong Kong.”
The move comes as a series of lockdowns and restrictions have been implemented in the Asia Pacific region as countries try to stop the spread of the Omicron variant.
These restrictions are already having an impact on supply chains and air cargo capacity.
In response to stricter cargo crew rules, Cathay Pacific has made “substantial reductions” in its long-haul freighter network for the first quarter, with no flights operating to Europe and just seven per week to the Americas.
This follows on from a complete stop to all long-haul freighter operations for seven days beginning December 31.
Hong Kong has also banned all passenger flights from eight countries as part of efforts to stop the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, strict lockdowns have been implemented in the Chinese cities of Xi’an and Yuzhou.
The Beijing Winter Olympics – due to start on February 20 – and the start of the two-week Chinese New Year holiday on February 1 are expected to pile further pressure on supply chains.
DSV launched its Globetrotter charter network in September as it prepared for peak season demand.
The new network offers flights between Hong Kong, Zhengzhou, Istanbul, Liege, Chicago Rockford and São Paulo’s Viracopos using dedicated B747 freighter capacity.
Cathay Pacific outlines “substantial” freighter flight cuts in Q1
Cathay Pacific announces 7 day suspension of long-haul cargo operations
