Dive Brief:
- Denmark-based Maersk Air Cargo launched two weekly scheduled flights between Greenville-Spartanburg Airport (GSP) in South Carolina and Incheon Airport (ICN) on Oct. 31, increasing air market access between the Southeast U.S. and Asia, the carrier said in a press release.
- Miami-based cargo carrier Amerijet International will operate the Transpacific route using the first of Maersk’s three new 767-300F aircraft.
- In addition to the new ICN-GSP service, Maersk also operates own-controlled capacity between Europe and the U.S., Mexico, Singapore and South Africa.
Dive Insight:
A.P. Moller - Maersk continues to invest in its airfreight operations following the introduction of Maersk Air Cargo in April. The company, which uses Billund Airport (BLL) in Denmark as its main air cargo hub, has been looking to expand its reach.
Earlier this month Maersk began operating its second airfreight hub in Chicago at O’Hare International Airport (ORD). The hub, which offers direct planeside recovery with immediate transfers for time-critical shipments, serves Maersk’s air cargo hub at Rockford International Airport (RFD) as an import and export consolidation center.
“We want to create more routing options and flexibility for customers looking to improve their air cargo supply chains,” Mike Meierkort, regional head of Maersk North America Logistics and Services, said in the Oct. 12 statement. “Our new Chicago Air Freight Gateway offers an integrated supply chain solution to time critical shipments and order fulfillment deadlines.”
In May, Maersk also announced plans to build a 568,000-square-foot multimodal distribution hub near Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) as the company expands its North American footprint. The facility is scheduled to open in November.
Meanwhile, in June, Maersk completed its acquisition of Germany-based logistics company Senator International to further expand its airfreight capabilities. Senator has offices at both RFD and ORD, according to the company’s website.
Maersk is one of many ocean carriers to tap into airfreight opportunities. In September, MSC announced plans to expand into air cargo in 2023. Meanwhile in May CMA-CGM secured a 10-year agreement with Air France-KLM.
Maersk Air Cargo, which replaced its existing in-house cargo operator Star Air, operates a fleet of 12 767-200Fs and 3 767-300Fs, according to flight tracking software, FlightRadar24. The carrier also ordered two 777Fs from Boeing in November as well as three leased 767-300Fs.
Editor's note: This story was first published in our Logistics Weekly newsletter. Sign up here.
