FedEx launches Singapore-US direct cargo flight
The new link between Singapore and Anchorage link makes the company the only logistics provider with a direct flight to the continental US
[SINGAPORE] Courier and logistics giant FedEx has launched its first direct flight from Singapore to the US.
The new route is a “strategic investment and strengthens our long-term Asia-Pacific growth strategy connecting an important trade corridor between South-east Asia and the US,” said Kawal Preet, president of FedEx Asia-Pacific on Tuesday (Apr 15).
“As the region remains an essential manufacturing and export hub, this new service gives businesses faster, more direct access to the US,” she added.
“FedEx’s new direct cargo route signifies a milestone for their South Pacific Regional Hub and aligns with Singapore’s position as a global air cargo hub that connects the region to worldwide destinations,” said Chan Ih-ming, executive vice-president at Singapore Economic Development Board.
It also makes FedEx the only logistics provider to offer a non-stop cargo flight from the Republic to the continental US and strengthens Singapore’s position as a regional air hub, noted the company.
With the new flight, FedEx cargo travelling to the US need not transit through Japan, which saves up to a day in transit time.
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Shipments collected on Saturday in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand can arrive in the US on the following Monday, instead of Tuesday.
The flight, which began on Mar 31, operates six times a week and is served by Boeing 777 freighters that depart from the FedEx South Pacific Regional Hub at Changi Airport. Each flight can carry around 88,000 kg of cargo.
In response to queries by The Business Times about launching a new US-Singapore air cargo link when blanket tariffs on all imports to the US were recently announced, Preet emphasised the strategic aspect of the new route.
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“With the current uncertainties in the global trade outlook, naturally, businesses focused on exports may take a more cautious approach in the short-to-medium term. Our new flight is a strategic response to the long-term prospects for the region’s economic growth.”
FedEx shifted its regional headquarters to Singapore from Hong Kong in 2024, underscoring its emphasis on South-east Asia as a region that will lead Asia-Pacific’s future growth.
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