Jakarta, 24 September 2009 – TNT today starts a new dedicated B747-400ER freighter service between Hong Kong and Europe. The non-stop flights will operate between Hong Kong and TNT’s European air hub in Liege, Belgium. The company can thus offer its customers fast transit times, control and visibility over shipments moving between Asia and Europe, while optimising its costs and fleet utilisation.
The new B747 freighter service from Hong Kong reflects TNT’s commitment to investing and growing in Asia. With its geographical and economic proximity to the Pearl River Delta and its central location in Asia, Hong Kong is a natural choice as a hub for serving customers in the south of China, but also in neighboring countries like Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Taiwan. It will add to TNT’s other Asian international hubs in Singapore, Shanghai and Beijing.
“With our integrated air and road delivery capabilities in Asia and Europe, we are well-placed to capitalise on the strong trading links between the two regions,” said James McCormac, regional managing director of TNT Asia Pacific. “More importantly, the addition of a dedicated freighter from Hong Kong will ensure our customers, especially those in the high-tech, telecommunications, electronics and fashion industries, become more competitive due to faster factory-to-market lead times and increasing inventory management efficiency. Our continuous investment in Asia clearly demonstrates TNT’s long-term confidence in the region and our continual commitment to raise our service capabilities on behalf of our customers.
The introduction of the service, when combined with TNT’s existing operations in South East Asia, enhances the company’s position as the leader in integrated freight and express delivery in the region. TNT now operates two dedicated B747s between Europe and Asia, the other travelling from Europe to Shanghai via Singapore. The 110 ton Boeing 747-400 ERF(Extended Range Freighter) offers the lowest ton-mile cost in the industry. It is also the most versatile carrier for multiple loading capabilities.
Ivan Siew, Director of TNT Indonesia said, ”The addition of these new routes offers our business-to-business customers daily connection from Europe, demonstrating our commitment to being the fastest and most reliable express integrator to/from Europe. This key milestone is expected to boost our service in Indonesia and support us to achieve our 20% target growth for 2009.”
In the past six months, facilities offering expanded services have been launched in China, Vietnam and the Philippines, increasing TNT’s strategic advantage in South East Asia. Furthermore, the TNT Asia Road Network, the only integrated, most reliable and most secure network in the market, expanded into Cambodia. The network currently links 127 cities across six countries, from Singapore to China, and stretches more than 7,500 km
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Note to the editors
The 110 ton Boeing 747-400 ERF (Extended Range Freighter) offers the lowest ton-mile cost in the industry. It is also the most versatile carrier for multiple loading capabilities. In February 2007, TNT introduced direct flights from Shanghai to Liege with its first Boeing 747-400 ERF. The plane makes a stopover in Singapore on its way back to China. TNT’s second B747-400ER freighter was leased to Emirates until September 2009. It will now operate three times a week between Hong Kong and Liege. The TNT air fleet consists of about 40 aircraft.
According to the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), a forum that includes the European Commission and all EU and ASEAN members, trade between Europe and Asia exceeded EUR 710 billion in 2008. The European Union is the ASEAN’s third-largest trading partner, with overall trade estimated at EUR 100 billion. Europe and the United States are China's largest export markets. Though faced with a contracting international economy, China’s economy is growing fast again at a year-over-year rate exceeding 8%.
About TNT
TNT provides businesses and consumers worldwide with an extensive range of services for their mail and express delivery needs. Headquartered in the Netherlands, TNT offers efficient network infrastructures in Europe and Asia and is expanding operations worldwide to maximise its network performance. TNT serves more than 200 countries and employs more than 163,000 people. Over 2008, TNT reported €11.1 billion in revenues and an operating income of €982 million. TNT is officially quoted on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. TNT recognises its social responsibility and has formed partnerships with the United Nations World Food Programme and the United Nations Environment Programme to fight hunger and pollution in the world. Our efforts are being recognised; in 2008 TNT again reached the highest score of all companies included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and in the Carbon Disclosure Project in the carbon intensive sector.
More information about TNT can be found on its website http://group.tnt.com.