Section: International Service Alerts
Below is a quick overview of events around the world that may cause delays to the delivery of your international shipments.
Belgian air traffic controllers ended strike - TNT resumes normal operations
23 December 2011
TNT Express resumed operations at Liege Airport yesterday night after the end of a 24-hour strike by air controllers.
TNT's air and ground operations will fully return to normal today. During the strike, TNT took steps to minimise delays for its customers. We temporarily operated flights to other airports and transported even more consignments by road within Europe.
TNT regrets the inconvenience caused and apologises to its customers for these disruptions caused by circumstances beyond its control.
TNT Express takes contingency measures to overcome the restrictions of air traffic over Belgium between 21 and 22 December
Belgian unions have called for a general strike in the public sector between today 10pm (CET) and tomorrow 10pm (CET) to protest pension reforms. TNT Express is not taking part in this strike. Unfortunately, despite previous assurances from the Belgian air traffic authorities, TNT has just been informed that some essential services to operate flights to and from its European hub at Liege airport will not be available during the 24-hour strike.
TNT’s first priority is to service customers. We are therefore taking contingency measures across Europe to minimise the impact of a partial or total closure of the Belgian airspace. Our customers’ air consignments normally passing through Liege will be transported via other routes. TNT’s intercontinental flights will be diverted to neighbouring airports. TNT is lining up additional vehicles and workers to transport more volumes by road.
However, we are sorry to inform our customers that we will not be able to ensure a 24 hour delivery service in all cases, due to the late notification of the strike in air control services and to the impossibility to fully activate our business continuity plan.
While TNT Express respects the right to strike, the timing and short notice are particularly bad for businesses such as TNT at a critical time of the year.
We are in constant talks with all the relevant Belgian air traffic authorities and will update this statement if the situation develops.
United Kingdom - 9 August 2011
Civil Unrest within Main UK Cities
As reported widely on both National TV and Press, a number of cities across the UK have experienced a considerable amount of civil unrest during the past 2-3 days.
Fortunately, to date, the effect on our operations has been very limited. However, we have taken action in order to ensure our service to our customers remains at the highest possible level whilst maintaining a safe and secure workforce.
At present, only a small number of our local depot operations have been affected by the civil unrest and subsequent disruption, these being Croydon, Enfield and London City. There is also a perceived risk of the following locations being adversely affected: London Heston, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester Bredbury, Manchester Trafford Park, Park Royal and Luton, although, with the very unpredictable nature of the unrest, other locations around the country cannot be discounted.
A full contingency plan has been brought into effect to minimise the disruption to our operation and to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our employees and our customers’ goods. Our teams across the country are empowered to carry out dynamic risk assessment as the circumstances demand.
To track and trace the status of your consignment click here.
For the latest information on the situation - www.bbc.co.uk/news
Volcanic Ash Update - 25 May 2011
The Iceland volcano Grimsvötn has stopped erupting. The European air safety organisation Eurocontrol today said the ash cloud could affect Berlin and also parts of Poland today. However, airports in Germany south of Bremen are not expected to be affected. There are no restrictions on flights in any other part of Europe. According to the Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) in London, the ash cloud coverage will dissipate during the day.
As expected yesterday, the ash cloud impacted parts of Iceland, Scotland, Sweden, Latvia and northern Germany. Last night and this morning, TNT Express, like other airlines, could not operate flights to Edinburgh (Scotland), Stavanger (Norway) and Gothenburg (Sweden).
In coordination with its customers, TNT Express has rolled out contingency plans to re-route Edinburgh-bound flights to East-Midlands and Gothenburg-bound flights to Oslo. TNT Express completes the linehaul legs by road. TNT’s service to and from the US is expected to return to a normal schedule shortly.
The actual impact of the eruption on TNT Express’ operations has been limited. The company’s air hub in Liege is fully operational. Although we do not expect any major disruption to our service during the next days, we are keeping a close eye on the situation together with the aviation authorities.
Japan Earthquake: No TNT employees injured
All depots and TNT Japan’s head office are open
A massive earthquake occurred in Japan at 14:46 local time (05:46 GMT) on the 11th of March.
We would like to send our heartfelt sympathy out to all who have been affected by such a horrific disaster.
As of today, we are thankful to announce none of TNT Express’ employees in Japan were injured and TNT is gathering information about the possible damage to employees’ homes to see what can be done to help. TNT is also assessing the impact on its facilities and operations that may have been affected by the devastation.
Although certain depots have been affected with different degrees of severity, currently all depots and the head office of TNT Japan are open for business and have begun to resume operations in a limited capacity.
TNT will do its utmost to keep customers informed about the status of their shipments and will work to resume normal operations as soon as possible.
Russia - Moscow Domodedovo Airport Bombing
TNT Service Update - 25 January 2011 15.00 hours
Air traffic to Russia is subject to disruption and potential delays in the wake of Monday's bomb blast at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport. Heightened security alerts at Domodedovo - the Russian capital's busiest airport - and other airports across the country, will inevitably impact on flights to and from Russia in the coming days.
TNT Express Services is working to try and ensure deliveries to and from Russia continue as normal but, in light of the disruption, are advising customers that some service delays may be experienced in the transportation of their goods to and from Russia.
To track and trace your consignment(s) please click here for more detailed information.
Liege air hub open and operational
Monday 17 May 2010
2:00 pm CET
The ash cloud from Iceland has further disrupted flights to and from the British Isles and Iceland. TNT’s European air hub in Liege remains open and unaffected. Almost all TNT flights ran as scheduled yesterday and this morning. Where airports were closed, TNT flew to the nearest alternative airport, such as Shannon instead of Dublin, without impact on service.
At the time of publishing, London Heathrow is operational again with some restrictions and Amsterdam is expected to re-open this afternoon. But the situation over the UK, Ireland and Iceland remains uncertain. TNT is closely monitoring flight restrictions and stands ready to activate contingency plans to offset the effect of any flight ban.
TNT Fully Operational
29th April 2010: TNT returned to a full flight schedule to, from and within Europe earlier this week, as the disruptions caused by volcanic ash clouds over Europe abated. TNT’s extensive road service and the implementation of contingency plans allowed it to minimise delivery delays in Europe. Economy Express shipments within Europe continued to move through TNT’s normal road network routes in 39 countries and were not affected. All operations are now back to normal and we thank our customers for their patience during the disruption.
Iceland - Eyjafjallajökull Volcano (update) - 22nd April 2010
TNT back to normal scheduled air operations
Thu 22 April 2010.TNT has returned to a near-full flight schedule, following the disruptions caused by volcanic ash clouds over Europe. Earlier this week, TNT resumed flights to and from Hong Kong, Shanghai, and New York JFK. The company also resumed all international and domestic flights in Europe, except to and from some closed Scandinavian airports. TNT is transporting these affected shipments via separate road linehauls to minimise delays.
Iceland - Eyjafjallajökull Volcano (update) - 21th April 2010
Yesterday TNT resumed flights to and from Hong Kong, Shanghai, and New York. TNT also resumed international and domestic flights in Europe. TNT operated more than 90 flights over the last 24 hours and 22 aircraft connected through its main air hub in Liege, Belgium.
TNT is hoping to return to a normal air schedule by the end of this week, pending remaining air traffic restrictions over some parts of north-western Europe, including Finland, Denmark, Ireland, and Sweden. TNT will continue to truck air shipments to and from European destinations that cannot yet be reached by plane.
Since Thursday 15 April TNT has been operating separate road line-hauls using trucks and vans through our air hub in Liege to expedite Express air shipments. Time-sensitive materials, such as pharmaceutical goods, received priority treatment. In addition, TNT continued to transport freight to and from the UK, thanks to a priority agreement with Eurotunnel. Thanks to its outstanding road service and contingency plans, TNT minimised backlogs and delivery delays in Europe.
Economy Express shipments within Europe have continued to move through TNT's normal road network routes in 39 countries and have not been affected.
Customers using TNT's Express and Economy Express services shipping packages into and out of Europe may experience some delays for the rest of the week.
Customers with time critical shipments are advised to use TNT's Special Services solutions.
TNT customer service teams and account managers are available to answer questions.
Iceland - Eyjafjallajökull Volcano (update) - 21th April 2010
While a few airports in Europe are starting to reopen with limited flights, the airspace above most of North-west Europe is still closed to commercial air traffic. TNT hopes to resume flights in and out of its air hub in Liege, Belgium and other European airports this evening.
TNT is continuing to operate with contingency plans for air consignments, so as to limit the impact for customers as much as possible.
Within Europe
- Economy Express shipments within Europe will continue to move through our normal road network routes in 39 countries and are NOT affected by the current situation.
- For shipments using TNT’s Express air services, our operations have set up separate road linehauls (using trucks and vans) through our air hub in Liege, Belgium to expedite Express shipments.
- TNT is able to transport freight to and from the UK thanks to a priority agreement with Eurotunnel.
- Customers with time critical shipments are advised to use TNT’s Special Services solutions.
Outside of Europe
- Customers using TNT's Express and Economy Express services shipping packages into and out of Europe should expect some delays until further notice.
Asia services
TNT's intra-Asia traffic, using our Asia Road Network and our existing air services, is operating normally.
Customers using TNT's Express and Economy Express services shipping packages and freight into and out of Europe should expect some delays until further notice. We are currently working with customers to use practicable alternative routes to minimise delays caused by this unprecedented situation. This includes using our Asia Road Network to transport goods to locations in Asia that have available capacity and links into Europe. Our planes and crews are ready to fly as soon as we are permitted. Should the restriction on air traffic remain in place, we will continue to move shipments within Europe by road.
More information will be provided as it becomes available throughout the day.
Iceland - Eyjafjallajökull Volcano (update) - 20th April 2010
While a few airports in Europe are starting to reopen with limited flights, the airspace above most of North-west Europe is still closed to commercial air traffic. TNT hopes to resume flights in and out of its air hub in Liege, Belgium and other European airports this evening.
TNT is continuing to operate with contingency plans for air consignments, so as to limit the impact for customers as much as possible.
Within Europe
- Economy Express shipments within Europe will continue to move through our normal road network routes in 39 countries and are NOT affected by the current situation.
- For shipments using TNT’s Express air services, our operations have set up separate road linehauls (using trucks and vans) through our air hub in Liege, Belgium to expedite Express shipments.
- TNT is able to transport freight to and from the UK thanks to a priority agreement with Eurotunnel.
- Customers with time critical shipments are advised to use TNT’s Special Services solutions.
Outside of Europe
- Customers using TNT's Express and Economy Express services shipping packages into and out of Europe should expect some delays until further notice.
Our planes and crews are ready to fly as soon as we are permitted. Should the restriction on air traffic remain in place, we will continue to move shipments within Europe by road.
More information will be provided as it becomes available throughout the day.
Customer service teams and account managers are available to answer questions.
Iceland - Eyjafjallajökull Volcano (update): 19th April 2010
As you may be aware from extensive media coverage, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted in Iceland on 14 April. Currently, the airspace above most of Europe is still closed to all air traffic. Test flights over the weekend showed promising results but it is expected that the standstill, in effect since 15 April, will continue throughout the coming days.
The volcanic activity not only affects the operations of TNT Express, but also of all companies that are active in the air transportation sector.
A number of contingency plans have been rolled out for consignments via our air network, so as to limit the impact for our customers as much as possible.
- TNT Express has the most extensive road network in Europe, whereby we are able to offer an alternative via road transport to a large number of European destinations.
- Transport via our road network is NOT affected by the current situation
- This network therefore plays a crucial role within our contingency plans
The expected impact on affected shipments will therefore be substantially smaller, because the above-mentioned road transport network has been integrated in our operational processes during the weekend.
For your time critical shipments, we advise that you use our Special Services solutions.
If you have any additional questions, please contact our Customer Service team or your Account Manager.
For clarifications or questions, you may call TNT Customer Service Hotline at (Metro Manila) 551-5632 or (outside Metro Manila) Toll-Free 1-800-10-551-5632.