SHANGHAI -
United Parcel Service of America (UPS) has added
to its air network in China with a new direct
service from Shanghai to Europe as
well as three new flights that connect Shanghai to
the US and a new flight between Qingdao and
Incheon in Korea.
David Abney, president
of UPS International Operations, said the package
delivery company now flies to more points in China
than any other US airline, including both freight
and passenger carriers. "These new flights are
part of our strategy to expand our service
options, stay ahead of
customer needs and solidify our position as the
leader in the world's fastest growing market," he
said in a statement Thursday.
UPS will now
fly from Shanghai to Cologne, Germany, five times
a week using an MD-11 aircraft. The three new
flights on the company's Shanghai-US route bring
the total number of nonstop flights to nine per
week, while the number of flights into Qingdao, a
major port and manufacturing center in China, has
increased to six per week.
The company is
stepping up its work in the Asia region to take
advantage of strong growth, particularly in China,
where UPS has taken on the role as the Official
Logistics and Express Delivery sponsor of the
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. "It's a given that the
pace of business just keeps accelerating and you
have to work hard to keep up," said Mike Eskew,
UPS's chairman and CEO.
Last year, UPS
became the first carrier in the industry to
acquire direct control of its operations inside
China. It also opened seven new logistics
facilities in China in 2005 and is constructing
additional facilities this year. UPS China
currently operates 75 facilities, deploys more
than 1,400 vehicles and employs more than 4,000
people.
In addition, the company plans to
enter the retail sector in Shanghai later this
year by introducing UPS Express Centers to provide
customers with more service options. Meanwhile,
UPS has begun expanding its network reach in Japan
and its intra-Asia air hub in the Philippines. A
new 425,000-square-foot freight and logistics hub
in Singapore is also close to completion, while
the company is developing a new air hub in
Shanghai. All this is designed to take advantage
of strong regional growth, which saw the export
volume for all of Asia jump almost 30% last year.
