DSV launches Globetrotter airfreight charter route with plans to grow further

Third-party logistics company DSV, which this week dropped the post-acquisition “Panalpina” from its company name to return to its previous DSV A/S branding, also this week launched a new air charter route, the Globetrotter, to connect Asia, Europe, and North and South America. The Globetrotter network will utilize a 747 freighter with nose-loading capabilities under a one-year charter agreement, the livery of which will be updated with DSV branding, Mads Ravn, vice president and head of global air freight procurement at DSV, told Air Cargo World . Under the block-hour contract, DSV will be able to control its own network and maintain flexibility as needed, Ravn said. “We have flexibility there, which I really liked about this, and this is what we are aiming for going forward as well,” Ravn said. “As you know, with the issues in Pudong (PVG) with the shutdown, we’ve had to divert into Hong Kong (HKG) and also into Zhengzhou (CGO). Now we will be getting back on track and getting into Shanghai hopefully in the next couple of weeks is what we’re aiming for.” Once operations at PVG normalize, the Globetrotter service will operate twice weekly to and from PVG into Istanbul (IST) and Liege (LGG). The operations are a departure from typical trans-Pacific freighter service, according to Ravn, with connectivity from China to Europe, where ULDs will be re-routed as needed for transport to the Americas. Under the initial Globetrotter network, DSV will operate from LGG to Chicago Rockford Airport (RFD) in North America and Viracopos International Airport (VCP) in South America. DSV also has U.S. connectivity through its legacy Panalpina charter flight to and from Huntsville (HSV). DSV is contracting directly with ground handlers at smaller airports, including RFD and HSV, Ravn said, where handlers such as WFS work inside DSV’s terminal to avoid the congestion and slowdowns many carriers and forwarders face at U.S. airports. While cargo demand would support additional expansions, limitations arise from the ground handling side even for DSV, he added. “There are lots of other origins that we would like to explore, or actually we could put a flight into right now,” Ravn said. “Our issue is that we’re also getting maximized on the ground to the extent that we can handle. We don’t want to have a similar scenario as the carriers do, that they are pushing more volume through than the ground handlers can handle. Our charter network is all about the consistency and the fact that we can actually offer customers a fixed transit time, fixed capacity on the flights that we’re offering and not having to wait three or four or five days to recover the freight from the ground handler on arrival.” However, some origins could be particularly beneficial to DSV’s business, Ravn added. “If we were to pick a few that we would like right now on the wish list, they would be Taipei [TPE] in Taiwan and Hanoi [HAN] in Vietnam.”

DSV launches Globetrotter airfreight charter route with plans to grow further

Forwarder eyes Taipei, Hanoi as potential network additions

My Pet Cab provides the paw-fect pet delivery

Diez joins Swissport as new director

Diez joins Swissport as new director

Cargo Facts Free Newsletters

Cargo Facts Connect Podcast

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password