FedEx’s new Liège-Memphis service to boost TNT networks

The FedEx-TNT deal was completed more than a year ago, but the benefits for TNT customers will finally be felt soon in North America.

FedEx Express will begin operating a new 777F flight linking Liège, Belgium and Memphis, starting early April 2017. The aircraft will continue on from Memphis en route to Shanghai via Seattle and Anchorage, before returning to Liège.

The Memphis-based integrator said the route would improve connections with its TNT networks. “This new flight by FedEx Express is a tangible example of the customer benefits that the acquisition of TNT will bring,” said David Cunningham, President and CEO of FedEx Express. “By combining our strengths, particularly the FedEx Express air network and TNT’s strong European road capabilities and Liège hub, we will connect even more people and possibilities.”

The 777Fs offer 116 tons of capacity. Once in Memphis, the TNT volumes will be injected into the FedEx network for delivery across the U.S. and Canada.

Improvements to TNT services, according to FedEx will include “consistent two-day transit times for express shipments from Europe to the U.S. and Canada destinations, compared with two to four days previously.”

The service will also improve connectively to key locations in the Middle East, Africa and India. The new route will increase options for customers in the U.S. Pacific Northwest market, “including reduced cost and increased capacity, with a one-day transit time reduction for Shanghai perishable goods.”

David Binks, regional president for FedEx Express Europe, and CEO of TNT, added that, “North America, and the U.S. in particular, is Europe’s major trading partner. The introduction of a direct FedEx Express flight from Liège to Memphis is excellent news for TNT customers shipping to North America. It also reinforces the role of the TNT hub in Liège as a significant operation for the group, complementing the FedEx Express hubs at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle and Cologne airports.”

Those interested in learning more about airfreight in 2017, should join us at Cargo Facts Asia in Shanghai, 25 – 26 April.  To register, or for more information, go to CargoFactsAsia.com