Maersk officially launches air cargo service between China and Europe
According to the latest news, in order to cope with the growing demand, Maersk officially announced on Monday the opening of air services between Billund Airport (BLL) in Denmark and Hangzhou (HGH) in China. The inaugural flight also marks Maersk’s first scheduled air cargo operation between Denmark and Asia. The corridor at Billund Airport is expected to significantly increase the passage of high-value and time-sensitive cargo between Scandinavia, the Nordics, and the entire Asia-Pacific region.
Denmark’s top exports include pharmaceuticals, machinery, electrical equipment, meat and fish, and optical equipment, according to government data. Maersk’s shipping hub Billund Airport has a fully equipped 4000 sqm import facility and 13,000 sqm export facility. Billund Airport will have a Maersk Air Cargo team of pilots and aircraft maintenance personnel, a flight operations team, and a freight forwarding team.
It is the second Asia route to be established since parent company AP Moller-Maersk merged air freight forwarders and an existing private airline under the Maersk Air Cargo brand last year. A second China route to the U.S. is also planned, according to the news. Maersk Air made its North American debut in late October, with Miami-based cargo carrier Amerijet International operating scheduled flights between Greenville Spartanburg, South Carolina(GSP) and Incheon, South Korea (ICN). In addition, Maersk opened a cargo terminal near Chicago’s International Airport in October to provide customers with a faster cargo process.
Maersk said its in-house cargo carrier Star Air will operate three newly converted Boeing 767-300 freighters per week on the Denmark-China route. The three planes were leased from Ohio-based ATSG, according to Maersk’s previously published orders and real-time flight-tracking data. FlightRadar24 shows the first flight is en route and is scheduled to stop in Tashkent, Uzbekistan to refuel. Separately, Maersk also announced on Monday that it has agreed to sell Maersk Supply Service (MSS) to AP Moller Holding, the parent company of the AP Moller Group, for an enterprise value of $685 million, a provider of global offshore marine services and project solutions to the energy industry.
Maersk launched a new strategy in 2016, as well as spinning off its current energy-related business. Maersk Tankers, Maersk Oil & Gas and Maersk Drilling were all sold between 2017 and 2019. The final divestiture of the energy-related business will be completed on April 20. In recent weeks, the shipping company is planning further adjustments as it tries to focus on transforming itself into a full-service logistics company. Established in 1967, Maersk Supply Service (MSS) was Scandinavia’s first offshore company and has historically focused on the oil and gas industry. More recently, the company, which has 36 vessels and a crew of over 1,300, has expanded into cables and more recently to serve the growing industry. They have already won several major offshore wind contracts, including Empire Offshore Wind and Beacon Wind in the US, and are building a wind turbine installation vessel.
