AP Moller-Maersk’s Maersk Air Cargo arm has chosen Bournemouth Airport as its UK gateway for a trial of a new weekly route from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport in Zhejiang, operated by a 45-tonne capacity Boeing 767-300 freighter.
It is part of Maersk’s growing air freighter network between mainland China, Southeast Asia, Europe and the US. In March it launched a service from Hangzhou to Billund in Denmark, and from Hangzhou to Chicago Rockford in the US in April.
The Bournemouth route will initially operate until the end of the year, helping to meet peak demand, with potential to continue thereafter.
Managing director of Maersk Area UK & Ireland, Gary Jeffreys,said: “It’s fantastic to see Maersk Air Cargo landing in the UK. This represents our integrator strategy and demonstrates our product offering and capabilities across all modes of transport.”
Earlier, Bournemouth Airport-based Cargo First air added a third Airbus A340 aircraft to its China route and is now operating up to nine flights a week. Capacity on the route has tripled in the six months since Shenzhen Sharing Express Logistic-Tech started the route between Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in China and Bournemouth in April.
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