GEODIS has established a number of air charter services to assist customers with urgent shipments during the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. In addition, rail alternatives are being offered to/from China.
Whilst ocean freight continues to be disrupted and air cargo options severely restricted by established carriers cancelling scheduled flights, GEODIS is providing alternative means to move customers’ cargoes between China and Europe as well as on Transatlantic routes.
The first of the air charter services departed from Frankfurt (Germany) on a one-way to Shanghai on the 12th February. In order to facilitate the resurgence in westbound freight out of China, GEODIS quickly followed up on the 21st with the first round trip service departing from Liege (Belgium), again with the destination Shanghai Pudong International. As of the 28th February weekly round trip flights were established from Frankfurt, with Shanghai departures each Tuesday. This schedule will remain in place throughout the month of March when consideration of a further extension will be made and is being complemented by flights from Hong Kong to Europe.
GEODIS has continued with its newly introduced direct, dedicated service from Hong Kong to Guadalajara, Mexico, through March. The next flight will depart Hong Kong on the 22nd.
GEODIS also maintains its offering of rail solutions from major cities in China. Two options are scheduled from Xi’an and Chongqing to the German destinations of Hamburg and Duisburg. The standard services have an 18 day transit time and from Xi’an to Hamburg an express, 12-day solution is provided. Return routings are also available.
Immediately following the decision by US authorities to close its borders to visitors from Europe and to prepare for the consequent sharp decrease in commercial cargo capacity, GEODIS established a return air charter program linking Amsterdam and Chicago on a four flights a week schedule. The first flight from Amsterdam will be on the 21st March.
Eric Martin-Neuville, GEODIS Executive Vice President of Global Freight Forwarding explains: “On the current global situation, our priority is to provide reliable and secure transport solutions to our customers to ensure connections between China, Europe and America.”
To further assist customers during this period of disruption, GEODIS is issuing a daily Advisory Bulletin on the Coronavirus Outbreak. This can be found on GEODIS’ website here.
GEODIS – www.geodis.com
GEODIS is a top-rated, global supply chain operator recognized for its passion and commitment to helping clients overcome their logistical constraints. GEODIS’ growth-focused offerings (Supply Chain Optimization, Freight Forwarding, Contract Logistics, Distribution & Express, and Road Transport) coupled with the company’s truly global reach thanks to a direct presence in 67 countries, and a global network spanning 120 countries, translates in top business rankings, #1 in France, #4 in Europe and #7 worldwide. In 2019, GEODIS accounted for over 41,000 employees globally and generated €8.2 billion in sales.