DHL Global Forwarding has launched a dedicated 100-tonne weekly air freight service for organisations and governments shipping goods from China to Middle East and Africa. The service is currently scheduled to run for four weeks from April 21, 2020. Capitalising on Dubai’s strategic geographical location as the gateway to countries in the region, the leading international provider of air, sea and road freight services will consolidate cargo from across China into Guangzhou and airfreight them via Dubai to their various destinations across Africa and Middle East, all within two or three days.
“Ubuntu Connect, named for its connotations of humanity and virtue, will prioritise the shipment of health and medical-related items for aid and relief efforts to Africa, whilst part of the cargo will be slated for countries in the Middle East,” said Steve Huang, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Greater China. Personal protective equipment (PPE) including facial masks, goggles, coats, hand sanitisers and gloves remain in high demand in some parts of the region. To combat the coronavirus outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 89 million medical masks, 76 million examination gloves and 1.6 million goggles are required per month. China is the world’s dominant producer of a variety of medical supplies with a purported daily output of 20 million pieces of medical masks, and has recently implemented measures to ensure the quality of medical supplies before export. Steve added, “As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt trade flows and supply chains, airfreight capacity is also significantly affected by government travel restrictions and grounding of commercial passenger airlines. This guaranteed uplift of 100 tonnes of goods will ensure that aid relief and medical supplies reach those who need them the most in a region home to 1.6 billion people.”
Connectivity
• Much-needed personal protective equipment will make up the bulk of the cargo
• New service will plug the airfreight capacity shortage shippers face with travel restrictions and changing freight routes amid COVID-19 developments
