Maersk Air Cargo, a subsidiary of A.P. Moller-Maersk, has announced that it has launched its first routes connecting the United States and China. The cargo airline will offer twice-weekly freighter service between Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina and Shenyang Taoxian International Airport, as well as between Chicago Rockford International Airport and Hangzhou. Miami-based Amerijet will operate both routes under contract to Maersk, using Boeing 767 medium widebody cargo jets. The frequency of flights for the routes will increase to three times per week in May. Maersk is positioning itself as a one-stop-shop logistics integrator that can provide guaranteed ocean and air capacity, as well as customized supply chain services for its top customers.
Maersk bought the new freighters from Boeing and placed them with Amerijet. It planned to establish air cargo service between GSP and Shenyang. Maersk Air Cargo expanded its own airline operations into the U.S. last fall with the launch of scheduled service between Greenville-Spartanburg and Seoul, South Korea. Maersk’s Star Airlines operated for years in Europe as a contractor for UPS and other express delivery companies. In October, the airline opened a freight station near Chicago O’Hare airport to facilitate quicker shipment flows for customers.
The new services come during a substantial downturn in the air cargo market from record highs of 2021. The global economy is slowing under pressure from inflation, inventory levels remain high, and retail sales growth is normalizing to pre-pandemic levels. Despite the market slowdown, Maersk is setting up its network for long-term business growth and is aggressively moving to reposition itself. It is using its cargo airline to support internal customers for the first time as a major part of that strategy.
Michel Pozas Lucic, global head of air for Maersk, said, “We want to ensure that our customers have the visibility, reliability, and resilience in their supply chains. Air freight continues to be an important asset in our customers’ end-to-end logistics needs.”
In summary, Maersk Air Cargo has launched its first US-China routes, offering twice-weekly freighter service between Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in South Carolina and Shenyang Taoxian International Airport, as well as between Chicago Rockford International Airport and Hangzhou. Maersk is positioning itself as a one-stop-shop logistics integrator, providing guaranteed ocean and air capacity, as well as customized supply chain services for its top customers. Despite the market slowdown, Maersk is setting up its network for long-term business growth and is aggressively moving to reposition itself.
