Dhl opens the Malpensa-Hong Kong route: a boost for exports

The key points

An opportunity for Italian companies
Strategic Italy for the Dhl group

Dhl Express Italyamong the world leaders in international express transport, after direct flights from Milan Malpensa to Leipzig (Germany) and Cincinnati (United States), announces a new direct connectionwith 5 weekly flights, between the airport of Malpensa is that of Hong Kong, the third global hub of the Dhl Express network. The Asian port handles approximately 20% of the DHL group’s international shipment volumes. The first flight took off at 2.10am Wednesday 3 April from the large Lombard airport to reach the Asian one after about twelve hours.

The flight was carried out with a Boeing 777Fa latest generation aircraft which, thanks to its low fuel consumption technology and a maximum payload capacity of 102 tonnes, integrates into the DHL group’s sustainability objective of zero emissions by 2050.

An opportunity for Italian companies

Dice Nazzarena Franco, CEO of Dhl Express Italy: «The Malpensa hub continues to have an increasingly central role in Dhl Express’ strategy. Inaugurated in 2021, our international hub now has 58 daily air movements and a latest generation sorter (parcel sorting system, ndr) capable of processing more than 38 thousand pieces per hour. An efficiency that allows us to support the growth of the Italian entrepreneurial fabric across borders and of the SMEs that represent its beating heart. Asia – continues Nazzarena Franco – is home to some of the fastest growing markets in the world and the strategic position of our Hong Kong hub opens the doors to many opportunities for Italian companies that want to expand their business in this part of the world. Suffice it to say that the APEC (Asia-Pacific) area contributes for 10% of the market value of Italian exports. With this new direct flight we will be able to safely and reliably connect all those companies that want to expand into Asia.”

Strategic Italy for the Dhl group

The Malpensa DHL hub, with 24/7 operation, has more than 720 employees and contributes positively to the employment rate of the surrounding areas. The plant, confirming its importance for the group, was visited last January by the CEO of Dhl Express (global), John Pearson and the new CEO of Europe, Mike Parra, as part of a two-day Italian visit. This is how Pearson summarized the meaning of that day: «With this visit, I wanted to reiterate the closeness to Italy and its centrality as a strategic country for our company, as confirmed by the overall investments of 700 million euros in 8 yearsof which 360 in the next three years, intended to strengthen infrastructure and operational capacity at the service of Italian companies and their extraordinary propensity to export”.