DHL Express has started a new direct freighter service connecting Melbourne to Auckland and Christchurch with a reliable collection and transit time for shippers.

Operating five times a week, the dedicated freighter will provide another 19 tonnes of freight capacity for businesses trading between Australia and its third largest major export market, New Zealand.

“With its reliable and fast transit time, the service will bring the two countries closer together and enable greater efficiencies by reducing supply chain costs and easing traditional barriers to market entry for small businesses, such as the need for in-country warehousing and distribution centres,” said Gary Edstein, CEO and senior vice president, DHL Express Oceania.

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The global express operator said the service has the ‘best collection time’ for shipments in the Melbourne CBD area with cut-off times extending an hour later than other services.

Before the pandemic DHL Express had 10 dedicated cargo flights to and from Australia per week. High demand from e-commerce parcels and protective equipment and medical cargo over the last six months prompted the express carrier to expand to 30 regular services.

“As we move closer to a vaccine for Covid-19, we are confident that the region’s economy will bounce back stronger than before and this new dedicated service between Australia and New Zealand will provide much needed capacity to accelerate the recovery,” said Ken Lee, CEO of DHL Express Asia Pacific.

In the last 12 months, DHL Express saw shipment volumes between Melbourne and New Zealand jump by almost half (49 percent). The service is expected to further bolster its existing trans-Tasman express delivery capabilities, supporting the upgraded Auckland to Sydney Boeing 767-300F freighter service launched in 2018.