GEODIS has expanded its own-operated air freight network, AirDirect, with three new intra-Asia-Pacific flight routes.

The company has recently established a hub in Kuala Lumpur, which it says will enable a connection between its air services and its road network linking destinations throughout South East Asia.

The expanded flight network, which bridges Hong Kong, Chennai, Sydney, and Shanghai to Kuala Lumpur, can carry an additional 320 tonnes of cargo weekly.

Geodis said this will ease strain on supply chains, which saw load factors and yields reach historic highs in 2021 when cargo capacity struggled to meet the surge in e-commerce transactions.

The company said the new flights will enable consolidated shipments across Asia including goods from key manufacturing sites in China, Malaysia, and Vietnam to transit via the Kuala Lumpur hub.

Geodis president and chief executive officer, Asia Pacific Onno Boots said by enabling connections with the company’s expanded road network, connecting Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, the multimodal hub at Kuala Lumpur offers integrated transport that circumvents disruptions affecting air and sea cargo flows.

“Given the increasingly complex supply chain landscape that has affected the logistical priorities and needs of industries across the board, it is more crucial now than ever to supplement integrated transport networks on strategic routes,” Mr Boots said.

“Geodis’ new intra-APAC flight routes represent our sustained commitment to provide highly reliable and innovative solutions to help customers optimize their response to the e-commerce boom and chart their long-term business growth.”