Source: DHL Supply Chain

 

 

  • Project includes four aircraft for cargo transportation, the first of which will start operating in May 2024
  • The initial proposal is to make an express air connection between Campinas (SP), Recife (PE), Belém (PA) and Manaus (AM), with greater space availability to ensure that the goods will be boarded, and specialized cargo processing
  • The domestic air route will also be used by DHL Express and DHL Global Forwarding, connecting with their international flights and with the DTA and DI processes, carried out through POLAR unit

DHL Supply Chain, a global leader in warehousing and distribution, has just announced a partnership with Levu Air Cargo, a leading Brazilian cargo airline, to launch a domestic air transport solution for cargo in the country. The project, which will receive an investment of EUR 90.5 million, includes four cargo aircraft, the first of which will start operating in May 2024. Initially, the flights will operate on the route Campinas (SP) – Manaus (AM), daily, and Campinas (SP) – Recife (PE), with three departures per week. This project, which involved the opening or expansion of branches in the cities served, already generated 200 direct jobs and around 500 indirect jobs.

With the evolution of supply chains – mainly the greater demand for agility and security in sectors such as healthcare, technology, automotive, and e-commerce – the air cargo transport market has been gaining prominence in Brazil. In 2020, DHL Supply Chain had already launched an air hub with access to the runway of Guarulhos Airport in order to provide greater speed and quality to the processing of this cargo operation.

Now, the proposal is to get closer to execution, maintaining the cargo processing and management functions and adding Levu as a facilitating partner to help in the operation of flights and all air procedures. The partners will also share the capacity of each flight, with occupancy priority in case of vacancy. This route will also be used by the other business units of the DHL group in Brazil – DHL Global Forwarding and DHL Express – which will have the Levu/DHL Supply Chain lines as a domestic partner to connect the international shipments transported by them, thus facilitating import and export and also using POLAR, another DHL Group company, for road connection processes with DTAs (Customs Transit Declaration) and DIs (Import Declaration).

For the Vice President of Transport at DHL Supply Chain, Solon Barrios, “this project brings together three fundamental aspects of a solid and efficient logistics operation: partner specialization, excellent operational capacity, and guaranteed service level. In addition, we will also offer good frequency and the possibility of connections to other cities and countries. With this, we want more and more companies to access the already known benefits of the air transport, especially taking into account the continental dimensions of Brazil.”

For the CEO of Levu Air Cargo, Rodrigo Pacheco, the growth projections of the air cargo market in Brazil were decisive for the implementation of Levu Air Cargo. The company is based in Campinas (SP) and has an exclusive focus on cargo transportation. “With daily domestic routes and terminals in strategic cities, Levu Air Cargo will carry out the entire logistics chain for high-value-added goods and life sciences,” he pointed out.

According to Rodrigo Pacheco, the company focuses on building specific logistics solutions to meet customer demand, ensuring safe and efficient transportation of cargo from end to end. “We will also have the solution for temperature-controlled ULDs (overhead containers designed to make loading and unloading easy and fast). We will be the first national cargo airline to have this solution for transporting life science cargo, without the risk of changing the temperature of the cargo. With this we will bring efficiency to an SLA level in order to achieve the highest standards of service excellence to offer our customers.”

There will be four Airbus aircrafts – two A330-300P2F (Passenger to Freighter) with a capacity of 59 tons, and two A321-200PCF P2F with a capacity of 27 tons. The partners plan to transport up to 4 thousand tons per month in the first year of operation, reaching 10 thousand tons by the end of 2025. The main target markets are: healthcare (pharmaceutical), electronics, automotive, and perishables goods. Furthermore, as they are exclusively cargo aircraft, they will be able to carry heavier, larger loads and dangerous loads from classes 1 to 9 (with the exception of class 7, which is related to the transport of radioactive material).

“Boarding cargo on passenger flights is very important due to the greater dispersion, but using freighters brings many advantages. First, the guarantee that there will be room for the cargo and the reliability of the delivery schedule. Second, the versatility of cargo that can be boarded. And, of course, with greater consolidation, we have a larger scale, even more competitive conditions and the best lead time and service level on the market,” explains Solon Barrios.

For other destinations, the partnership also offers two options: connection with flights from other conventional airlines or last mile delivery via road transportation by DHL Supply Chain and POLAR units.