As major airlines stay grounded due to the Coronavirus pandemic, DHL Global Forwarding has launched a dedicated 100-tonne weekly air freight service for organizations and governments shipping goods from China to Africa and Middle East.
The bulk of the cargo is expected to comprise personal protective gear such as masks, gloves, hand sanitisers and goggles. Equally, part of the cargo will head to other countries in the Middle East to plug the demand gap there.
Dubai’s strategic location
The global freight services provider is using Dubai’s strategic geographical location as the gateway to countries in the region to consolidate cargo from across China into Guangzhou and air freight them via Dubai to their various destinations across Africa and Middle East, all within two or three days.
Amadou Diallo, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding Middle East and Africa said: “DHL Global Forwarding is bolstering logistics support to our customers in the region who need to ensure stable supply chains, especially for medical and critical supplies during this critical period. With multiple flight cancellations that has strained worldwide air freight capacity, we remain committed to leveraging our capabilities, global network and customized solutions to ensure that goods and critical resources continue to reach people and communities in Africa and the Middle East.”
Africa is Dubai’s third largest trading partner in volume terms and Africa’s non-oil trade with Dubai has been growing steadily over the last decade, accounting for 10.5% of the emirate’s total non-oil foreign trade in 2018.
