Eastern Air Holdings and Flexport have announced a multi-year contract for cargo services that will bring much needed net-new capacity to the global airfreight market. Eastern is expected to begin flying its B777 Express Freighters, once approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, twice weekly between Chicago International Airport (ORD) and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) as well as Chicago International Airport (ORD) and Saigon's Ho Chi Minh City Airport (SGN) on behalf of Flexport.
The Eastern B777 Express Freighter is the first of its kind to market, designed specifically for eCommerce goods, and provides much needed cargo capacity to the global supply chain with its low-cost, reliable solution. The innovative design converts the main deck cabin of the widebody B777, traditionally a passenger aircraft, into a true cargo aircraft that will enable Flexport clients – some of today's most valuable global brands and fast-growing eCommerce companies – to fulfill consumer demand and keep goods moving
The soon-to-be launched service will join Flexport's extensive tech-enabled global airfreight, container freight station (CFS) and trucking network. As all shipments are managed via the Flexport Platform, clients utilizing the Eastern B777 Express Freighter service will benefit from end-to-end control of their shipments and continuous milestone visibility. Part of a comprehensive supply chain strategy, Flexport clients shipping from Asia hubs into the United States Midwest can use Flexport Platform data to determine high value SKUs and prioritize shipments to control costs and maximize the value of Eastern's innovative solution.
"There is an urgent demand to develop new solutions that alleviate the constricted global cargo market," said Steve Harfst, Eastern Air Holdings President & CEO. "Our partnership with Flexport, combining the large volume of our B777 Express Freighter with Flexport's leading edge eCommerce technology and logistics platform, will fill that unmet need and add new capacity to the global cargo market."
"Eastern has developed new, creative solutions to help solve the global airfreight capacity crisis, and we're honored to partner with them," said Neel Jones Shah, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Airfreight at Flexport. "Flexport client demand for airfreight has roughly doubled while global capacity has remained approximately 10% below pre-pandemic levels. Our strategic agreement with Eastern will provide critical net-new capacity to the market and bring our two innovative companies together to help meet demand and fuel growth."
