NORTHWEST TO FLY FREIGHTERS TO CHINA
Northwest Airlines will start twice-weekly freighter service to Shanghai
beginning Oct. 31, giving U.S. shippers six more all-cargo flights to China a week,
including four new flights operated by Federal Express.
The new freighter slots were awarded to FedEx and Northwest by U.S.
regulators last week, pursuant to a bilateral aviation agreement signed by the U.S. and
China in April.
Northwest will operate a B747 freighter to Shanghai through Tokyo,
according to a Northwest Cargo spokesman.
Observers expect those flights to draw a lot of traffic from express
carriers DHL Worldwide Express and TNT, who may use the Northwest all-cargo service to
compete against the expansion of FedEx and United Parcel Service in the U.S.-China express
market.
FedEx was awarded a total of six new weekly freighter slots to China,
four of those effective immediately. UPS hopes to be named the next U.S. airline to serve
China.