Flights from Christchurch and Auckland to Australia linked cargo to the DHL Express Melbourne-Hong Kong route, and the markets of the world.
“From an aviation perspective, we don’t really look at New Zealand in isolation,” Dasanayake said.
New Zealand fashion exporters included Trelise Cooper.
In early November, DHL Express added two new “rotations” or return flights on its Hong Kong-Melbourne route, adding an extra 75 tonnes of capacity a week.
Last week another bonus rotation was added, and it will continue operating until two weeks before the end of the year.
On these routes, the company used the Boeing 767, a widebody twinjet.
Dasanayake said at this time of year, DHL also increased capacity on commercial aircraft.
“We use quite a lot of airlines, mainly Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines.”
The express mail service booked space with these airlines in advance.
It had a standard location for its parcels on those aircraft but could then arrange more space at times of high demand.
Around Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas, the top trade lanes for DHL’s Kiwi consumers were expected to be Australia, the UK and the US.
He said the New Zealand operation used to report to DHL Express in Australia.
“We passed a certain threshold, which means we are a ‘large country’ now.”
That meant New Zealand was now an equal partner with other countries in the company’s Apec (Asia-Pacific excluding China) division.
The company has three global hubs. They’re in Singapore, Cincinatti and Germany’s Leipzig.
“DHL Group is our group of companies and within that group there are five different divisions. DHL Express happens to be one.”
Dasanayake said the company was very busy during the pandemic.
“If you remember the early days of Covid, DHL was probably the only airline that flew. A lot of commercial flights were grounded.”
He said those times were abnormally, unsustainably busy.
Then things became quieter, but he said business was picking up now.
Volumes in the first week of November this year were up 10% on the previous week, Dasanayake said.
For the next fortnight, he expected volumes would be up 25%.
The company also bolstered its road transport network, taking on more drivers.
Drivers were contractors on either “fixed” or “flexi” arrangements.
He said a lot of key moves around staffing and logistics the company was making now were planned in September.
Dasanyake was upbeat about the economy.
“I get the feeling that we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”
ASB economists today said New Zealand retail volumes lifted strongly in this year’s third quarter, with the biggest increase since late 2021.
The bank economists expected more strong growth in retail spending this quarter.
ASB said yesterday’s Official Cash Rate cut should filter through to lower mortgage rates and give relief to household budgets.
John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation and court. He has previously covered consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.
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