15 April 2021 - On 27 March 2021, Lenton Group marked the start of a one-year agreement with Hainan Airways as the first cross-border e-commerce flight took off from China for France with cargo for DPDgroup’s European parcel delivery network.

 

• Lenton Group initiates a one-year agreement with Hainan Airlines on this first China-France flight.
• Two round-trip flights carrying parcels for the DPDgroup network will run weekly.
• Before the pandemic, Lenton’s cargo was flown on passenger airplanes. With the reduction in air travel, particularly between Asia and Europe, orders for Chinese products to Europe now have to be shipped on dedicated cargo flights.
• DPDgroup, within its 2025 strategy, is focused on capturing the growth of international e-commerce while developing a global, interconnected network with sustainable delivery and digital solutions.

Lenton Group initiates a one-year agreement with Hainan Airlines on this first flight from Haikou, China to Paris, France. This cross-border e-commerce flight follows a one-year agreement signed between Lenton Group and Hainan Airways, one of China’s fastest growing airlines. Faced with the surge in online purchases and ever-increasing volumes, both companies have joined forces to charter regular flights from China to France.

Two weekly round-trip flights carrying e-commerce parcels will inject DPDgroup’s European network with greater volumes. With a capacity of 72 tons, these aircraft cargos will serve as both a huge facilitator for cross-border development for all parties concerned and an accelerator for e-commerce as a whole.

DPDgroup will harness the growth of e-commerce thanks to this partnership, driving its new strategy revealed 1 March. Further to the announcement of its 5-year growth strategy “Together & beyond,” DPDgroup is focused on capturing the growth of international e-commerce while developing a global, interconnected network with sustainable delivery and digital solutions.
To execute this ambitious strategic plan, DPDgroup will rely on majority-owned, Asian-based Lenton Group to connect markets across the globe and build intercontinental volumes.
Following the 2019 launch of DPD China under the Lenton Group umbrella and benefiting from the rollout of multimodal services between China and Europe, Lenton Group is implementing additional logistics solutions to strengthen its connections with the DPDgroup network in Europe.

“Our partnership with Hainan Airlines and the inaugural flight from Haikou to Paris has received unprecedented coverage by media. The list includes Xinhua News Agency, China Central Television (CCTV), and other prominent media outlets in China”, says Charles Chu, Director of China Lenton Group.
“This remarkable operation is the fruit of a close cooperation between Lenton Group’s teams and Hainan Airways, paving the way to even greater intercontinental flows.”

 

 

About Hainan Airlines

Hainan Airlines Holding Co., Ltd. was founded in January 1993 in Hainan Province in China. It has grown from a small domestic carrier to a global airline, with routes across the world.
More information: https://www.hainanairlines.com/

About DPDgroup

DPDgroup is the largest parcel delivery network in Europe.
We combine innovative technology and local knowledge to provide a flexible and user-friendly service for both shippers and shoppers. With our industry-leading Predict service, we are setting a new standard for convenience by keeping our customers in close contact with their delivery.
With 97,000 delivery experts and a network of more than 58,000 Pickup points, we deliver 7.5 million parcels each day – 1.9 billion parcels per year – through the brands DPD, Chronopost, SEUR and BRT.
At DPDgroup we aim to be a reference in sustainable delivery and become a leading enabler of the e-commerce acceleration.
DPDgroup is the parcel delivery network of GeoPost, which posted sales of €11 billion in 2020. GeoPost is a holding company owned by Le Groupe La Poste.