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Shipping products between Western Canada and the Asia-Pacific region and Dallas-Fort Worth is now faster and more efficient through Edmonton International Airport (EIA), with Air China Cargo’s (ACC) first scheduled Canadian freighter service.
Today (Sept. 25) marked the official, inaugural celebrations at EIA with ACC executives and local dignitaries.
Air China Cargo’s Boeing 777F freighter began landing at EIA six times a week (three from Dallas and three from Shanghai) on Sept. 3 as part of a Shanghai-Edmonton-Dallas-Edmonton-Shanghai route. Air China Cargo is one of the top cargo carriers in the world with 175 destinations and 1,285 global truck routes.
“This first freighter route between Mainland China and Alberta is a key connection between two economies with high-growth momentum,” said Patrick Yu, Air China Cargo vice president. “The market demand for direct cargo services between Asia and Canada has been growing, and our brand new route will help grow the economies of both regions.”
With Asian investment in Alberta totalling more than $30 billion since 2012, EIA estimates that Air China Cargo’s new service will generate $31 million in GDP for the Edmonton Metro region.
Industrial oil and gas products are now being shipped between Edmonton and Dallas. Both industrial and agricultural goods are being shipped to China, while high-end electronic products can now be shipped directly to Edmonton.
“Air China Cargo’s investment in EIA greatly expands business opportunities for the Edmonton Metro region,” said Tom Ruth, EIA president and CEO. “Our energy, manufacturing, agriculture and other industries can now ship goods more efficiently to China and the Asia-Pacific region, further extending our region’s trade network.”
Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport (PVG) is the world’s third largest cargo hub, with the fastest-growing cargo and mail service in the Asia-Pacific region. Shanghai Pudong International is expected to handle 60 million passengers, 4.75 million tons of cargo and 555,000 airplanes in 2015.
EIA’s Cargo Village offers multi-modal transportation and logistics operations to ease the movement of products from manufacturing operations to their destination, be it on either side of the Pacific. Braden Burry Expediting has been operating at EIA since 2001 and provides a full-service logistics operation to companies looking to send their products overseas with Air China Cargo.
Texas leg vital to energy industry
The new service also substantially increases cargo capacity between Alberta and Texas, helping companies move equipment, tools and products between the two energy centres.
It is the only freighter service between Alberta and Texas. Many companies in the Nisku Business Park are closely connected with companies in the large oil and gas industrial parks of Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.
Since 1994, international cargo at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has grown nearly five-fold. Asian freighters are the driving force behind this robust growth and account for more than two-thirds of DFW’s international cargo.
