DHL Express is reporting its longest peak season ever with Kiwis shopping online “like never before”.
The global express service provider says peak season began in mid-August.
Since the last New Zealand lockdown, shipping volumes have soared past the usual December Christmas peak numbers, with a significant double-digit increase in shipments, when compared to pre-lockdown.
The company is expecting this growth to continue well into 2022 and potentially beyond.
It is making “significant investments” in preparation for the year-end Christmas peak, with the upcoming online shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday adding to the expected growth.
In addition to DHL’s dedicated air network, it will operate 21 passenger charters direct from Hong Kong and Singapore into New Zealand, to ensure delivery times are met right through peak season, the company says.
DHL Express NZ and Pacific Islands managing director Mark Foy says based on previous lockdowns, it was expected there would be a surge in e-commerce shipments “however this lockdown has lasted all the way to our traditional Christmas peak period”.
“We have remained well-prepared to meet this demand by ramping up our resources and investing in additional infrastructure and aviation capacity.
“We are confident we are able to continue to provide our customers excellent service quality coming into Christmas.”
In November 2020, DHL Express increased capacity between Melbourne, Auckland, and Christchurch with an additional dedicated aircraft that operates five times per week, providing a further 19 tonnes of freight capacity for businesses trading between New Zealand and Australia. The service has effectively shortened shipping times that Kiwis have never before had access to, the company says.
Along with local investments, DHL’s global annual investments in infrastructure, such as international hubs and gateways, aircrafts, vehicles, and state-of-the-art technology allow DHL Express to fully utilise the capacity of its international operations and therefore manage the upcoming volumes and support Kiwi businesses this peak season.
“Our global infrastructure including more than 20 dedicated aircraft in our Asia Pacific fleet means we are able to keep trade flowing and limit disruptions. In addition, we will have more couriers on the road to meet the demand and ensure all Kiwis have their presents under the tree,” Foy says.
For all Christmas orders, DHL Express will be picking up and delivering all the way up until December 24.
