MADRID, Spain, Oct. 3, 2008 -FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, has incorporated an Airbus 310 into its Spanish fleet, operating between Barcelona and Paris four days per week.
The new Airbus 310 replaces two feeder flights that previously operated to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport and increases capacity by up to 25 tons.
The flights, which have been operational since Sept. 15, reduce the transit time of heavy shipments using the International Priority Freight service by up to a day from more than 119 postal codes in Spain.
FedEx Express investment in Barcelona is the result of business growth in the region. “Since we added Barcelona as a flight point in 1998, we have seen a strong and increasing demand from both existing customers and new users of international air express services,” said Ian Silverton, FedEx Operations Senior Manager for Spain.
The Catalonian region is a major driving force behind business growth in Spain and an important gateway to Europe and the rest of the world, thanks to its key geographical location.
“It is important for us to continue providing the highest quality level of service to all our customers as well as increasing our flight capacity to support industry in Barcelona and the Catalonian region more generally,” Silverton said.
Catalonia is home to the largest number of active exporting companies in the whole of Spain, with the number of export companies in the region increasing fivefold in the course of the last 15 years, according to the Evolution of External Commerce, released by the Conseller d’ Innovació, Joseph Huguet.
FedEx Express service improvements will support the needs of many businesses in the region, such as AMES. Ames, founded in 1951, is a world leader in the manufacture of precision metal parts, exporting 85% of its production worldwide. They rely on FedEx Express to provide them with the efficient, fast and first class service they require to meet the needs of their firm in a global business environment.