FedEx Corp. has introduced its first direct flight from Singapore to its regional hub in Anchorage, Alaska. The first direct connection for FedEx from Singapore to the United States is tailored to support shippers of heavier, palletized cargo rather than its express parcel network.

The integrated logistics provider said Tuesday it will operate the route six times per week with a Boeing 777 freighter jet from Changi Airport to Anchorage, a major connection point for daily services to cities in the Lower 48. The aerospace, health care, industrial, high-tech and semiconductor industries are expected to be primary users of the new service.

FedEx (NYSE: FDX) said it will operate a backhaul flight from Anchorage to Singapore once a week, with plans to expand frequency to five flights per week in the summer. 

The flight improves transit times, allowing shipments picked up in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand on Saturday to arrive in the U.S. a day earlier, on Monday. Businesses shipping from across this dynamic region will enjoy enhanced connectivity when importing and exporting to the U.S.

The new Singapore-Anchorage service is part of FedEx’s buildout of a deferred air cargo network to compete with freighter operators for traditional cargo typically tendered by freight forwarders. The so-called Tricolor strategy is designed to better utilize airline assets by going after new business amid weaker parcel shipping demand. FedEx executives have said their daytime Orange network is the air equivalent to less-than-truckload service.

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Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.

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