DHL adds Shanghai-Bangkok freighter link

DHL Express has launched a new direct flight between Shanghai and Bangkok, adding capacity to a key trade lane connecting China with the fast-growing economies of Indochina. The new service operates on the Shanghai–Bangkok–Bahrain–Brussels–Shanghai route, strengthening connectivity between major manufacturing and sourcing centres in Asia and consumption markets across the Middle East and Europe.

The additional flight is expected to support growing cross-border trade flows and provide customers with enhanced access to key markets along the Asia–Middle East–Europe corridor.

The daily service is operated by a DHL Boeing 767 freighter with a maximum payload of 50 tonnes. The addition reflects DHL Express’s continued investment in network capacity and infrastructure to strengthen connectivity across high-growth markets. It also highlights the company’s efforts to monitor shifting global trade patterns and adapt its network to changing customer demand.

Peter Bardens, Senior Vice President for Network Operations & Aviation, Asia Pacific, DHL Express, said, “We're seeing increasing movement of goods between China and Southeast Asia, alongside continued demand from customers in Europe and the Middle East for products manufactured across the region. This new route boosts our network where customers need it most, providing additional capacity and more direct connections between key production and consumption markets."

Bangkok serves as a key gateway to the Indochina region, while Bahrain and Brussels operate as major DHL Express hubs. The new Shanghai–Bangkok connection will allow the company to consolidate shipments from China and Southeast Asia before routing them onward to markets across Europe and the Middle East.

The service comes as manufacturers and traders in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos increasingly source materials and products from China. Many of these shipments form part of multi-country production networks, creating growing demand for faster and more flexible logistics solutions.

As trade between China and Southeast Asia continues to expand, DHL Express said the new service will improve transit speed, flexibility and network resilience for customers moving raw materials, components and finished goods across Asia and into global markets.

The expansion follows DHL Express’s recent investment in its Shenzhen gateway at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport. The facility’s cargo handling capacity has increased to 900 tonnes per day, around three times its previous throughput, to support rising cross-border trade and e-commerce volumes from China.

Meanwhile, businesses in Europe and the Middle East continue to source a broad range of products from China and Southeast Asia, including electronics, industrial components and consumer goods. DHL said the new route will create additional trading opportunities while strengthening connectivity between these major commercial regions.