DHL Express has begun operating its first Airbus A330-300 converted freighter to Malaysia, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

According to DHL, the aircraft offers 33% more freight capacity per flight and is the first of four A330-300s to join the DHL Express fleet under a new passenger-to-freighter agreement with Elbe Flugzeugwerke, the joint venture between Airbus and Singapore Technologies Aerospace. The converted aircraft features a range of upgrades including reinforcements to its fuselage, floor structure and door frame shell, newly installed safety barrier nets and a powered cargo loading system.

The A330-300F is currently flying the Penang-Ho Chi Minh-Hong Kong route six times a week. It has a gross payload of 61 tonnes and will provide additional high-volume, lower-density capacity in Asia Pacific, catering specifically to regional e-commerce activity which accounted for 40% of global e-commerce sales in 2017.

“E-commerce is expected to generate US$1.365 trillion in total retail sales Asia-wide this year, a number that will more than double to US$3 trillion by 2021,” said Ken Lee, CEO of DHL Express Asia Pacific. “The introduction of the passenger-to-freighter A330-300 marks a significant step forward in enhancing our service standards to match the evolving needs of our customers, e-commerce merchants and other businesses tapping into intra-Asia trade growth.”

DHL Express specifically picked Malaysia and Vietnam because of their particularly high e-commerce growth, with Malaysia showing a compound annual growth rate of nearly 18% from now to 2022, and Vietnam’s local e-commerce market growing at 35% per annum. Subsequent A330-300s slated for deployment later this year will also focus on intra-Asia connections as the region’s middle class continues to expand.

“Rising income levels and Internet access have powered a veritable e-commerce revolution in Asia’s cross-border trade,” said Sean Wall, executive vice president of network operations and aviation at DHL Express Asia Pacific. “Yet there’s still immense upside despite the amount of growth so far. The new A330-300s will provide the cost efficiency and high-volume capacity – carrying more than 20% extra cargo than other mid-range cargo aircraft – needed for businesses to take advantage of these intra-Asian opportunities.”

DHL Express’ planned deployments of the new A330-300 freighters aim to increase payload capacity by up to 50% compared to current aircraft.

“As a pioneer in P2F aircraft conversions since 1997, DHL continually looks to bolster the strength of its dedicated air network in Asia Pacific with a combination of new investments and design innovation,” Wall said. “As our maiden A330-300 cargo service arrives in our high-traffic Penang Gateway, we expect many more such services to transform our Asia-Pacific network in the near future.”