[Johnny Ryall]

Memphis Business Journal

FedEx Express is rolling out its first Boeing 777 Freighter to service mainland China. The larger, faster and more fuel efficient 777F will connect Shanghai with Memphis and reduce cut-off times for customers by two hours, the company said. By April, FedEx Express will have four 777F’s serving routes between the U.S. and the important Asian market. They hope to have as many as 15 of the planes in service by 2014. The 777F has a payload capacity of 178,000 pounds and flies about 5,800 nautical miles, an improvement of 14,000 pounds and 2,100 nautical miles over the MD11-Fs, which was FedEx’s long-haul aircraft. “With the 777F’s shorter flight times, our operational advantages give our customers a competitive advantage in the global marketplace through speed and reliability,” David L. Cunningham Jr., president, Asia Pacific, FedEx Express, stated in a release. “In addition, the 777F is able to deliver these benefits while helping FedEx build a more sustainable operation in the long term through its fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.”

FedEx Express is the express transportation subsidiary of Memphis-based FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and provides delivery across the U.S. and to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx’s chief rival, Atlanta-based United Parcel Service Inc., announced its own Chinese growth news Thursday. UPS will expand its global service parts logistics network, opening 101 new field stocking locations in China, according to a report by Memphis Business Journal sister publication Atlanta Business Chronicle.