DHL Express, the world's leading express service provider, has commenced operations for the first-ever DHL Aviation Bahrain freighter directly to Delhi.

"With this addition, Delhi will now have 17 freighter connections every week, linking both North and East India to over 220 countries and territories across DHL's global network," says an official announcement.

The new DHL Aviation Bahrain freighter will fly six times each week, carrying 50 tonnes of shipment per flight on the Bahrain-Delhi-Bahrain route. Prior to this, there were 11 freighter connections from Delhi to the West and Asia Pacific, the statement said.

"We have been working relentlessly to provide reliable connectivity to our customers to fuel India's international trade," says R.S. Subramanian, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, DHL Express India. "In line with this, we constantly look for opportunities to expand the capacity of our dedicated air network and invest in ground infrastructure and processes to enhance our service quality to our customers. Through the addition of these dedicated freighter connections, we are well positioned to remain the provider of choice for our customers across key markets."

Currently, there are six weekly flights connecting customers in Hong Kong and Delhi to Europe via DHL Express's global hub in Leipzig as well as five connecting back from Europe to Delhi and Hong Kong. These six additional Bahrain–Delhi–Bahrain flights will then further link customers in the U.S. and Europe as well as Middle East and Africa.

Last year, six flights were added from Bengaluru, connecting South and West India to the rest of the world. A total of 33 DHL flights now service customers in India with a combination of B777 and B767 aircraft every week, the statement said.