Big Brown’s Big Deal - Air Transport World
In stark contrast to the air passenger and general airfreight sectors, both famously fractured into a myriad of global companies, the international express cargo delivery business looks more like other modern transnational industries dominated by a handful of mega-players. On a global scale, United Parcel Service (UPS), FedEx, DHL Express and TNT Express are really the only games in town.
Which is why Atlanta-based UPS’s pending acquisition of Amsterdam-based TNT is of such consequence. If the €5.16 billion ($6.3 billion) deal goes through as expected, the international express game board will essentially belong to just three behemoths. And, as has been seen in FedEx’s reaction to the UPS-TNT merger, an increasing number of regional and domestic time-definite delivery operators are likely to be scooped up by the new, and expanding, Big Three.
In stark contrast to the air passenger and general airfreight sectors, both famously fractured into a myriad of global companies, the international express cargo delivery business looks more like other modern transnational industries dominated by a handful of mega-players. On a global scale, United Parcel Service (UPS), FedEx, DHL Express and TNT Express are really the only games in town.
Which is why Atlanta-based UPS’s pending acquisition of Amsterdam-based TNT is of such consequence. If the €5.16 billion ($6.3 billion) deal goes through as expected, the international express game board will essentially belong to just three behemoths. And, as has been seen in FedEx’s reaction to the UPS-TNT merger, an increasing number of regional and domestic time-definite delivery operators are likely to be scooped up by the new, and expanding, Big Three.