Three major freight forwarders — Ceva Logistics, DSV, and Kuehne+Nagel — have launched dedicated air cargo services to Chicago-area airports in mid-2026. Ceva operates thrice-weekly flights from Hanoi and twice-weekly flights from Wuxi, each with 100 tons of capacity per Boeing 777 freighter. Kuehne+Nagel added Frankfurt to its weekly 747-8 loop, while DSV launched weekly services from Luxembourg and Shanghai to Chicago-Rockford — 70 miles west of O’Hare — citing speed and cost advantages. All charters run under wet lease agreements with cargo airlines.
According to www.freightwaves.com, three global freight forwarders — Ceva Logistics, DSV, and Kuehne+Nagel — have launched dedicated air cargo services to the greater Chicago area in June and early July 2026 under wet lease agreements with all-cargo airlines.
Ceva Logistics expands Asia–Chicago capacity
Ceva Logistics, the fifth largest logistics company by gross revenue, has introduced a new weekly service from Hanoi to Chicago O’Hare International Airport operating three times per week on a Boeing 777 freighter operated by its sister company CMA CGM Air Cargo. The service supports high-tech, industrial, retail, and e-commerce sectors as production shifts from China to Vietnam. Shipments are consolidated across Vietnam — including pickup from Danang and Ho Chi Minh City — then trucked to Hanoi for onward air transport.
Ceva also renewed for a second year its dedicated air cargo service from Wuxi, China, to Chicago, which operates twice weekly using a Boeing 777 freighter operated by CMA CGM Air Cargo. Each flight offers 100 tons of capacity. The prior charter had been with Nippon Cargo Airlines, according to a Ceva spokesperson. To broaden reach, Ceva expanded ground pickup coverage across key manufacturing hubs in China, enabling multi-origin consolidation into the Wuxi gateway.
In Chicago, all shipments are processed through Ceva’s near-airport warehouse featuring 350,000 square feet of dedicated freight space, an 8,000-square-foot free trade zone, and a 6,000-square-foot dual-chamber cold-storage unit. The charter programs are structured for a one-year term, with renewal contingent on customer demand.
Kuehne+Nagel adds Frankfurt to transatlantic loop
Kuehne+Nagel, the world’s largest pure freight forwarding company, added Frankfurt, Germany, to its self-owned Boeing 747-8 cargo jet rotation in early June 2026. The updated weekly route now connects Chicago O’Hare to Frankfurt — a major European cargo hub — before recrossing the Atlantic to Atlanta, then continuing through Liege (Belgium), Sharjah (United Arab Emirates), Taiwan, and back to Chicago.
This expanded network supports time-sensitive healthcare, high-tech, and semiconductor cargo, per a Kuehne+Nagel news release. Both Frankfurt and Chicago serve as major pharmaceutical production and distribution centers. The forwarder’s charter network currently comprises more than 100 weekly connections worldwide.
DSV scales into Rockford with Luxembourg and Shanghai links
DSV, the world’s second largest freight forwarder, launched a new weekly freighter service from Luxembourg to Chicago-Rockford International Airport last week. The service joins DSV’s existing weekly charter from Shanghai, China, to Chicago-Rockford, which began in November 2025. Both routes are operated by Atlas Air using Boeing 777-200 freighter aircraft, according to a DSV spokesperson.
Chicago-Rockford International Airport — located 70 miles west of O’Hare — is gaining traction among cargo operators due to its lack of congestion, faster processing times, and lower landing and handling fees. DSV confirmed in a news release that it is evaluating plans to introduce a new weekly service between Seoul, South Korea, and Chicago-Rockford later in 2026.
These dedicated charters reflect a broader industry shift toward white-label, capacity-controlled air solutions. Unlike tendering freight across multiple commercial carriers, such wet lease arrangements give forwarders direct control over scheduling, routing, ground logistics, and service consistency — critical advantages for customers requiring rapid turnaround and predictable transit times.
Source: FreightWaves
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
