FedEx has announced that it has launched a new route that will connect the FedEx World Hub in Memphis Tennessee with the APAC Hub in Guangzhou.

According to a statement from the company, a FedEx MD-11 freighter is being used for the new route, though this will be replaced with a B-777 freighter from May as demand increases. There will be five flights a week from Tuesday to Saturday.

Currently the flight stops in Osaka in Japan and then Anchorage, Alaska. From May it will drop the Anchorage stop. Return flights between Tuesday and Friday will stop in Indianapolis, IN and Anchorage before heading to Guangzhou. Saturday flights will stop in Honolulu and Anchorage.

“As our business continues to develop across the Asia Pacific region, we constantly adjust our network and routings to better meet dynamic market needs,” said Karen Reddington, president, Asia Pacific, FedEx Express.

“Adding volume and a faster, more direct connection to our Memphis World Hub will give Asia Pacific businesses a stronger competitive advantage in connecting to customers in North America and beyond.“

Early this year, FedEx Express officially opened its FedEx Shanghai International Express and Cargo Hub, the second international hub in China. Currently, FedEx operates more than 250 flights per week in China, with more than 160 of these flights going through the FedEx APAC Hub.