DHL Global Forwarding has introduced a multimodal Truckair service connecting China and Turkey, with onward distribution to Europe, reported New York's Journal of Commerce.

The service combines road and air freight, moving cargo by truck from China to Tashkent in Uzbekistan, then by air to Istanbul. From there, shipments are distributed across Europe using multiple modes.

DHL said the service was launched two months ago, offering transit times of nine to 11 days compared with four to seven days for all air freight. The company highlighted the cost-efficient nature of the service despite longer transit.

Aditi Rasquinha, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Greater China, said demand for flexible and cost-efficient logistics solutions is rising, driven by growth in China-Europe and Asia-Europe trade. The European Union was China's second-largest trading partner in 2025, with bilateral trade up 5.4 per cent to US$716 billion.

DHL noted tight capacity and rising rates ahead of Chinese New Year, with demand expected to peak in early February. The Truckair service is designed to provide predictable lead times and help shippers avoid short-term volatility.

DHL said customers such as European retailers have reported six-digit savings over two months of using the service compared with all air freight.

Shippers without urgent time-to-market needs continue to use the China-Europe rail network, which in 2025 made about 34,000 trips and carried 3.17 million TEU, up 9.8 per cent and 7.6 per cent year over year. Freight on the New Western Land-Sea Corridor rose 47.5 per cent to 1.42 million TEU, according to the China State Railway Group.