The twice-weekly routeing is flown by a B747-400 freighter offering a payload of up to 113 tons. The aircraft – operated by Polar Air Cargo Worldwide – will refuel in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the way there and route via Hong Kong on the return journey.

DHL said that the flight will improve door-to-door transit times by up to a day. Road feeder services will link Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne to Sydney, ensuring next-morning deliveries in these east coast city locations.

Jerry Hsu, CEO of DHL Express Asia pacific, observed: “As a result of continued investment to serve our customers, better, DHL has built the foundations of an air network in Asia Pacific that offers unrivalled capability.

“The addition of the twice-weekly US - Australia flight increases capacity and connections on a fast-growing trade lane that is expected to grow by 20 percent in 2012,” he pointed out.

Chris Bresnahan, executive vice president, network operations and aviation, DHL Express Air Pacific, said: “Providing capacity and capability ahead of the curve for our customers is fundamental to DHL’s global aviation strategy.

“In addition to transit time improvements and increased reliability, the US - Australia service targets a key trade lane for express shipments out of the US.”