UPS has substantially increased its air express volume capacity into and out of the Czech Republic by introducing a UPS Airlines Boeing 757 aircraft to connect Prague with UPS’s European air hub in Cologne, Germany, every weekday.

The new UPS Browntail has a payload capacity of 40 tons, compared to the nine tons of capacity on the contractor-operated ATR 72 aircraft it has replaced. In addition, the flight arrives earlier in Prague and departs later than the previous one did, allowing for improved delivery and pick-up times for some customers.

The move is a response to the growth UPS has been experiencing in Europe, with UPS operations in the Czech Republic seeing export shipments increase in the first nine months of 2015 by more than 10 percent over the same period in 2014.

“UPS is very excited about its performance in this important Central European market as well as the prospects for business here going forward,” said Daniel Carrera, president of UPS East Europe, during a ceremonial event at Václav Havel Airport Prague to celebrate the introduction of the new aircraft. “UPS is keen to help businesses of any size in the Czech Republic successfully trade in today’s fast-paced global economy. The added capacity on the new Prague-Cologne route positions us well to enable fast and reliable global commerce for our customers.”

“Cargo is an important part of air traffic, and Václav Havel Airport Prague has the potential and necessary facilities for development in this area,” said Václav Řehoř, Chairman of the Czech Aeroholding Board of Directors, the sole shareholder of Prague Airport. “We are pleased that a leading air express and freight carrier, such as U.S.-based UPS, has begun to fly here regularly. We expect that the increase in capacities on UPS flights will contribute to an increase in air cargo handled at our airport by around eight percent.”

UPS began offering its service in the Czech Republic in 1992 through a service partner, Czech Parcel Service. After acquiring this service partner in 1999, UPS Czech Republic was established. Today, UPS employs about 400 people and operates eight facilities in the Czech Republic, serving customers with a broad portfolio of package, freight and contract logistics offerings.