DHL Opens Six Cold Chain Corridors Linking US, Europe to Asia Pharma Hubs

DHL Global Forwarding has added six bi-directional corridors to its healthcare cold chain network, linking North America and Europe to pharmaceutical manufacturing hubs across Asia, according to an Oct. 12 press release. Three of them run from the company's Cincinnati (CVG) hub: CVG–Singapore (SIN), CVG–Tokyo Narita (NRT) and CVG–Seoul Incheon (ICN).

The corridors sit inside DHL's Health Logistics Cold Chain Network, a global web of dedicated healthcare lanes built for temperature-controlled goods. The pitch to pharma shippers is simple: flexible routing, access to temperature-controlled capacity and more consistent transit times, all aimed at cutting supply chain risk.

Why Cincinnati, and why now?

The corridors answer customer demand for reliable pharmaceutical connectivity between healthcare markets, DHL Freight spokesperson Laura Lehnen told Supply Chain Dive. That demand is not evenly balanced. DHL currently sees stronger flows from pharmaceutical manufacturing hubs in North America and Europe toward Asia, Lehnen said, so most of the corridors' available air freight capacity is dedicated to inbound Asia Pacific trade.

"DHL can therefore support both directions of trade as customer demand evolves and manufacturing and distribution patterns continue to develop," Lehnen said.

CVG earns its gateway status honestly. The airport offers temperature-controlled storage and handling, GDP-compliant healthcare logistics facilities and specialized equipment, according to Lehnen. DHL also runs a dedicated life sciences and healthcare facility in Indianapolis, giving it two anchored healthcare nodes in the US heartland.

Earlier this year, DHL Group added a Brussels (BRU)–CVG route to the same cold chain network. The six new Asian corridors extend that spine westward across the Pacific.

What does this change for pharma shippers?

A majority of the new routes will be flown on DHL's Boeing 777 freighter fleet, and the aircraft carry three separate compartments with dedicated temperature settings. That matters for biologics, vaccines and clinical trial materials, where a single temperature excursion can write off a shipment worth more than the freight cost of the entire flight.

For shippers, the practical gain is optionality. Instead of patching together capacity across carriers and handlers, they can book GDP-compliant, temperature-controlled lanes end to end, with consistent handling at both ends. For forwarders, it means a competitor has just hardened its grip on one of freight's highest-value-per-kilo segments.

DHL isn't stopping at routing. Several investments at CVG are in the pipeline:

• Five temperature-controlled dollies, planned for the "near future," to move healthcare shipments between aircraft and facilities during extreme weather.
• A new airside facility opening in 2027, providing temperature-controlled storage for inbound and outbound Unit Load Devices near the aircraft to preserve temperature integrity through handling.
• A new off-airport facility with temperature-controlled storage, ULD build-up and break-down, and pallet storage.

The 2027 airside facility is the structural bet. Moving ULD storage next to the aircraft shrinks the window where temperature-controlled freight sits exposed on the ramp, which is precisely where cold chains tend to wobble.

Rivals are circling the same cargo

DHL is not alone in chasing healthcare freight. FedEx launched a dedicated healthcare and pharmaceutical logistics organization in June, and last year it began flying a Dublin (IND)-targeted route — formally Dublin (DUB) to Indianapolis (IND) — aimed primarily at healthcare goods. Indianapolis, notably, is where DHL's own life sciences facility sits.

The pattern is clear: as pharmaceutical manufacturing spreads across Asia and biologics volumes grow, the operators with dedicated cold chain infrastructure on the ground — not just refrigerated containers in the air — will take the premium freight. Expect capacity commitments and facility announcements from both carriers to keep coming as 2027 approaches.