TNT adds Albania, 3 others to Europe network

TIRANA, June 15 – TNT Express extended its European road service into four former Eastern bloc countries, the company announced Monday, taking a big step toward integrating the entire continent in its expedited network.
TNT added Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Commonwealth of Independent States members Belarus and Moldova to the network, and the Amsterdam-based express carrier said it would serve the countries out of hubs in Bucharest, Warsaw and Sofia, Bulgaria.
The expansion, following the recent addition of Ukraine, Malta and Cyprus, gives TNT 39 countries in its European network.
“We are now reinforcing connections with countries neighboring the EU in the east and in the south to provide our customers with the most economical express service for their parcels and freight,” Jan Willem Breen, director of marketing and sales at TNT Express, said in a statement.
Operating out of a main hub in the Dutch town of Duiven, the express road network is separate from the interline operations of TNT’s air network, which is based in Liege, Belgium.
Although the economies of the countries TNT added are relatively small, the company noted each showed growth last year well above regional averages and in the face of the economic downturn that has gripped Europe and the rest of the world.