World's Largest Shipper, Maersk, Expands Air Freight With Added Planes

The company announced it's buying two Boeing freight planes and leasing an additional three cargo planes to add to its current fleet of 15 planes.

The world's biggest shipping company, Denmark's A.P. Moeller-Maersk, is adding aircraft to its operations: three leased cargo planes to be operational from 2022 and two Boeing aircraft to be deployed by 2024.

Related StorySupply Chain Snarl Driving Prices Up

The urgent need for more shipping capacity comes amid soaring consumer demand for everything from cars to furniture and labor shortages in the rebounding economy, leading to major backups at ports and higher prices. The supply chain issues have caused a shortage of key equipment: shipping containers.