CharterSync lands 250th outbound China flight with COVID-19 supplies
Digital air cargo charter business CharterSync has landed its 250th outbound China flight carrying vital Covid-19 medical supplies including test kits and syringes. The company is seeing continued demand for supplies. Co-founder and director of CharterSync, Ed Gillett, says, “Covid-19 infection rates continue to grow in the UK.” Finding belly-space for vital supplies has required […]
Yesterday’s outcast is today’s golden child
While the air cargo pundits debate the intensity of the air cargo market in the months to come, one thing remains clear – maindeck capacity is very much in demand, writes Donald Urquhart. And while air cargo demand has moderated somewhat from last year and new obstacles – most notably rising fuel prices and the […]
Christchurch Airport welcoming freighters at start of key export season
Freighters have been arriving into Christchurch Airport – signalling the start of the key export season and also highlighting the valuable contribution local producers and exporters make to the local economy. Tasman Cargo Airlines National manager, Gerry Bray says the company’s Boeing 757 Freighter came into Christchurch last Sunday, bringing a variety of goods to the South […]
ATSG signs new 767F lease agreement with Air Incheon
Air Transport Services Group (ATSG) has signed a new lease agreement with Air Incheon for one Boeing 767-300 converted freighter and an option for a second. The company says both are set for delivery in 2018, while it has also expanded its dry-leased 767-300 freighter fleet with three deliveries in November. ATSG West Leasing Limited […]
Egypt a vital market for Lufthansa Cargo
Egypt and Cairo are important trade lanes in the Lufthansa Cargo network in terms of both freighter and belly traffic. The carrier operates a five times a week MD-11F service from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to Cairo International Airport. This is complemented by belly services, including a daily Airbus A321 FRA to Cairo route, a three […]
WFS picks up five new handling contracts in France
Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has scooped five new cargo handling contracts by passenger and freighter airlines in France. Four of the contracts cover Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport as well as handling at WFS’ other 11 cargo stations across France. Belly carrier Vietnam Airlines has renewed its handling agreement with WFS, while CAL Cargo Airlines […]
Lufthansa Cargo and Fraport Ground Services extend contract
Lufthansa Cargo and Fraport Ground Services have signed a contract to extend their ground handling partnership at Frankfurt Airport. The agreement has been signed for a term of eight years and runs from January 2018 to December 2025. Freeport member of the executive board and executive director of labour relations, Michael Müller says: “We are very […]
Flexport to charter own weekly freighter from HK to LAX
The growth in e-commerce and lack of capacity out of Hong Kong (HK) has led to Flexport to charter its own freighter flights from HK to Los Angeles. The growing freight forwarder say to ease the air cargo capacity shortages, the first of the these flights is a Boeing 747-400 departing on Sunday, 19 November. […]
Ethiopian Airlines orders four Boeing 777Fs
Ethiopian Airlines has ordered four Boeing 777 Freighters in a deal valued at more than $1.3 billion at list prices. The deal includes a new order for two freighters. It also includes two freighters the carrier announced as a commitment in June that finalised into a firm order and posted on Boeing’s Orders & Deliveries […]
Freight fall of 3.4% in October at Brussels Airport
Brussels Airport’s freight traffic fell by 3.4 per cent in October compared to the same month last year, which it puts down to the departure of several carriers due to noise fines imposed by the Brussels Capital Region. In October, the airport handled a total of 45,018 tonnes, a fall on the 46,603 tonnes on […]
EVA Air takes delivery of first Boeing 777F
EVA Air took delivery of its first Boeing 777 Freighter at the Boeing Everett Delivery Center in Seattle on Wednesday, 8 November. The carrier flew its newest freighter from Paine Field to Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport, departing shortly after delivery and arriving on Thursday, 9 November in Taipei. The airport welcomed Taiwan’s first 777F with […]
AZAL commits to two Boeing 747-8F and orders seven Dreamliners
Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) has ordered five more Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners and has committed to purchase two 747-8Fs. The agreement, was announced at the 2017 Dubai Air Show, is valued at about $1.9 billion at current list prices. The freighter commitment will be finalised at a later time. AZAL president, Jahangir Askerov says: “Ordering additional 787 Dreamliner airplanes will greatly expand our […]
60 Seconds with Mike Stewart
Glasgow Prestwick Airport is the only gateway in Scotland where the largest air cargo freighters can fly into and is looking to grow its traffic. The airport is also working towards becoming a Spaceport, which could give its freight activities a boost. Air Cargo Week spoke to Prestwick’s business development director, Mike Stewart who has […]
RAM Cargo to start B737F Frankfurt – Casablanca service
General sales agent (GSA) ATC Aviation says its long-standing partner Royal Air Maroc (RAM) Cargo will start operating its Boeing 737 Freighter twice weekly from Frankfurt to Casablanca as of today (2 November). The freighter is set to benefit customers from RAM’s extensive network within North and West Africa, as well as South America. In the […]
Alha signs multi-year contract with Cathay at Malpensa
Alha Group has penned a multi-year contract with Cathay Pacific Airways at Milan Malpensa Airport for the provision of ramp handling services for the carrier’s freighters. Alha started handling services on 10 October and it will extend the extensive and strong partnership between Alha and Cathay Pacific in Italy. President Simone Ceruti says Cathay has […]
Qatar Boeing 777F touches down in Pittsburgh for 1st time
Qatar Airways Cargo’s new Boeing 777 Freighter service touched down at Pittsburgh International Airport last Thursday – its 13th freighter destination in the Americas. The twice-weekly freighter flight takes off from Doha on Wednesdays and Saturdays, with stops at Luxembourg and Atlanta, Georgia before arriving in Pittsburgh. On the return from Pittsburgh on Thursdays and […]
Network growth set to continue at Turkish Cargo
Turkish Cargo has added new freighter routes this year, but is not finished yet and is eyeing more connections. In the last six months, it has started services to Sao Paulo, Paris, Johannesburg, Kano in Nigeria, Oslo and Antananarivo in Madagascar. Turkish Cargo sales vice president (Turkey), Omer Kilic (pictured) says all the new routes […]
Qatar Airways Cargo expands freighter fleet to 22
Qatar Airways Cargo has expanded its freighter fleet to 22 after welcoming its 13th Boeing 777 Freighter and its first Boeing 747-8F. The world’s third largest cargo carrier received them at its Doha’s Hamad International Airport home base. The fleet now includes eight Airbus A330F, 13 Boeing 777F and one Boeing 747-8F. Chief officer of cargo, Ulrich […]
Qatar Airways firms up order for 2 Boeing 747-8Fs as part of $2.16bn spend
Qatar Airways has firmed up the order of two Boeing 747-8 Freighters and four 777-300ERs, which are valued at $2.16 billion at list prices. The carrier says this is a sign of its continued expansion and contribution to the US economy, and adds to its fleet of nearly 100 Boeing widebody aircraft and its more […]
Intrepid acquires a 747-8F and leases to ABC
Intrepid Aviation acquired a new Boeing 747-8 Freighter from the Boeing Company on 15 September, which has been placed on long-term lease with AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC). This is the second of two new 747-8F aircraft that the privately owned commercial aircraft lessor acquired from Boeing and leased to ABC this year. Intrepid says the delivery is in […]
Rising demand in key markets drive Cathay’s tonnage
Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon carried 179,691 tonnes of cargo and mail between them in July, an increase of 13.7 per cent on the same month last year. The cargo and mail load factor rose by four percentage points to 68.7 per cent. Capacity, measured in available cargo/mail tonne kilometres, was up by 4.5 per […]
Strong Q2 performance for Cargojet
Cargojet’s revenues increased $8.9 million to $88.2 million in the second quarter (Q2) of this year, a rise of 11.2 per cent on Q2 last year. And for the quarter ending 30 June, the gross margin was $23.3 million, a rise of $2.4 million, or 11.5 per cent versus the previous year. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation […]
Qatar Airways to deepen its South American presence further
Qatar Airways will expand its presence further into South America by launching belly flights to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and Santiago in Chile early next year. The carrier will operate an Airbus A350-900 four flights a week between from Doha’s Hamad International Airport to Rio de Janeiro, which will then go to Santiago. Qatar Airways Group chief executive, […]
Wellcamp targets more freighters after Cathay Pacific success
Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport is looking to add more freighters over the next year to the weekly Cathay Pacific Cargo service started in 2016. The freighter has been well received with payload of a mix of oversize cargo like machinery, turbines and artwork, and beef and dairy products. Wellcamp general manager, Sara Hales says Cathay […]
New agreements set to boost Cargolux into the future
The first six months of 2017 have been quite something at Cargolux Airlines International as it penned two significant agreements and looks to expand its business. In May, the carrier signed a strategic operational partnership with Emirates SkyCargo and last month took a 25 per cent stake in new freighter carrier Henan Cargo Airlines to […]
BRU hopes it is in the final sprint to resolve noise issue
Noise restrictions for freighter services have had an impact on cargo at Brussels Airport this year, but the Belgian gateway is hopeful it is working towards a solution with the Belgian Federal Government. In February, Chinese carrier Yangtze River Express left, while in May Air Cargo Global announced that it was abandoning services from the […]
GECAS outlines plan to convert a further 30 B737s into freighters
GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) says it is planning to convert a further 30 Boeing 737-800s into freighters. The aircraft lessor launched the 737-800 Freighter program with Aeronautical Engineers (AEI) in 2015 and Boeing in 2016. Since then it has provided each program with a prototype aircraft for modification at separate conversion facilities in Miami […]
More freighter services being targeted by Billund
2016 was a record year at Danish gateway Billund Airport as it handled 66,500 tonnes, with both imports and exports on the rise and more is set to come. Vice president of cargo, Jan Ditlevsen (pictured below) says the momentum from 2016 has continued this year. “It was exciting to see if we could continue growth […]
Airbus: nearly 35,000 aircraft required in the next 20 years
The latest Airbus’ Global Market Forecast 2017-2036 has found 34,170 passenger and 730 freighter aircraft worth a combined total of $5.3 trillion will be needed in the next 20 years. Over 70 per cent of new units are single aisle with 60 per cent for growth and 40 per cent for replacement of less fuel efficient […]
Kalitta Air takes delivery of 747-400F from GECAS
Kalitta Air yesterday took delivery of the first of two leased Boeing 747-400F factory freighters from aircraft lessor GECAS. GECAS has previously provided debt financing to Kalitta on several 747-400’s (both factory and converted freighters), but this delivery is the first aircraft on lease to Kalitta from GECAS, adding capacity to Kalitta Air’s existing fleet […]