Category Archives: Aviation

Qatar Airways Cargo has introduced new routes and increased flight frequencies to multiple destinations in the Middle East, Europe and the Americas to meet growing demand this winter season. The carrier recently launched a new freighter service to Riyadh, operating Boeing B777 freighters twice a week, with 100 tonnes cargo capacity each way, per flight. Cargo capacity is also set to increase to and from other Middle Eastern cities, as the airline increases its flights from two to four for Kuwait, and from one to three for Muscat by adding two A310Fs per week to each of these cities. The airline recently launched two new freighter stations in Athens, Greece and Vienna, Austria. Qatar Airways Cargo will once a week operate a B777 freighter to Athens with 100 tonnes of cargo capacity each way, per flight. Once a week it will also operate an A310F to Vienna, with over 35 tonnes of cargo capacity each way, per flight. Effective November 15, Qatar Airways Cargo has also introduced Doha-Dusseldorf bellyhold cargo services, expanding its network in the European region. The launch of daily flights between the two cities increases cargo capacity from Germany to over 1,500 tonnes each way, each week. The carrier will also be increasing its flights to Amsterdam by adding three weekly freighter flights effective November 5 and three weekly passenger flights effective December 23.

Boeing, one of the world’s biggest aviation companies, has projected that air cargo traffic will double in the next two decades as the industry shifts its focus to evolving demand following the coronavirus pandemic. The expansion will be supported by a 57 per cent growth in the global freighter fleet, which would put it at 3,600 aircraft, and will require about 2,800 new and converted freighters for growth and replacement until 2041, the Virginia-based company said in its World Air Cargo Forecast. A third of deliveries will be new jets, while the remainder will come from conversions, giving carriers the ability to increase their flexibility in existing and emerging markets, it said. “While the air cargo market is returning to a more normal pace after historic demand in the last two years, structural factors including express network growth, evolving supply chain strategies and new cargo-market entrants are driving sustained freighter demand,” said Darren Hulst, Boeing’s vice president of commercial marketing. “In the global transportation network, air freighters will continue to be a critical enabler to move high-value goods, in increased volume across expanding markets.” Air cargo was a rare bright spot for airlines during the travel-starved years of the pandemic, prompting many to convert older passenger jets to freighters and to invest in new cargo planes. Strong e-commerce demand and the slower return of passenger flights with cargo belly capacity drove airlines to snap up freighters during the pandemic, said reports.

The gigantic whale-shaped plane, the Airbus Beluga, made a return to the City of Joy Kolkata airport on Sunday morning. The Airbus Beluga (No. 3), one of the biggest planes in the world, landed at the airport for crew rest and re-fuelling. The enormous cabin of the aircraft is about four times as big as a typical wide-body aircraft. The Airbus A300 B4-608 ST super transporter, often known as Beluga, is a wide-body airliner that has been adapted to carry enormous cargo and aircraft parts. “Guess who’s back! It’s the whale again! One of the world’s largest aircraft @Airbus #Beluga (No. 3) landed at #KolkataAirport for crew rest and refueling. Here are few glimpses of the majestic beast from the #CityofJoy,” Kolkata airport officials posted on Linkedin.

Aeronautical Engineers Inc (AEI) has gained approval for its B737-800SF freighter conversion STC from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). The approval for the 12-pallet capacity conversion means that the company has now gained STC approval in: Malaysia, the US, China, the European Union, the UK, Canada, Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Brazil. The AEI converted B737-800SF freighter offers a main deck payload of more than 23 tonnes and incorporates eleven full-height 88” x 125” container positions, plus an additional position for an AEP/AEH. “AEI is currently the only conversion company to have ETOPS 180 approval on the 737-800 freighter conversion,” the company said. “Additionally, AEI can convert all 737-800 line number aircraft including those with Flat Aft Pressure Bulkheads, and Split Scimitar winglets.”

To meet the country’s increasing seafood demand, Lufthansa Cargo has added a new A321 freighter service between Evenes Airport in Norway and Frankfurt. The Germany-based carrier said the weekly service would help cut delivery times of seafood in northern Norway in some cases from six days to less than 24 hours with the perishable product being flown to destinations that connect with the airline’s Frankfurt hub. Fast transit is important for seafood as it requires compliance with the highest quality standards, said an official release. The flights started in early November and have been launched in partnership with Norwegian salmon producer and exporter Nordlaks and freight forwarder Salmosped. Evenes Airport is located near the city of Harstad/Narvik and is part of the province of Troms og Finnmark in Norway. “Located north of the Arctic Circle, this region is considered the gateway to the Lofoten Islands, making it a very important market for fish and seafood,” the carrier said in a statement. “The area around Evenes Airport is home to a number of salmon producers. Both the catch of wild salmon and the income from salmon farming are growing steadily. In 2021 alone, more than 1m tons of salmon were exported from Norway.”

Global aviation services group Air Partner has expanded its office in Dubai as part of plans to double its workforce in the Middle East and grow its market share in the region. The office, located in Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai, offers Air Partner’s full suite of charter solutions, comprising group charter, private jets and cargo. Customers also have access to Air Partner’s 24-hour flight operations centre, which aims to ensure they have instant, year-round access to the group’s services and expertise. Air Partner said as the most recent data on global air cargo markets by IATA demonstrated the industry’s resilience amid economic uncertainties, Air Partner looks forward to growing its client base across its full suite of solutions as it continues to invest for growth in the Middle East. Mark Briffa, president of international charter and services at Air Partner, said: “We are delighted to have expanded our office in Dubai in line with our strategy to continue to grow our presence in the region. “We look forward to doubling our workforce in the Middle East over the next year, as we continue to support more customers with our extensive portfolio of services.”

IndiGo Cargo commenced operations of its first A321 Freighter aircraft between Delhi and Mumbai on November 15. A converted passenger jet will be used for general freight on the inaugural Delhi-Mumbai flight, while a return flight will carry both general freight and e-commerce cargo. According to a statement released by the airline, these inaugural flights will carry a payload of more than 20 tonnes on each leg. Following the arrival of its first 321F last month, IndiGo had all registrations completed. “Progressively this aircraft, and the next aircraft which is expected to arrive later this year, will be deployed on international routes too,” the statement added. Mahesh Malik, Chief Commercial Officer – CarGo, IndiGo said, “Delhi and Mumbai are the two biggest commercial hubs in the country, and the response we have received from customers for our service offering is very encouraging.”

Air Canada announced today that Bolloré Logistics has become the first Air Canada Cargo customer to join the Leave Less Travel Program, which offers corporate and cargo customers effective options to offset or reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to business travel or freight transportation, and reduce their carbon footprint. Bolloré Logistics has agreed to compensate a significant portion of its GHG emissions associated with its projected shipments w Air Canada announced that Bolloré Logistics has become the first Air Canada Cargo customer to join the Leave Less Travel Program, which offers corporate and cargo customers effective options to offset or reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to business travel or freight transportation, and reduce their carbon footprint. “We are very pleased to welcome Bolloré Logistics as our first cargo customer to participate in Air Canada’s Leave Less Travel Program. Addressing climate change in aviation requires a multifaceted approach, together with the united efforts of many stakeholders. The commitment of companies like Bolloré Logistics is a testament that environmentally-innovative business programs are mutually possible, further helping the aviation sector to build a long-term, sustainable industry,” said Jason Berry, Vice President, Cargo at Air Canada. “At a time when climate awareness is at the heart of the strategy of many companies, Bolloré Logistics is proud to join a program that is financing the future of low-carbon air industry. Through this initiative with our partner Air Canada, we contribute our scope 3 CO2 reduction targets and offer more sustainable transport solutions to our clients,” said Patrick Lafrance, Managing Director Canada at Bolloré Logistics.

Lufthansa Cargo has launched a pilot program in three European countries ahead of its plan to offer its capacity worldwide through the online platform CargoAi. As part of the pilot, users in the Netherlands, Italy and Spain will have access to routings and capacity information on all Lufthansa Group airlines serving those countries. The carrier said general and express cargo can now be booked on Lufthansa, Austrian, Brussels, Eurowings, or SunExpress. “This initial roll-out is a pilot that will run for the next two to three months, during which CargoAi and Lufthansa Cargo fine-tune their preparations for a global go-live, should the technical pilot run smoothly,” the announcement said. CargoAi noted that Lufthansa Cargo will benefit from an easy-to-use, customized e-booking system, allowing the carrier to optimize the efficiency of its forwarding process. It will also benefit from the promotion of its services to the more than 5,000 freight forwarders across 103 countries who regularly use CargoAi’s marketplace. “We are honoured that Lufthansa Cargo, one of Europe’s largest air cargo carriers, has chosen to market its capacities on our platform,” said Matthieu Petot, CEO of CargoAi.

Canadian cargo airline Cargojet has renewed and extended its Air Cargo Services Agreement with United Parcel Service (UPS) Canada for an additional five-year term. The current agreement was due to expire on July 1 2025 and the new agreement is extended to December 31 2030, said official release. Cargojet continues to provide a Canada-wide air cargo service for UPS, while Cargojet’s domestic overnight network provides additional capacity and long-term stability to UPS, said Cargojet. Ajay Virmani, chief executive of Cargojet, said, “Cargojet is extremely pleased to have successfully renewed the domestic Air Cargo Services Agreement with UPS Canada. Cargojet has been the exclusive provider of time-sensitive domestic overnight air cargo services to UPS Canada since 2003. We will continue to provide the most cost-effective, best on-time performance as well as a scalable solution to UPS.” The renewal of the agreement is a testament to the committed, hardworking, and dedicated team of professionals at Cargojet, said release.