UAE-based charter operator Maximus Air Cargo is planning to start its own scheduled freighter services. “This will either be under our own commercial responsibility or by going into a partnership with an established flag carrier,” said marketing manager Thomas Bommer. “It’s too early to give specific routes at this stage as we are in the process of analysing different scenarios. We think that Southeast Asia, China and the Indian subcontinent will be among the first to see an upswing, and we aim at providing links, through for example Abu Dhabi into east, central and west Africa,” he said. “Since we operate in niche markets for moving outsized air cargo and operating for other carriers on wet-lease, we have been lucky that our own fleet’s utilisation and rates have so far been comparable to last year’s performance,” Bommer added.