China Southern and Air France KLM Martinair intensifies cooperation

by Payload Asia

China Southern Airlines Cargo (CZ Cargo) and Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP Cargo) agreed to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further strengthen and shape its strategic cargo cooperation. The MoU previously signed in September 2015, focused on a strategic cooperation between both parties. The cooperation saw a link in route networks, enabling both to offer expanded cargo services to customers.

 

Marcel de Nooijer, Executive Vice President of AFKLMP Cargo said, “We continuously want to create more value to our customers, and in doing so we are very excited to deepen the cooperation with our strategic partner China Southern Cargo. This new phase is good news for our customers”.

 

“The signing of this MoU leads to a new phase of cooperation between us, we anticipate concrete result coming out of this”, said Zhao Fengsheng, Senior Vice President of China Southern Cargo.

 

The aim for the next four years is to jointly investigate and exploit the available opportunities in the air cargo market, and there are strategies in place to achieve that:

 

  • Expand existing cooperation and build on mutual experience to connect cargo business in China, Europe and beyond markets. This will also enable both to continue to use its membership of the SkyTeam Cargo Alliance to maximum advantage.
  •  Connect CZ’s strong position in China and Asia Pacific region with AFKLMP’s strong position in Europe, Africa and the Trans-Atlantic area, possibly by sharing capacity and space agreements.
  •  Combine CZ and AFKLMP Cargo networks (belly and main deck product) to offer high frequency services via hubs at Guangzhou, Shanghai, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol.
  •  Provide easy access to each other’s capacity within this combined network cooperation and explore each other’s ground service facilities at home base hubs, which might support quick interline transfers (one roof concept).
  •  Increase Mail and Express business opportunities between China, Europe and the USA.

 

Ultimately this could lead to an integrated commercial and operational cargo cooperation model (Joint Venture) between Europe and China.