Air France-KLM reported a 15.9 per cent slump in traffic in April due to airport closures imposed by the volcanic ash from Iceland that engulfed much of Europe. Operations were almost completely suspended 16-19 April following the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokul volcano. The airline group said the affect on cargo traffic was minimal, with a drop of just 2 per cent in April, since most goods were stocked until flights resumed. Despite putting on additional flights in a bid to … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Air France reports volcano-linked slump

The Chapman Freeborn Group has combined its 24-hour ACMI division and its former operations subsidiary, Paragon Global Flight Support, to form one new company which will assist with passenger and cargo flight operations worldwide. The new company, named Wings 24 Ltd, will act as a comprehensive resource for airlines seeking fast, reliable ACMI sub-charter and outsourced flight support, including permits and aircraft fuelling services, the group said in a statement. One of Wings 24’s … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Chapman Freeborn launches Wings 24

Members and associates of the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) reported over 3,800 cargo crimes in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) in 2009, costing manufacturers and logistics service providers losses of €120 million. In response to this, TAPA organised a special 24-hour conference to address the subject of ‘Freight Security in Practice’ in which over 200 security and transport specialists met to discuss increasing their joint efforts to combat … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: TAPA organises conference to address cargo crime

Lufthansa Cargo saw its freight traffic grow by 13.8 per cent in April from a its Frankfurt hub. The near halving of the growth rate from the 26.4 percent year-on-year increase in March partly reflected the closure of north European airspace when a cloud of ash from an erupting Icelandic volcano drifted across the continent. The German carrier handled 129,000 tonnes of cargo compared with 113,000 tonnes in April 2009, taking volume for the first four months to 520,000 tonnes compared to … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Lufthansa Cargo boosts volume 13.8%

Martinair Cargo returned to San Jose, Costa Rica effective 7 May after temporarily suspending service since November 2008. On-going analysis and refinement of the network revealed an opportunity to once again be established in Central America’s most vibrant market Costa Rica, said the carrier. The flight will be operated by Martinair’s MD-11 freighter aircraft routed from AMS via MIA to SJO then to Latin America and back to Europe. Initially Martinair plans to operate … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Martinair returns to Costa Rica

The Air France-KLM group reported this week its biggest loss since the merger of the two carriers in 2004 with a loss of of €1.56 billion for the full-year ended 31 March, up from a loss of €814 million a year earlier. Revenue fell 15 per cent year-on-year to €21 billion. The group’s finances were starting to improve at the end of 2009 on signs of an upswing in traffic, but earnings have been pulled down since April due to the impact of ash clouds from an … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: AF-KLM sinks deeper into red