LAN Cargo has presented a formal proposal to Colombian aviation authorities to launch a new cargo airline in the country and once approval is granted the carrier could begin operations within 12 months. "Colombia is currently the largest air cargo market in Latin America in terms of exports to the US, with an estimated volume of 181,400 tonnes annually," LAN said in a statement. "The establishment of a subsidiary in Colombia will allow LAN Cargo to integrate the country into … [Read more...] about AMERICAS: LAN proposes new cargo airline in Colombia

Aloha Airlines' cargo operation, which employs 300 and transports 85 per cent of goods moving by air among the Hawaiian Islands aboard six 737-200Fs, reached agreement to be purchased by Seattlebased Saltchuk Resources for an undisclosed sum. The entity will be renamed Aloha Air Cargo and run by COO Michael Coffman, formerly senior VP-airline operations for Aloha. The airline declared bankruptcy and shut down its passenger services after 61 years at the end of March, but continued to operate its … [Read more...] about AMERICAS: Aloha’s cargo business gets new lease on life

Following the arrival of the third Boeing 747 Freighter into its fleet, AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) has extended its route network with the launch of all-cargo services to Moscow from Budapest, Hungary. This latest route expansion by the Russian airline, part of Volga-Dnepr Group, follows the introduction of direct freighter services from Shanghai and Hong Kong to Moscow. Th ese services are aimed at satisfying growing demand from Russian consumers for electronics products, fashion goods … [Read more...] about EUROPE: ABC begins Budapest- Moscow 747F service

Russian cargo carrier AirBridge- Cargo Airlines (ABC) has announced non-stop freighter flights using its recently- delivered B747-400ER freighters between Moscow and Shanghai/Hong Kong. ABC says it is the first carrier to operate scheduled all-cargo services between the Russian capital and the two Chinese cities. "Fastest delivery times and no handling in-transit make the new service an ideal choice for such high-value and time-sensitive commodities as consumer electronics, commercial … [Read more...] about EUROPE: AirBridge offers Moscow- Shanghai/HK services

Air France-KLM said cargo traffic saw a 3.5 per cent increase for April while passenger traffic rose 2.6 per cent, but load factor slipped 2.3 percentage points to 80 per cent as capacity increased by 5.4 per cent. In April the group's cargo load factor edged up 0.1 point to 67.6 per cent, as traffic rose by 3.5 per cent and capacity was up 3.4 per cent. Th e group carried 125,070 tonnes of cargo, a 2.6 per cent year-on-year increase. "Robust unit revenues linked to a favourable mix … [Read more...] about EUROPE: April load factor steady for Air France-KLM