Air France and Dutch partners KLM and Martinair have said they have reached a settlement with plaintiffs on a US civil class action suit brought against them for conspiring to fix air cargo rates. But the settlement does not affect the outcome of a European Union (EU) anti-trust probe, which is still pending. “Pending its approval by the US court, the accord, in exchange for payment of US$87 million (€69 million), ends all civil action against the three companies... concerning … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Air France-KLM settles US class action suit

Brussels Airlines Cargo is launching operations to four more destinations in West Africa in conjunction with its global GSA partner, European Cargo Services (ECS). From July, the airline will commence four flights a week to and from Accra, Ghana via Monrovia, Liberia. In addition, Brussels Airlines will serve Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso with two weekly flights in combination with Abidjan, Ivory Coast. New twice weekly operations will also add Cotonou, Benin and Lome, Togo to the … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Brussels Airlines Cargo continues Africa expansion

A shortage of air cargo capacity has hindered the export of the Kutchi Kesar variety of mangoes in the Bhuj border district in the Indian state of Gujarat. “There is no air cargo service from Ahmedabad to West Asia and the western world. Even if we send 1,000 boxes by road from here to Ahmedabad, the passenger planes lift only 300 to 400 packets for want of space,” said mango exporter Batusingh Jadeja, who was quoted by Daily News & Analysis (DNA). According to Jadeja a … [Read more...] about INDIA & MIDDLE EAST: Air cargo shortage hinders mango exports

An Antonov 124-100 freighter with a payload of up to 120 tonnes belonging to Maximus Air Cargo, the UAE’s largest all air cargo operator, became the largest civilian aircraft to touch the tarmac at the recently launched Dubai World Central — Al Maktoum International Airport recently. This was another significant milestone for cargo operations at Dubai’s new airport, which was launched by Dubai Airports on 27 June. The first phase of the airport has a capacity for … [Read more...] about INDIA & MIDDLE EAST: Heavyweight debut for Maximus at Dubai World

In early July Emirates kicked off its daily non-stop passenger service to Prague, Czech Republic using an A330- 200 aircraft with 16 tonnes of available belly capacity. Trade between the Czech Republic and the UAE has leapt from under US$26 million in 1993 to US$678 million in 2008, according to the Czech Foreign Ministry. Nearly 30 per cent of exports to the UAE are glass products including Czech-made Bohemian glass, which can be seen in chandeliers and other decorative features in … [Read more...] about INDIA & MIDDLE EAST: Emirates daily to Prague with belly capacity

Chapman Freeborn Airchartering has announced that it has coordinated the first ever charter on Qatar Airways Cargo’s latest addition to their fleet — a new Boeing 777 Freighter, recently delivered to the Doha-based airline. The global aircraft charter specialist coordinated the movement of 87 tonnes of telecommunications equipment from Stockholm-Arlanda (ARN) to Dhaka (DAC) for the inaugural charter flight on behalf of its client Heavyweight Sweden AB. “We are … [Read more...] about INDIA & MIDDLE EAST: First charter on Qatar B777F for C-F