Air France-KLM, Europe's biggest airline, is set to transfer its freighter operations to Martinair, its low cost Dutch subsidiary as part of a radical restructuring of its suffering cargo business. The group also plans to intensify the selling of cargo space in the bellies of its passenger aircraft. At the same time, Air France-KLM will hike its freight rates by between 20 per cent and 30 per cent in October. Air France-KLM, including Martinair, operated 29 freighters at the end of June … [Read more...] about Air France-KLM shifts KLM freighters to Martinair
Air France-KLM
Air France-KLM posts €431 million Q1 loss
Air France-KLM Group, Europe’s biggest airline, posted a first-quarter loss as the recession continued to take its toll on passenger traffic and cargo handling. The net loss was €431 million compared with net income of €132 million a year earlier. Air- freight sales dropped 42 per cent to €544 million while sales at the passenger business fell 19 per cent from a year earlier to €4.01 billion. “Global economic activity has stabilised at unprecedented low … [Read more...] about Air France-KLM posts €431 million Q1 loss
EUROPE & CIS: Major Euro carriers report cargo leveling
Nearly a six-month long plunge in cargo traffic has leveled out in May for major European carriers, giving hope to earlier sentiments that the global economic contagion will not get any worse. Lufthansa Cargo, Europe’s second largest scheduled cargo airline, carried 125,000 tonnes of freight in May, a 9.1 per cent decline from the same period a year ago that left traffic in the first five months of 2009 down 21.4 per cent at 566,000 tonnes. The May decline is a marked … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Major Euro carriers report cargo leveling
EUROPE & CIS: Major Euro carriers report cargo leveling
Nearly a six-month long plunge in cargo traffic has leveled out in May for major European carriers, giving hope to earlier sentiments that the global economic contagion will not get any worse. Lufthansa Cargo, Europe’s second largest scheduled cargo airline, carried 125,000 tonnes of freight in May, a 9.1 per cent decline from the same period a year ago that left traffic in the first five months of 2009 down 21.4 per cent at 566,000 tonnes. The May decline is a marked … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Major Euro carriers report cargo leveling
Alitalia finding its cargo wings again
Resurrected Italian carrier Alitalia is re-establishing itself in the cargo market due in a large part to its 25 per cent owner, the Air France-KLM group. Alitalia's chief executive Rocco Sabelli said Air France-KLM is considering a multi-hub strategy based on Paris Charles de Gaulle in France, Amsterdam Schiphol in Netherlands and Malpensa in Italy. Alitalia already has belly freight capacity on long-haul passenger flights from Malpensa to New York, USA, Tokyo, Japan and São Paulo, Brazil … [Read more...] about Alitalia finding its cargo wings again
Air France-KLM plunges into red
Air France-KLM has plunged into a third-quarter operating loss of €194 million euros, reflecting what the airline described as a deepening economic crisis. The losses were expected after Europe's largest airline group warned of a quarterly loss of 200 million euros last month, as the global economic crisis pulls the airline sector deep into the red. Overcapacity and evaporating fuel surcharges put pressure on cargo pricing in the third quarter, driving down unit revenue as freight traffic fell … [Read more...] about Air France-KLM plunges into red