Following closely on the heels of Lufthansa Cargo’s recent announcement that it will raise its rates by 25 per cent, Air France-KLM Cargo has followed suit with a similar announcement of rate hikes. In a nearly identical move by AF-KLM, the Franco-Dutch carrier announced via an email to its customers that it would increase its rates by as much as 30 per cent from next month. “The results of Air France Cargo-KLM Cargo are under severe pressure given the extraordinary market … [Read more...] about AF-KLM follows Lufthansa in announcing hefty rate hikes
air freight
Lufthansa hikes rates, talks global fleet grounding
Lufthansa Cargo has announced a sharp hike in its freight rates as it continues to talk up the possibility of grounding freighters, this time not because of night restrictions, but the poor economic climate. In a letter to its customers at the end of August, Lufthansa Cargo said it is intending to unilaterally increase rates worldwide by 25 per cent. In the letter executive board member Andreas Otto writes: “In order to meet the current market challenges, we will gradually raise our rates … [Read more...] about Lufthansa hikes rates, talks global fleet grounding
Lufthansa threatens to dump freighter fleet
Lufthansa has threatened to close its fleet of freighter aircraft if restrictions on night flights are imposed on its hub at Frankfurt. Carsten Spohr, the CEO of Lufthansa Cargo was quoted by Reuter's last week as saying that it might no longer pay to have its own cargo fleet. “Everything that goes toward a single-digit number (of flights allowed per night) would mean that it no longer pays off to have our own cargo fleet," he said according to the report. His comments come after a recent … [Read more...] about Lufthansa threatens to dump freighter fleet
US$6 billion 1H losses for airlines
Airlines around the globe lost more than US$6 billion during the first half of the year due to the economic crisis, even as fresh figures showed some signs of recovery in the passenger and freight business, International Air Transport Association (IATA) said this week. A sample of more than 50 airlines found their losses declined to $2 billion in the second quarter from $4 billion in the first quarter, according to IATA. The April-June period is usually a strong one for the industry. … [Read more...] about US$6 billion 1H losses for airlines
Boeing’s new 747-8 Freighter gets its engines
While woes continue to beset its 787 Dreamliner project, Boeing is continuing to mark the numerous milestones in the assembly of its first 747-8 Freighter. Earlier this week Boeing announced that mechanics completed the installation of the new GEnx-2B engines on airplane No. 1 in final assembly at the factory in Everett, Washington. "We are another step closer to bringing the 747-8 Freighter to market," said Mo Yahyavi, vice president and general manager of the 747 programme. "This production … [Read more...] about Boeing’s new 747-8 Freighter gets its engines
Garuda latest to be fingered for price fixing
As part of the on-going global investigation into price fixing within the air cargo industry, Australia’s consumer watchdog has this week started proceedings against Garuda, accusing the Indonesian carrier of participating in a global cargo fuel surcharge cartel. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) earlier initiated proceedings against Singapore Airlines Cargo in December 2008, Cathay Pacific Airways in April of this year and Emirates in August. The three have … [Read more...] about Garuda latest to be fingered for price fixing
