The average aircraft utilisation for the world’s commercial fleet is expected to drop by four per cent this year over 2008, according to the latest Commercial Aircraft Fleets and Utilisation Forecast from OAG. This compares with a typical annual growth in utilisation of around 3-3.5 per cent. The forecast is based on the global MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) service demand projection for the next decade, developed in partnership with AeroStrategy. The forecast includes the … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Aircraft utilisation won’t recover until 2011
asia cargo news
EUROPE & CIS: Lufthansa Cargo expands Africa services
Lufthansa Cargo has announced it is offering seven new destinations in Africa in cooperation with the Kenyan cargo carrier Astral Aviation. Under the accord with the Kenyan airline, Lufthansa Cargo MD11 freighters will fly cargo to Nairobi from where it will be distributed to five other African states on freighters operated by Astral Aviation. These five destinations include: Bujumbura (BJM) in Burundi; Dar Es Salaam (DAR) in Tanzania; Mwanza (MWZ) in Tanzania; Juba (JUB) in Sudan; and … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Lufthansa Cargo expands Africa services
EUROPE & CIS: Green light for EU-Canada open skies
European Union transport ministers have backed an ‘open skies’ aviation pact with Canada that will deregulate cargo and passenger services across the Atlantic, from 6 May this year. The accord will allow European and Canadian carriers to fly between any airport in the 27 nation EU and any Canadian airport and includes a provision for cargo carriers to fly onward to third countries from both the EU and Canada. The agreement also lowers barriers to foreign investment in Canadian … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Green light for EU-Canada open skies
EUROPE & CIS: 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 … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Alitalia finding its cargo wings again
EUROPE & CIS: Airbus chief calls for government financing
Airbus chief executive, Thomas Enders, has called on governments to provide financing for airlines to buy planes. He said aircraft makers don’t need direct government bailouts, but instead want state support for their customers and the smaller companies that supply parts.Aircraft makers are struggling as airlines around the world defer and cancel aircraft orders as a result of the sharp fall-off in cargo and passenger demand. Airbus earlier this year said it would shrink production of its … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Airbus chief calls for government financing
EUROPE & CIS: Luft Cargo sees March slide but adds routes
Lufthansa Cargo saw its cargo volumes continue to slide with a 19.9 per cent drop in March from a year ago to 123,000 tonnes from 154,000 tonnes in March 2008. For the first three months of the year volumes are down 23.4 per cent to 328,000 tonnes. The cargo division cut capacity by 4.7 per cent and saw an 11.4 point drop in the load factor to 57.6 per cent. But the carrier has also recently launched a weekly freighter service between Frankfurt and Hanoi, along with a weekly MD-11 flight to … [Read more...] about EUROPE & CIS: Luft Cargo sees March slide but adds routes