With the ongoing severe downturn in the air cargo market punishing carriers with impunity, the obvious starting point for a discussion of the new carrier centres on timing. “We hope it’s the right time,†says Cargoitalia S.p.A.’s commercial director Roberto Gilardoni with evidentoptimism. The original plan was somewhat delayed, he says – a result of hiccups with the acquisition and issues relating to the AOC. “Originally we were supposed to … [Read more...] about Italy’s ‘reborn’ Cargoitalia takes to the skies
MD-11
MD-11 crash raises history of problems
The FedEx MD-11 aircraft that slammed into the runway and burst into flames Monday morning while landing at Tokyo's Narita International Airport during windy conditions has raised the issue of the aircraft's overly sensitive flight-control systems and reputation for being difficult to control during rough landings. Airline-related blogs have been full of discussions of the hard-landing that ultimately culminated in the total loss of the aircraft and death of both pilots. Shocking video footage … [Read more...] about MD-11 crash raises history of problems
Narita airport reopens main runway
Tokyo's Narita international airport reopened its main runway Tuesday, freeing up desperately needed capacity at Japan's busiest international airport a day after a FedEx cargo plane crashed in a ball of fire, killing two US pilots. Workers overnight cleared the charred wreckage of the MD-11 from the crash site near the 4,000-metre Runway A, which usually handles more than 350 flights a day. The runway, the longer of two at Narita International Airport was reopened shortly after 9 am (0010 GMT) … [Read more...] about Narita airport reopens main runway
FedEx MD-11 crashes while landing at Narita
A FedEx cargo aircraft en route from China has crashed this morning while attempting to land at Tokyo’s Narita airport in strong winds, bursting into flames and killing two pilots on board. The FedEx MD-11 was coming from Guangzhou, China, and crashed at 6:49 AM local time, according to the Japanese transport ministry. Television footage showed the three-engine wide-body aircraft tip sideways shortly after touch-down in strong winds and then, as one of its wings clipped the ground at … [Read more...] about FedEx MD-11 crashes while landing at Narita
China Eastern sold/leased-back six freighters
China Eastern Airlines (CEA) has recently announced that it reached agreement in August of 2007 for the sale and lease back of six Boeing MD-11 freighters to the aircraft leasing unit of General Electric (GE), Dow Jones reported. The Shanghai-based carrier said it sold the six wide-body aircraft to GE Commercial Aviation Services Ltd. for US$36 to $46 million each. As part of the transaction, China Eastern agreed to lease the planes back from the purchaser for up to 38 months from the date of … [Read more...] about China Eastern sold/leased-back six freighters
Lufthansa Cargo sees profits rise 20%
Lufthansa, Europe's second largest airline, reported a rise in cargo earnings of more than 20 per cent in 2008 from a year earlier, but warned of declining revenue and profit in 2009 as freight volumes continue to collapse amid the ongoing global recession. Lufthansa Cargo's operating profit rose 20.6 per cent to €164 million year-on-year as revenue gained 6.3 per cent to € 2.9 billion. The cargo division's results come in the face of a severe industry downturn which saw a six per … [Read more...] about Lufthansa Cargo sees profits rise 20%