American Airlines Cargo is introducing new Boeing 787-8 seasonal service from Rio de Janeiro to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and an expanded daily service to New York JFK in its new winter widebody schedule.
It is also increasing flights from São Paulo and Buenos Aires to its hub at Miami to up to three times daily.
Overall, the carrier is adding nearly 200 roundtrip widebody departures out of Latin America compared to the previous winter season.
American is also launching inaugural service from Brisbane Airport to Dallas, the longest non-stop flight in the carrier’s network. There is also a service from Tokyo-Haneda to New York JFK, launched in summer. Both routes will operate with Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
The carrier will also roll out increased frequencies compared to the previous winter season with daily service from Shanghai Pudong to Dallas for the full period and an earlier start for Auckland International Airport to Los Angeles, at the beginning of December. Transpacific routes see an increase of more than 150 roundtrip widebody flights compared to the previous winter season.
On Transatlantic network American will operate daily from Philadelphia to Barcelona for the entire season and will continue to operate more widebody departures from London Heathrow than any other US airline.
Vice president of commercial for American Airlines Cargo, Roger Samways, said: “We are excited about connecting Dallas and Rio with new, non-stop service and expanding our reach across the Pacific to Brisbane. This winter schedule enables us to further connect freight across five continents as we focus on maximizing our network to meet the global needs of the industry.”
Swiss WorldCargo has resumed its partnership with GSA, Globe Air Cargo Bulgaria. The partnership dates back to 2008, and has now been re-awakened with an additional team member at ECS-owned Globe Air, who will work closely with the carrier. The GSSA will carry out sales, booking, messaging, operational supervision, post-flight activities and claims.
Swiss WorldCargo operates an A220 between Zurich and Sofia, offering Bulgarian forwarders connections across Europe, North and South America, and the Far East. It specialises in high-value, care-intensive and temperature-sensitive cargo such as valuables, perishables, and pharmaceuticals, alongside its X-Presso transportation solution.
Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd (Hactl) has secured the handling contract for MSC-Air’s B777 freighters, flying three times weekly from its Milan base.
The B777 freighters, owned by container shipping line MSC, first appeared in Hong Kong in December 2022,. Then in August 2023, MSC acquired a majority stake in Italian carrier AlisCargo Airlines, which had previously operated up to 20 B777 “preighters” per month into Hong Kong during COVID. These flights were also handled by Hactl, which provided cargo terminal handling and documentation services.
Earlier in 2024, MSC acquired the remaining shares in AlisCargo Airlines, and re-commenced operations into Hong Kong in July, using its own B777Fs on AlisCargo Airlines’ Air Operators Certificate (AOC). The new flights were once again handled by Hactl, which now added ramp handling to create a one-stop-shop service for the freighter operator.
MSC Air Cargo’s fleet of five B777Fs also serves Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Mexico City, Quito, Xiamen, Seoul and Karaganda.
Cold chain specialist CSafe has launched a CGT Ultra D – a multi-use, dry ice dewar (vacuum flask) for advanced therapy medicinal products that maintains temperatures below -70C for over 37 days.
The product is being unveiled at Meeting on the Mesa cell and gene industry conference in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 7-9. Attendees are also invited to an exclusive preview of an upcoming product, the single-use, liquid nitrogen CGT Cryo S.
CSafe says the launch of the CGT Ultra D and CGT Cryo S are a milestone in completing CSafe’s comprehensive suite of dewars. They are equipped with TracSafe RLT data loggers, which provide real-time GPS location and conditional data via CSafe Connect, CSafe’s cloud-based portal.
Earlier this year, CSafe launched the CGT Cryo M, a liquid nitrogen, multi-use dewar, available in 4 and 10 liter versions, that maintains temperatures below -150C for over 10 days.
Vienna International Airport has gained IATA CEIV certification for lithium batteries. Certification is a globally recognized program that ensures that companies meet the highest standards of safety and quality through training, process controls and regular audits.
Joint chief executive and chief operating officer of Flughafen Wien, Julian Jäger, commented: “The IATA certification once again confirms our position as a reliable and secure cargo hub in Europe… This is an important step for Vienna Airport and a strong signal to the market. At a time when the demand for lithium batteries is growing rapidly, it is crucial that we as a cargo hub ensure that these products are handled safely and efficiently.”
Swissport has opened a dedicated area for unaccompanied pets at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport in South Africa. Away from the bustle of the general air cargo warehouse it offers a calm environment, with water service, air –conditioning, and calming music.
It also features a dedicated acceptance area for the checking of the animals and their travel documentation, complemented by two separate rooms for pets waiting for their flight, their owner, or a specialized animal handling agent.
The Swissport Pet Lounge is managed by a dedicated team trained to handle animals and complies with IATA’s Live Animals Regulations.
Qatar Airways will launch a new service to Toronto Pearson International Airport from December 11. There will be three weekly non-stop flights from Hamad International Airport in Doha, operated by Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. It is Qatar 14th gateway to the Americas and its second in Canada, alongside Montréal.
Martinair founder and former chief executive, Martin Schröder died on 2 October, at the age of 93.
He founded Martin’s Air Charter, a modest airline in 1958 which quickly grew into Martinair and became a key player in the cargo and passenger market. He also paved the way for the carrier’s close cooperation with KLM and, eventually Air France, to form Air France KLM Martinair Cargo.
Air France KLM Cargo executive vice-president and managing director Martinair, Adriaan den Heijer said: “Martin Schröder will be remembered as a man who pursued his dreams with passion and perseverance. His name will remain closely linked to aviation in the Netherlands and beyond. His vision, courage and innovative spirit will continue to inspire us all. Our thoughts are with his wife Tineke, their children and grandchildren, and the rest of his family.”
September’s global air cargo market lived up to analysts’ expectations, becoming the first month of 2024 not to report double-digit growth due to a strong year-on-year comparison. Demand did rise by 9% on last year, according to the latest industry data from Xeneta.
Airlines and freight forwarders now face a ‘fine balancing act’ between protecting customer relationships and being tempted by short-term gains offered by increasing market volatility, including port strikes on the US East Coast and Gulf Coast.
“September is already old news. October is a whole new ballgame,” said Xeneta chief airfreight officer, Niall van de Wouw. “We could see rates rising very quickly on some trade lanes because of the fear-of-missing-out effect as air cargo capacity leaves the market for the winter, US port workers go on strike, and conflict is escalating in the Middle East, potentially bringing further Red Sea disruption for ocean freight.”
He added: “I have huge respect for the people who, on a day-to-day basis, are trying to make sense of these challenges and keep the world moving in an efficient manner. How much more can the market take, particularly when there’s so little visibility going forward?
“Reports suggest supply chains could take 4-6 weeks to recover from just a one-week US ports strike, which takes us into November, the busiest month of the year for air cargo volumes. It’s a difficult situation. Covid was worse, but this is an accumulation of many events and things can change very quickly. FOMO is a powerful force,” he said.
As expected, September’s global air cargo demand growth showed signs of easing a little, up 9% year-on-year, reflecting the strong peak in demand which commenced in September 2023. The latest monthly volumes, however, were sustained by persistent e-commerce demand, ocean-to-air shift due to container shipping disruptions, typhoon disruptions, and a cargo rush ahead of China’s Golden Week holidays on 1-7 October.
Global air cargo supply grew by only 3% year-on-year in September – its slowest rate this year as airlines began their flight schedule adjustments in preparation for winter. Xeneta expects a 20% reduction in cargo capacity across the Atlantic this winter, to reflect lower passenger demand.
Dynamic load factor – Xeneta’s measurement of capacity utilisation based on volume and weight of cargo flown alongside available capacity – continued to rise due to the persistent imbalance between supply (+3%) and demand (+9%) year-on-year growth. It increased by 3 percentage points year-on-year and 2 percentage points month-on-month, reaching 60% in September.
As a result, September’s average global spot rate increased +26% to US$2.71 per kg, the fourth straight month of double-digit growth and the highest increase this year. And this occurred against a backdrop of jet fuel prices showing a -37% year-on-year decline in the same month.
Zooming into the corridor level, spot rates from Asia to North America and Europe topped the chart in September, exceeding the other major global corridors by over $2 per kg. Most Asia to North America and Europe rates showed single-digit month-on-month increases in September, except for a slight dip from Southeast Asia to North America. All year-on-year trends registered double-digit growth.
The Middle East and Central Asia to Europe market saw the most striking rise in rates in September. Boosted by continued Red Sea disruptions, this traditional backhaul route saw a +112% year-on-year increase.
Spot rate on the Europe to North America trade was on par with a month ago but is expected to come under severe upward pressure if US East and Gulf Coasts and Canada port strikes are not resolved quickly. In terms of year-on-year comparison, the corridor showed a +5% increase.
Several backhaul corridors from North America and Europe to Asia showed notable month-on-month spot rate growth: Europe to Southeast Asia (+11%), North America to Northeast Asia (+6%), and North America to Europe (+4%).
In terms of year-on-year comparison, the largest decline was observed on the Europe to Northeast Asia trade, which decreased by -11% due to increased trade imbalances.
Testing time in fourth quarter
Global events, van de Wouw says, will now put preparations for this year’s peak season to the test.
“As we’ve said before, companies are more prepared this year and the rules of the game have been clarified between airlines and forwarders as well as between forwarders and shippers. There are now more precise agreements in place on how to navigate the storm the market is likely entering.
There are agreements around rates, surcharges, and the timeframes in which they can be applied, but there’s going to be a fine balancing act between maintaining relationships and being tempted by the short-term benefits these market conditions are creating,” he said.
“The macroeconomic outlook for 2025 is not fantastic, particularly as it impacts the general freight market. That may make the current volatility and opportunities for rate increases very tempting for carriers. We are already picking up signals that peak surcharges are being accepted by forwarders and shippers because the capacity providers clearly have the upper hand.
“The rules that have been agreed upon mean there’s less room for the temptation of large rate increases during a hot peak. But we do see a piece of the market where you’ve got to ‘pay to play’ and that could become a potential ‘wild west’. Shippers or forwarders may end up there due to unforeseen demand and it could be an expensive game,” van de Wouw added.
An enduring US ports strike, he says, may produce a significant bonus for airlines across the Atlantic from the US to Europe, where load factors would otherwise likely remain below 65% even after the removal of surplus summer capacity. “Because of the low base, there’s a lot of room for those rates to go up if conditions become tougher and goods absolutely need to be shipped. Then we could see rates tripling.”
These factors combined, van de Wouw says, continue to support a potential double-digit growth rate for the global air cargo market across 2024.
A director at broker Air Charter Service says that a major airlift is possible as the US east coast port strike takes hold.
Group cargo director, Dan Morgan-Evans said that with tens of thousands of dockworkers across 14 ports striking indefinitely, Athere could be major airlifts in the coming weeks if the strike is not resolved in the next few days, as manufacturers could attempt to keep production lines running. “The strike causes real headaches for shippers, particularly from Europe. Unless President Biden changes his mind and steps in, the delayed cargo and the backlog will have to be flown in. Scheduled freighters will get booked up extremely quickly, so the charter industry will need to step in to help. We are already receiving enquiries, and we expect the first few to book soon, as some cargo shipments simply cannot wait. During the West Coast port strike in 2012, we saw a huge amount of charter flights to, but mainly from, Asia, both during and after, to ease the backlog.”
