Air Cargo

The International Civil Aviation Organization has confirmed that it received a letter from Qatar advising the United Nations agency that it has decided to withdraw its earlier offer to become ICAO’s new permanent seat.

Cargolux is resisting union demands that it repays $12.5 million of planned labor cost savings to employees if it returns to profit in 2014.

Turkish Cargo will launch freighter services to Entebbe, Uganda, and Kigali, Rwanda, effective June 3, and one weekly flight to Karachi, Pakistan, and Singapore, starting June 5.

European Union regulators approved a trans-Atlantic joint venture between Lufthansa, United Airlines and Air Canada after the carriers agreed to give up landing and take-off slots at Frankfurt and New York.

Cargo throughput at Hong Kong International Airport reached 342,000 metric tons in April, up 4.5 percent year-over-year.

Polar Air Cargo plans to upgrade its 767 intra-Asia services and 747 trans-Pacific services, starting in early June.

Finnair Cargo will add more air freight capacity to and from Brussels, starting June 6.

Cathay Pacific Airways reported that Cathay Pacific and Dragonair combined carried 123,805 metric tons of cargo and mail in April, falling 0.6 percent compared with April 2012.

Fraport, which operates Frankfurt Airport in Germany, handled 174,047 metric tons of cargo, including transit, in April, sliding 0.1 percent from April 2012.

The leading air carriers in the Middle East such as Qatar Airways, Emirates and Saudi Airlines have been investing heavily in their fleets and networks and winning market share, both in the passenger and freight markets. Etihad Airways is following much the same path, and managing to remain in the black.

Deutsche Post DHL’s profit edged 2.9 percent higher in the first quarter as strong growth in its international express and a boom in German parcel deliveries offset the impact of a weak European economy.

Etihad Cargo has unveiled its new loyalty program for freight forwarders called CargoConnect, a free mileage earning program that rewards companies for every booking made with the United Arab Emirates cargo operator.

Incheon Airport handled 576,343 tons of cargo in the first quarter of 2013, down 3.2 percent from 595,367 tons in the first quarter of 2012.

Etihad Cargo, part of Etihad Airways, has updated its summer schedule to reflect investments in capacity, flight frequency increases and new freighter routings and destinations.

Global air freight traffic continues to exhibit “signs of weakness” with an overall year-over-year decline of 1.0 percent in March, according to the Airports Council International.

International Airlines Group, the merged British Airways-Iberia carrier, saw cargo revenue decline 7.2 percent in the first quarter from a year ago, largely due to a collapse in traffic at its troubled Spanish unit.

EmiratesSkyCargo’s revenue rose 8 percent to $2.8 billion in fiscal 2012/13 from a year ago as the fast-growing Middle East carrier expanded its network and added four Boeing 777 freighters to its fleet.

Air Transport Services Group reported net income in the first quarter of 2013 was $8.5 million, increasing 32.2 percent from $6.4 million in the first quarter of 2012.

Operators in the perishables sector of the global air cargo market are seeing gains while volume in other sectors has declined.

The parent of American Airlines, AMR Corporation, reported April cargo figures for its principal subsidiary, showing a slump to 146,990 million ton miles, down 3.2 percent from 151,878 million ton miles reported in April 2012.

Dubai World Central handled 53,974 metric tons of freight in the first quarter of 2013, a 7.8 percent increase from 50,062 metric tons in the first quarter of 2012...

Nippon Express Co., Japan’s largest international freight forwarder, said on May 8 that its net profit sank 11.6 percent year-over-year in fiscal 2012, which ended on March 31, to 23.831 billion yen ($240.72 million) on a consolidated basis.

United Airlines reported cargo figures in April were 187,949 million revenue ton miles, falling 9 percent from 206,486 million ton miles in April 2012.

In the first quarter of 2013, cargo throughput at Germany’s Frankfurt Airport was about 493,000 metric tons, improving by 0.9 percent compared with the first quarter of 2012.

Hochtief is selling its airport division to Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board for $1.95 billion, as Germany’s biggest construction company focuses on its core building business.

Etihad Airways is expanding its fleet with a Boeing 747-8 Freighter.

Total cargo tonnage for San Francisco International Airport fell 13.5 percent year-over-year in March to 28,724 metric tons, despite growth in U.S. mail cargo.

IAG Cargo will be expanding its per-plane capacity when it adds at least 18 Airbus A350-1000s to its fleet beginning in 2018.

Lufthansa Cargo boosted operating profit by 35 percent in the traditionally weak first quarter and said it expects full year earnings to better its 2012 result as it continues to cull capacity in line with weak global demand.

Air freight markets weakened in March, and the improvement in air cargo growth rates that began towards the end of 2012 has stalled, according to figures released by the International Air Transport Association.

Japan’s ANA Holdings Inc., the parent firm of All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA), said on Tuesday that its group net profit surged 53.1 percent in fiscal 2012, which ended on March 31, from a year earlier to 43.140 billion yen ($440.20 million) despite a slump in cargo operations.

Japan Airlines Corp. said on Tuesday that its group net profit tumbled 8.0 percent in fiscal 2012, which ended on March 31, from a year earlier to 171.672 billion yen ($1.75 billion), despite revenue growth.

A National Airlines B747-400 cargo plane crashed on takeoff yesterday at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan.

One of the Middle East’s most senior airline executives has dismissed claims that the three major Mideast airlines are growing more than other carriers operating in the region because of unfair advantages.

Cargo through Amsterdam Airport Schiphol rose slightly in the first quarter of 2013 to 366,269 metric tons, up 2.3 percent year-over-year.

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport reported its total cargo and mail volume for the first three months of 2013 was 37.3 million pounds, increasing 3.5 percent from the same period in 2012.

Japan’s All Nippon Airways Co. said that its international cargo volume rose for the first time in two months in March on a year-on-year basis, increasing 3.7 percent to 51,455 tons.

U.S. Congress has passed a bill that will halt air traffic controllers from being furloughed as part of budget cuts related to sequestration.

Southwest Airlines reported net income in the first quarter of 2013 was $59 million, including $6 million of special items, compared with $98 million in the first quarter of 2012, which included $116 million of special items.