Air Cargo Carriers News

Lufthansa Cargo’s services face severe disruption beginning tomorrow as pilots across the German airline stage a three-day strike.

Lufthansa Cargo’s earnings slumped 27 percent in 2013, but it was one of the few airlines that turned a profit in a subdued global air freight market.

Global air cargo surged 4.5 percent in January from a year earlier, driven by solid growth across all regions, but rising protectionism could clip growth, the International Air Transport Association said.

The latest figures from Asia’s airlines confirm that air cargo demand got off to a solid start in 2014.

International Airlines Group posted a double-digit decline in fourth quarter and full-year cargo revenue as soft demand and lower yields widened the gap with the Anglo-Spanish carrier’s reviving passenger operations.

The pilots of the UPS cargo plane that crashed on Aug. 14, 2013, had complained about the company’s tiring work schedules at the start of the fatal flight before making landing errors...

Cathay Pacific Airways saw further declines in air cargo throughput in January despite the shift in timing of Chinese New Year, which started Jan 31 this year, compared with Feb. 10 in 2013 and was expected to prompt a major rush of expedited deliveries in mid-January.

Iberia Airlines has reached a deal in principle with its pilots’ union, SEPLA, to “introduce permanent structural change and improve the airline’s viability,” effectively ending...

Asia-Pacific airlines will continue to dominate air cargo markets and freighter orders over the next two decades, according to the latest report from Airbus.

The global air cargo market faces a challenging year after growing just 1.4 percent in 2013, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Saudi Airlines Cargo continued to increase its volume despite a tough year for the air freight sector in 2013.

Japan Airlines Corp. (JAL) said on Jan. 31 that its group net profit tumbled in the first three quarters of fiscal 2013, which started on April 1, 2013, from a year earlier, despite increased revenues from both passenger and cargo operations.

Japan’s ANA Holdings Inc., the parent firm of All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA), said on Jan. 31 that its group net profit nosedived in the first three quarters of fiscal 2013, which started on April 1, 2013, from a year earlier, despite a sharp rise in international cargo revenue.

Asia’s leading airlines saw international air cargo demand contract last year despite a partial recovery in the final quarter.

All the signs are growing that air freight volumes in Asia will rebound this year, but Cathay Pacific posted a surprising 5 percent decline in cargo in December despite boosting capacity.

Expectations are growing that 2014 will finally see air freight volumes and yields pick up after more than two years of bottom feeding, giving airlines in Asia a much needed boost to profits.

The Luxembourg government has completed the sale of a 35 percent stake in all cargo carrier Cargolux to China’s Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment for $120 million.

Lufthansa Cargo said the global air freight market could pick up in 2014, reversing two years of flat demand, following positive developments towards the end of 2013.

The Luxembourg government has agreed to sell a 35 percent stake in Cargolux to Chinese investors for $120 million.

The board of Cargolux has backed a cooperation deal with Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Co., clearing the way for the Luxembourg government to sell a 35 percent stake in Europe’s largest all-cargo airline to the Chinese investors.

Japan’s All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA) said that its international cargo volume rose for the eighth straight month in October on a year-on-year basis, surging 12.3 percent to 53,576 tons.

Lufthansa Cargo’s first Boeing 777 freighter will take off from Frankfurt, Germany, tonight, bound for New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, on its first scheduled flight.

The profitability of Asian carriers with major freighter fleets continues to be negatively impacted by the overhang of excess capacity, but the long-term outlook for air freight is “encouraging,” according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.

Emirates Group boosted revenue by 13 percent in the first six months of its fiscal year, through Sept. 30, to $11.5 billion.

U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.; Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., have introduced the Safe Skies Act to ensure that America’s cargo plane pilots...

AirBridgeCargo Airlines transported 92,000 tons of cargo in the third quarter of 2013, a 3 percent increase year-over-year...

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a proposed settlement with US Airways and American Airlines to resolve its lawsuit challenging their planned merger.

International Airlines Group’s cargo revenue in the third quarter of 2013 slumped more than 14 percent year-over-year, almost double the decline in freight traffic.

Japan’s All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA) said that its international cargo volume rose for the seventh straight month in September on a year-on-year basis, increasing 5.8 percent to 49,999 tons.

AirBridgeCargo Airlines has increased its flights from Milan and Paris to Moscow.

The global air cargo market stabilized in September, inching up 0.5 percent year-over-year...

Japan Airlines Corp. (JAL) said on Oct. 31 that its group net profit tumbled in the first half of fiscal 2013, which started on April 1, from a year earlier, despite increased revenue from both passenger and cargo operations.

Japan’s ANA Holdings Inc., the parent firm of All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA), said on Oct. 30 that its group net profit nosedived in the first half of fiscal 2013, which started in April, from a year earlier, despite a jump in international cargo revenue.

Alitalia, Italy’s national airline, averted bankruptcy after shareholders agreed to a €500 million ($675 million) government-led bailout, but European Union regulators could yet veto the deal.

IAG Cargo has opened a new pharmaceutical center at London Heathrow Airport, the latest step in the expansion of its Constant Climate service...

Lufthansa Cargo reported that an on-going decline in traffic continued to slow in September, falling just 0.8 percent from a year ago, following a 1.3 percent decrease in August.

The parent of American Airlines, AMR Corp., reported September cargo figures for its principal subsidiary, showing an increase to 146,690 million ton miles...

Alitalia, Italy’s national airline, risks bankruptcy and its fleet could be grounded within days as its financial crisis nears a tipping point.

AirBridgeCargo Airlines transported 223,732 tons of cargo in the first eight months of 2013, a 4 percent increase year-over-year.