Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP) is pulling freighter capacity out of the Latin American market to increase its focus on the rapidly growing market out of Asia.
The carrier today announced that Martinair would launch a new Boeing 747-400 freighter service between Amsterdam Schiphol and Hong Kong via Dubai offering around 110 tonnes of capacity per flight.
The service will launch on September 19, initially operating three times per week before increasing to four weekly flights at the start of the winter season on October 27.
It is the first time KLM/Martinair freighters have flown to Hong Kong in almost nine years.
Meanwhile, as a result of the new Hong Kong flights, some of its services in Latin America will be suspended.
A glance at the current AKLMP Latin America freighter network shows flights to Guatemala City, Quito, Bogota, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Santiago.
An updated map only includes flights to Bogota, which will operate three times per week via Miami.
The carrier group added that it "remains steadfast in its commitment to serving the Caribbean and Latin America through our extensive belly network".
It said it offers 145 weekly belly flights to 24 destinations in the region.
Explaining the decision to shift capacity to Asia, Adriaan den Heijer, executive vice president cargo at Air France KLM and managing director Martinair, said: “In the East Asian market, the e-commerce segment is growing steadily, driving increased demand for efficient and reliable airfreight solutions.
"The introduction of this new Boeing 747 freighter service is a crucial step in adding main deck capacity to our extensive belly network. This expansion not only strengthens our freighter footprint in Asia but also offers more options and greater flexibility to our customers.
"By enhancing our connectivity and broadening our reach, we are better positioned to support the growth and evolving needs of our global customer base.”
AFKLMP added that the flights will strengthen its freighter footprint in Asia and are a "welcome addition" to our flights from Paris CDG to Mumbai (BOM) and Beijing (PEK).
The flights to Hong Kong will depart Amsterdam on Monday (from Oct 27), Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The return flights depart Hong Kong on Tuesday (from Oct 27), Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
Capacity up/rates down
The move comes as capacity from the Central/South America region has surged over the past year.
Figures published on Friday from data provider WorldACD show that cargo capacity based in the region is up 22% year on year, while demand is up by the lower amount of 7%.
As a result, rates achieved by cargo being flown out of the region is down by 6% compared with a year earlier.
While rate performance from the region has been on a downward trend, prices from Asia and the Middle East have this year surged.
The WorldACD data shows that rates out of the Middle East/South Asia are up by 54% compared with last year and for Asia Pacific they are 24% up.
https://www.aircargonews.net/airlines/it-issue-continued-to-weigh-on-af-klm-cargo-results-in-q2/
