Logistics operator Panalpina and freighter lessor Atlas Air are strengthening their partnership with a new five-year agreement that sees the forwarder switch one of its wet-leased B747-8Fs to more than 200 scheduled charters per year.
“The new long-term agreement with Atlas Air will intensify our cooperation and increase our joint business,” says Lucas Kuehner, global head of airfreight at Switzerland-based Panalpina.
“The switch from one of our wet-leased 747-8Fs to more than 200 scheduled full charters per year as part of this agreement equals a change in our procurement strategy and prepares the ground for the continued expansion of our controlled airfreight network.”
As of March, Panalpina will operate flights from Hong Kong to Huntsville in the US with dedicated scheduled charters using Atlas Air B747-400 freighters.
“We will not only maintain our scheduled capacity for our customers on the transpacific route but are planning to extend this service together with Atlas Air,” explains Matthias Frey, global head of Panalpina’s controlled airfreight network.
William Flynn, president and chief executive of Atlas Air Worldwide, says: “The new agreement, which now includes scheduled charters, enhances our service offering for Panalpina, and we look forward to expanding our relationship with Panalpina as the company’s network grows further.”
As part of the five-year agreement, Panalpina is extending its operation of the wet-leased 747-8F on the transatlantic route, which includes calls in Mexico and the UK.
The newly expanded controlled airfreight network already accounts for 15 per cent of Panalpina’s airfreight volumes each year. Within this network, Panalpina controls a series of scheduled charters using different leading air cargo carriers, leased aircraft, ground handling and flight operations.
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