AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) will take two more freighters into its fleet this year – and has said it is considering a further two.
Speaking to Cargo Facts’ European editor Alex Lennane, ABC’s Executive President Denis Ilin said that one 747-400ERF, formerly operated by KLM/Martinair Cargo (35233), was completing test flights in Amsterdam in early January in anticipation of delivery to the airline in February. He added that he expected a 747-8F to be delivered in September. “But that is the minimum. We might be more aggressive, and could do two more airframes. We do see the business for that – it’s more our own operational requirements that prevent us. We want to be 100% certain that we can perform so we tend to be very conservative on that front.”
The carrier plans to increase its footprint in North America this year, and will start a service to Los Angeles, probably during the summer, via either Atlanta or Chicago.
Ilin also noted that ABC was in an opportunistic mood and constantly surveying the market to spot any gaps. As a result, he said, the carrier was eyeing Helsinki, where national carrier Finnair is moving out of long haul freighter operations. Amsterdam, where Martinair is decreasing operations, would continue to be a key gateway, he added, while the airline had increased operations at Charles de Gaulle in Paris, home of Air France.
Would the 747-8F order be a conversion of an option of some kind? Or will it be another quickly done one-off order, much like what they did at the end of last year? I ask because as far as I can tell, they don’t have any on order. More interestingly, it looks like the 2015 production line is filled up, so where would this frame come from?
Heh, in reply to my own comment, I forgot about the 2 Asiana NTUs that are scheduled to be built in 2015 still. One of those, or both potentially if they add the additional frames they talk about, could be earmarked for ABC.