French passenger carrier La Compagnie moves into cargo

French passenger carrier La Compagnie has made its first foray into cargo operations, adding capacity on its Paris Orly (ORY)-Newark (EWR) route. The airline has selected Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) to manage ground handling operations on both ends of the route. [caption id="attachment_96346" align="alignright" width="450"] Photo courtesy of WFS.[/caption] WFS will handle cargo aboard La Compagnie’s A321LRs, which currently run between ORY and EWR four times weekly. In September, the airline will add three weekly frequencies on the route for a total of seven, according to a release. The planes will carry up to 3.5 tonnes of cargo per flight, according to La Compagnie. “Capacity between the U.S. and France remains tight,” said Stephane Soulagnat, airfreight procurement manager at Paris-based Bollore Logistics. “However, it is not as heavily backlogged as between other major European hubs like Amsterdam (AMS), Frankfurt (FRA) or Heathrow (LHR).” Typical cargo on the France-U.S. trade lane includes shipments of fashion and cosmetics, aerospace equipment, and to a lesser degree, pharma, agricultural shipments and others. “Demand definitely outstrips capacity on the France-U.S. lane,” Soulagnat said. “The combined capacity of direct legacy carriers is almost fully allocated and overflow is moved over to other hubs such as Luxemburg (LUX), Liege (LGG) and Leipzig (LEJ).” Cargo from these hubs tends to move via commercial freighters or other connecting carriers, he added. Directional imbalances along the France-U.S. lane are prevalent, however. Capacity bound for the U.S. from Europe is far more constrained than on the return leg, Soulagnat noted. La Compagnie confirmed to Air Cargo World that it is also considering adding additional cargo capacity on its ORY-Tel Aviv (TLV) route, although it will not be adding cargo on its EWR-Nice (NCE) route due to fuel concerns. Recently, low-cost French passenger carrier French Bee also launched cargo operations between ORY and EWR. “French Bee’s launch in the cargo market definitely stands out, especially in the pandemic environment,” Soulagnat said. “The success of French Bee will be directly linked to how fast travel authorization between the two countries resumes. In the meantime, the additional capacity is a relief on this lane.” The cargo handling contract between WFS and La Compagnie is set to last three years. WFS holds an additional ground handling contract with La Compagnie in Newark for passenger and ramp services to ORY and NCE.

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