4 carriers exit freighter segment in 2025

The unpredictable nature of the freighter industry can serve as a revolving door, opening chapters for new entrants while closing the book on others. To survive in the market, air cargo operators must overcome competition while identifying and supporting demand, constantly adjusting their strategies to the unpredictable shifts created by geopolitical events, and building their fleets through resources with limited freighter assets. Although some carriers manage to survive the initial headwinds and go on to become mainstays within the industry, many are unable to overcome the cyclical challenges that have permanently grounded new and existing freighter operators. Here are the four carriers that exited the freighter segment in 2025, listed alphabetically. 1. Gewan Airways The airline subsidiary of United Arab Emirates-based conglomerate Gewan Holding, which began flying a 1981-vintage A300B4-200F (141) in October 2024, had its AOC canceled on Sept. 18, 2025, according to the State Civil Aviation Agency of Kyrgyzstan. Unit 141 previously flew in the fleet of Kyrgyzstan-based Aerostan before entering service with Gewan. 2. KAP.KG Another Kyrgyzstan-based carrier, KAP.KG , had its air cargo operations suspended on Oct. 28, 2025, according to the State Civil Agency. KAP.KG ’s 1983-vintage A300B4-200F (274) completed its final flight, from Navoiy, Uzbekistan (NVI), to Bishkek (BSZ), on Sept. 21, 2025. The startup told Cargo Facts in 2024 that it hoped to expand its lift capacity with another freighter after acquiring unit 274 and registering it in Kyrgyzstan in May that year. Unit 274 arrived in Bishkek (FRU) in February 2024. It stopped flying with Venezuela-based Transcarga International Airways in 2023. [caption id="attachment_57294062" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Jetran bought unit 35108. (Courtesy/LinkGlobal Logistics)[/caption] 3. Oman Air Oman Air discontinued its dedicated narrowbody freighter service in the second quarter of 2025 after adding the first 737-800BCF to its fleet (35108) in November 2023. It sold unit 35108 to Jetran. The carrier continues to support its cargo business through the available belly space on its passenger fleet, consisting of twelve 787 Dreamliners and twenty-three 737s. 4. SmartLynx SmartLynx announced in November 2025 that it would cease all operations based on its financial trajectory. SmartLynx told Cargo Facts in March that it had decided to realign its fleet structure and halt dedicated freighter service with its A321Fs four years after taking delivery of its first unit. The Latvia-based carrier and its Malta-based subsidiary operated fourteen A321 freighters in 2024 after becoming the first customer to fly 321 Precision Conversions’ A321-200PCF in June 2021. SmartLynx leased the 1998-vintage unit (891) from Vallair and began providing ACMI service for DHL Express . While twelve of the fourteen ex-SmartLynx A321Fs remain inactive, a pair of the A321-200PCFs (1487 and 2303) that the carrier operated have found new homes and began flying in Southeast Asia with Royal Air Philippines on behalf of Chinese state-owned entity Nanning Communications Investment Group in July. Cargo Facts will present four invaluable events for airfreight professionals in the first half of 2026, starting with Cargo Facts LATAM, on Feb. 10-12. To see the agendas and register for the events, visit CargoFactsEvents.com .

4 carriers exit freighter segment in 2025

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