Cargolux: How an all-747 operator plans for a future without the 747

Shanghai – It’s no secret that Europe’s largest all-cargo carrier, Cargolux is a fan of the 747. The Luxembourg-based carrier took delivery of its first 747-200F in 1979 and has remained an operator of the aircraft ever since; today Cargolux’s fleet is comprised of twenty-seven 747Fs, including fourteen -8Fs. During an interview at Air Cargo […]

• Charles Kauffman
• May 22, 2018

5 takeaways from Air Cargo China

Shanghai –Last week, Cargo Facts was once again in Shanghai, this time around exploring the massive exhibition halls of the air cargo pavilion at Transport Logistic China.  A May-heatwave might have driven foot traffic to stands with cold beverages, or prime locations underneath air conditioning vents, but there was no shortage of revealing interviews and […]

• Charles Kauffman
• May 21, 2018

Panalpina adds third Mexico airport to Charter Network

Switzerland-based Panalpina added Querétaro International Airport (QRO) in Mexico to its Charter Network, in the “Speedy” loop connecting Mexico City (MEX) and Guadalajara (GDL) with Panalpina’s Alabama air freight gateway in Huntsville (HSV). The addition of QRO to the Panalpina Charter Network included adding QRO to the 747-8 compatibility list, as Panalpina’s network includes a […]

• Caryn Livingston
• May 18, 2018

Freighter aircraft transactions through mid-April

Every week in Cargo Facts Update, we include a list of recent freighter aircraft transactions, and then a comprehensive summary in the monthly issue of Cargo Facts. Each reference to a freighter aircraft transaction (FAT) in our publications contains a unique FAT code linked to the FAT database on the CargoFacts.com website. This database is […]

• David Harris
• April 13, 2018

When business becomes too good

This week, UPS took delivery of a 747-8F from Boeing. This is the fifth 747-8F Boeing has delivered to UPS in just over six months, considerably boosting the company’s intercontinental capacity. And with twenty-three more of the jumbo freighters on order, all of which will be delivered in the next four years, it looks like […]

• David Harris
• April 6, 2018

The next big freighter?

What are the widebody freighter options going to be five years from now? As things stand today, those options look to be diminishing rapidly. There are currently four active production freighter programs: Airbus offers the A330-200F, while Boeing offers the 767-300F, 777F and 747-8F. But not only is the clock ticking on all four of […]

• David Harris
• March 22, 2018

The distribution of widebody freighters

Last month, we presented a detailed multi-part analysis of the widebody freighter fleets of airlines worldwide. That analysis (available here) showed that, as of the end of January 2018, seventy-three airlines operated 1,035 widebody jet freighters in commercial service, with 122 more widebody production freighters on order. While the number of freighters increased slightly over […]

• David Harris
• March 5, 2018

A 747-8F arithmetic lesson

The first lessons in arithmetic most of us received involved apples. You probably remember something like this: “If you have three apples, and give one to me, how many apples are left?” If you answered “Two,” you received a gold star. But, as the lessons progressed, the gold stars became more difficult to win. “If […]

• David Harris
• February 23, 2018