DHL Express to add five ex-Etihad A330-200Fs

Between 28 December and 11 January, Abu Dhabi-headquartered Etihad Airways removed all five of its A330-200 production freighters from service and placed them into storage. For months, there were whispers about where these relatively young freighters (2000-2017 vintage) would end up. The answer to this question became clear earlier this week when EAT Leipzig took […]

• Charles Kauffman
• August 15, 2018

Sichuan Airlines to take Qatar Airways Cargo’s off-lease A330-200Fs?

Earlier this month at Air Cargo China in Shanghai, Qatar Airways’ Chief Officer Cargo, Guillaume Halleux confirmed to Cargo Facts that the leasing agreements for three A330-200Fs currently in its fleet will expire in early 2019, leaving many to question where these aircraft might end up. This week local media in China reported that Chengdu-based […]

• Charles Kauffman
• May 30, 2018

Qatar Airways Cargo outgrowing its need for A330-200Fs

Shanghai – Today at Air Cargo China, Qatar Airways’ chief officer cargo Guillaume Halleux confirmed to Cargo Facts that it will not be renewing the leases on three A330-200Fs currently in its fleet and will be returning the aircraft to the lessor once leasing agreements expire in early 2019. The fate of the five remaining […]

• Charles Kauffman
• May 17, 2018

Forecasting Medium-Widebody Supply and Demand

Last week, Cargo Facts Consulting published the latest edition of our 20-Year Freighter Forecast, covering  the years 2018-2037. We thought it would be interesting to look beyond the forecast of freighter aircraft demand and briefly examine the supply. So, let’s do a brief analysis of the near-term outlook for medium widebodies, one of the most […]

• Alan Hedge
• May 4, 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

The widebody freighter fleet — Part II

Yesterday, in Part I of this analysis of the widebody freighter fleet as it stood at the end of January 2018, we offered an overview of the entire fleet – which carriers are operating which freighters. We concluded Part I with a chart showing every airline that operates widebody jet freighters in commercial service, including […]

• David Harris
• February 13, 2018

The widebody freighter fleet: Growing again, but slowly

Today we begin a multi-part analysis of the worldwide fleet of widebody jet freighters in commercial service, as of 31 January, 2018. We start with a look at the entire fleet – which carriers are operating which freighters – and in the coming days will move on to the ways in which the fleet has […]

• David Harris
• February 12, 2018

Etihad Cargo reduces freighter fleet, parks A330-200Fs

Between 28 December and 11 January, Abu Dhabi-headquartered Etihad Airways removed all five of its A330-200Fs from service, and placed them into storage, according to various flight-tracking databases. While no public announcement has been made regarding the vast reduction in freighter capacity, it is widely believed that the shift away from A330-200 freighter operations is […]

• Charles Kauffman
• January 18, 2018

Disappearing production freighter orders — Part II

Yesterday, we began this two-part analysis of the production jet freighter market in 2017 with an overview of orders and deliveries, our thoughts on why orders have all but disappeared, and when they might return. Today we conclude it with a close-up look at each of the four types currently on offer,  the carriers that ordered […]

• David Harris
• January 11, 2018

Production freighter orders disappear in 2017

Today we begin a two-part summary of the production freighter market in 2017 with an overview of orders and deliveries, our thoughts on why orders have all but disappeared, and when they might return. 2017 was the best year in a long time for the air freight industry. Full-year data is not yet available, but […]

• David Harris
• January 10, 2018