Freighter fleet analysis part I: European metal

Were “innovation” to be defined by a cargo airline’s propensity to add the latest production and conversion freighter models, airlines in Europe would do quite well. Unfortunately, that remains a rather unconventional way to define innovation. Still, over the course of 2018, carriers with European Air Operator Certificates (AOC) have surfaced as early adopters of […]

• Charles Kauffman
• December 6, 2018

Lufthansa Cargo reports solid 3Q earnings despite drop in September traffic

The Lufthansa Group reported revenues from its Logistics business segment up 11% y-o-y in 3Q18, to €594 million. EBIT for the unit in 3Q18 was €25 million, up 19% from €21 million for the same three-month period in 2017. Higher revenues were a response to a more favorable pricing environment, which boosted cargo yields, and […]

• Charles Kauffman
• October 30, 2018

Amazon behind recent DP-DHL weakness?

Deutsche Post-DHL Group’s first quarter earnings indicated that the company was facing some headwinds in its Post-eCommerce-Parcel division, but an internal memo obtained by German newspaper Handelsblatt indicates that e-commerce giant Amazon has been behind much of DHL’s recent weakness in that sector for more than a year. The newspaper cites two main factors in […]

• Caryn Livingston and Charles Kauffman
• June 25, 2018

Cargo growth disappears in the Middle East

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways reported 2016 cargo volume unchanged from 2015 at 593,000 tonnes. This is in stark contrast to the incredible growth Etihad has reported in previous years, but right in line with what is happening in neighboring Dubai, where Emirates is reporting a similar halt to growth. In the five years from 2009 […]

• David Harris
• February 9, 2017

Who is carrying all that European traffic?

According to IATA, cargo traffic flown by carriers based in Europe was up 12.6% year-over-year in September, their biggest gain in many years. This strong performance by European carriers has now been going on for six months. But who is carrying all that cargo? In the past, the answer would have been simple: Air France-KLM, […]

• David Harris
• November 4, 2016

BREXIT

The votes have been counted. In yesterday’s referendum on the UK’s future in the European Union, 52% of voters said “Leave” while 48% said “Remain.” The world’s financial markets, and Britain’s political landscape, shuddered in response. Stock markets dived worldwide. Oil prices plunged while the price of gold soared. The Pound dropped against the dollar […]

• David Harris
• June 24, 2016

Lufthansa & Cathay

To follow up on yesterday’s post about the new Lufthansa/Cathay Pacific cargo partnership, we offer some fleet and traffic details, and (it is Friday) some videos featuring the two airlines. Starting with the fleets: Both Lufthansa and Cathay operate large fleets of widebody passenger aircraft, with significant (and growing) belly capacity. Lufthansa has 107, including A330s, A340s, […]

• David Harris
• May 13, 2016

What is going on in Europe?

The poet T. S. Elliot famously said “April is the cruelest month.” But for the cargo divisions of the big three European carriers, it is hard to imagine April being any crueler than March. No one would say that 2016 started well for the big three European carriers, but it did not start all that […]

• David Harris
• April 13, 2016