Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Cargo Facts Connect

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport is positioning itself as an alternative to congested cargo hubs by offering dedicated handling, flexible facilities and room for expansion.

The airport can provide customized services and faster turn times for freighter operators and forwarders moving specialized cargo, GSP Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Tom Tyra says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” recorded during a recent site visit.

“If you’re doing an all-freight operation and it’s a unique build, you have the full focus of our team working on every single operation,” Tyra says. “It’s 100% focus on every operation.”

GSP established its cargo operation in 2016 and opened an 110,000-square-foot facility three years later. A subsequent expansion increased the building to 160,000 square feet, while the airport doubled the adjoining ramp to about 35 acres, enough to accommodate six 747s simultaneously.

The airport’s master plan provides space to double its cargo facilities as demand increases, Tyra says. “We’re well-positioned for the future,” he says. “If air cargo continues to expand in this area, and particularly across the Southeast, we’re well-positioned to take opportunities as they arise.”

Customer needs

Cerulean Commercial Aviation, GSP’s aviation services operation, handles cargo ranging from automotive components and construction equipment to pharmaceuticals, flowers and live animals. Its ability to adapt facilities and handling processes to individual shipments differentiates GSP from larger gateways, Commercial Aviation Services Manager Kelly Wiggs says.

“Our model is customized,” Wiggs says. “We can customize for your customer. We can customize for the freight forwarder. We can do things that you might not do at a traditional hub like Atlanta, Chicago or JFK.”

GSP is also exploring partnerships with secondary airports in Canada and South America as it works to attract additional scheduled freighter service. The airport sees an opportunity to connect South American perishables with markets in the United States and Canada, Tyra says.

One of the challenges for GSP will be to continue growing while not losing its ability to customize and personalize its service.

“We can get a lot bigger,” Tyra says. “But we want to need to do it in a way that we don't lose track of what's got us here.”

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Tyra and Wiggs discuss GSP’s cargo facilities, specialized handling capabilities and strategy for attracting freighter operators and forwarders.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport expects its express operations to remain steady while new international passenger services create opportunities to increase belly cargo traffic.

The presence of other major express hubs nearby limits the potential for freighter growth at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), Chief Business and Innovation Officer Ted Kaplan says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” recorded during a recent site visit.

“We’re kind of surrounded by existing national and regional cargo hubs,” Kaplan says. “There likely will not be an opportunity for significant growth with Amazon, FedEx and UPS, given that their networks already have a number of large hubs within relative proximity to our airport.”

CLT could support incremental growth by replacing or renovating cargo facilities that were designed for operators twenty to thirty years ago, Kaplan says.

“What really came out of [a 2018 cargo study] was where we could significantly improve and possibly expand incrementally,” he says. “The opportunity would be to figure out how to deliver newer facilities that UPS, Amazon and FedEx could transition into and then demolish their old facilities.”

CLT has sites that could accommodate new cargo warehouses with airside access if demand materializes. However, the airport would need a long-term commitment from an operator before making a significant investment, Kaplan says.

The airport sees more immediate potential in attracting international passenger service that can generate additional belly cargo traffic. For example, Etihad Airways’ new A350-1000 service from Abu Dhabi (AUH), launched in March, has already increased CLT’s cargo throughput, Kaplan says.

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Kaplan discuss CLT’s express operations, cargo infrastructure and opportunities to expand its cargo business.

New lessor Thrust Capital is looking to capitalize on the Dash 8-Q400’s speed, range and container capacity by bringing large-cargo-door variants to the regional freighter market.

Founder and Chief Executive Nico von Appen established the company after identifying an overlooked opportunity for the Q400, he says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

“I looked into it more myself because I was really convinced by the Q400 as a freighter, especially with the large cargo door,” von Appen says. “I was in contact with De Havilland and some regional lessors to talk about feedstock.”

Thrust Capital plans to market the converted aircraft as the Regional Eco Wing Freighter and hopes to begin offering two units in 2027. Von Appen has identified four potential aircraft and expects feedstock availability to improve over the next few years.

The Q400’s performance and capacity could give it an advantage in overnight feeder operations, he says.

“There are analyses showing that you can operate one or two more flights per night compared with an ATR,” von Appen says. “You can get up to two more LD3 containers. You’re faster, you have a better climb rate and you have the power.”

De Havilland is supporting Thrust Capital’s efforts to bring the approved large-cargo-door modification to market, while von Appen is in discussions with qualified MRO providers and prospective operators, he says.

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear von Appen discuss the Dash 8-Q400 conversion market, feedstock availability and his plans for Thrust Capital.

Boston-based Merlin and its New Zealand-based affiliate, Merlin NZ, are working hard to certify the Merlin Pilot autonomous flight software in New Zealand next year.

Merlin NZ is prepared to shoulder the load to ensure Merlin Pilot is put into commercial freighter service after certification by the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAANZ), Merlin NZ Chief Executive Grant Crenfeldt says in this week's episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

“At that point, [we would say that] Merlin, a technology organization, has the Merlin Pilot installed into the Cessna Caravan that we have here in New Zealand,” Crenfeldt says. “And then we’ll take that aircraft, put it onto the Merlin airline AOC, similar to how a fully certified aircraft goes on to a certificate, and then we start flying commercial freight routes using that aircraft.”

The anticipated approval of the Merlin Pilot by the CAANZ in 2027 would represent the first time a conventionally crewed fixed-wing aircraft equipped with autonomous flight technology enters revenue cargo service, Crenfeldt says.

Merlin is already looking beyond New Zealand and setting its sights on obtaining FAA certification.

“The CAANZ and the FAA have a bilateral agreement, which means that if one or the other regulator certifies something, then the other regulator can choose to apply the amount of due diligence to that certification before they approve it as well,” Crenfeldt says.

Merlin's technology, for which it obtained an experimental certificate of airworthiness from the CAANZ in 2025, is designed to operate existing aircraft in commercial airspace without requiring changes to air traffic management procedures, he says.

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Crenfeldt speak with Editor Jeff Lee, Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke and Associate Editor Jay Aelick.

After beginning revenue service with Australia’s first Beech 1900D Super Freighter at the end of May, GAM Air will soon take delivery of another.

The carrier signed a deal this year to purchase three aircraft from Provo, Utah-based Alpine Air Express to operate for Team Global Express in Australia under a ten-year contract. The first unit (UE-254) arrived in April.

GAM Air started to seriously evaluate the Beech 1900D Super Freighter about two years ago, when Alpine Air Express, which holds the only STC to convert the type, began marketing it.

“We started doing some numbers on the airframe then with what we did know, just from a soft approach to see if that was the right sort of aircraft for our client, and it was really the only aircraft in the market — and still is,” GAM Air Chief Executive Carl Jepsen says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” “They had a point of difference against the Metros, the Dornier 228, and it blew the socks off the SkyCourier as well.

“So for us, and what we do in Australia, the routes that we have, the speed we need and the payload we carry, it was the perfect airplane.”

The deal with GAM has opened more opportunities for Alpine as interest has grown, Alpine Chief Operating Officer Bob Frisch says.

“I think that this airplane fits a really good niche and it’s got that specific market,” he says. “And I think people are starting to look at that not only because of that niche that they have, but also just at the other replacements and the other costs of the airplanes, and what this can do.”

Alpine CEO Michael Dancy says he would be reluctant to sell any Beech 1900D freighters to other operators in the United States.

“I think the whole idea is I just don’t want them showing up next to me,” he says. “But there is so much interest from these aircraft in Canada, in Europe, in Africa and so forth.”

For now, Dancy is happy to have GAM Air as a partner in Australia and wants to see the Australian carrier be as successful as possible.

“So, we’d love for them to be the only operator in Australia, because for us, that's a great relationship,” he says. “We know how advantageous that is.”

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more about the Beech 1900D as Dancy, Jepsen and Frisch speak with Editor Jeff Lee, Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke and Associate Editor Jay Aelick.

The airfreight industry should focus on attracting talent, implementing open data standards and providing flexibility for the rest of 2026 and beyond, according to Flexport.

“We have a lot of experienced people today approaching retirement, and the pipeline behind them is very, very thin in all roles: in operations, in customs, in commercial roles,” Milena Milenkovic, head of airfreight for the EMEA region at Flexport, says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” “And if we don’t fix that, we will create a people problem that no new aircraft or software can solve.”

The industry is not doing enough to appeal to young people, and it can do that by being more vocal about the vital role that air cargo plays, Milenkovic says.

Two other areas that air cargo must continue to improve are data and flexibility, according to Milenkovic.

The industry has the technology to process and share the increasing amount of data generated today but still does not make use of it effectively, she says.

Additionally, in a market characterized by instability, carriers must develop flexible options for customers and build redundancy into their networks.

Overall, Milenkovic believes the largest hurdle for the industry is still its inability to recruit and retain skilled personnel, and inspire their excitement.

“I started this career when I was twenty-two,” she says. “I still love it, and it’s twenty plus years later.”

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Milenkovic speak with Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

Freighter operators remain optimistic about the prospects for the industry and its resilience in dealing with crises, drawing from the handling of disruption caused by the Iran war.

As the war broke out on Feb. 28, Compass Air Cargo and Atlas Air were among the many carriers that collectively had fifty or so freighters stuck in the region.

Atlas, for one, had a 777F (69788) in Abu Dhabi (AUH) and a 747-8F (60118) in maintenance in Tel Aviv (TLV), Graham Perkins, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa for Atlas Air, said during the opening panel discussion at Cargo Facts EMEA 2026 in Brussels last week.

“All the focus at that point in time was on our trying to get our people out, those who were not based there, looking after our people who were living there and are based in the [United Arab Emirates] in particular,” Perkins said. “And then, of course, the aircraft themselves. So, it was people first, and airplanes second in that regard.”

Now that most operations have resumed, the industry should learn to react to major events in an even more agile manner to address the demands of customers, Teleport Chief Business Officer Jan Philipp Poter said during the panel.

“The world continues to grow; e-commerce continues to grow, and other people move things by air — it’s a structural part of how we move things, and that will stay,” he said. “So, that optimistic view, I think, is important to keep, especially in times of crisis. And if you’re optimistic, you have your crisis playbook and you stay connected, I think you are well-prepared.”

The industry should also take pride in how it pivoted during the initial stages of the war, Compass Air Cargo Chief Commercial Officer Rainer Mueller said.

“Looking at what has been managed in the Middle East over the last five or six weeks, it is amazing,” he said. “And I’m 100% convinced that we are ready even for the next crisis.”

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear an excerpt from the opening panel at Cargo Facts EMEA 2026, moderated by Editor Jeff Lee.

Chapman Freeborn has been especially busy fielding charter requests since the outbreak of the Iran war at the end of February, as airspace closures led to grounded aircraft and a sudden drop in capacity.

“It is true that aviation is a very volatile industry,” Group Chief Executive Saska Gerasimova says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” “So, it’s not about whether a crisis will happen, but it’s a matter of when and where it will happen.”

Gerasimova, who was appointed group CEO in October 2025, says that her experience at Amazon Air in Europe, in particular, is helping her understand the needs of cargo customers.

“The biggest struggles that our customers have is the uncertainty of the geopolitical situation and the volatility in supply,” she says. “Many customers use these elements as an opportunity and are able to react and adjust quickly, while others are rather postponing the decisions. And this is a very big impact that we’ve seen in the last two or three weeks, for example.”

Gerasimova will share her perspective of the freighter market in light of the war and more in a fireside chat on Wednesday, April 29, at Cargo Facts EMEA 2026 in Brussels.

“I would really love to challenge the ideas that [fellow executives] present,” she says. “I would really love to hear the ideas that they have of how we can work together to minimize the impact on the customers, [not just] in the short term, but also in the long term.”

 Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Gerasimova discuss her upcoming fireside chat with Editor Jeff Lee. 

Carsten Hernig, deputy general manager, VP of sales and marketing and production at Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo Terminal, has implemented a flexible strategy for the cargo facility as the Iran war continues to shift trade volumes and cargo flight schedules, he says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

With Shanghai (PVG) one of the major airports connecting the Asia-Pacific region to Europe, the war concerns Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo Terminal (PACTL), Hernig says. 

“Some of the main carriers who are serving this route from the Middle East are actually experiencing a disruption of their operation at the moment,” he says. “This has capacity impacts on the market, which means for us as a handling provider, that we have to be extremely flexible and react fast to schedule changes and also additional capacity.”

In turn, Hernig says he believes the war is driving demand for dedicated freighters as passenger flights remain limited.

“I think it will underline the importance of freighter aircraft being a practical tool to increase the resilience of the system of air cargo, as disruptions on the passenger side lead to capacity impacts,” Hernig says.

The air cargo sector must “find quick solutions” for “non-controlled” variables — such as political tensions, tariffs and other factors — affecting the industry amid high global demand, and remain resilient, he says.

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Hernig discuss the market’s outlook and PACTL’s role in handling air cargo at PVG with Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

Lima Airport Partners Chief Commercial Officer Norbert Onkelbach expects his new facility to expand its air cargo market share, he says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

Onkelbach sat down with Cargo Facts at the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Lima, Peru, this week to discuss the capabilities of Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM), which “has undergone a significant expansion, increasing its land area from 270 hectares to 940 hectares,” he says.

The construction was backed by Germany-based global airport operator Fraport, which acquired an 80% stake in Lima Airport Partners in 2001.

While Onkelbach says he sees “increasing e-commerce interest from all over the world,” LIM is “exporting more than 60% in perishables, blueberries, avocados and, increasingly, mangoes.”

Lima Airport Partners may consider developing a direct cargo corridor between LIM and Peru’s seaport, Onkelbach says.

“We see another opportunity as our location of the airport is just eight kilometers from the seaport to basically, in the future, develop contract concepts to integrate seafreight and airfreight.”

Onkelbach hopes to secure the support of the federal and provincial governments of Peru to create special economic zones that will attract investors to the project.

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Onkelbach discuss Lima Airport Partners’ plans for LIM and share his outlook of the industry with Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

Brandon Fried may be retiring as executive director of the Airforwarders Association at the end of the year, but he intends to remain active with the industry, he says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

After leading the Airforwarders Association for more than twenty years, Fried looks forward to aiding the industry’s growth independently, noting that there is still much work to be done.

He identifies two main areas of focus: the near-term tightness in global freighter capacity, and sustainability, since only 2% to 3% of the SAF needed by the industry is available.

“I’m concerned about a lack of feedstock for the future,” Fried says. “There are only about 650 [large-widebody] freighters now available worldwide, and we’re concerned about that.”

Reflecting on AfA’s milestone achievements, Fried points to TSA’s Certified Cargo Screening Program, which enables certified facilities to pre-screen air freight before acceptance by an aircraft operator or indirect air carrier. The idea faced significant resistance in Washington, D.C., when it was proposed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“There were opinions on Capitol Hill that freight should not be flying in the bellies of passenger planes due to security issues,” he says. “And we convinced Congress as well as the TSA that we could handle the job of handling our own security, and we did.”

Fried’s outlook remains upbeat despite the uncertain trade environment and believes freight forwarding will always have a role in helping customers overcome the challenges ahead.

“We’re advisers and we’re called in for that role,” he says. “Flexibility, being the source of information to the customers, is never going to go out of style, so we’re bullish on the future.”

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Fried discuss his takeaways as an industry leader with Editor Jeff Lee and Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

Amerijet will continue to focus on Latin America as a major source of growth for its scheduled and charter business in 2026.

“More volume is going into Central and South America versus the U.S., and with de minimis, trade patterns certainly have changed,” Chief Executive Joe Mozzali says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” “So, we’ve seen a lot of demand for e-commerce in various countries and on a scheduled charter basis.”

Amerijet’s revenue increased by 12% and EBITDA by 9% in 2025, and the carrier was ranked third in terms of tonnage in Miami (MIA) in 2025, Mozzali says.

Two 767-300BCFs have joined the fleet on lease from NAS Aircraft Leasing in the past three months, although Amerijet will have to furlough around thirty-five pilots at the end of February because of the termination of a CMI arrangement for Maersk.

While Amerijet faced a 30% escalation rate in engine costs in 2025, the carrier expects that to normalize somewhat this year and is leaning into AI to develop a reliability portal so maintenance can be more predictive than reactive, Mozzali says.

“We’re just probably about three months into it, so it’s in its early stages,” he says. “But we have some high expectations that we can improve our reliability by leveraging AI.”

Once the most recent 767 addition begins flying, it will bring Amerijet’s own fleet to eleven 767-300 freighters. 

“With the additional aircraft, we can be a little bit more opportunistic on the on-demand charter market, but overall, we think that in existing markets the tide is going to continue to rise,” Mozzali says.

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Mozzali discuss Amerijet’s plans with Editor Jeff Lee and Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

Columbia Metropolitan Airport wants to play a larger role in the air cargo industry and serve as a less congested alternative to airports including Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International and Charlotte Douglas International.

The South Carolina Department of Commerce awarded Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) a $5 million grant in 2024 to acquire new ground service equipment and renovate its west cargo building to support additional warehousing and air cargo operations.

Apart from FedEx and UPS, there really are no other cargo-handling capabilities at CAE, Ryan Kreulen, vice president of operations at the airport, says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

Air cargo flights accounted for 14% of CAE’s total traffic in 2025, with most of the 40,000 tonnes of air freight moving through the airport being handled by FedEx and UPS.

In addition to having customs on site at the airport, CAE provides an escape from the congestion found in larger markets and the experience of working with large freighter operators, Chief Executive Chris White says in the podcast.

Tune into this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear White and Kreulen discuss with Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke how they plan to attract more cargo operators to the capital of South Carolina.

EnComm Aviation’s regional freighter operations came to an abrupt halt in September 2025, causing the carrier to write off more than $100 million after BAE Systems surrendered its ATP aircraft type certificate to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority.

EnComm had made multiple investments building its infrastructure, including heavy maintenance repairs for its ATP fleet, when it learned of BAE’s decision to discontinue its support, making it nearly impossible for the carrier to continue operating the type, EnComm Aviation Director Jackton Obuola says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

“There were a lot of investments we were still making,” Obuola says. “For instance, we were in the process of overhauling landing gears, overhauling engines, returning to service a lot of aircraft, spending up to $15 million.”

EnComm has filed a lawsuit in London seeking $250 million in punitive damages and claiming negligent misrepresentation and misstatement by BAE.

The Kenyan startup was surprised by the decision after meeting with BAE and receiving commitments for continued support for its ATP fleet, Obuola says.

EnComm was operating four ATP freighters and was preparing to enter service with the remaining nine ATP aircraft it had acquired from Sweden-based West Atlantic.

BAE invited EnComm to the United Kingdom for a meeting when the startup reached out to the manufacturer in May 2024, Obuola says. Parts and suppliers for the ATP aircraft type were in attendance, including parts distributor Saywell International, component supplier Safra[MM3] n and propeller supplier PropTech.

“Our BAE representative at the time said as long as there’s one BAE ATP aircraft in service, they will continue supporting it,” Obuola says.

Even though EnComm has ceased operations, its legal pursuit of BAE is just beginning. Tune into this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Obuola discuss with Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke the events that grounded the regional carrier and the next steps it will take.

Airlines lose control when they outsource heavy maintenance, and that could be the root cause of the fatal crash of UPS flight 2976, according to a former FAA airworthiness inspector and NTSB major accident investigator. 

UPS’ CF6-powered, 1991-vintage MD-11F (48417) failed to maintain its climb and crashed after its left engine separated from the wing during takeoff from Louisville, Ky. (SDF).

MROs under microscope

The FAA and NTSB should look closely at the maintenance checks carriers have outsourced to third-party MROs, Stephen Carbone, president of private maintenance consultant firm Aircraft Maintenance Safety Professionals, says.

A former FAA airworthiness inspector and NTSB major accident investigator, Carbone says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” that he believes there is not enough oversight from the FAA or quality control from airlines that outsource aircraft maintenance.

“Since the early ’90s, the airlines have relied a lot more on repair station overhaul facilities to do their work,” Carbone says. “And the problem with that is the airline loses control of the maintenance.”

Tragic similarities

In addition, the November crash had tragic similarities to a 1979 crash of an American Airlines DC-10 at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) that killed all 271 people. 

“The basic problem that caused the American Airlines DC-10 crash was the departure of the engine, almost exactly like the UPS MD-11F,” Steve Forness, president of aircraft engineering consultancy Air Flight Technical, says in the podcast. “It went up over the wing. The failure was the aft pylon.”

As a member of the McDonnell-Douglas team assigned to the American Airlines DC-10 crash and an FAA designated engineering representative, Forness aided the NTSB investigation, which identified improper installation of the engines as the cause of the aft bulkhead failure in the pylon.

Although the lessons learned from the DC-10 were implemented into the design and operation of MD-11s, the NTSB revealed in its Nov. 20 preliminary report of the UPS crash that it had discovered fatigue cracks in the pylon aft mount of the left engine.

As the NTSB investigation into UPS flight 2976 continues and around sixty MD-11Fs remain grounded, tune into this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Carbone and Forness share their insights with Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke on the accident and what could happen before the MD-11Fs return to service.

A new A300 freighter operator is entering the market next year.

Chex Air, which has offices in Dubai and Miami, expects to begin flying an A300-600F around March 2026 to connect Africa and the Middle East with South America, Head of Operations Sebastian Bolivar says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” recorded at the Dubai Airshow 2025.

The aircraft will be on lease from United Arab Emirates-based Sky One and operate under Chex Air’s Chilean AOC, Bolivar says.

“If this goes well, we’re going to incorporate a 747 into our fleet,” he says.

There are no A300s or 747s registered in Chile. The most recent South American A300 freighter operator was Venezuela-based Transcarga, which retired its final unit in 2024.

Chex Air plans to bring more jets from the United States and South America to Dubai and the Middle East to cater to strong demand for charter flights, Bolivar says.

“I think our vision for the next five years is to really have a fleet of 747-400Fs [flying] from South America to Dubai and all the way back,” he says. “It’s a great opportunity.”

In this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” hear more about Chex Air’s strategy as Bolivar speaks with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee in Dubai.

With the thirty-first annual Cargo Facts Symposium less than a week away, Cargo Facts checked in with four event speakers to discuss some key industry developments that attendees will hear about at the event.

A highlight will be a panel discussion on the various 777 conversions, Anna Kopinski, director of asset valuations at mba Aviation, says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

“I’m actually really excited to discuss [the 777] because we’ve been monitoring this aircraft and these converted 777s, only one is coming into service and we’re still waiting on the -200LR, but I think it’s a very interesting space that people are keeping an eye on,” she says.

Mammoth began certification flights with its 777-200LRMF prototype with the FAA in September.

“We’re still looking forward to getting the STC in 2025,” Mammoth Chief Executive Bill Tarpley says on “Cargo Facts Connect.” “That’ll allow us to finish up and deliver at least six of the seven airplanes we have in work.”

Meanwhile, in the narrowbody segment, 2025 continued to be slow, but 2026 may see a slight pickup in activity.

As a lessor supporting some of the smaller carriers in the industry, Hamden Aviation had to become more flexible with its narrowbody freighter customers this year, Executive Vice President Dora Alexander tells Cargo Facts.“I think we’re seeing a lot shorter planning times from a leasing perspective,” she says. “It certainly has provided us with an extra level of challenge trying to meet the needs of our lessees, whether it’s on a question of swapping out engines or expanding their fleet needs.”

The high demand for narrowbody engines in the passenger sector this year has not only proven to be a challenge for lessors but for conversion companies as well.

AEI hopes to complete six to ten 737-800SF conversions in 2026. That number will depend solely on the availability of CFM56-7B engines, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Bob Convey says.

“If the demand is there for hopefully six to ten conversions, customers have got to, in most cases, find and acquire feedstock on the spot,” he says. “And again, if the engines are just too expensive, that’s going to be very difficult to do.”

AEI will also unveil its next conversion program at Cargo Facts Symposium 2025.

Hear a preview of the discussions to come at the event as Kopinski, Tarpley, Alexander and Convey speak with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee and Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke in this episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” 

Aircraft cybersecurity is a vital — but often overlooked — part of protecting commercial aviation from bad actors, which is why Cyviation specializes in aircraft risk assessments and solutions.

Herzliya, Israel-based Cyviation, founded in 2021, offers intelligence and monitoring solutions to map possible cyber threats to aircraft and related aviation systems.

Cyviation determines vulnerabilities and monitors multiple platforms and devices, especially those used for communication, to protect commercial aircraft from cyberattacks, according to the company. Cyviation does this through digital twin technology.

Digital twin technology creates a virtual replica of a system that collects and analyzes data in real-time, allowing users to pinpoint weaknesses and predict problems.

“The way we are building [these digital twins] is basically from analyzing data only,” Cyviation Chief Executive Eliran Almog says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

Cyviation does not touch the plane, either physically or through software, Almog says.

“We just look at the data — the data of the airplane, the model data and the data [from] maintenance, the specific data of a specific tail number,” he says. “From this data, we basically map the entire network [of] devices, and the connections and communication between the devices, and start to assess, through that digital twin, the vulnerabilities.”

In this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” hear about using digital twin technology for commercial aviation cybersecurity as Cyviation’s Almog speaks with Cargo Facts Deputy Editor Yael Katzwer.

Airfreight technology provider CargoAi is using advanced AI software to automate quoting, tracking, emailing and payments.

The company this week launched a unified AI agent to integrate multiple AI functions and tools into a single autonomous software solution.

“The next stage of this AI revolution is the AI agent,” CargoAi founder and Chief Executive Matt Petot says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” in a discussion on the tool’s development.

CargoCoPilot Agent can automate responses to up to 50% of the emails received by airlines and freight forwarders, according to the company. The multilingual agent can also operate across WhatsApp, partner platforms and CargoAi’s CargoMart platform.

The agent, CargoAi said, can:

• Track air waybills with real-time updates;
• Perform rate and capacity searches using plain language, such as “300 kg SIN to JFK next Tue”;
• Auto-book directly in airline systems; and
• Provide answers to questions relating to ground handling, surcharges, contacts and other frequently asked questions.

CargoCoPilot will enable users to increase productivity as if they had far more employees, Petot said.

“In terms of coding, we have twenty developers in our team,” he said. “We had twenty developers last year, but now every developer is using AI agents, and the output of our developers is much more than before. It's forecasted to double at the end of the year, and that's really exactly the same that I think we can do with airlines.”

In this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” hear about the air cargo industry’s growing embrace of AI and new technologies being launched as CargoAi’s Petot speaks with Cargo Facts Deputy Editor Yael Katzwer.

Miami-based startup carrier 7Air Cargo is entering its third month of full commercial operations and gaining experience that is benefiting its parent, The Xtreme Group.

7Air Cargo, formed by The Xtreme Group (TXG), received FAA Part 121 approval in February and began air cargo service in May. It now operates two 737-800SFs and one 737-800BCF, and expects to put a fourth 737-800 freighter into service by yearend.

7Air held an inauguration ceremony with the Miami-Dade Aviation Department in Miami (MIA) on Aug. 15 to commemorate the opening of the airline’s hub at the airport.

For the executive team overseeing 7Air’s daily operations, the ceremony represented a milestone noting its achievements and serving as a reminder of the challenges still to come.

“It’s definitely been a learning curve getting into the airline and cargo industry, since we’re kind of running them side by side,” Chairman and Managing Partner Jose Rodriguez says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

“The good thing is that we’ve been able to tackle the different objectives through me and [Vice President of Commercial Operations and Partner Carlos Cock]. Most days, we divide our attention,” Rodriguez says. “I’ll handle the maintenance side of things, and Carlos will manage operations to make sure that we have fluidity and efficiency across the board.”

As executives with years of MRO experience, 7Air’s leadership team is familiar with managing aircraft maintenance for customers, Cock says.

But the tables have turned.

“Now, we are the customer,” he says. “Xtreme Aviation is handling a majority of the maintenance for 7Air and it’s allowed us to really see how important the operational side of things is, making sure that communication is not only key but fluid, and that everybody’s on the same page regarding what we’re doing, enabling us to make changes on the MRO side to better serve our customers.”

In this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” hear about the day-to-day operations, challenges and early stage growth of this new carrier as 7Air’s leaders speak with Cargo Facts Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

French Polynesia-based Motu Link Airline will soon provide dedicated freighter service across the French Polynesian archipelago as part of the startup’s strategy to align with local ocean shippers and freight forwarders to establish a reliable logistics support system for businesses and residents.

“Motu Link Airline was created to meet a clear logistical need across French Polynesia's widely dispersed islands,” Chief Executive Alexandre Mu says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” “The project was licensed in 2021 and was restructured in 2024 after market analysis to focus exclusively on dedicated inter-island cargo operations.”

The French Polynesian archipelago has 120 islands, which together are as large as Europe when including the ocean areas between the islands, making it very difficult to provide logistical support to the residents, Head of Marketing and Communications Judith Rodriguez says.

Local carriers such as Air Tahiti Nui and Air Moana tend to focus more on passenger service, so most cargo is distributed by ocean vessels, which could take as long as three weeks to reach the remote islands in the archipelago, Rodriguez said.

Motu took a different approach to acquiring its 2004-vintage ATR 72-500F (713, ex-Binter Canarias) when the startup received more than $3.6 million from the local islanders through crowdfunding.

“We are really looking forward to starting operations because there are high expectations from Islanders around the project,” Mu says. “It will bring many benefits to our economy and further open up our islands.”

In this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” hear about the carrier’s unorthodox approach to securing investment capital through crowdfunding and perspective of the local market as Rodriguez and Mu speak with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee and Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

Cargolux will change its operations to field a mixed fleet of large-widebody freighters when its new 777-8Fs come online later this decade to begin replacing its older production 747-400Fs.

Introducing the 777-8F platform to Cargolux’s uniform fleet of fourteen 747-8Fs and sixteen 747-400Fs will result in alterations to its operations, President and Chief Executive Richard Forson says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” recorded at Air Cargo Europe 2025 in Munich this month.

“I think we can make it work, but it will take more managing,” Forson says in a rare public interview. “I think it will take more time, more thinking in advance as to where these aircraft would be deployed at the end of the day, because the last thing I want to be doing is having to break pallets down to rebuild and to put onto another aircraft.”

Cargolux announced in October 2022 a firm order ten 777-8Fs along with options for six after Boeing said at the Farnborough International Airshow 2022 that it had secured Cargolux as a customer for the program.

Cargolux’s fleet has remained the same since 2020 when it picked up a 2006-vintage 747-400F (35170) that had exited service with United Kingdom-based CargoLogicAir.

“My philosophy is I’d rather be short on capacity than long, because if I’m short on capacity, I can always make money during the good times, and when the bad times come along, then obviously I have a lot less exposure to downturns in the market,” Forson says. “And the good years have helped us to build up the resilience of the airline, so our balance sheet is strong and we’ve kept a lot of liquidity in expectation of any downturn in the market.”

For the remainder of 2025, one priority for Forson and Cargolux is being able to adapt to any new trade agreements that come into place as countries around the world grapple with tariffs and war.

“I think that’s the most important thing,” he says. “What is going to happen to global trade?”

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on Cargolux as Forson speaks with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee at Air Cargo Europe 2025 in Munich.

Awesome Cargo is on the cusp of putting its first A330-200P2F into service, joining a small group of carriers operating the type.

“We’re going to paint the aircraft — that’s going to take a couple of weeks — and then the aircraft is going straight into service as soon as we get it registered.,” Awesome Cargo founder and Chief Executive Luis Ramos says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” recorded at Air Cargo Europe 2025 in Munich this week.

The 2011-vintage, CF6-powered aircraft (1252, ex-ITA Airways) is the first of three A330-200P2Fs Awesome will lease from Air Lease and will soon depart EFW’s facility in Dresden (DRS). The second unit (1218) is nearing completion at DRS while the third (1225) will soon enter conversion, Ramos says.

By mid-2026, Awesome aims to have all three A330-200P2Fs flying trans-Pacific routes.

“For the time being, we still believe Asia, Mexico, the U.S. and Latin America are where we want to operate right now,” Ramos says. “The complexities of extending routes to other markets and other regions with our current setup would be a little aggressive and maybe even a little irresponsible.”

Awesome is the second A330-200P2F Mexican operator after Mas. Six other carriers operate the type:

• Air China Cargo;
• EgyptAir;
• Qantas;
• Air Belgium;
• Turkmenistan Airlines; and
• Capital Airlines.

Awesome Cargo received its Mexican AOC in October 2023 after emerging as a cargo operator earlier that year. Until now, the new carrier had only been flying units 1218 and 1225 with reversibly reconfigured Class E main decks.

“I can’t tell you what the future will bring, but I can tell you that our guard will be up, and I can tell you that we’re going to be enjoying every process and every step of the way,” Ramos says.

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on Awesome as Ramos speaks with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee at Air Cargo Europe 2025 in Munich.

U.S. tariffs against other countries and the elimination of de minimis exceptions are the greatest concerns for the freight forwarder community right now, according to Airforwarders Association Executive Director Brandon Fried.

“We need to freeze tariffs, not freeze trade,” Fried said at CNS Partnership Conference 2025 in Miami last week.

The U.S. imposed a flat 10% tariff against all countries, effective April 5, and has delayed implementation of reciprocal tariffs pending negotiations with affected countries.  

The only country excluded from the reciprocal tariff reprieve is China. Last week, following negotiations, the U.S. dropped its tariff against China to 30% from 145% and China dropped its tariff against the U.S. to 10% from 125%. The lowered tariffs will remain in effect for three months, giving the countries time to negotiate a permanent resolution.

Also, the U.S.’s de minimis exception for goods from China and Hong Kong ended May 2. Under de minimis regulations, companies shipping goods into the U.S. are not required to pay tariffs on shipments valued at less than $800.

The tariff and de minimis changes will adversely affect the air cargo industry, Fried told Cargo Facts.

“We understand that these tariffs were initially set to balance the trade deficit of foreign goods entering the U.S., and that tariffs are a commonplace mechanism of international trade,” he said. “The instability caused, however, by mass tariff implementation, negotiation and bilateral agreements, as well as inevitable disputes over high rates, has hit our industry.”

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more about the state of the air cargo industry in today’s political climate as Fried speaks with Cargo Facts Deputy Editor Yael Katzwer at CNS Partnership Conference 2025 in Miami.

BBN Airlines will soon become the newest widebody-freighter operator in Turkey when it starts flying the first Mammoth Freighters 777-300ERMF conversion.

The carrier ventured into the freighter market in 2023, shortly after it got its AOC, with an A321-200P2F (2005, ex-Red Wings) on lease from BBAM and leased another (1094, ex-Aer Lingus) toward the end of that year.

“We started with two. We were a little bit hesitant about the third one, to be perfectly honest,” Fleet Director Douglas Anderson says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” recorded at Cargo Facts EMEA 2025 in Istanbul this week.

“The third one came, and now we’re talking about perhaps a fourth, because all the business we have with Turkish Airlines is enough for three aircraft, potentially four, and then we do our own ad hoc operations as well, and that’s gradually growing,” Anderson says.

The third freighter (1670, ex-Air Busan) joined BBN’s fleet in September 2024, also on lease from BBAM.

BBN is set to expand even further and enter the widebody segment. The carrier will lease the prototype 777-300ERMF (35299, ex-Nordwind Airlines) from AviaAM Leasing after completion and certification.

“We see that we can’t have one aircraft — it just doesn’t make sense,” Anderson says. “So, we’re probably looking at three, perhaps four. Again, initially, it’ll be with Turkish Airlines, because that’s the easiest way when you’ve only one aircraft, to potentially setting up our own little operation between the Far East and the U.S., pending tariffs, bringing it into Istanbul and then spreading it out using the network.”

However, a lack of Turkish pilots is constraining growth, he says.

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on BBN as Anderson speaks with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee at Cargo Facts EMEA 2025 in Istanbul.

See more coverage of Cargo Facts EMEA 2025.

Despite increasing restrictions on global trade and the potential effect on the market, Astral Aviation founder and Chief Executive Sanjeev Gadhia believes new opportunities will emerge in Europe, the Middle East and Africa amid ongoing geopolitical tensions. 

Gadhia will join a panel discussion on the growing narrowbody freighter demand at Cargo Facts EMEA 2025, taking place May 6-May 8 in Istanbul. 

“All in all, I’m feeling very positive and bullish, and I'm also looking forward to actually expressing the same and learning when we meet in Istanbul next week,” Gadhia says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

Kenya-based Astral Aviation remains optimistic and has chosen to focus less on geopolitical events and more on the EMEA region, he said.

Astral, which recently took delivery of its first 767-300BDSF (24146, ex-Amerijet) on lease from Palm Beach, Fla.-based Flight Lease, signed a memorandum of understanding with Emirates SkyCargo this year to explore ways to increase global trade, specifically within Africa. 

“I believe that the region is poised to have a major surge with all the geopolitical situations taking place,” Gadhia says. “And I feel very bullish that within the next three months, after the dust has settled … I actually believe that the EMEA region is where I see a lot of new opportunities.”

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on the EMEA market as Gadhia speaks with Cargo Facts Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

Astral Aviation is kicking off the next phase of its fleet expansion with the imminent arrival of its first 767-300 freighter.

With two more 767s potentially following in 2025, Astral has obtained its own aircraft maintenance organization certification and will soon conduct its own C check on its 767-200BDSF for the first time.

“In the past, we’ve always outsourced the C checks, but now we’re going to do it ourselves,” Astral founder and Chief Executive Sanjeev Gadhia says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” recorded at the IATA World Cargo Symposium 2025 in Dubai this week. “So, we’re really excited, because it’s a C4 check and it’s going to be done in-house in Kenya at the Kenya Airways hangar.” 

Astral had expected the 1988-vintage, CF6-powered 767-300BDSF (24146, ex-Amerijet) by the end of 2024 but delays meant the carrier missed the yearend peak season.

“I think the biggest problem that we are all facing right now is the delays,” Gadhia says. “There was a time when those delays were never there, and the delays were there only for the production freighters. Now we are seeing a situation where leased aircraft are also experiencing delays, either because of engine-related issues or avionics.”

The 767-300BDSF is the second new freighter type in the past six months for Astral, which received a 1992-vintage 737-400F (27082, ex-Alaska Airlines) on lease from Avmax in late 2024.

While the global airfreight market tries to navigate the fallout from the trade war, Astral and Kenya are not too concerned. 

“I still believe that Africa would really benefit from this whole opportunity, because generally Africa, with the exception of South Africa and two other countries, is at 10%,” Gadhia says, referring to the tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump recently imposed on goods from countries around the world.

New Philippines-based carrier Skyway Airlines hopes to expand its fleet and network after stretching its wings with its first international flight earlier this month.

Skyway obtained its AOC in July 2024 after leasing a 1998-vintage 737-400BDSF (29208) from AerCap. It is the first 737-400 freighter operator in the Philippines and intends to add more of the type.

“It took us two and a half years to get our AOC,” founder and Chief Executive Jose Peralta says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” recorded at Cargo Facts Asia 2025 in Shanghai this week.

“And there’s a prerequisite with the Philippine authorities that you have to demonstrate domestic operations first before you go international. So, there were a lot of preparations, a lot of legal documents that we needed to submit. We had to undergo hearings with the Department of Transportation just to get our permit to operate internationally.”

While the first international flight was from Clark (CRK) to Hong Kong (HKG), Skyway is working on developing other routes and could start flying to Macau (MFM) soon.

“We are applying for our CCAR 129 permit for China,” Director of Business Development and External Affairs Vedant Bhardwaj says. “That’s why we are here. So, we’re looking into that and definitely another destination which we see is Vietnam.”

Domestic operations are challenging because of competition with sea freight rates and belly cargo rates, whereas Skyway can achieve better rates for international e-commerce, for example, Peralta says.

“We’re trying to solve a problem; to connect the islands and also connect the Philippines to the outer regions,” he says. “So, that is the goal, and that is the aim, and hopefully we get to achieve it.”

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on Skyway as Peralta and Bhardwaj speak with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee and Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke at Cargo Facts Asia 2025 in Shanghai.

IATA and carbon-inset platform 123Carbon are developing interoperability between their sustainable aviation fuel registries to increase transparency, avoid emissions reporting errors and streamline certificate management.

The IATA SAF Registry, scheduled to launch in April, aims to help create a global SAF market, IATA stated in January. The registry is designed to enable airlines to document SAF benefits to show compliance with regulatory and voluntary obligations.

The interoperability will focus on three elements: 

• Unique coding and alignment of relevant data points to exchange between registries; 
• A process for the exchange of information to avoid double issuance; and 
• A dispute resolution process.

“Registry interoperability can be quite a few things,” Jeroen van Heiningen, founder and managing director of 123Carbon, says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” “What we’re doing now is to avoid the redundancies and the double issuance, so to make sure that fuel is not registered on a registry twice, [which could] lead to double counting. It also means that we are aligning the data models that we are using. We’re using the same taxonomy and using the same wording.”

123Carbon’s platform supports fuel suppliers, fleet operators, forwarders and cargo owners in the issuance, management and transfer of environmental attribute certificates (EAC). EACs represent carbon reductions that have been achieved, such as those achieved through SAF, and are then allocated to freight forwarders, cargo owners and others.

The company also offers a book-and-claim solution to SAF suppliers and airlines to allocate company-branded SAF EACs to customers in a private environment.

IATA and the International Civil Aviation Organization have said SAF is the most reliable way to eliminate carbon emissions from aviation in the next twenty-five years. IATA set an aviation industry target of reaching net-zero by 2050.

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on 123Carbon as van Heiningen speaks with Cargo Facts Deputy Editor Yael Katzwer. 

New lessor Hanwha Aviation is exploring adding freighters to its portfolio as part of its growth strategy.

Hanwha Aviation, a subsidiary of South Korea-based conglomerate Hanwha Group, launched in May 2024 and appointed Laura Ivaskaite as vice president of commercial and investments in September.

Ivaskaite joined Hanwha after almost four years looking after the aircraft and engine fleet at SmartLynx, which expanded its fleet to fourteen A321 freighters in 2024.

“The core service, the core of [Hanwha Aviation’s] business, is narrowbody engines, but we will have a small aircraft portfolio as well, and that’s both on the passenger and cargo side,” Ivaskaite says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” recorded at Engine Leasing, Trading & Finance Americas 2025 and Aero-Engines Americas 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas, in late January.

“So, the whole idea is to build up the leasing platform,” she says. “We’re also looking to have MRO capabilities in an engine shop in the near future.”

Hanwha is “very open” to acquiring freighters, even if that ultimately is an engine-driven move, Ivaskaite says.

“Narrowbody freighters has been an engine play for a lot of people in the last couple of years,” she says. “But I’d probably say that we see the 737-800 freighter market picking up a little bit.”

Singapore-based Hanwha is looking to the Asia-Pacific region as a key market for expansion. The lessor also has offices in Dublin and Boca Raton, Fla.

“We want to really have the expertise in Asia Pacific,” Ivaskaite says. “And at the same time, we recognize that that’s the market that will be growing again, both on the passenger and air cargo side, and there is going to be huge demand for the engines — there already is.”

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on Hanwha as Ivaskaite speaks with Cargo Facts Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

Azul will become the second carrier based in Brazil — and all of Latin America — to operate an A321 freighter when it launches scheduled commercial flights this weekend.

The airline plans to put its two A321-200P2Fs into service on Feb. 15, it announced last week. The two 2006-vintage, V2500-powered freighters (2741 and 2759), which Azul has leased from AerCap, arrived in Brazil in the fourth quarter of 2024 and will be based in Campinas (VCP).

“We are very, very excited to have this airplane fly in terms of capacity, reliability and to expand with new routes,” Azul Cargo Fleet and Operations Manager Dario Matsuguma says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” recorded at Cargo Facts LATAM 2025 in Sao Paulo.

“[Our customers] are asking us a lot of questions about the opportunities they are getting for this new fleet,” he says.

The Airbus narrowbodies are replacing Azul’s two leased 737-400Fs — the only Boeing aircraft in the carrier’s fleet. In fact, Azul has already removed one from service, with the 1997-vintage unit 28053 entering storage at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrenees Airport (LDE) in France in December 2024 while the 1996-vintage unit 28198 is still flying.

“The second one, we expect to return in March,” Matsuguma says. “But I can say that [the 737s] did a great job. They opened the market for cargo and freighters, and we all learned a lot with that airplane, but we decided to shift to the A321 due to commonality with our passenger fleet; the synergy is the key factor for us.”

Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency validated the EFW A321-200P2F conversion and the 321 Precision Conversions A321-200PCF in September 2024.

The first Latin American operator of an A321F was fellow Brazilian carrier Levu, which got its AOC in November 2024 and started flying a 1998-vintage, CFM56-powered A321-200PCF (775) that it subleased from SmartLynx.

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on Azul as Matsuguma speaks with Cargo Facts Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke at Cargo Facts LATAM 2025.

Vaayu Group is capitalizing on the capabilities of the A320P2F to develop its cargo business.

The group’s own airline, Fly Vaayu, obtained its AOC in October 2024 and is flying the Middle East’s first A320 freighter around the region as well as to India and Vietnam.

“We’ve been really pleasantly surprised,” Vaayu Group Chief Executive Vijay Arumbakkam says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” “The A320 compared to its competition has a very high level of reliability, which our customers like; consistency, which they like; and on average we tend to carry 18 to 20 tonnes of cargo.”

“So, over a five-hour range, this aircraft performs really well, and we’ve also been impressed with the fuel burn of this aircraft.”

With at least one more A320-200P2F joining its fleet in the next couple of months, Fly Vaayu will become the largest A320 freighter operator.

Vaayu is based in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates (RKT), where the animal quarantine facilities help to support the movement of livestock between India and the U.A.E, Arumbakkam says.

“Hopefully we are soon going to expand that to include general cargo within the next six months or so as we begin to build our ecosystem in the airport.”

Vaayu Group acquired a majority stake in India-based Pradhaan Air Express, the launch operator of the A320P2F program, in November 2023. Since then, the two carriers have worked together to share their expertise and resources, Arumbakkam says.

“There’s a great opportunity for us to harness our synergies for the local [Indian] market,” he says. “Pradhaan first would like to focus with us and enhance this current business partnership that we have, and then the intent over this year is to see how best we can also translate some of those processes into serving more domestic customers.”

“We are still at the business plan stage for it, but we are very excited about our partnership and collaboration with Pradhaan.”

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on Vaayu as Arumbakkam speaks with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee.

SolitAir plans to take delivery soon of its first dry-leased 737-800 freighter to grow its narrowbody operations after it receives its United Arab Emirates AOC.

SolitAir’s own freighter will add to three ACMI 737-800BCFs operated by ASL Airlines Ireland.

“The 730-800 was the best of its class to do the work that I’m looking for,” SolitAir Chairman and Chief Executive Hamdi Osman says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

SolitAir intends to become an express cargo airline offering a daily schedule with flights of up to six hours from its base in Dubai (DWC).

“My goal is to have at least ten aircraft in the first one-and-a-half years of operations,” Osman says, adding that these will likely all be narrowbodies.

ASL has already deployed two 737-800BCFs to DWC for the ACMI arrangement, with the 2005-vintage unit 33023 starting service in October 2024 and the 2007-vintage unit 32686 following in December. The third aircraft will arrive soon, Osman said.

SolitAir hopes to get its AOC by the end of January and is considering multiple AOCs to capitalize on growth opportunities not just in the Middle East, but also in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and Turkey.

“The more I get to know about the global South, the more I get excited,” Osman says.

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on SolitAir as Osman speaks with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee.

The FAA imposed additional flight restrictions over parts of New Jersey and New York last month in response to increased reports of unauthorized drones.

But merely telling drone operators that they cannot fly in certain airspace does not solve the problem, as these restrictions lack enforcement. This is where San Francisco-based Dedrone comes in.

Acquired by technology and weapons manufacturer Axon in October 2024, Dedrone develops smart airspace security technology such as counter-drone detection, tracking, identification and mitigation technologies.

In today’s “Cargo Facts Connect” podcast, hear from Dedrone, which has worked with the FAA to develop and test an uncrewed aircraft systems detection and mitigation program that helps airports protect their airspace from unauthorized drones.

Dedrone also offers technologies that jam communications between a drone and the operator. The DedroneDefender precision jammer has narrow-band jamming to minimize disruption to other devices and meets military standards. This use of narrow-band or “comb” jamming reduces the risk of interference with other systems in the area, including Wi-Fi or radar.

Thousands of violations daily

“Every single day there are literally hundreds of illegal drone flights,” Mary-Lou Smulders, chief marketing officer and head of government affairs at Dedrone, told Cargo Facts.

Dedrone recorded 1.19 million illegal drone flights in 2024 within its network of more than fifty U.S. cities. So far in 2025, Dedrone has recorded 22,188 illegal drone flights, according to Dedrone’s Drone Violations Database.

However, having the technology to detect and mitigate illegal drones is not enough. Dedrone is working with the FAA and U.S. government to support enforcement of drone laws and restrictions.

“To detect those noncompliant drones and lack the authority to mitigate potentially dangerous drones, it’s a classic situation of the technology getting ahead of the legislation,” Smulders said.

“If one good thing comes out of the New Jersey incidents, it’s this awakening to the fact that there are thousands of violating drones every single day and our police lack the authority to detect them.”

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on counter-drone technology and priority as Smulders speaks with Cargo Facts Deputy Editor Yael Katzwer.

Chisholm Enterprises will proceed with its plans to grow its fleet of 737-800BCFs in 2025 after hitting several important milestones in 2024 with its two airlines, Bahrain-based Texel Air and New Zealand-based Texel Air Australasia.

While Texel Air Australasia obtained its AOC in 2023, Texel Air in September celebrated its 10th year of operations.

“We never set out to own an airline and we sort of got into it by default, but it’s been a fantastic journey, starting with very humble beginnings,” George Chisholm, chief executive of Chisholm Enterprises and executive director of Texel Air, says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

After removing its final 737-300F, the fleet stands at ten 737NG freighters, with three -800BCFs and two -700FCs at Texel Air and five -800BCFs at Texel Air Australasia. Two or three more aircraft will join the New Zealand fleet in 2025, Chisholm tells Cargo Facts.

Texel Air Australasia in October received extended diversion time operations (EDTO) approval for up to 120 minutes, which will help the carrier grow its operations for Australia-based Team Global Express and fly certain routes more efficiently, especially between Australia and New Zealand.

“We’ve kind of had to hold back our plans going trans-Tasman until we got the EDTO approval, which we’re happy to say we have now,” Chisholm says. “And now, once we get these few more aircraft into our fleet, we will start to fly that route pretty extensively, mostly between Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland and Christchurch, in a variety of route configurations.”

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on Texel Air as Chisholm speaks with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee.

RwandAir continues to see growing demand for dedicated freighter operations after taking delivery of its first 737-800SF two years ago.

\The 2007-vintage unit 35131 (ex-TUI Airways) joined the RwandAir fleet in November 2022 on lease from Merx Aviation, marking the airline’s entry into the freighter segment.

RwandAir has used the 737-800SF on routes within Africa as well as to the Middle East to complement its belly operations.

“We’re looking at ways to accommodate the demand that has been brought by the narrowbody services and also the widebody A330 passenger flights,” Jean Bosco Gakwaya, director of cargo at RwandAir, says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

The carrier launched an African cargo hub in May 2023 as part of a joint project with Qatar Airways Cargo. Given Rwanda’s landlocked nature and its location in Africa, RwandAir plans to develop its freighter operations to serve the continent and is looking at options to expand the fleet.

“The nature of the equipment that we would be bringing onboard could be an A321F or another 737-800F,” Gakwaya says. “That is something that definitely we’ll keep in our mind in the near future.”

Other African carriers have since stepped into the 737NG freighter segment, including EgyptAir, Serve Air, Kenya Airways and TAAG Angola Airlines.

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on RwandAir as Gakwaya speaks with Cargo Facts Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

Crestone Air Partners plans to continue enlarging its presence in the freighter and engine markets.

The Denver-based lessor has grown its portfolio to about $500 million in assets under management since becoming an independent subsidiary of Air T in July 2022. That portfolio includes freighter and passenger aircraft and engines as well as landing gear, Crestone Chief Executive Kevin Milligan says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

The lessor started its freighter activities by buying two 737 Classics in 2022, but Crestone now aims to make larger, “package type” transactions, Milligan says.

“In our earlier days, I think we were focused on smaller stuff generally just to get going and to build the track record and the portfolio,” he says. “And now we’re trying to look a little bit more toward scale and some efficiency with the platform.”

Crestone in late 2023 moved into 737NG freighters and bought three from GA Telesis with leases attached, but it still sees value in 737-400Fs.

“Granted, there are still a lot of parked aircraft and it’s going to take years for that to be reabsorbed into the system but, fundamentally, people need freighters and there’s a trend, I think, to more and more of that,” Milligan says. “So, we look for those types of value dynamics. We like the -800 still, at the right price.”

In October, Crestone added another freighter type to its portfolio by taking on the first of two A321Fs under management. That aircraft is an A321-200PCF on lease to Global Crossing Airlines.

“We’re looking for customers out in the market that might want to adopt the A321F,” Milligan says. “We think it offers a lot of capability. It hasn’t been widely adopted yet, though, and I think that’ll come in time.”

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more of Milligan’s conversation about Crestone with Cargo Facts Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

ATSG Chief Executive Mike Berger is looking forward to receiving the group’s first A330P2F even as demand for 767 freighters remains solid.

Over the past year, carriers in countries including Georgia and Uzbekistan have entered the medium-widebody market and grown using 767s from ATSG’s leasing arm, CAM.

“The thing that we’re very keenly aware of is how much capacity can be absorbed into this market,” Berger said in a fireside chat at Cargo Facts Symposium 2024 in San Diego last week. “And that’s something we have a very, very close eye on. And we see our competitors and some other lessors also leasing aircraft into the same markets. So, we’ll balance that out with how many more assets we think they can absorb.”

Meanwhile, ATSG sent its first A330 for conversion with EFW in late 2023 as part of its growth and transition into Airbus medium widebodies. The group expects to deliver its first two A330-300P2Fs on lease by the end of the year, with a couple more to follow in early 2025, Berger said.

“It’s our future,” he said. “Make no mistake about it.”

The group appointed Todd France as chief commercial officer in August. Most recently president of CAM, France reports to Jeff Dominick, who became ATSG president in June when Berger became CEO.

“They’re good thinkers; they’re going to challenge us, challenge me, challenge the others to evolve our business,” Berger said. “We really firmly believe that our business needs to continue to evolve. We can’t stand still. We won’t stand still, and these two guys, specifically, are new parts of the leadership that are going to help us get there.”

Tune in to this episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more from Berger’s fireside chat with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee at Cargo Facts Symposium 2024.

Prolonged strong demand from the passenger segment for narrowbody aircraft and engines is still creating a challenging freighter leasing market, especially on 737-800s, speakers on a panel agreed at Cargo Facts Symposium 2024 in San Diego last week.

The panel on freighter aircraft and engine leasing, moderated by Mylene Scholnick, senior manager and head of worldwide fleet and carriers at Amazon Global Air, discussed recent trends and developments in the segment, including market saturation and increasing costs. The panelists were:

• Dora Alexander, executive vice president of Hamden Aviation;
• Ryan Anderson, vice president of commercial in the Americas at Aero Capital Solutions;
• Maik Falkuss, director of sales in North America at MTU AENA; and
• David Ellis, SVP and global head of asset transactions at GA Telesis.

“Right now, there are probably over fifty 737 freighters for sale currently being actively marketed,” Alexander said. “So that gives a bit of a scope of what we’re talking about in terms of creating that downward pressure on lease pricing and people making different decisions on leasing out these engines.”

Some lessors have removed engines from both A321Fs and 737-800Fs immediately after conversion and leased out the engines separately for passenger use, the panel said.

“Lessors, depending on how they’re structured, have the ability to be patient,” Anderson said. “And let’s take the -800, for example. As long as lease rates are as high as they are for the [CFM56-7B], a lessor can afford to be potentially patient with that airframe in storage while those two engines are out creating value for customers and for lessor shareholders in the market.”

GA Telesis’ Ellis said that the industry has not yet seen 737NG freighters replacing 737 Classics in large numbers, while operators are deferring shop visits for their engines and turning to engine leasing instead.

“Couple that with a high volume of aircraft converted, the Classics staying in service longer — it’s sort of a perfect storm of the freighter values suffering while at the same time, engine values have gone up,” he said.

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more from the panel at Cargo Facts Symposium 2024.

Follow Cargo Facts’ coverage of Cargo Facts Symposium 2024 on our dedicated page.

TAAG Angola Airlines is keen to capitalize on the potential of the African market to grow its cargo business, having brought on an industry veteran and introduced its first 737NG freighter into operation less than a year ago.

TAAG took delivery of a 2003-vintage 737-800BCF (33552, ex-Ryanair) on lease from BBAM in September 2023, but had not yet put it into service when the carrier appointed David Ambridge as director of cargo and mail that November. Ambridge helped put the freighter to work soon after that and it now flies at least four times a week.

“That doesn’t sound a lot, but there are some obstacles that we’re overcoming,” Ambridge says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

“We’ve actually created what I like to call a niche market now for this aeroplane, and that’s really where I see TAAG Cargo,” he says. “I see us being a niche carrier. We’re not Ethiopian; we don’t want to be, and we never will be.”

Ethiopian Airlines is the largest freighter operator in Africa with ten 777Fs, three 767-300BDSFs and four 737-800Fs.

While TAAG hopes to expand its own freighter fleet, it will also need to overcome hurdles, many of which relate to regulatory issues, Ambridge says.

“That’s a really big obstacle that we need to start sitting down with customs and understanding why they do it and where they feel the threats are and then seeing if they’re open to accept information electronically rather than via paper,” he says.

“Then we can give them advance manifests and an advance notice, and they can do maybe a little bit more of their risk assessment before the flight so that we can try and get stuff moved around Africa quicker.”

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on TAAG as Ambridge speaks to Cargo Facts Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

Canadian regional carrier Pascan Aviation will soon become the first Saab 340B freighter operator in the country after recently entering the dedicated cargo segment.

Pascan began a fleet changeover to passenger Saab 340Bs during the pandemic and has carried cargo on its passenger flights since operations began in 1999. Only recently did it give serious consideration to the freighter market and ended up with a deal to fly a Saab 340B freighter for a customer, President and Chief Executive Julian Roberts told Cargo Facts.

Pascan leased the 1990-vintage unit 340B-219 from Jetstream Aviation Capital and has temporarily assigned Akron, Ohio-based Castle Aviation to fly the freighter on its behalf. The operation began in July.

“We’re waiting until the STC is approved here by our authorities at Transport Canada,” Roberts says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

“We expect that will be done within the coming month or two when we will import the aircraft onto our certificate and start operating it as a Canadian aircraft,” he says.

Pascan says there is underserved demand in more remote regions in Canada and expects to take on a second Saab 340BF from Jetstream by early 2025.

“There’s been a lot of people knocking at the door asking about different products and how we can move it back and forth, and a lot of that is revolving around seafood right now,” Roberts says. “They feel that the aircraft — its ability, range and the amount of weight that we can fly — that seems to be a good fit for a lot of people.”

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on Pascan as Roberts speaks to Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee.

Airship manufacturer Aeros plans to launch two multi-role airships to deliver large payloads globally while serving as aerial hubs for cargo drones.

The smaller of the two airships, the Aeroscraft ML866, can carry up to 66 tonnes of payload up to 3,100 miles, while the larger ML868 is expected to carry up to 250 tonnes over a range of 6,200 miles, Aeros Chief Executive and Chief Engineer Igor Pasternak says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect,” recorded at the 2024 FAA Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Symposium in July.

Aeros hopes to obtain FAA approval for the ML866 and ML868 in 2028 and 2034, respectively, Pasternak says.

Both hydrogen-powered airships can travel at a cruising speed of 120 mph and can hover to pick up or drop off cargo, he says.

“Imagine the airship is some kind of warehouse,” Pasternak tells “Cargo Facts Connect.” “It is certified and has a pilot. You can simply fly over downtown Los Angeles or Beverly Hills — you don’t have any restrictions.

“The drones are located in the airship, and the airship picks up the packages from a warehouse outside the city. It’s a large warehouse and in the city there’s no more land for warehousing. So, it can pick up the packages from the fulfillment center, flying fifteen to twenty miles and parking or hovering over the Pacific neighborhood — with drones just flying up and down delivering packages.”

The Aeroscraft airships will be able to move full cargo payloads with the speed of airfreight but cost less than ground delivery, Pasternak says.

Aeros began developing airships for commercial and military use in 1995 and has delivered its dirigibles to customers across the globe. The company received FAA certification for the Aeros 40B Sky Dragon airship model in 2000 and has received certifications for its airships in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Pasternak’s conversation with Cargo Facts Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada is progressing past the engineering phase for its bulk and large-cargo-door conversions for the Dash 8-400, and plans to certify the programs in 2025.

The two new products build on De Havilland’s Dash 8-400 Quick Change conversion, for which it recently obtained Transport Canada certification.

“We feel that there’s significant market potential in the regional space to connect Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities into main distribution hubs for cargo carriers,” Vice President of Sales and Marketing Ryan DeBrusk says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” recorded at the Farnborough International Airshow last month.

“We feel that the 400 is the right product with its speed and range capabilities and field-performance capabilities to allow carriers, whether it be traditional cargo carriers or non-traditional, to get into markets that they really economically could not do so today.”

De Havilland launched the three Dash 8-400 conversions at the Farnborough show in 2022. Since then, it has secured customers including Ethiopian Airlines, Peru-based ATSA Airlines, Kenya-based Advantage Air and United Arab Emirates-based Falcon Aviation.

“Without a doubt, the supply of aircraft is down from where it was,” DeBrusk said. “That said, I think there will be aircraft on a steady state over the coming years that are perfect for freight conversion, and so we’ll be looking to take advantage of that.”

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on De Havilland as DeBrusk speaks with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee.

AeroUnion in June started flying its first A330-300P2F as part of a fleet renewal and collaboration strategy between it and Avianca Cargo.

AeroUnion has based the 2006-vintage unit 791 (ex-SmartLynx) in Mexico City (NLU) for flights within Mexico and to Colombia and the United States, including some on an ACMI basis for the Colombia-based Avianca Cargo.

“We are really happy to welcome the new technology to our company because it’s a radical turnover to our numbers in terms of ability and capacity, and it’s also a big improvement in fuel consumption,” Chief Executive Danilo Correa says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

“We are expecting to reduce fuel consumption by about 30%, impacting positively our environmental footprint,” he says.

After beginning operations with the A330, AeroUnion retired its final A300-600F (642) at the end of June and has two 1987-vintage 767-200BDSFs left in its fleet.

Unit 791 is the first of two A330-300P2Fs Avianca Cargo will lease from CDB Aviation. The carrier also has two A330-200P2Fs on the way and intends to place more A330s on AeroUnion’s AOC.

Avianca Cargo’s own fleet consists of six production A330-200P2Fs.

“This is a milestone for the partnership because the old fleet is not as reliable, not as efficient and not as big,” Avianca Cargo Senior Vice President Diogo Elias says. “So, we are up-gauging, we are more reliable, and we have much more capacity.”

The two carriers plan to strengthen operations throughout Latin America using their hubs at NLU, Bogota (BOG) and Miami (MIA).

“This is a running business and we, of course, will find new opportunities to take advantage of,” Correa says.

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on AeroUnion and Avianca Cargo as Correa and Elias speak with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee.

ATSG is bullish about its growth strategy after a series of changes that culminated with Chief Executive Mike Berger’s appointment June 4.

As part of the leadership change, Jeffrey Dominick became ATSG’s president June 4 after more than seven years as a board member, bringing his Wall Street background to the role.

Dominick’s goal for 2024 is to help continue to position ATSG to evolve further, whether on the asset, customer or capital side, he told Cargo Facts during a visit this week to ATSG’s headquarters in Wilmington, Ohio (ILN).

“I’ve watched [the organization’s] growth evolve, and so in stepping into it right now, I’m excited for the opportunities when we move forward,” Dominick says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” 

“I think we all know how the company has grown with its different asset mix. It’s leasing as well as three airlines underneath. And as I step into it today, if I look at say, the rest of the year, we’re growing with our customers globally.”

ATSG’s leasing arm, CAM, is the largest freighter lessor and is headed by Todd France, who became president of CAM in April 2022 and was previously in other positions within the group.

CAM saw demand for its 767 freighters dip in 2023 and returns from some customers because of the softer market, but the lessor has also found new customers for its 767-300s, and demand for the -200s has “absolutely increased in the past twelve months,” France says.

“We’re placing multiple airplanes at multiple customers in multiple areas across the world,” France says. “So we continue to, in my mind, do a very good job at identifying that growth potential.”

Meanwhile, ATSG will soon place its first A330P2Fs and deliver more A321PCFs on lease, Dominick and France say.

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on ATSG and CAM as Dominick and France speak with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee at ILN.

Brazil added its second 737NG freighter operator this year when Modern Logistics began flying the type, even as some of the country’s other carriers take on more Classics.

Modern Logistics is undergoing a transformation to grow its presence in the logistics industry.

“Part of this investment plan was to bring new aircraft,” Chief Executive Cristiano Koga said during a fireside chat at Cargo Facts LATAM 2024 in Panama City this month. Excerpts of this conversation are included in today’s episode of the “Cargo Facts Connect” podcast.

“We are very confident that the aircraft that we have signed and are already operating in Brazil will help us achieve this long-term goal to be an integrated logistics provider with a time-definite product end to end,” Koga notes in the chat.

Modern has leased two 737-800BCFs from BBAM, with the 2004-vintage unit 33566 arriving in October 2023 and its 2003-vintage sibling (33550) arriving in February 2024. They join one 737-400F (25374) and one 737-300F (24219).

“The performance of [the -800s] from a payload perspective, from a cost-to-serve-per-unit perspective is amazing,” Koga said. “So, we’re very excited about the fleet. But again, it needs to serve the right industry, the right sector and the right routes. That’s why one of the pillars of our long-term strategy is network planning.”

Even though Modern has phased out a 737-400F and a 737-300F, it still sees a use for them in at least the next six to twelve months.

“The -300 makes sense for specific projects, like charters or even e-commerce, because it’s the cheapest aircraft,” Koga said. “So, we still have the Classics, we have the two NGs, and it’s proving to be a very good decision to apply [the Classics] to these kinds of projects and leave the NGs for the big routes and international expansion as well.”

Countries at the top of the list to see Modern’s 737-800BCFs include Argentina, Chile and Colombia, he added.

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” for the discussion with Koga.

Hamden Aviation is focusing on Latin America as it looks to grow its presence in the freighter segment. 

The Hamden, Conn.-based lessor began supporting the industry by providing CFM56-3C1 engines to cargo operators with 737 Classics. 

“It was just sort of an organic entry [into the freighter space] from the -3C1 market, then working with Classics, then having opportunities, primarily with a focus on emerging markets,” Executive Vice President Dora Alexander told Cargo Facts at Cargo Facts LATAM 2024 in Panama City this week. 

Hamden hopes to increase its market share in Latin America and capitalize on the region’s demand for 737 Classic freighters.

“We believe the appetite is there,” Angel Mora, financial analyst at Hamden, says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” “We’re talking about phasing into Classics and getting rid of the 727s, so there are still plenty of companies out there that are looking for Classics.” 

Additionally, the lessor plans to add the ATR 72-500F to its freighter portfolio and is evaluating Embraer’s new E190F and E195F conversions. 

“We think [the E-Jet platform] makes a lot of sense in terms of that replacement for the -300 and for that sector of the narrowbody,” Alexander says. “So, it really marries well with our relationships in emerging markets and our current lessee base as well as the international connections that we have.” 

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on Hamden Aviation as Alexander and Mora speak with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee in Panama City. 

Singapore Airlines is preparing for the arrival of its first A350F as it continues to manage the hurdles challenging the freighter market.

The airline will gradually retire its 747-400Fs as Airbus starts delivering its new large-widebody in 2026, but no estimate has been given for when the transition will be complete.

“It’s really a lot of work, and rightly so,” Singapore Airlines Senior Vice President of Cargo Marvin Tan said during a fireside chat at Cargo Facts Asia 2024 in Singapore last week. “I mean, we really have to go through all of our processes, our systems, our training, our preparedness, even staff engagement, with a fine-toothed comb.”

Listen to Tan on the latest episode of the “Cargo Facts Connect” podcast.

Singapore Airlines was the first 747-400F operator to commit to the A350F and has seven on firm order.

“From an operational perspective, I think two things. One is that, obviously, you lose the nose-loading capability; for us this is a fairly small segment of the cargo, so I think it’s manageable for us,” Tan says. “The other aspect, of course, is more just the loading configuration, because of the different contours of the aircraft, so some adjustment needed there.”

Geopolitical and economic issues as well as labor and supply chain challenges continue to affect the airfreight industry.

“All these factors come into play in terms of us figuring out how best to make use of the capacity that we have on hand, until, of course, the A350Fs come online,” Tan says.

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear an edited extract of the discussion with Tan.

Airbus is making steady progress in the industrialization phase of its new A350F program as components come together and test rigs take shape.

“We’re sorting through and finalizing the processes for assembly ready for next year, into final assembly and then first flight,” Airbus Head of Freighter Marketing Crawford Hamilton tells Cargo Facts in this week’s episode of the “Cargo Facts Connect” podcast. “In the meantime, we test and test and test because one of our big targets is to make sure that we have a mature aircraft at EIS.”

Airbus ended 2023 with firm orders for fifty A350Fs thanks to deals in December with Cathay Pacific for at least six and with Turkish Airlines for at least five.

The European planemaker added five A350Fs to its backlog in March after receiving an order from Taiwan-based Starlux Airlines.

“It shows what we’re doing is right and everything I’ve talked about is really coming to fruition and people are starting to see,” Hamilton said.

Airbus and its suppliers are preparing full-scale mockups of components, including the cargo-loading system and the cargo door. Production of the prototype’s fuselage began in 2023.

The first delivery and entry into service of the A350F will take place in 2026.

Tune in to this week’s “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more on Airbus freighters, and get a sneak peek at next week’s Cargo Facts Asia event in Singapore with Titan Aviation Leasing Chief Commercial Officer Eamonn Forbes and World Star Aviation Chief Marketing Officer Nuno Leal.

Dubai-based Emirates is due to start taking delivery of some of its five new 777Fs this year as part of a 2022 order with Boeing.

The carrier has returned four 777Fs to lessor DAE Capital over the past five years but also added two new units in May and June 2023, bringing its fleet back to eleven 777Fs.

Further growth is on the way, with Emirates planning to convert ten 777-300ERs with IAI.

Though 2023 may have been a lackluster year for freighter operators, Emirates is more optimistic about 2024.

“The year has started up very strongly; we’re seeing exceptionally high tonnages for this time of the year for traditional, past years, I would say,” Nadeem Sultan, senior vice president of freighters and cargo planning at Emirates, tells Cargo Facts in this week’s episode of the “Cargo Facts Connect” podcast, recorded at the IATA World Cargo Symposium 2024 in Hong Kong this month. “So, from that perspective, it looks like a promising year for airfreight overall. We think we probably should expect a growth from 1 to 2% overall in the airfreight market this year.”

Emirates’ expansion and development are twofold, involving more than the fleet.

“There’s a lot of aircraft capacity coming in — both passenger as well as freighter — over the coming couple of years,” Sultan said. “But equally, we’re looking at really investing into the future for our air cargo infrastructure in Dubai, in terms of a new air cargo terminal and expanding our current capabilities. And that’s something that’s going to be a key component as well of Emirates SkyCargo’s future growth strategy.”

Tune in to this week’s podcast to hear more on Emirates as Sultan speaks with Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee in Hong Kong.