May 2011

Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM Group and Alitalia have announced a 7-percent to 9-percent reduction in flights between Europe and the United States and Canada from 2010. Taking effect this fall, this reduction comes on the heels of numerous economical challenges, such as rising fuel prices and reduced seasonal demand.

In its first quarter results, Air Lease Corp. laid out a plan to boost its fleet to 100 planes by the end of the year. As of May 16, the leasing company boasted 56 craft, which includes a first-quarter addition of nine planes. During the next three quarters, the company is hoping to add 44 more vehicles. The company's fleet is currently composed primarily of B737-800s and Airbus A320-200s.

The Irish Exporters Association (IEA) has stated that the recent visits of HM Queen Elizabeth, UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs William Hague to Ireland will positively affect the country’s exportation of goods and services. The IEA is also developing a new strategy to offset its declining exportation rates in Poland.

To many, the eruption of Iceland’s Grimsvötn volcano on May 21 brought back memories of 2010’s Eyjafjallajokull crisis, resulting in the six-day closure of European airspace and a loss of more than $1.7 billion. By Friday, it seemed clear that this most recent incident would have far fewer negative implications than last year’s disaster, but criticism of how the situation was handled is bubbling over. 

In addition to projecting that Latin America will emerge as an aviation hotspot in the coming decades, Boeing has singled out Brazil as a key nation contributing to its growth. But it’s Brazil’s presence in the airfreight market that really has one Boeing executive talking.

Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) reported a 12.1 percent year-over-year increase in flight movements in April and an 8.5 percent boost in passenger trips, but cargo tonnage at the airport fell 6.5 percent year-over-year. HKIA only handled 330,000 tonnes of cargo in April. 

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) recently released its 2010 National Cargo Theft report, which recognized that 747 cargo thefts occurred in the United States last year. Resulting in an annual loss of approximately $171 million, these incidents can occur anytime freight is in transit, regardless of shipment mode, the NICB said.

UPS will launch services from Hong Kong to Guam using B747-400 freighters in June. The new services come as the integrator is marking the one-year anniversary of its Schenzhen air hub. Since UPS opened the $180 million hub in May 2010, the company has improved transit times and lengthened cut-off times on more than 100 intra-Asian trade lanes, including routes between Asia and South Korea and India.

Denmark’s Billund Airport, already known for its strong presence in the airfreight industry, has decided to increase its cargo capacity even more. Currently in the planning stages, Billund will begin construction on the expanded cargo facility in September.