AIR France-KLM will redeploy Boeing 747-400 freighter aircraft from Latin America to support the September launch of service between Amsterdam and Hong Kong in response to high shipping demand from e-commerce retailers, reports New York's FreightWaves.
The new service is scheduled to begin on September 19 and be operated by subsidiary Martinair Cargo with a stopover in Dubai, a major crossroad for international trade. It will mark the first time in nine years KLM/Martinair all-cargo aircraft have operated to Hong Kong on a regular basis.
Martinair will initially operate flights three times per week, increasing to four times per week with the start of the winter schedule on October 27. The Boeing 747-400 freighters have a maximum payload of 120 tons.
Netherlands-based Martinair operates four Boeing 747-400s, including three that belong to KLM.
The freighter route to Hong Kong will significantly boost air France-KLM's capacity in the key Asia market. Air France currently operates from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport to Beijing and Mumbai, multiple times per week with two Boeing 777-200 cargo jets. The sister airlines also have numerous widebody passenger aircraft that carry large amounts of cargo in the lower deck.
Air France-KLM said it will suspend several Latin American freighter routes to free up aircraft for the Hong Kong-Dubai service. Destinations that will be cut in September are Campinas, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; Lima, Peru; Quito, Ecuador; and Guatemala City, said spokesman Gerard Roelfzema.
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The new service is scheduled to begin on September 19 and be operated by subsidiary Martinair Cargo with a stopover in Dubai, a major crossroad for international trade. It will mark the first time in nine years KLM/Martinair all-cargo aircraft have operated to Hong Kong on a regular basis.
Martinair will initially operate flights three times per week, increasing to four times per week with the start of the winter schedule on October 27. The Boeing 747-400 freighters have a maximum payload of 120 tons.
Netherlands-based Martinair operates four Boeing 747-400s, including three that belong to KLM.
The freighter route to Hong Kong will significantly boost air France-KLM's capacity in the key Asia market. Air France currently operates from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport to Beijing and Mumbai, multiple times per week with two Boeing 777-200 cargo jets. The sister airlines also have numerous widebody passenger aircraft that carry large amounts of cargo in the lower deck.
Air France-KLM said it will suspend several Latin American freighter routes to free up aircraft for the Hong Kong-Dubai service. Destinations that will be cut in September are Campinas, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; Lima, Peru; Quito, Ecuador; and Guatemala City, said spokesman Gerard Roelfzema.
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