Cargo Facts Connect

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 SA...

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 SmartLy...

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 q...

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 Co...

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’...

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 Axo...

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 sor...

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 c...

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...

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 mark...

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 G...

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...

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 end...

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 Past...

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...

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 tech...

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 furthe...

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...

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 f...

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 Pres...

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” podc...

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. Thoug...

ST Engineering last week took redelivery of the first EFW A321-200P2F conversion to be carried out at the Haite Tianjin facility. Freighter conversions are not new to Haite Tianjin, but the company plans to increase its activity in the segment. “This business is a very strategic decision because we need to have a mixture of work and the type of work is important to us,” General Manager Ivan Chin t...

The United States will soon get a new freighter operator when Miami-based 7Air Cargo gains certification. The startup airline has agreed to lease two 2006-vintage 737-800SFs from Aircastle as its first freighters. The first of those (34799, ex-SpiceJet) finished receiving its new paint job in Goodyear, Ariz., (GYR) this week. 7Air Cargo expects to start flying proving runs in March and hopes to ob...

Beatrice Peters and David Thimm, vice presidents of new business at Backbone Freighter Leasing, part of the Dr. Peters Group, joined Cargo Facts Editor Jeff Lee live from Cargo Facts EMEA 2024 in Amsterdam earlier this week.   Germany-based Backbone Freighter Leasing is the launch customer of the Kansas Modification Center 777-300ERCF conversion program , with a firm order for three slots and opti...