freighters

Amazon, Hawaiian Airlines gear up for 2023 launch of Airbus freighters

A colorful Hawaiian Airlines jetliner flying above white clouds with a blue sky in the background.

Amazon will use Hawaiian Airlines to fly its first Airbus freighters on primary cargo routes and to Hawaii beginning in the second half of 2023, the airline’s top executive said late Friday.

The retail giant selected Hawaiian Airlines because of the carrier’s familiarity with the A330-300 aircraft, cargo handling experience, track record completing flights and on-time performance as a passenger airline, according to President and CEO Peter Ingram.

For Hawaiian, the outsourced transportation deal...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/amazon-hawaiian-airlines-gear-up-for-2023-launch-of-airbus-freighters

Lufthansa Cargo pilots to join strike on Friday

A white Lufthansa Cargo jet with a blue tail viewed from the rear as it rises in the sky.

A one-day strike scheduled for Friday by pilots at Lufthansa Airlines will also affect the company’s freighter subsidiary and inconvenience businesses with goods scheduled for carriage. The more serious threat for shippers and Lufthansa Cargo is future labor action of longer duration that could disrupt supply chains, logistics experts say.

The German-flag carrier said it has canceled 800 flights at its Frankfurt and Munich hubs for Friday, and a handful of flights on Thursday, after the pilots’...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/lufthansa-cargo-pilots-to-join-strike-on-friday

Will lessors repossess Volga-Dnepr freighters stranded in Russia?

A close up view of a blue-white AirBridgeCargo jumbo jet with wheels down on approach to airport.

A new ruling by Bermuda’s Civil Aviation Authority may increase slim odds that all-cargo airline Volga-Dnepr Group can return to leasing companies Boeing aircraft grounded by Western sanctions on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine. 

The carrier is desperately trying to survive, after losing most of its international business, and not burn bridges with partners needed for any postwar comeback. 

Repatriation is far from certain because the Russian government has blocked foreign-owned aircraft from...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/will-lessors-repossess-volga-dnepr-freighters-stranded-in-russia

Logistics provider Flexport orders self-flying cargo jets

Rendering of a space-age cargo jet in the clouds.

Third-party logistics provider Flexport, flush with fresh investor funding, has tentatively ordered two large autonomous cargo jets with a 100-ton payload from startup aircraft manufacturer Natilus, part of a strategic effort to enhance customer service by directly controlling more transport capacity.

San Diego-based Natilus on Wednesday announced $6 billion in advance purchase commitments of more than 440 aircraft from Flexport plus Kenyan all-cargo airline Astral Aviation; Volatus Aerospace, a...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/logistics-provider-flexport-orders-self-flying-cargo-jets

FreightWaves Classics/Fallen Flags: Luckenbach Steamship Company was successful for nearly 125 years

The Edgar F. Luckenbach. (Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command)

The Luckenbach Steamship Company was a long-lived and successful U.S. shipping company. It survived two world wars, but did not survive the industry’s change to container ships…

The company was founded by Lewis Luckenbach in 1850, who began with a single tugboat in New York Harbor. Luckenbach found success by pioneering tug-and-barge transport of coal from Norfolk, Virginia. Norfolk was the primary port used to ship coal from the fields and mines of Virginia and West Virginia to cities and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-classicsfallen-flags-luckenbach-steamship-company-was-successful-for-nearly-125-years

DHL locks in freighter capacity with ATSG lease extension

A large white cargo jet with ABX Air lettering rolls down runway.

DHL Express has renewed its aircraft operating lease with Air Transport Services Group for six years and added two all-cargo jets for the contractor to fly on its behalf.   

ATSG (NASDAQ: ATSG) said Tuesday it has signed a lease extension with the express carrier’s in-house airline for five Boeing 767-300 aircraft through April 2028, as well as a separate contract under which subsidiary ABX Air will provide crew, maintenance and insurance (CMI) to operate the aircraft. 

DHL also expanded its CMI...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dhl-locks-in-freighter-capacity-with-atsg-lease-extension

Superhot airfreight market leaves shippers in the cold

A Cargolux 747 cargo plane on the tarmac on a bright day with an empty pallet in the foreground.

Importers and exporters should brace for the pandemonium roiling the ocean freight sector — where container shipping delays and prices are at all-time highs — to wash over the air cargo market this month.

Full planes and skyrocketing freight rates are signs the market has tightened to the point that shippers will be hard-pressed to find air transport for their goods as holiday-season shipping enters the stretch run, according to market analysts and logistics specialists. 

Welcome to the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/superhot-airfreight-market-leaves-shippers-in-the-cold

Report: Amazon Air puts 70% of US population within next-day reach

An Amazon Air jet takes off.

An expanded route network, more sophisticated scheduling through hub airports and greater use of partner airlines to supplement its fleet have significantly enhanced Amazon Air’s ability to conduct overnight deliveries, according to new research from DePaul University.

During the past six months, Amazon’s private airline has plugged critical gaps in its network and increased flight activity to position itself for what is expected to be an enormous holiday season for online shopping in 2021. It...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/report-amazon-air-puts-70-of-us-population-within-next-day-reach

Shanghai airport facility in COVID lockdown, cargo backlog expected

Planes parked at Shanghai Airport in a row.

Multiple logistics companies are reporting that authorities have suspended operations in a major warehouse at Shanghai Pudong International Airport because of a COVID outbreak, putting a halt to most freighter activity at China’s largest cargo airport. 

The timing of the closure throws another wrench in supply chains already stretched thin by ocean and airfreight capacity shortages and extensive shipping delays as the peak export season kicks into high gear for the holidays. All-cargo carriers...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/shanghai-airport-facility-in-covid-lockdown-cargo-backlog-expected

Cargo airlines cancel hundreds of China flights amid COVID outbreak

China Airlines jet takes off.

Chinese restrictions to control a spike in COVID infections have severely curtailed cargo operations at several airports and reduced crew availability, forcing airlines to cancel hundreds of flights as the peak shipping season kicks into high gear in a sector already struggling to keep up with high demand.

Logistics professionals say the growing scarcity of long-haul aircraft could push freight rates near $20 per kilogram on certain trade lanes within a few weeks, making air transport five or...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cargo-airlines-cancel-hundreds-of-china-flights-amid-covid-outbreak

+ More
Join Our Newsletter
Enter your email to receive a weekly round-up of shipping news.
icon
By subscribing, you agree with our privacy policy and our terms of service.