keynote feature


this year having been less successful than anticipated. He commented: “We were very hopeful for 2011,


but at present we have still not matched the cargo volumes that we expected to see. I think the worldwide (economic) crisis is the most important factor.” Planet hopes to see its US business grow more


next year, its current activity on that sector being encouraging. The forwarder has been shipping motorsports


tyres to the country for five years now and also offers weekly full container load and less than container load services on the sector. Elsewhere, Planet has been importing medicines


from England for distribution throughout Turkey since last year.


capacity for 4,500 pallets in the second part of 2011 and we have made another investment for a 9,000m2


warehouse that will be


completed in 2013.” Although a further global economic crisis is


expected, the air freight market is very lively and is progressing, Kantek pointed out – but she was very keen to add that it is nonetheless of great importance to the business to follow fluctuations and developments of the euro, US dollar and Turkish lira currencies closely. “Our world is getting into a new era, that may


have new political conflicts that affect the global economy more than ever,” Kantek said, “And by trying to be optimistic, Turkey is becoming a project hub for North Africa, the Middle East, the CIS and even for the Balkan countries,” she concluded. Aziz Sam is general manager of another Istanbul-


based freight forwarder, Planet International Transport. He is looking forward to 2012 in spite of


Key to a successful freight forwarding business these days is the


ability to be competitive in terms of pricing, Sam observed. “The Turkish market is hard; to keep customers happy you need really competitive rates. We always try to get good rates from the airlines which we can apply to our customers.”


Sam: “we have still not matched the cargo volumes that we expected to see”


HANDLING GROWTH Murat Bas, director global cargo operations at Turkish handler Celebi Holding Aviation, outlines: “Celebi aims to expand its borders and customer portfolio with new additions for the purpose of delivering high-quality services to achieve the maximum customer satisfaction. “We plan to continue with its international


breakthroughs and start offering ground handling and cargo and warehouse services at new destinations in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Russia with the strategy to provide the most efficient services on a larger scale.”


Pegasus Cargo spreads its wings across a growing network


Turkish low-cost carrier Pegasus Airlines, which can always find space beneath the feet of its passengers to slip in a couple of cargo-carrying ULDs, continues its dynamic growth story, as it adds new destinations in Turkey and far beyond. Cargo director Aydin Alpa


explains: “We carry cargo on all of our flights, domestic and international. We are one of the few low-cost model airlines to carry freight on domestic and international flights.” Offering 220 daily flights – 144 each day to domestic


destinations, 76 to cities abroad – the Pegasus Cargo network covers a total of 50 destinations in 23 countries from the airline’s centrally-located Istanbul hub.


14 AIR LOGISTICS CHINA The carrier operates a


growing fleet of 39 aircraft and by the end of this year, Alpa expects to have carried 5 million kilos of freight. In fact: “We expect 2011 cargo revenue will pass the combined total freight revenue of the past four years,” he said. Pegasus launched its second


route to Ukraine on 6 September, with a B737-800 now flying three times a week


between its main hub at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen International airport to Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. The carrier also inaugurated three times a week flights to its


30th international destination, Pristina, in Kosovo, on 17 October this year.


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