NEWSWEEK WORLDNEWS


IAG CARGO has announced in- creased capacity for its Hyderabad, India, route. It will operate an addi- tional weekly passenger flight, on a Boeing 767, to the manufacturing centre. The city is the largest contrib- utor to India’s GDP, notably from its well-established pharmaceuticals and electronic industries. Exports of the former top $3.1 billion a year.


BOEING’S proposed fix for its 787 Dreamliner fleet’s troublesome lithi- um-ion battery has been approved by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA). Test flights by two aircraft using the change in the batteries have also been authorised by the FAA. All 50 of the world’s Dreamliner fleet have been grounded since January.


Saudia Cargo ups service to West Africa S


audia Cargo has inked a deal with UAE-based freight forwarder Fast Forward Cargo that raises the car- rier’s frequencies between Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum Interna-


tional Airport and West Africa. Under the new contract, the companies


will operate 175 combined Boeing 747 flights between the two. Flights will connect with Lagos, Nigeria, and N’Djamena, Chad, via Saudi Cargo’s hubs at Jeddah-King Abdulaziz and Riyadh-King Khalid International Airports. Peter Scholten, vice president of commercial at Saudia Cargo, credits the contract with the carrier’s strengthening share of the growing UAE-to-Africa trade lane, something he hopes will only continue. The freight carrier upped the number of


flights to N’Djamena last May, after launching a service in June 2011. At the time, officials for Saudia Cargo singled out Africa as a key region


of focus, saying that flights to Chad highlight the carrier’s growth trajectory on the continent. However, Saudia Cargo has stiff competition,


with other Middle Eastern carriers also eying the African market. Last November, Etihad Cargo recommenced


weekly freight services from its Abu Dhabi International Airport hub to Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport. The 747- 400F route, which operates every Thursday, offers 124 tonnes of freight capacity to the


Nigerian city, known for its oil and gas exports. Etihad Cargo officials say the route is comple- mented by the addition of 16 new interline destinations that link Lagos with Accra, Ghana; Douala, Cameroon; Monrovia, Liberia and more. Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ chief strategy and planning officer, says the interline connec- tions greatly expand Etihad Cargo’s reach. He also reiterates the significance of West Africa, calling it a “hugely important market for us”.


ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES


KUEHNE + NAGEL INTERNATIONAL CEO Reinhard Lange will step down as of 7 May. Lange cited health concerns as the cause of his impending departure, but stat- ed that he will continue to serve the company in a consultancy role until his contract terminates at the end of the year.


CHINA AIRLINES has appointed company president Huang-Hsiang Sun as its new chairman. The decision was made by the board of directors. Sun joined the compa- ny in 1970, becoming president in 2008. He will continue to serve in this role until a successor is appointed.


AIR CHARTER SERVICE has appointed Azat Mulgimov general director for its Moscow office. Previously, Mulgimov was the commercial director for Russian-based cargo charter airline Aviacon Zitotrans, a position he’d held for five years.


ORDERS AND DELIVERIES


ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES has placed orders for four Boeing 777 freighters as part of its Vision 2025 expansion programme. The carrier, which currently operates two 757-200Fs, two 777Fs and one MD-11F, plans to increase the size of its fleet to 15 dedicated freighters over the course of the next 12 years.


QATAR AIRWAYS has announced the deployment of its new Airbus 330-200 freight- er. The freighter provides Qatar with an additional capacity of 23 tons per flight. It also has the ability to handle odd-sized cargo.


AIRSTREAM AVIATION, the Nigeria-based consultancy company, has wet-leased a 737-400F from Slovenian cargo operator Solinair. The aircraft, which has been decked out in the Airstream Aviation livery, will be utilised for ad-hoc charter flights.


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ACW 18 MARCH 2013


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