Aeroflot reaches 90 JAL reports July growth


NEWSWEEK WORLDNEWS


LUG AIRCARGO handling has added Czech Airlines to its list of clients. As of the beginning of September, LUG started handling duties for the Czech carrier’s operations at Franz Josef Strauss airport, Munich (Germany). As well as handling for Czech Airlines’ passenger services, LUG will also be the handler for the carrier’s road feeder traffic. Included in this will be cargo transported by the carrier’s interline partner, Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways.


JAPAN AIRLINES (JAL) has recorded growth of 7.8 per cent in its international cargo traffic for July. The result comes on the back of a positive first quarter for JAL’s cargo busi- ness, in which growth of 3.4 per cent was recorded for the three months to July.


R


ussian carrier, Aeroflot, recently dumped its freighter fleet. The move comes during heightened industry spec- ulation as to the relevance of full-freighter services in a world where ocean freight is expected to blossom – yet it is actually contracting compared to airfreight. On the back of dumping its cargo-only fleet, Aeroflot has con- tinued to grow its overall fleet alongside a 20 per cent per annum passenger increase. “Modern aircraft types allow much larger volumes of cargo to be carried on the lower deck,” says Aeroflot’s cargo sales man- ager, Martin Machat. “Terminating Aeroflot’s car-


go-only aircraft operations was a logical step with a clear eco- nomic objective – to maximise existing capacity and to fur- ther improve economic results. The vast majority of shipments can be boarded on our narrow and wide-body airliners,” he continues. As one of Europe’s oldest car- riers – this year it celebrates its 90th birthday – Aeroflot has proved resilient to the fluctu- ating markets it would have experienced in that time, and it is constantly developing. “A new destination is added to the network nearly every two months,” says Machat. “At present our fleet is comprised of 138 aircraft, mostly Boeing


MACHAT


A new destination is added nearly every two months


and Airbus, and it is one of the youngest fleets in Europe. Our aver- age aircraft age is between five to six years,.” One destination that has proved particularly popular for Aero- flot has been its London Heathrow to Moscow route. “This service is in high demand and at present we offer more than 20 departures per week with a daily wide-body service,” says Machat. Other regions that are offering Aeroflot strong cargo business include Sochi, the site of next year’s Winter Olympics. Outside of Russia, business is rising in the CIS regions with Bishek, Yerevan and Baku all recording high demand, while Mongolia’s capital, Ulan Bator, is also seeing growth. “From the global perspective, there have been very close ties


between Russia and the Far East and these routes see the highest volumes,” adds Machat. Primarily, explains Machat, the goods carried by Aeroflot’s cargo


team are mining and engineering machinery, automotive products, pharmaceuticals, foodstuff, and consumer and luxury goods. “We have seen a large portion of perishables thanks to the excel-


lent facilities at [Moscow] Sheremetyevo Airport. As well as this, the SkyTeam Cargo express product is to be rolled out across Aer- oflot’s network soon and this too will open new opportunities,” he says. Reflecting on the recent past, Machat notes that Aeroflot has no plans as of yet to reintroduce a full-freighter service. “Currently, we are witnessing an impressive growth, both in


turnover and revenue. For example, according to the latest sur- veys, Aeroflot is in the Top 5 European largest airline groups with revenue of $8,138 billion earned in 2012,” says Machat.


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While the International cargo market saw strong growth, the Japanese domestic market fared less positively, re- porting growth of just one per cent for July. For the four months to July, in both International and domestic markets, reported growth of 4.5 per cent and one per cent respectively.


UNITED Airlines’ flight simulator technicians have voted to be represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters trade union. The Airline’s 98 simulator tech- nicians include former Continental Airlines employees from before the 2010 merger. Located in Houston, they were represented by the Transport Workers Union. United’s Denver based technicians were with the Team- sters. Founded in 1903 the Teamsters represent more than 1.4 million workers.


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