30 >> 29 747 in its


Issue 5 2020 - Freight Business Journal


on the cost of feedstock for


the freighter converters. As noted above, the freighter


various


forms remains an important component of the larger freighter market. A few parked examples have even been reactivated during the


although how long this demand


is likely to last once the crisis is over remains to be seen. Even the ageing MD11F, a type


that had been expected to be fully retired during 2020, has had a temporary reprieve thanks to the Covid crisis. There is also brisk demand for


Covid-19 crisis,


777-200Fs and indeed, the 777F is in fact perhaps the aircraſt of choice for any aspiring freighter


operator, says IBA: “It’s in a very comfortable position. It’s twin- engined, so it’s fuel efficient and has the latest engines.” And while it is a relatively young aircraſt, the question needs to be asked: what is going to replace it, when its time comes. There are no equivalent planes currently on the market. Another interesting aircraſt at


Bums on seats are key to airfreight recovery


Passengers hold the key to increasing air cargo capacity and they may only start returning in significant numbers from 2022, warns Andre van Linden,


air product manager


Europe at forwarder, CH Robinson. He says that, with the virtual


shutdown of passenger airline services aſter the Covid-19 crisis broke in late March, “almost overnight, available aircraſt bellyhold space was down by an estimated 75%. When the


overwhelming majority of UK cargo is moved in the bellyhold of passenger flights and with airfreight representing about half of the UK’s non-EU exports, many supply chain teams were hit with a double whammy. As capacity nosedives, prices soar, leaving manufacturers and retailers with an unenviable choice; if they are savvy – or lucky – enough to find space for their goods on an air freighter or reassigned passenger jet, our observations suggest they may


end-up paying ten times higher the price than before Covid-19.” The question is, how long will this scenario continue and what lasting impact there could be on the airfreight sector? No one knows know how long restrictions, such as quarantine, will continue, nor how comfortable people will feel about traveling again once measures are relaxed. Linden adds: “The impacts of


this reduction in capacity have a regional economic influence in


///FREIGHTER AIRCRAFT


the larger end of the spectrum is the huge, twin deck Airbus A380. Only passenger (with limited freight bellyhold) versions currently exist, although FedEx was at one time interested in a full-freighter version and even began planning suitable hubs to handle it. Production of the passenger A380 has now ceased, as it did not sell to the world’s


the UK. In the North West, some £14.9 billion of economic activity was previously dependent on airfreight – more than 30% higher than in the South East. With a region so economically exposed to the double whammy of low capacity and high prices, manufacturers may have to consider different options in the medium-term other than their goods taking to the air. More widely, although the impact of external factors on air cargo is now being shaped by Covid-19, there were already concerns around regulatory changes fuelled by Brexit and infrastructure capacity for cargo operations in south-east Asia.” Of


course, when society


belly traffic is expected to increase, however. The


Netherlands aviation


The Corona crisis has sparked a search for alternatives to traditional means of


transport,


including a move from bellyhold capacity in passenger aircraſt to full freighter aircraſt, said Remco Buurman, managing director, Holland International Distribution Council. He told an online seminar organised by Amsterdam Schiphol


Airport on 4 June that, according to a survey of shippers in the Netherlands by the Council, there had been a shiſt to specialised freighter carriers during the crisis, as well as to alternative airports such as Liege and Leipzig. Longer term, he expected


full freighters to take market share from bellyhold freight


Chapman Freeborn acquires Arcus Air


Chapman Freeborn has signed an agreement to acquire Arcus Air Logistics and Arcus Air OBC from the Arcus Air Group. Offering ad- hoc air cargo charter and on board courier services primarily to the automotive industry, Arcus Air Logistics operates cargo charter


services with its own fleet of two Dornier 228-212 planes, and a variety of additional aircraſt. It has offices in Germany, Spain and Slovakia. It will trade under its current name with Francisco Mühlens continuing to act as managing director.


and that some supply chains would continue to use the more specialised


gateways. Shippers


would demand more flexibility, with the ability to scale up or scale down capacity in the future, he said. Freighters will continue to


be vital for air cargo at Schiphol in the recovery and they have helped meet some of the capacity shortage that was brought about by the lack of belly capacity, a spokesman for Schiphol airport authority told the seminar. It added that there has been a gradual increase each week in the number of passenger flights being flown so


authorities have suspended a rule that limited the number of freighter flights that could be operated for the rest of the summer season, so Schiphol has the flexibility to operate freighters as needed, within its capacity, it added. In the recovery stage, when


things slowly return to normal and post-Covid, whenever that is, there will be a discussion again over freighter slots and capacity. Freighters will continue to be an integral part of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’ s aviation strategy, said the authority. In May,


the latest reporting


figures, the number of cargo-only flights during the month rose by 1,318 (+107.6%) compared to the same month last year, to reach a total of 2,543.


Rattling the rooſtops


A Volga-Dnepr IL76 freighter flew intensive care units into Princess Juliana International Airport


during the


crisis. Mobile


smaller island of St Eustatius. In addition to the mobile


corona hospital


manufacturer Hospitainer charted four charter flights two ICU units to the St Maarten medical centre along with six on-carried by barge to the


hospitals, Volga-Dnepr Airlines also transported equipment for diagnostics, together with ventilator machines, medicine and essential PPE equipment. Humanitarian director


for the Volga-Dnepr Group, Stuart Smith, who helped to coordinate the project, said:


“Due to our diverse aircraft, our group is able to offer support to organisations and companies who need to fly urgent containerised and pre- fabricated health systems. Our


unparalleled fleet combined with the can-do attitude of our load-planning team, means that we are often asked to assist with missions which would otherwise be impossible.”


airlines in the numbers that Airbus hoped for. With the massive downturn


in world airline passenger traffic, the global A380 fleet is now largely standing idle and thoughts have turned to giving it some sort of freight role. It could of course operate as a ‘temporary freighter’, carrying cargo in its bellyhold or on the seats, though


hits the ‘evolved normal’, air cargo underpinned by stronger bellyhold capacity will still play its part in the multi- modal mix, he says: “We are already talking regularly with air carriers and capacity to the US and Asia is starting to open up. But as manufacturers and retailers explore and take up options across alternative modes of transport, could the embedding of road, sea and rail in temporary supply chains become permanent?” Alternative modes are


becoming more attractive in terms of efficiency and cost. For example, big data is guiding transport collaboration between manufacturers to


it is unlikely to be a very efficient machine in this mode, given its relatively small bellyhold. Might a low-cost freighter version be feasible, one without a large cargo door cut into the bellyhold and freight simply elevated through the bellyhold doors to the upper deck (something that has also been suggested for the Airbus A340)?


reduce the number of miles where hauliers are driving empty and sharing the financial dividends. The capacity of the shipping industry is changing due to more large vessels, resulting in greater choice and lower rates. Linden concludes: “Although


the ‘evolved normal’ is unlikely to be defined for some time, logistics technology companies have a fundamental role to play in analysing data, processing the capabilities of new supply chain innovations and understanding what requirements manufacturers and retailers will have as they rebalance


their freight transportation methods.”


Luſthansa steps up Shenzhen flights


Luſthansa Cargo was offering up to 14 additional cargo flights a week from Shenzhen to Frankfurt during May to cope with heavy covid-19-related demand. The first aircraſt, an Airbus A330-300 took off from Shenzhen on 18 May loaded with about 3 million masks and other medical protective equipment on behalf of logistics company


Fiege. Luſthansa removed cabin equipment from ten A330-300s to accommodate more cargo. All 17


Luſthansa Cargo


freighters were in continuous operation, with 16 flights a week to and from and mainland China alone, operated with Boeing 777F wide-body freighters with a standard load capacity of around 103 tonnes.


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