AviationGeeks.com - News

Boeing has delivered a 747-8 Freighter to Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways, making it the second freight operator worldwide to take delivery of Boeing's newest freighter. With this new addition to its fleet, Cathay Pacific also becomes the first carrier in Asia Pacific to operate the 747-8. 

Boeing and Cargolux Airlines shared another milestone in the history of the iconic 747, as the airline took delivery of the first Boeing 747-8 Freighter today. Following delivery at the Boeing Delivery Center at the company's Everett site, the airplane departed for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where the new freighter will receive its first cargo load, destined for Cargolux headquarters in Luxembourg.

Cargolux announced today that the Company has reached a tentative agreement with Boeing over contractual issues in respect of the delivery of the first two Boeing 747-8 Freighters initially scheduled for 19 and 21 September.

Avianca, part of the airline group AviancaTaca Holdings, has signed a firm order for four Airbus A330-200 Freighter aircraft. The new aircraft will be operated by Avianca’s cargo subsidiary Tampa. Avianca will announce its engine choice at a later date.

Cargolux announced that its Board of Directors took the decision to reject the first two Boeing 747-8 Freighters that were scheduled for delivery to Cargolux on 19 and 21 September 2011 due to unresolved contractual issues between Boeing and Cargolux in respect of the aircraft.

Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates Airline, has taken delivery of its third Boeing 777 Freighter, the most modern, technologically advanced large freighter available.  It joins Emirates’ expanding fleet of Boeing 777s, serving an ever-growing demand from a global cargo market. 

Etihad Crystal Cargo today announced that it has taken delivery of its first Boeing 777 Freighter. Etihad Crystal Cargo is the fast growing cargo division of Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates.

Japan Airlines (JAL) and American Airlines (American) have embarked on a closer cooperation aimed at strengthening international cargo operations for the two airlines. Their agreement, concluded in April this year, provides cargo customers with more routing choices, new destinations, and increased cargo capacity by more effectively utilizing the combined worldwide network of both airlines, covering some 300 distinct destinations worldwide, while maximizing the value of their combined routes between Asia, the United States, and Latin America.

Qatar Airways today announced it had entered into a strategic equity and commercial partnership with Cargolux to acquire a 35 per cent stake in Europe’s leading cargo airline.

Airbus, EADS EFW and their Russian partners, United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and IRKUT, have jointly decided to stop the A320/A321 Passenger to Freighter (P2F) conversion development programme for economic reasons and, therefore, to launch the necessary legal procedures for the termination of the joint venture “Airbus Freighter Conversion GmbH (AFC)”.

Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Lufthansa Cargo have finalized an order for five Boeing 777 Freighters. The order is valued at $1.35 billion, based on Boeing list prices. The airplanes will help Lufthansa Cargo in its initiative to modernize and expand its fleet. Lufthansa Cargo previously indicated its intention to order the freighters in March 2011.

Aeroflot Russian Airlines has completed preparations for joining the global airline alliance SkyTeam Cargo. The announcement was made today by Oleg Korolev, Cargo Director, during a joining ceremony which was held at the Air Cargo Europe in Munich, Germany. Aeroflot is the ninth airline to join the global air cargo alliance.

Following the merger of British Airways and Iberia, the airlines’ cargo operations will be run as a single business unit reporting into International Airlines Group (IAG), the holding company created by the merger.  Both cargo operations will retain their current brands.

Airbus is intending to restrict the freedom of customers to convert from the baseline A320 to the A320neo.

Boeing confirms it is leasing a 747-400BCF to Cargolux to cover a capacity shortfall caused by the extended delay to the delivery of the first 747-8F.

Closer cooperation between governments and industry, as well as intelligence-based risk assessment, are key cornerstones of future cargo security initiatives, said speakers at the International Air Transport Association’s Avsec World 2010 conference in Frankfurt yesterday.

The Airbus A380 may need to be able to carry more cargo if it is to become a viable option for a future Cathay Pacific Airways large-sized aircraft order.