After Malaysia Airlines' (MAS) recent announcement that it would discontinue its passenger flights to Frankfurt effective May 29, the airline's cargo arm, MASKargo, has also decided to stop its three times a week cargo flights to Frankfurt.
MASKargo, which plans to stop its freighter flights to Frankfurt from May 31, also operates three flights to Amsterdam.
With the cancellation of the Frankfurt flights, the cargo carrier plans to add two freighter flights to Amsterdam, thus increasing the total number of cargo flights a week to Amsterdam to five from May 31.
"MAS operates a daily passenger flight to Amsterdam which also carries belly-hold cargo. The total cargo capacity to Amsterdam presently is around 370 tons a week, transported both on passenger planes and freighters.
"With the addition of the two freighter flights a week, the tonnage is expected to increase from 370 to roughly 570 tons a week," Keesjan de Vries, the regional cargo manager in Amsterdam, said in an interview with Bernama at the Transport/Logistics 2015 Fair held in Munich on May 5-8.
Rated as the world's largest and most important show for the global logistics industry, the biennial fair attracts large crowds of exhibitors and visitors from around the world.
"Yes, this is the best fair for cargo carriers and is of interest to anyone that has anything to do with the logistics industry," de Vries said.
"We have been busy here receiving visitors at our booth but I have also been visiting other halls and calling on companies and visitors of interest to our business. As you can see, the entire industry is here from shippers, general sales agents, handlers, forwarding agents, etc." he added.
Despite the rail strike that has all but paralysed the country's economic activity, organising agency Messe Munchen said the fair drew more than 55,000 visitors (up from 52,308 in 2013) from 124 countries, and 2,050 exhibitors (compared to 2,013 previously) from 62 countries.
The companies attending Air Cargo Europe, the world's biggest airfreight industry event and an integral part of the Transport/ Logistics Fair, were also satisfied.
For David Kerr, Vice President of Etihad Cargo, the trade fair had "opened up new economic opportunities for our freight business and we appreciate the event for the results we have achieved."
Many aviation consultants at the show, in private conversations with Bernama, felt that both MAS and MASKargo would do well to profile themselves at international trade fairs and conferences which could help the two sister carriers polish their international image after last year's two major tragedies. – Bernama, May 10, 2015.
-
No comments:
Post a Comment