Report: European airfreight carriers eye U.S. routes

European all-cargo operators Cargologicair and SW Italia have filed applications to launch routes to the United States, according to a report from industry news outlet The Loadstar.    European airfreight carriers Cargologicair and SW Italia have filed applications to launch routes to the United States, according to a report from industry news outlet The Loadstar.
   Cargologicair is a new United Kingdom-based all-cargo operator and a subsidiary of AirBridgeCargo, the largest Russian cargo airline and part of Volga-Dnepr Group. In filing for a foreign carrier permit in the U.S., Cargologicair did not specify which routes it intends to fly, but AirBridgeCargo already operates routes between Europe and Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles.
   Cargologicair currently operates between London Stansted Airport in the United Kingdom, Frankfurt Airport in Europe and points in Africa, including Libreville and Johannesburg.
   In a separate filing with the U.S. Department of Transportation, SW Italia, a partial subsidiary of Azerbaijan’s Silk Way Airlines based at the Milan–Malpensa Airport in Italy, said it wants to begin air cargo services to Chicago, “as soon as the department permits.”
   SW Italia said it also plans to purchase an additional aircraft and may further expand its U.S. network in the future. The all-cargo carrier currently offers service between Milan and Heydar Aliyev International airport in Baku, Azerbaijan; Seoul Incheon International Airport in South Korea; Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, Vietnam; and Vienna International Airport in Austria.
   The company is also “seeking to expand its scheduled and charter operations to points in South America, Canada and the United States,” SW Italia said.
   Support for, or opposition to, the permits must be filed by April 13 for SW Italia and April 18 for Cargologicair, according to the Loadstar report.