Canada-based Cargojet and the cargo arm of Latam Airlines Group, headquartered in Colombia, have added scheduled freighter routes to and from Europe, giving businesses more shipping options.
Cargojet (TSX: CJT) said it will launch weekly direct air cargo service on Saturday between its main Canadian hubs and Liege Airport in Belgium. Cargojet, which also operates an overnight domestic express network and dedicated flights for customers like DHL Express, has previously operated flights to Europe on a charter basis. The new flight will allow shipments to connect to Europe through the domestic network. Cargojet said it could increase frequency if demand grows.
Meanwhile, Latam Cargo said it expanded service last month between Europe and South America to 15 weekly frequencies, representing a 25% increase in total capacity on its fleet of Boeing 767-300 freighters.
Cargojet and Latam exclusively use 767 cargo jets for long-haul flights.
Latam Cargo last week began a new operation three times per week from São Paulo to Brussels, with a stop in Recife, in northeastern Brazil. The service will expand to five flights per week in December, the airline said in a news release. The stop in Recife will enable the export of mangoes, significantly reducing transit times to major European markets.
In early October, Latam Cargo launched a new direct route from Brussels to São José dos Campos. The airline currently supplies one flight per week, but will expand it to twice weekly starting in the winter season. Until now, cargo with a final destination in São José dos Campos had to arrive at alternative airports in Brazil, such as Guarulhos or Viracopos, and then complete the journey by land. The new connection offers European customers a more efficient, competitive, and reliable solution, reducing transit times and associated costs, Latam said.
The route is projected to move around 50 tons of cargo per week, mainly industrial products, auto parts, consumer goods, and general cargo.
Latam also doubled its capacity between Europe and Argentina, adding two more flights on the Brussels-Buenos Aires, Argentina, route. Until now, part of the trade flow in pharmaceuticals, automotive and other cargoes relied on indirect connections.
Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch.
Write to Eric Kulisch at ekulisch@freightwaves.com.
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