Cooperation between carriers is a promising concept, the implementation of which has been confirmed by the emergence of many “air” alliances in recent years. At the moment, there are 5 alliances that will play a significant role in the global air cargo market in 2018.
- At the Air Cargo Europe event in Munich in May 2017, Europe’s largest air cargo carrier Cargolux and UAE carrier Dubai Emirates SkyCargo announced that they had signed a memorandum of understanding and cooperation for an expansive “strategic operational partnership”. The deal between the cargo and combined transport companies includes the mutual use of the reserved area and agreements on flights of joint operation, the joint handling of cargo in the main transport hubs (Dubai and Luxembourg), in addition, Dubai Emirates SkyCargo gains access to cargo Boeing Cargolux 747F (designed with a wide fuselage for efficient loading of cargo through a spacious side and nose doors) for the transport of heavy and oversized cargo, which for a number of reasons cannot be delivered by Dubai Emirates SkyCargo 777F cargo aircraft. Since the announcement of the deal, carriers have begun to implement code-share agreements for the carriage of goods in the main cabin and luggage compartments. Sales and marketing remain separate, and carriers continue to sell their services with their own flight numbers and their own air waybills, even when another carrier delivers the cargo.
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In May 2016, two of the world’s three largest international freight carriers, Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific and Frankfurt-based Lufthansa Cargo, joined forces in a “highly integrated” bilateral cooperation agreement that covers a variety of activities, including network planning, sales, IT and ground handling. Key milestones of the partnership include the following:
– October 2016: Lufthansa Cargo moved its cargo handling operations in Hong Kong to the Cathay Pacific Cargo terminal.
– January 2017: Cathay Pacific Cargo moved its cargo handling operations in Frankfurt to Lufthansa Cargo’s handling facility.
– February 2017: First joint shipment on Hong Kong-Frankfurt flight and start of cross-booking.In 2018, Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa will start codeshare flights on eastern routes from Europe to Hong Kong.
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In April 2017, United Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo signed a joint venture agreement that paved the way for an extensive transatlantic collaboration. Both airlines have begun the process of harmonizing their cargo information systems to enable joint air cargo operations between Europe and the US. Further integration and expansion of joint activities are planned for 2018. The joint venture with United Airlines is Lufthansa’s third such freight joint venture, following similar arrangements with Japanese carrier ANA and Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific.
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In October 2017, China Southern Airlines and Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo expanded the scope of their cooperation agreement. The two carriers have been partnering in the SkyTeam alliance for several years and signed their first memorandum of understanding and cooperation on international air cargo in 2015. In 2018, China Southern Airlines’ alliance with KLM will be particularly mutually beneficial and will help maintain slots at the Netherlands’ main airport Schiphol (Amsterdam), which was forced to restrict aircraft movements in 2018 due to government restrictions.
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Indian carrier Jet Airways and Air France-KLM entered into a codeshare agreement in 2014, and in 2017 signed a comprehensive memorandum of cooperation in the field of cargo transportation between Europe and India.
As part of the agreement, the two carriers will further harmonize their operations, improve warehousing efficiency and enter into reserved space agreements on each other’s flights. The airlines also intend to develop new products and services, including offerings focused on specialized cargo (pharmaceutical, express, e-commerce).
International air transportation in Ukraine is successfully performed by MuM company (head office in Kiev, subdivision in Borispol) in all promising and demanded world directions.