newstodate.aero
Mar 06, 2012 (newstodate): With a new man at the helmet, Lufthansa Cargo in Norway is going for a larger share of the country's export airfreight market.
-The Norwegian market for export airfreight is complex, being strongly dominated by the transportation of one commodity mainly, the fresh salmon for export to the global marketplace, says Christoph Harneid, Lufthansa Cargo Country Manager Norway since October 1, 2011, succeeding Kjell Westby who retired after 37 years of service with the company.
-We have so far kept the salmon at a distance as this commodity is traditionally carried at very low rates, incompatible with our need for a fair remuneration for utilization of our capacity. In most cases, our freighters leave their hubs with full loads of higher-paying shipments making it difficult for us in Norway to secure space for salmon on the flights.
-We are now reconsidering the possibilities for gaining space on at least some selected lanes allowing us to cooperate with Norway's seafood exporters. It must be maintained, however, that with the pre-transportation costs for flights ex-Frankfurt we will need a cent/kilo balance above what has traditionally been accepted by the market.
-With ever declining and rock-bottom rates om many lanes it has become increasingly difficult to operate round-trips profitably. What we are seeing now may be a gradual decline in available capacity leading to a slow, but steady rise in rates that will enable steadfast carriers to consolidate their freighter operations.
-So far shippers have benefited, as have the forwarders; only the airlines have been bleeding, and this trend must be reversed. So even exporters of salmon will gradually face the need for accepting higher rates to secure uplift capacity, says Mr Harneid.
-The Norwegian market for export airfreight is complex, being strongly dominated by the transportation of one commodity mainly, the fresh salmon for export to the global marketplace, says Christoph Harneid, Lufthansa Cargo Country Manager Norway since October 1, 2011, succeeding Kjell Westby who retired after 37 years of service with the company.
-We have so far kept the salmon at a distance as this commodity is traditionally carried at very low rates, incompatible with our need for a fair remuneration for utilization of our capacity. In most cases, our freighters leave their hubs with full loads of higher-paying shipments making it difficult for us in Norway to secure space for salmon on the flights.
-We are now reconsidering the possibilities for gaining space on at least some selected lanes allowing us to cooperate with Norway's seafood exporters. It must be maintained, however, that with the pre-transportation costs for flights ex-Frankfurt we will need a cent/kilo balance above what has traditionally been accepted by the market.
-With ever declining and rock-bottom rates om many lanes it has become increasingly difficult to operate round-trips profitably. What we are seeing now may be a gradual decline in available capacity leading to a slow, but steady rise in rates that will enable steadfast carriers to consolidate their freighter operations.
-So far shippers have benefited, as have the forwarders; only the airlines have been bleeding, and this trend must be reversed. So even exporters of salmon will gradually face the need for accepting higher rates to secure uplift capacity, says Mr Harneid.