newstodate.aero
May 14, 2014 (newstodate): Finnair is re-thinking plans for its freighter services in 2014, including the introduction of smaller freighter aircraft.
The carrier is now operating one MD-11F freighter on routes between Brussels and Helsinki in Europe and Hong Kong and Hanoi in Asia, and only in March plans were to activate a second MD-11F in 2014 from the pool of four ex-Finnair converted freighters in the fleet of its JV airline, Nordic Global Airlines.
But the Asian traffic has still not generated the growth warranting this step to be taken.
-Our Asian Finnair belly volumes have had only modest growth, although the freighter flights to Hanoi/Hong Kong and JAL's Tokyo service are reported in our traffic report under "Cargo flights", which grew 36,9 percent in FTKs during Q1 compared to last year. Also in April, our cargo flights category including freighter and JAL operations grew by 26,9 percent in FTKs, says Juha Jarvinen, Finnair Cargo managing director.
-There are therefore currently no plans to add a second MD-11F. Instead, we are evaluating more frequencies between Helsinki and Brussels with smaller freighter aircraft, says Mr Jarvinen.
The carrier is now operating one MD-11F freighter on routes between Brussels and Helsinki in Europe and Hong Kong and Hanoi in Asia, and only in March plans were to activate a second MD-11F in 2014 from the pool of four ex-Finnair converted freighters in the fleet of its JV airline, Nordic Global Airlines.
But the Asian traffic has still not generated the growth warranting this step to be taken.
-Our Asian Finnair belly volumes have had only modest growth, although the freighter flights to Hanoi/Hong Kong and JAL's Tokyo service are reported in our traffic report under "Cargo flights", which grew 36,9 percent in FTKs during Q1 compared to last year. Also in April, our cargo flights category including freighter and JAL operations grew by 26,9 percent in FTKs, says Juha Jarvinen, Finnair Cargo managing director.
-There are therefore currently no plans to add a second MD-11F. Instead, we are evaluating more frequencies between Helsinki and Brussels with smaller freighter aircraft, says Mr Jarvinen.