Japan Airlines - Orient Aviation

CARGO UPDATETwo joint venture carriers,Jade Cargo Internationaland Great Wall Airlines, aretaking steps this month to firmup their operations and expandair cargo links from major Chinese growthareas, writes Charles Anderson.In Jade’s case, it is a question ofwelcoming a third new Boeing 747-400ERFto enable it to grow its fledgling internationalnetwork. And for Great Wall Airlines thereis the rebuilding of operations after a fourmonthsuspension brought about by sanctionsimposed by the U.S. on its then majorityowner, Great Wall Industry Corporation, forallegedly supplying missile parts to Iran.Great Wall Airlines, 25% owned bySingapore Airlines and 24% by Temaseksubsidiary, Dahlia Investments, restarteddaily flights from Shanghai to Amsterdamon January 21.A three-times-weekly service to Mumbaiand Chennai in India, using two B747-400Fsleased from SIA Cargo will start soon.It won an appeal against inclusion ona sanctions list after the transfer of a 51%stake owned by Great Wall Industry togovernment-controlled Beijing AerospaceSatellite Applications. The carrier, whichonly started operations in June, stoppedflying because it had relied on technicalsupport from U.S. companies. Booked cargowas transferred to other carriers.“Our customers are keen to see theJade, Great Wallplan expansionresumption of service and have promisedto use our space and services as they didbefore the suspension of operations,” saidGuan Lei, manager, market development,for Great Wall.“We will increase frequencies anddestinations when more aircraft join thefleet. We have an interest in European andAmerican destinations.”Jade Cargo, a joint venture betweenShenzhen Airlines, Lufthansa Cargo anda German investment company, addedBrescia in northern Italy, the Spanish city ofBarcelona and Osaka in Japan to its networklate last year after the arrival of its secondB747. It launched operations from BaoanAirport in Shenzhen last August with flightsto Amsterdam. The carrier will receive sixB747s by early 2008 on 12-year leases fromPegasus Aviation Finance.Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific Airlines hasadded six more weekly freighter flightsfrom Hong Kong to Shanghai, bringing itstotal to 18, just one year after starting dailycargo flights to the Chinese city. Five flightsusing Air Hong Kong A300-600Fs carrymainly DHL express consignments, whichcannot be handled by Air Hong Kong itself.The joint venture carrier owned by CathayPacific and DHL has no flying rights to themainland as yet.Cathay Pacific, which also launched atwice-weekly freighter service to Beijinglast November, was cleared to fly cargo toShanghai and Beijing under an air servicesagreement reached by the Hong Kong andChinese governments in late 2004.• Hong Kong International Airport willstart the tendering process this month fora third air cargo terminal to be openedby 2011 at the earliest. Cathay PacificAirways, which has campaigned hard forthe right to operate its own facility, will beamong the bidders to design, finance, buildand operate it.Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals(Hactl), which currently handles CathayPacific’s cargo, has said it will wait forthe tender details to be published beforemaking a decision on whether to bid.SIA, Cathay Pacific in IATA e-freight trialsThe cargo divisions of information technologyenthusiasts Cathay Pacific Airways and SingaporeAirlines are among those taking par t in theInternational Air Transport Association’s (IATA)year-long e-freight trials.They are being joined by Air Canada, KLM and British Airwaysas well as the carriers’ local customs administrations and membersof Freight Forwarding International in an exercise which aims totest ways to free air cargo of the paperwork which costs airlines andforwarders some US$1.2 billion a year.The initiative, which has a target deadline of 2010 for theestablishment of a global electronic supply chain, is part of IATA’sSimplifying the Business campaign. Locations were chosen basedon high cargo volumes, network connectivity and the enthusiasm –and ability – of the local authorities to help.Standards, processes and technical solutions will be developedon key trade routes which will then be used to expand e-freightglobally.IATA has taken airlines from among the big boys of cargobecause it wants the exercise to make the kind of impact that willSingapore Airlines: one of five global airlines taking partin IATA’s e-freight trialsconvince carriers and administrations worldwide of the worth ofthe programme. The trials, which are already under way, will spanthe year.38 ORIENT AVIATION FEBRUARY 2007