Exclusive – Cargolux’s China JV Ready for Take-off

These aircraft are not part of Cargolux’s own fleet of currently 25 freighters but will either be leased from a yet unknown source or alternatively purchased if this option should make more sense financially. Whatever the final decision might be, the bottom line is a further fleet expansion when adding the upcoming joint venture’s three aircraft to the existing all-freighter aircraft operated by Cargolux and its Italian daughter Cargolux Italia.
This goes hand in hand with two more 747-8Fs to come which Luxembourg’s flag carrier will receive early next year and in 2017 respectively, bringing the total fleet of the Cargolux Group of Airlines to 30 units within the next 24 months. Quite some capacity!

Zhengzhou to be homebase for CV China’s fleet
Cargolux China’s three all-cargo aircraft will be based at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International and be deployed on both intra-Asian routes and transpacific sectors. They will be registered for commercial use under an on own Chinese Air Operator Certificate (AOC). It will be the third AOC obtained by Cargolux and its two offsprings Cargolux Italia and Cargolux China, which still is the preliminary name of the projected Chinese newcomer. 
Next decisive step the projected all-cargo airline is facing is the approval of Cargolux’s Board of Directors and a simultaneous decision by the upcoming JV’s Chinese shareholders. These are the Henan Civil Aviation Development Investment Co (HNCA) together with the airport and its affiliated economic zone. In January of 2014, state owned Chinese investor HNCA acquired 35 percent in Cargolux, becoming its largest single shareholder. Both the HNCA and Zhengzhou Airport will become majority shareholders of Cargolux China, with Cargolux expected to hold 35 percent in the Chinese start-up, people close to the Grand Duchy’s unions revealed to CargoForwarder Global. Earlier speculations about additional stakeholders, predominantly a major Chinese forwarding agent seem to be off the table.

Cargolux appoints new Director Africa
At the same time, the carrier announced the appointment of Jonathan Clark as its new Regional Director Africa. The industry veteran, who had been with Lufthansa Cargo for nearly 20 years and Qatar Airways Cargo will be based in Johannesburg and join Cargolux 1 February 2016. His current DB Schenker duty as Airfreight Director Sub Saharan Africa will end a day earlier. 
“Having spent three years at DB Schenker, this exciting opportunity at Cargolux presented itself and I am very much looking forward to the challenge ahead,” he said on the occasion of his appointment.

Heiner Siegmund