With all the movement happening over at Air Canada Cargo these days, investors could be well-advised to take out shares. After all, since receiving the first of its freighters earlier in the year, the airline has discovered a proper taste for cargo, and published a 42% cargo revenue growth result for the first quarter of 2022, bringing in $398 million. A strong basis on which to grow as well as be generous.
At the start of this week, 100 Air Canada Cargo volunteers came together to help put together thousands of family survival kits that would later be loaded on board of an Air Canada 767-300
freighter, departing Toronto/Canada, late on 26APR22, and heading for Frankfurt/Germany. From here, they would be onforwarded to a destination north of Lviv/Ukraine This was the second such
operation in recent weeks, again flying humanitarian and medical supplies on behalf of Airlink, Flexport.org, and GlobalMedic. Rahul Singh, CEO of GlobalMedic, said: “GlobalMedic is grateful
to Airlink for coordinating this flight and to Air Canada for carrying out its mission. The flight is carrying approximately 45,000 kg of vital humanitarian supplies which will be distributed to
displaced families who have fled combat zones in Ukraine. The shipment contains 6,400 emergency kits for families. Each kit consists of emergency food items, a solar light, water purification
tablets and a trauma bag. These items are packed in airtight containers which are used to collect water for purification and drinking.”
Cooperation and coordination are key
The war has been going on for more than 2 months now, and “the humanitarian situation continues to worsen in Ukraine,” Steve Smith, President and CEO of Airlink, underlined.
“Cooperation and coordination are key to overcoming supply chain challenges to respond to the crisis. For the second time since the start of the conflict, this partnership has proven to be
very effective. Airlink is delighted to once again be working in partnership with Air Canada, GlobalMedic and Flexport.org to bring relief to the people of Ukraine.”
Airlink partner, NGO GlobalMedic, is responsible for tasking response teams to manage the distribution of supplies to treat displaced Ukrainian civilians who have fled conflict zones, lost their
homes, or suffered injuries. Estimates say that over 6 million Ukrainians are displaced, with another 4 million having fled the country to safety. Medical institutions need all the support
possible to deal with those suffering injuries with every day of the war.
100 Air Canada Cargo volunteers
“We are honored to continue to support those affected by the crisis in Ukraine with the help of our employees,” Jason Berry, Vice President - Cargo, Air Canada, declared. “Over 100
Air Canada employees volunteered their time yesterday [25APR22] to prepare GlobalMedic's emergency food kits for families, and we're proud to be using one of our cargo planes to quickly fly to
Europe 50 tons of aid including critical response equipment as well as essential medical and humanitarian supplies on behalf of Airlink and Flexport.org. The infrastructure is in place and, as
soon as the flight arrives, the teams on the ground Airlink and GlobalMedic will ensure that shipments reach their destination.”
Air Canada has been prolific in supporting initiatives in the Ukraine crisis. Thus far, it has arranged a donation of 100 million Aeroplan points to facilitate the travel of Ukrainians to Canada
by Air Canada and Star Alliance carriers; paid a donation of $10 per booking made on its website since MAR22, up to a maximum of $250,000, for emergency assistance to Ukraine; given $170,000 on
behalf of Air Canada employees and the Air Canada Foundation for relief in Ukraine; operated
a humanitarian all-cargo flight 09MAR22 on behalf of Airlink and other humanitarian partners to transport hospital beds, essential and medical supplies to Warsaw, Poland, as well as medicines for
to the people of Lviv, Ukraine; and carried rapid intervention teams to increase aid operations for Ukrainian families arriving on European territory.
You can never have enough freighters!
On 27APR22, Jason Berry posted on LinkedIn that “we’re thrilled to share the news that we will be welcoming 2 factory-built Boeing 767Fs to our growing freighter fleet. These aircraft will
help us continue to provide the necessary lift and reliable air solutions to all our forwarding partners across the globe!” going on to explain in a release that “since their entry into
service, our Boeing 767-300BDSF freighters have proven their value to Air Canada and Air Canada Cargo. These additional factory-built 767-300F aircraft will allow Air Canada Cargo to speed up the
expansion of its freighter fleet, helping provide reliable, dedicated service to key cargo routes around the world, further bolstering the capacity provided by Air Canada’s mainline
fleet.”
The latest two purchases are in addition to the eight Boeing 767-300s freighters in the process of currently being converted, or already delivered (as in the case of the first two earlier this
year.)
More destinations and jobs!
Hot on the heels of last week’s announcement (CFG reported: https://www.cargoforwarder.eu/2022/04/24/short-shots/), Air Canada Cargo again announced service increases. On the one hand, wide-body
services from Toronto to Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO), began today, 01MAY22. On the other, the airline released press stating “Hola España!”, explaining that a new freighter service
is due to commence on 03MAY22, this time between Toronto/Canada, and Madrid. “This service will compliment Air Canada's passenger service to Barcelona starting 04MAY22”, he
concluded.
“Through our extensive network of cargo and passenger flights, shipments from the U.S., South America and Canada can connect easily to Madrid and Barcelona via our Toronto hub.”
Expansion can only work if people are there to make it work, too. Air Canada Cargo displays a long list of open positions if you check out its website. Good luck with your job search!
Brigitte Gledhill
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