AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) has reinforced its position as one of the world’s fastest-growing freight carriers by reporting a 16% increase in volumes in the first half of 2017 to 335,000 tonnes, boosted by particularly strong demand across its Asia Pacific network.ABC also achieved a 13% rise in freight tonne-kilometres and a 4pp increase in its load factor to 71% in this period.
The first six months of the year saw the delivery of ABC’s tenth latest generation Boeing 747-8 Freighter, increasing the total size of its 747F fleet to 17 aircraft, and further expansion of its network in Asia Pacific. The launch of twice-weekly services to Taipei marked the doubling of the airline’s online network in the region over the last two years to 12 destinations; Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Zhengzhou and now Taipei.
ABC has seen high demand for cargo capacity to and from Taipei, particularly for the delivery of hi-tech products, and is now carrying some 1,000 tonnes a month on the route. Overall, the airline’s business to and from Asia Pacific rose by over 20% in the six months ended 30 June 2017.
The first half of the year also saw a rise in AirBridgeCargo’s pharmaceutical volumes and further growth for the airline’s Off-size Cargo product. AirBridgeCargo’s strong focus on pharma is continuing to drive its growth. The airline’s abcPHARMA product offers Active and Passive solutions for customers moving temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals and life-saving medical equipment, from vaccines to laboratory and MRI/MRT equipment. As well as being the first airline in Russia and only the seventh carrier in the world to gain IATA’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma) certification, ABC has also developed Moscow’s Sheremetyevo international airport as its global pharma ‘hub’.
Sergey Lazarev, General Director of AirBridgeCargo, said: “We have a very clear strategy that is all about listening to the needs of our customers in terms of the routes and products they want us to offer. This is reflected in their support of our growing network in Asia Pacific as well as their increasing use of our special products for pharma and off-size cargoes. In addition, through continued investment in our modern fleet, we are demonstrating to our customers that ABC is a high quality, long-term partner.”
