(UPDATED Sept. 28, 2023, 10 a.m. EST)
The fledgling freighter division of Canadian airline WestJet has started flying to Havana while the more established Lufthansa Cargo has announced expansion of its new regional network in the Nordic region. Both are deploying narrowbody cargo jets.
WestJet Cargo, which launched commercial all-cargo service in April and now has four Boeing 737-800 converted freighters serving major Canadian cities as well as Miami and Los Angeles, said Wednesday it commenced weekly service from Toronto to the capital of Cuba. Major products WestJet expects to carry on the route are personal effects and commodities, such as perishable foods to bed linen, to support the booming tourism and hotel industry on the Islands.
WestJet received its fourth freighter earlier this month after it was remodeled with a large cargo door and other features by a Boeing aftermarket partner in Costa Rica. The 737-800 converted freighter has a maximum payload of about 25 tons. The planes were equipped with high-frequency voice and satellite communications, enabling WestJet to extend its flight range beyond North America.
The airline originally planned to start scheduled freighter operations in the summer of 2022 but faced unexpected regulatory challenges obtaining certification from Transport Canada to operate the modified aircraft. In July, it began offering customers the ability to charter aircraft for dedicated transport.
Lufthansa Cargo also announced Wednesday that it will start operating an Airbus A321 converted freighter once a week from Helsinki to Copenhagen, Denmark, and add a second frequency from Copenhagen to its base in Frankfurt, Germany, where shipments can connect to Lufthansa’s global passenger and freighter network.
The routings will allow shippers in Helsinki to drop off loads late in the day for next morning uplift in Frankfurt.
Lufthansa said it will soon add another short-haul connection to Stockholm.
Lufthansa Cargo has operated long-haul, international freighter routes for decades and currently operates 16 Boeing 777 freighters, including five in a joint venture with DHL. Last year it took possession of its first A321 converted freighter to provide fast overnight and same-day delivery for e-commerce shippers within Europe and parts of the Middle East and now operates three of the aircraft.
The airline recently began A321 service between Milan and Malta.
A fourth freighter is scheduled to join the fleet within weeks, which officials say will increase the network’s reliability. The A321 has a maximum payload of more than 30 tons. Large containers are carried on the main deck and the lower deck has space for small containers.
Lufthansa recently announced it will add a 17th Boeing 777 to the fleet by the end of the year. The winter flying schedule, which begins Oct. 28, includes three weekly 777 services to Tel Aviv, Israel, and Cairo. The airline also said it will increase the number of weekly freighter flights to Hong Kong, via Mumbai, India, from six to seven and is adding two connections to Taipei, Taiwan, for the first time.
Due to steady demand, Lufthansa Cargo is also increasing the number of weekly freighter connections to Mexico City from six to seven. In July, all cargo flights were transferred to Felipe Angeles International Airport to comply with a Mexican government edict that Mexico City’s airport be dedicated to passenger flights.
Click here for more FreightWaves and American Shipper articles by Eric Kulisch.
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