Air France KLM Martinair Cargo is expanding its cargo services with new destinations, frequencies and improved charter solutions.
Towards the end of the winter season, the European carrier’s network had already been significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but this summer it will operate services to around 30 long haul destinations.
This week it increased flight frequency to Johannesburg, Bangkok, Beijing and Shanghai.
Said a spokesperson: “We will continue to improve services in the coming week, restoring operations to Houston and increasing flight frequency to Bamako, Ouagadougou, Chicago, Toronto, Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore.
“Our summer network is supported by our regular full-freighter services. From Paris Charles de Gaulle, we operate to Dublin, Djibouti, Nairobi, Antananarivo, Reunion, Chicago and Shanghai.
“From Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, we offer service to Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Lima, Bogotá, Guatemala, Quito, Miami, Harare, Nairobi, Johannesburg and Cairo.”
The spokesperson added that it was AF-KLM’s priority to repatriate passengers to their home countries.
“We also need to ensure that medical equipment, facemasks, medicines, foodstuffs and other essential commodities can be efficiently transported. To do so, Air France and the French government have set up an airbridge between Shanghai and Paris.
“In the Netherlands, a similar initiative was undertaken by the Dutch government, Philips and KLM. Meanwhile, it is essential to ensure that our customers have access to regular and specialised cargo services.”
Gertjan Roelands, SVP of Sales & Distribution for Air France KLM Martinair Cargo, said: “It is essential to be very agile at this time. We are in very close contact with our customers to ensure that we adjust our network and services to their needs. Close cooperation and partnerships are even more essential during this period.”
New Charter services
In addition, the carrier now offers charter services with belly capacity on long-haul passenger aircraft. In response to significant demand for this solution, it has extended its online services.
Customers can now submit charter requests via a special form on the website. It now also has a dedicated charter sales and service team, specialised in the field of charters in order to following up on customer requests and queries.
Added Roelands: “The importance of online services has been confirmed in this period. Visits to our website increased significantly and we have seen more online bookings. All our staff – frontline, operational and central support – want to help fulfil logistical needs in this unprecedented crisis, while continuing to provide the regular services required by our customers. It is fantastic to see our staff making the difference, even in these challenging times.”
