Vol. 8 No. 58 WE COVER THE WORLD Wednesday June 3, 2009

leisure Takes Europa

     It’s been widely reported that Air Europa, second largest carrier in Spain, signed a contract with leisure Cargo GmbH, Düsseldorf for provision of Total Cargo Management (TCM) services.
     But earlier this week on June 1, change came into effect and now leisure is responsible for worldwide sales and marketing of Air Europa’s belly cargo capacities.
     leisure also now handles direct management of worldwide cargo handling contracts, road feeder services, cargo revenue accounting, interline relations, claims processing and settlement as well as supply of management information data for the fast growing carrier based in Spain that has recently spread its wings into new world markets including year round seven days a week frights from Madrid to New York City (JFK) that were also launched June 1.

Ideal World . . . Although it doesn’t fly cargo aircraft, it must seem that way as Leisure Cargo’s Christian Weidener Director of Operations (left) and Ralf Auslaender Managing Director last month in Munich at Air Cargo Europe further moved from visionaries of an idea with the addition of Air Europa into further success for their end to end soup to nuts air cargo services for a growing family of mostly tour-based carriers.
Now with Air Berlin concluding sale of leisure Cargo to a group including Ralf Auslaender who created leisure for LTU in 1990 , expect movement at this dynamic company to even greater heights as described in today’s exclusive Up Close & Personal video.

     Air Europa in case you are keeping track (is not Air Europe, another carrier handled by leisure and often mistaken for Air Europa) started operations in 1986 and is part of mainly tourist orientated Globalia Group, headquartered in Palma de Mallorca.
     Air Europa’s fleet includes 32 B737-800, 3 B767-300ER and 6 A330-200 that serve Europe Spain, Balearics and Canary Islands and also London, Rome, Milano, Venice, Paris, Prague and Budapest.
     African destinations include Tunis, Marrakesh and Dakar.
     Long range services are being operated daily and multiple operations to Buenos Aires, Caracas, Havana, Cancun, Punta Cana, Santa Domingo and as mentioned at the top—New York’s JFK from MAD dailies launched this week.
     Among the 17 airlines which group their cargo activities under the leisure Cargo banner, Air Europa will add muscle to both European operations and also as the carrier expands leisure’s reach of destinations to South and Central America.
Ralf-Rainer Auslaender, Managing Director of leisure Cargo told ACNFT:
     “We estimate cargo production for Air Europa to greatly enhance our overall throughput.
     “The smooth integration of Air Europa’s cargo routes is backed by IT reservation eChamp that allows cargo to move smoothly via the ever growing network of air carriers served by leisure Cargo.
     “Air Europa and leisure Cargo is a win-win situation.
     “Whereas the airline benefits from higher utilization of its belly space subsequently resulting in increased cargo revenues while leisure Cargo substantially enhances its worldwide network and customer portfolio,” Ralf Auslaender said.
     As to the sale of leisure Cargo Mr. Auslaender noted that while true, his life as an air cargo executive is preferred:
     “The last several months I have also been a negotiator for what we all believe will be a favorable outcome with AB still a member of our airline cargo TCM program, but no longer the owner.
     "The negotiations are very advanced with just a few items left to be ironed out so the selling process is likely to be completed quite soon," Herr Auslaender said.
     Air Berlin last year decided to sell their air freight unit leisure Cargo due to their future concentration on the core biz - transporting passengers.
Geoffrey

French Pride Indiana Style

     No “Freedom Fries,” on the menu as Phoenix International, the largest privately-owned international freight forwarder, NVOCC and Customs broker headquartered in North America, with 1,900 employees in 74 global offices and sales exceeding $865 million lets loose with some “French Pride”.
     Phoenix International Freight Services, Limited based in the State of Illinois USA had a recent office debut in Paris that the company says was a homecoming of sorts for the company’s President & CEO, Stephane Rambaud.
     “Since our company’s inception in 1979, Phoenix International has been represented in the French market by exclusive agent partners.
     “I am very pleased to announce the opening of our own office in France.
     “The fact I happen to be a native of France, and that my family has a rich heritage in our industry in France, have little to do with the opening of our 74th office.
     “What is a key factor is the need to provide our global network and clients with a stronger and more dedicated presence in a market as important as France,” said Rambaud.
     Rambaud’s grandfather, Paul Rambaud, founded a cartage company in Paris in 1931, and Rambaud’s parents, Daniel and Anne Rambaud, took over the business in the ’50s until Rambaud International was sold in 1998.
     “Many customers have come to rely on our weekly ocean consolidations, FCL service, and multiple weekly airfreight consolidations to and from France. “Client needs continue to grow and require more sophisticated supply chain integrity, visibility, compliance and security, our office staff and service offerings in France have been chosen to serve you well,” explains Rambaud.
     Christophe Bedin manages Phoenix France.
     “Bonne chance,” we say and pass the pommes frites.
Geoffrey

Government of India thinking about initial public offering (IPO) for national carrier Air India (AI). Civil aviation minister Praful Patel is looking at partial divestment of AI and an IPO could be an option. "Fund infusion will be good for AI and bring in more accountability. There will be no privatization or complete disinvestment of the national carrier, just partial," Patel said. Meantime Air India launched a daily direct between Ahmedabad and Frankfurt June 1 via a Boeing 747-400 aircraft and also a daily flight to London via Mumbai (B777) the same day . . . See-Fly-Dubai! DUBAI, June 2, a new Gulf airline took to the skies as Flydubai, a sister company of Dubai's largest Middle East carrier Emirates, took off on its first route to Beirut, After adding Amman, next destinations include Damascus and Alexandria . . . LAN Cargo moved its new B777 freighter on two of its three weekly services from Amsterdam Schiphol to Santiago and is expected to switch completely to B777 freighter operations at Schiphol within a couple of weeks . . .
P. Singh

Somber Moment For Historic Flight

     As an Airbus A380, left Paris on an inaugural flight to Singapore Tuesday, tragedy overwhelmed celebration.
     The journey from Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport near Paris to return to Singapore, was A380’s first flight out of continental Europe to complete a return trip.
     But instead of champagne, a minute of silence marked the event.
     Singapore Airlines, which operated the flight, asked passengers for a minute of silence to remember the 228 souls, both passengers and crew missing aboard an Air France Airbus A330 lost over the Atlantic Ocean Monday June 1.
     AFP reported that most of the French officials invited, including Transport Minister Jean-Louis Borloo and the head of French airports operator ADP, Pierre Graff, cancelled their attendance at the A380 departure.
     The Air France Airbus A330, had been due to arrive at CDG on Monday morning on a flight from Brazil.
     Although exactly what happened is not know as of this writing, the AF flight is thought to have disappeared into the Intertropical Convergence Zone or ITCZ where trade winds converge producing convectional storms and wild weather including some of the world's heaviest precipitation.
     The loss of the AF 330 occurred just as Airbus was also celebrating the 40th anniversary of the launch of Airbus itself with the A300 in 1969.
Geoffrey