Atlas Air today announced it has entered into a long-term, dedicated charter agreement to operate two of its new incoming Boeing 747-8 freighters on a global basis for global forwarder Kuehne+Nagel.
Atlas Air will commence operation of these aircraft for Kuehne+Nagel following their delivery from Boeing, with one expected in the third quarter and the second in the fourth quarter of 2022.
“We are delighted to expand our partnership with Kuehne+Nagel by providing dedicated capacity for their growing global airfreight network,” said Atlas Air Worldwide president and chief executive officer John Dietrich. “We look forward to taking delivery of these two 747s and operating them for Kuehne+Nagel to support their network for years to come.”
Yngve Ruud, member of the management board of Kuehne+Nagel, responsible for Air Logistics, commented: “As a market leader in airfreight, Kuehne+Nagel further expands its dedicated charter network to support customers with solutions for long-term planning and high-quality service. We are proud to partner with Atlas Air and include these two new Boeing 747-8Fs in our already extensive global capacity offering.”
Cainiao partnership
Atlas Air also announced today and Cainiao Network, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, will expand their strategic partnership by adding a new Boeing 747-8 Freighter under a long-term agreement to increase capacity on routes between China and the Americas.
The new aircraft will enter service for Cainiao in the second quarter of 2022, linking China with the United States, Brazil and Chile.
“We are very pleased to extend our strong partnership with Cainiao with the placement of one of our new 747-8Fs, the best performing widebody freighter in the industry with unique nose-loading capability,” said Atlas Air Worldwide president and chief executive officer John Dietrich. “Cainiao is a leader in the fast-growing e-commerce logistics market, and we look forward to continuing to support its global network with the superior and reliable service Atlas Air provides. This fuel-efficient, high-capacity aircraft reinforces the commitment to environmental stewardship that Atlas and Cainiao share.”
“Through our successful partnership, Cainiao has been able to offer our customers across the Americas with faster and more eco-friendly deliveries provided by Atlas’ global operating capabilities. We are excited to add the new Boeing freighter to our expanding partnership in response to the growing demand for e-commerce and greener logistics across the world,” said William Xiong, Cainiao’s chief strategist and general manager for export logistics.
