Page 21 - The STAT Trade Times September 2022 Issue

passenger industry once again picked up. “We already have extensive flight opera-
People were travelling again both for busi- tions in place for Europe to Asia Pacific
ness and pleasure, and this summer we’ve (APAC) and also on the Transpacific,” says
seen a return to normality in the majority Asok Kumar, EVP, Global Air Freight, DB
of countries. So, the passenger aircraft has Schenker. “Building on this network we are
returned to passenger configuration. constantly looking for further opportuni-
"Then we saw the conflict in Ukraine, ties to expand our exclusive service offer-
which also created issues, such as the ing for our customers globally.”
grounding of the Russian fleet including Is DB Schenker late to the market? Did
many of the widebody 747 freighters as it miss many opportunities during the last
well as Antonov 124s, both Russian and couple of years? “DB Schenker has always
Ukrainian. So it's been a real challenge es- During the been active in the charter market even
pecially for the oversized cargo industry." before the onset of Covid,” says Kumar. “In
The latest to join the bandwagon is DB pandemic, many 2019, we recorded 210 full-charter freight
Schenker, which launched its first-ever companies had to close flights. In 2020, it was 2,100 and then in
transatlantic charters to Latin America. 2021, DB Schenker had as many as 2333
The weekly freight charter flight and manufacturing full-charter flights.
provides 50 tonnes of capacity and “Around half of these were between
expands DB Schenker’s growing production lines stopped Asia and Europe, 25 percent between Asia
intercontinental flight network. due to lock downs and and the U.S., and 25 percent between
Every Sunday night, the flight Europe and the U.S. We made a strategic
leaves Amsterdam and stops this directly affected the decision early on to extensively expand
in New York City and Miami our network of full-charter connections.
on Monday before reach- airfreight and charter In the meantime, we know that this has
ing Viracopos near São sector negatively. At the proven to be the right decision to secure
Paulo the same day. capacity on the market for our customers.”
"On Tuesdays, a direct same time, there was
connection can be Swing up and down
made to Buenos high demand for PPE "We have seen huge impacts from the
Aires, and Santiago and vaccination flights. pandemic both during and after," says Emir
de Chile (SCL) can Ozdabak, Regional Freight Manager - Tur-
be reached on Air Partner successfully key, Middle East & C.I.S, Air Partner. "During
Wednesdays." the pandemic, many companies had to
LATAM Cargo operated more than close and manufacturing production
will be operat- 2,000 flights all over lines stopped due to lock downs and this
ing the new directly affected the airfreight and charter
transatlantic the world. sector negatively. At the same time, there
route with was high demand for PPE and vaccination
Boeing 767 Emir Ozdabak flights. Air Partner successfully operated
freighter jets. Air Partner more than 2,000 flights all over the world.

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