CargoLogicAir fleet plans on track

CargoLogicAir (CLA) looks set to add another aircraft to its fleet in early 2018, following on from the launch of its first scheduled service later this month.

Earlier this week, the UK-registered airline revealed that on August 19 it would begin offering a twice-weekly scheduled service from its Stansted hub to Mexico City International via Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International in the US.

The full aircraft routing includes Houston, Frankfurt and Abu Dhabi giving a number of Europe-Mexico, Europe-Middle East and US-Middle East connections.

Speaking shortly after the route was announced, the airline’s chief commercial officer Steve Harvey confirmed to Air Cargo News that the airline was still expecting to take delivery of its fourth aircraft in early 2018. As planned, it hopes to add a fifth by the middle of next year.

“We still fully intend to increase the fleet in early 2018,” he said “I can't give you a particular date because that is not available, but the intention is fully there and we feel confident that we will meet what was our fleet goal.”

He said that for the foreseeable future, CLA would stick with Boeing 747Fs – it currently operates two B747-400s and one B747-800 – but it could consider other types in the future if there is a business case that warrants the investment.

While one of the B747-400F aircraft will be engaged in the scheduled operation – with a couple of spare days each week for other projects – the rest of the fleet will continue to be engaged in ACMI and charter operations.

At the moment, the other two aircraft are engaged in ACMI operations for partner AirBridgeCargo.

However, Harvey says the key to success for the airline, which flew its first flight 18 months ago, is to remain flexible.

“There are two parts to [our strategy]: constantly assessing what we do at the present time and secondly looking at other business opportunities and how we can do that and increase our fleet as well,” he said.

“It is all about flexibility and being able to react quickly. That is the key to success, understanding the market and reacting quickly to meet the market demands.”

Harvey added that the company had taken its time to launch its first scheduled route because it wanted to ensure the proposition was sustainable.

“As for any business, particularly a young business, we had to make sure we did it in the correct way,” he explained.

“That it is financially sustainable and we have to ensure it is a product that our customers can rely on and are confident it isn't just for a day or a week or a month, it is a product that we can make work for a long period of time and also look to expand in the future as well.”

When the news of the scheduled service was first announced, CLA said that the main sectors covered by the operation would be automotive, hi-tech, energy, aerospace and healthcare.

However, Harvey said CLA would not be limiting itself to these sectors – these just happened to be the main types of cargo transported by air between the destinations covered – and he added that the carrier would try to attract all types of customer.

On future plans, Harvey said that for the next two or three months CLA’s focus will be on consolidating its new scheduled service. Once that is achieved, the airline will assess what its next move will be.