##air transport

Phoenix flight routes

01 Shanghai Airlines moves towards an all-Boeing fleet: A330 retirement, looking to the future

Air travel news, Shanghai Airlines, a Chinese regional and long-distance airline based at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), has recently made major fleet adjustments. The airline, as China's first diversified commercial limited liability aviation company, has been committed to providing high-quality aviation services and maintaining excellent safety records since its establishment in 1985. For most of its operating history, the airline has maintained a relatively diverse fleet, including aircraft from two major manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus. Recently, however, the airline has been undergoing a profound change, marked by a gradual shift to an all-Boeing fleet.

Shanghai Airlines' fleet transformation dates back to 2009, when it was acquired by China Eastern Airlines. Although Shanghai Airlines has maintained its operational independence, its route network and fleet structure have been reorganized. One of the key strategies is to phase out its older aircraft and replace them with more efficient, modern models. As part of this change, the company ordered 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, seven of which have already been delivered. As the company continues to take delivery of new Boeing 787s, more and more A330s are being phased out of service and replaced with more modern aircraft.

(Source: Aviation Travel)

02 Etihad Airways and China Eastern Airlines join forces to create a new chapter

According to aviation travel news, Etihad Airways and China Eastern Airlines have reached a strategic partnership and signed a strategic cooperation memorandum of understanding (MoU) to further strengthen commercial and operational cooperation between the two parties. This important milestone marks the two airlines' joint commitment to provide passengers with wider choice and higher value services.

Under the MoU, Etihad Airways and China Eastern Airlines will expand cooperation in code sharing, reciprocal loyalty programs, cargo, MRO, ground handling, catering, VIP lounges, staff training and a number of sustainable aviation development initiatives. These initiatives will improve the operational efficiency of both airlines while maintaining excellent service quality and providing passengers with a better travel experience.

(Source: Aviation Travel)

03 All-cargo flight route from Hangzhou to Dubai opened

On December 18, the Hangzhou-Dubai all-cargo flight route was put into operation. The route is operated by YTO Airlines. The initial plan is to operate three flights per week. This is the eighth new international all-cargo flight route launched by Hangzhou Airport this year.

The maiden flight YG9049 took off at 04:41 in the morning that day. It was a Boeing B767 aircraft, carrying 45 tons of cargo such as clothing and auto parts, and headed to Dubai. Dubai is the largest economic and financial center in the Middle East and is known as the "trade capital" of the Middle East and North Africa. In the past, goods from Hangzhou to Dubai had to be transferred to a third place such as Guangzhou, and the transportation time was more than 20 hours. With the opening of direct flights, the time will be shortened to 14 hours, and logistics efficiency will be significantly improved.

Since this year, Hangzhou Airport has opened cargo routes to Billund, Chicago, Budapest, Amsterdam, Mexico City, etc. As of November, international cargo volume has increased by 3.7% year-on-year. It is worth mentioning that, driven by e-commerce activities such as "Black Friday" in December, the single-day cargo volume of Hangzhou Airport East International Cargo Terminal has hit new highs, with the highest volume reaching 696 tons on December 8.

The opening of this all-cargo flight route will further fill the gap in air cargo routes between Hangzhou and the Middle East, build an efficient and convenient air channel for economic and trade exchanges with the Middle East, assist "Zhejiang goods go to Zhejiang", and promote high-level openness and high-quality development in Zhejiang .

(Source: Air Cargo Information Express)

China - Europe

Overall transportation capacity is stable and space is sufficient

China - America

Demand is overall stable and capacity is stable; space is slightly tight

China - Asia Pacific

Capacity is stable; demand is stable

##sea transport

01 The 2.6 billion yuan ro-ro passenger ship order was suddenly withdrawn! The shipyard is in a hurry: work will start immediately

On November 29, CMB.Tech, a clean technology company owned by Belgian shipowner Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB), announced that it would cooperate with Belgian shipping company Boeckmans to order four 5,000-dwt hydrogen-powered general cargo ships from Vietnam’s Dung Quat Shipyard.

This series of ships will be jointly designed by Handelskade. The first ship is expected to be delivered in the second half of 2025 and will be deployed on major routes such as Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa and West Africa. The specific price of the new ship has not yet been disclosed.

The new ship will be equipped with a diesel-electric engine. The diesel-electric engine will be installed under the bow cabin. This configuration will allow the use of hydrogen-powered propulsion systems at the stern, as well as the installation of other alternative low-carbon engines. In addition, such a layout would provide sufficient space for storage of alternative fuels.

According to Clarkson data, this is the first time that Dung Quat shipyard has received an order for general cargo ships, and it is also the first order that the shipyard has received since 2016.

Pierre Durot, director of Boeckmans, said: "The main design concept of the ship is to reduce emissions through hull shape, innovative design and the application of the latest technology. Compared with traditional general cargo ships using diesel fuel, we have successfully reduced emissions by 40% emissions. Emissions can be reduced further by adopting new sustainable propulsion systems and creating storage space for fuels such as hydrogen."

This collaboration demonstrates CMB.TECH and Boeckmans’ commitment to promoting the sustainable development of the maritime industry while providing efficient and reliable transportation solutions for global trade routes.

In addition, CMB.Tech recently collaborated with DBR, a full-service provider of Dutch power solutions, to develop the first batch of dual-fuel hydrogen generator sets for marine applications, aiming to accelerate the decarbonization of the maritime industry.

It is understood that Compagnie Maritime Belge is a diversified shipping and clean technology company headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium. It owns and operates 150 ships, including dry bulk carriers, container ships, chemical tankers and crew transfer ships.

Boeckmans is a shipping company founded in Antwerp 85 years ago. It owns and operates 6 ships, including 4 multi-purpose ships and 2 general cargo ships.

(Source: International Ship Network)

02 CMA CGM issued a force majeure notice, ZIM increased freight rates on Israel routes, and Hapag-Lloyd, Evergreen, and Yang Ming announced that they would bypass the Cape of Good Hope!

CMA CGM said it was deeply concerned about attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. Over the past period, the company has taken precautionary measures to ensure the safety of crews and ships sailing in relevant waters.

As tensions escalate, CMA CGM decided to divert some ships traveling to and from the United States, Northern Europe and Asia to the Cape of Good Hope.

CMA CGM also stated that all its container ships planning to transit the Red Sea will suspend sailing and move to safe areas until further notice.

ZIM

On December 18, ZIM announced a freight adjustment in Israel.

Zim said that in view of the recent multiple attacks on cargo ships, in order to ensure the safety of crews, ships and cargo, the company will continue to provide services from the Far East to the Mediterranean and Black Sea by detouring around the Cape of Good Hope until further notice.

ZIM also emphasized that the company is committed to continuing to provide transportation services to Israel, Turkey and the Black Sea region. In order to ensure shipping schedules, ZIM has decided to add 5 more shipping capacity to the ZMP route.

In addition, in view of the huge additional costs that the current geopolitical conflicts have brought to Zim, the company decided to increase the FAK from Asia and the Indian subcontinent to the Mediterranean and Black Sea ports, as follows:

(Source: China Aviation Weekly)

China - United States (Trans-Pacific route)

The shipping capacity in the West and East US will be extremely tight in the next two weeks, and freight rates will rise.

China - Europe

Bookings for the next two weeks are generally weak and space is loose

China - Latin America

The cabin space in West South America and Mexico is still tight overall, while the cabin space in East South America is slightly loose.

##eCommerce

01 China’s first passenger-to-cargo A330 is delivered, Chengdu air cargo hits record high

On December 15, the Airbus A330 freighter numbered B-6090 was officially delivered by Beijing Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Co., Ltd. ("Ameco") to Air China Cargo Co., Ltd. ("Air China Cargo"), marking Ameco's The major modification project of the first Airbus A330 passenger aircraft to cargo aircraft (hereinafter referred to as "A330 passenger to cargo aircraft") was successfully completed. It is reported that this modification is not only the first wide-body aircraft passenger-to-cargo conversion project implemented by Ameco, but also the aircraft is also the first domestically delivered A330 passenger-to-cargo aircraft certified by China Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

▲The delivery ceremony of Air China Cargo’s first A330 aircraft converted from passenger to cargo. Source: Shuangliu Release

"Prior to this, there was no precedent for wide-body aircraft to be converted from passenger to cargo in China's civil aviation CAAC document system." Ameco's relevant person in charge said that as an important channel connecting production and consumption, the aviation logistics industry has developed rapidly and market demand has increased year by year. Air cargo has become an important part of the global logistics supply chain due to its fast and efficient characteristics. Due to the strong demand in the cargo aircraft market, relevant data shows that in the next 20 years, the number of Chinese cargo aircraft will exceed 20% of the global cargo aircraft.

Since Ameco established the Boeing B757 passenger-to-cargo conversion capability in 2013, it has completed the modification of 30 aircraft and accumulated rich experience in major aircraft structural modifications.

After more than a year of preparation, on April 10 this year, Ameco Chengdu Branch received approval from the Civil Aviation Southwest Regional Administration for the A330 passenger-to-cargo conversion. The modification work officially started on April 11 this year. After more than 200 days and nights of hard work, the first A330 passenger-to-cargo conversion project was successfully completed and successfully delivered on December 15.

(Source: Global Air Cargo)