Amid Crippling Passenger Air Travels, Air Belgium Enters Freight Market With Four Cargo Aircraft

Amid crippling passenger air travels due to Covid-19 pandemic, Air Belgium enters freight market with four cargo aircraft. 

Amid crippling passenger air travels, Air Belgium says it is expanding its fleet with four cargo aircraft. The airline is looking into diversifying by carrying freight amid Covid-19 travel restrictions.

In a statement, the Brussels-Charleroi Airport (CRL)-based airline said the first two of the four planes are expected to be operational as early as March 2021.

Air Belgium intends to have six cargo aircraft by the end of 2021. The first two planes will be based at Liege Airport (LGG).

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Air Belgium enters freight market with four cargo aircraft

Air Belgium chief executive Niky Terzakis said:

“In such an uncertain period, this is good news for the airline. We are delighted to be able to begin this diversification into the commercial and cargo sector, which my team and I know well. This will complement our existing passenger business which has been severely impacted by the current travel restrictions.

“This demonstrates once again the resilience and flexibility of our airline’s development potential. As well as the ever-growing attractiveness of Liege Airport.”

The airline declined to comment on which aircraft it would operate, but Belgian website Aviation 24 suggests they are four A330-200Fs previously operated by Qatar Airways.

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Meanwhile, Air Belgium’s decision to start all-cargo operations at Liege Airport shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.

The Belgian airport has been expanding its cargo operations rapidly over recent years and also Terzakis has experience of freighters at the Belgian hub. Until 2014, he was managing director/chief executive of express carrier TNT Airways based at the facility.

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