French shipping company CMA CGM has submitted a bid to acquire Belgian cargo airline Air Belgium. The deal includes maintaining the Air Belgium brand and acquiring four aircraft, strengthening CMA CGM’s position in the air cargo sector.
A meeting between Deputy Minister Sergey Derkach and the management of airBaltic was held at the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine. The visit of the Latvian carrier’s representatives, including First Vice President Tomas Ramdahl and Vice President for Network Development Mantas Vrubljauskas, was devoted to discussing the prospects for resuming flights to Ukraine. The Ambassador of Latvia to Ukraine Ilgvars Klava also took part in the negotiations.
Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Shell Hong Kong to expand the use of renewable diesel and develop charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Hactl is Shell’s first strategic partner in sustainable fuel initiatives.
Slovenian cargo airline Solinair has started construction of a new aircraft maintenance hangar at Ljubljana Airport (LJU), expanding its service capabilities.
The German air cargo terminal association Vacad recorded an increase in air cargo volumes of 1.9% in the fourth quarter of 2024, reaching 456.7 thousand tons. Compared to the same period in 2023, the figure increased by 0.4%. In total, 1.78 million tons of cargo were handled in 2024, which is 5.2% more than in 2023.
In January 2025, global air cargo volumes grew by 2% year-on-year, significantly slower than the +11% growth recorded last year. The slowdown was due to a high comparison base, lower e-commerce demand and an earlier Lunar New Year (LNY) holiday. In week 5 (27 January – 2 February), volumes were down 12% compared to the previous week, mainly due to a 33% drop in cargo flows from the Asia-Pacific region, where widespread factory closures began on 29 January. However, Central and South America (+16%) and Africa (+11%) showed growth, driven by increased shipments of flowers for Valentine’s Day.
KlasJet, part of the world’s largest ACMI Avia Solutions Group, has significantly expanded its operations in 2024, achieving almost a threefold increase in passenger numbers and operating hours. Last year, the company’s number of passengers under ACMI lease increased to 1.2 million, almost three times compared to 2023. The success was achieved through fleet expansion, improved training and strategic growth. The number of flights also increased – in 2024, the company operated more than 7,600 flights, doubling this figure compared to the previous year.
Astana Airport handled 8.315 million passengers in 2024, up 11% from 2023, Terminals Astana Airport Management reported. Domestic flights carried 5.668 million people (+9%), while international flights carried 2.647 million (+16%).
Lufthansa Group has completed the acquisition of a 41% stake in ITA Airways for 325 million euros. The Italian airline has thus joined the Lufthansa network, becoming the fifth airline in the group. The remaining 59% of the shares remain with the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The British government has backed plans to build a third runway at London’s Heathrow Airport, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said. According to her, the project will create more than 100,000 jobs and boost the country’s economic growth.
