On April 17, 2025, an important event took place in the history of European aviation: Istanbul Airport (IST) officially launched the simultaneous operation of three independent runways. This innovation increased the capacity from 120 to 148 operations per hour. The first three Turkish Airlines flights under the new scheme were personally conducted by the Turkish Minister of Transport.
In the first quarter of 2025, German air cargo terminals handled 434,182 tonnes of air freight – almost as much as in the same period last year. However, the number of employees fell by 3.5% compared to 2024 and by 5.5% compared to the previous quarter, according to the Association of German Air Cargo Operators (Vacad).
Glasgow Prestwick Airport (PIK) has welcomed its first scheduled cargo flights from China, operated by China Southern Air Logistics. The new route from Guangzhou commenced on 16 May 2025 and will operate four flights a week, with the potential to increase to daily departures.
Vietnamese SOVICO Group is negotiating the transfer of Kyzylorda Airport to trust management. This was announced by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Alibek Bakayev, emphasizing that the deal does not provide for the sale of the asset – the Vietnamese side will temporarily manage the airport to improve its efficiency.
HWF Scandinavia and Finland, a subsidiary of ECS Group, has been appointed as the exclusive general sales agent (GSSA) for cargo for Thai Airways in Sweden and Denmark, effective 15 May 2025. The partnership covers daily wide-body flights from Stockholm and Copenhagen to Bangkok, providing cargo connections between the Nordic countries, Southeast Asia and Australia.
German company Aircargonet International has been appointed as the general sales and handling agent (GSSA) for airBaltic in Germany. This decision was made following a tender and opens up new opportunities for the Latvian airline in one of the key European markets.
Latam Cargo Group’s cargo division is ramping up capacity between South America and Europe this winter, increasing the number of weekly flights in each direction from 12 to 15. The additional services will be operated from October using Boeing 767F aircraft.
By 2032, Poland is preparing to open one of Europe’s largest infrastructure projects – the Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK), located 40 km west of Warsaw. This ambitious project combines a modern airport with an initial passenger capacity of 40 million people, with the prospect of expanding to 100 million, a high-speed rail network and new road connections. The airport includes two 3.8 km long runways located 2.5 km apart, as well as a central terminal connected to the railway station and bus station.
JINGDONG Logistics (JD Logistics) has launched its first direct cargo air service between Wuhu, China and Hanoi, Vietnam. The new route is an important addition to the company’s existing network in Southeast Asia, which already covers routes from Shenzhen to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. The flights will operate 2-3 times a week with a cargo capacity of up to 20 tons, mainly for the transportation of garments, home appliances, furniture and mechanical parts from East and Central China, as well as for the import of Vietnamese products to China.
Since May 2025, Kazakhstan is expanding its flight geography: the country’s airlines are launching new routes to ten countries, including Germany, Hungary, China, Korea, Turkey, Vietnam and others. The basis for international expansion is formed by carriers SCAT, Air Astana and Fly Arystan, as well as foreign partners. The main growth point was Shymkent Airport, from where SCAT will open flights to Budapest, Munich, Shanghai and Seoul twice a week.
