CMA CGM Air Cargo orders more freighters

Specialist airfreight carrier CMA CGM Air Cargo has announced that it has placed an order for four Airbus A350Fs, in addition to the four A350Fs the carrier ordered in 2021. They are expected to be in service by the end of 2027, allowing the company to offer its services on a global scale for the first time.

CMA CGM became the second company to sign up for Airbus’ new A350 freighter as the French logistics group continued its expansion in the global air cargo market. The shipping giant signed a memorandum of understanding covering the purchase of four initial A350Fs.

Meanwhile, CMA CGM has announced that it will receive three Boeing 777-200Fs, with the first aircraft due to arrive in June 2024. Two of the three aircraft will be dedicated to a new transpacific route connecting Asia to North America during the summer of 2024. We already reported on the first delivery of a 777F to CMA CGM two years ago.

The new route will serve airports in Hong Kong, Chicago, and Seoul. The second aircraft will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2024 and will connect mainland China to North America. The third aircraft is set to arrive in 2025. Flights will be operated by CMA CGM’s partner airline Atlas Air, which had already ordered these Triple Sevens in the past and will wet-lease them to CMA CGM.

Currently, the CMA CGM Air Cargo Group fleet consists of two Boeing 777-200Fs and three Airbus A330Fs, all of which are based at the carrier’s Paris-Charles de Gaulle hub.

Picture: Boeing 777F F-MHRF at Maastricht on 18 July 2022, Mark Remmel