DB Schenker increased its capacity between South America and Europe through a new route that will connect Germany and the Netherlands with Brazil after two stopovers in the United States. In addition, the route will allow direct connections to Argentina and Chile.
The cargo charter flight will be operated weekly by LATAM Cargo, which recently announced an expansion of its cargo operations in the old continent.
“To keep economies running, companies require stable supply chains. By expanding our flight network to South America, we bring a new source of reliable capacity to the market. We are pleased to say that demand is already high,” said Thorsten Meincke, member of DB Schenker’s global board for air and ocean freight.
Every Sunday evening, the flight will depart Frankfurt (FRA) for Amsterdam (AMS) to cross the Atlantic, making stops in New York (JFK) and Miami (MIA). From there, it will take off for Monday’s arrival in Campinas/Viracopos (VCP), near São Paulo. Then, the aircraft can continue its journey south with a direct connection to Buenos Aires (EZE) and then to Santiago de Chile (SCL).
The flights will be operated Boeing 767-300 (BCF) and (F) with 50-ton cargo capacity. The Miami stopover provides access to numerous additional destinations in the carrier’s portfolio, which includes Asuncion, Montevideo, Lima, Bogota, Rio de Janeiro, Guatemala, Panama, Recife and San Jose.
DB Schenker handles the transportation of a wide range of products, including multiple automotive industry requirements. Auto parts have been one of the most important and constant cargo movements between Europe and South America.
The group also frequently transports temperature-controlled cargo and dangerous goods. Within Europe, flights connect seamlessly to DB Schenker’s overland transport network.
Latin America’s growing cargo market
According to IATA, Latin America shows the best performance of all regions, with cargo volumes up 19.6% in June 2022 compared to the same period in 2021. Airlines in this region have shown optimism by introducing new services and, in some cases, investing in additional aircraft to increase their cargo capacity in the coming months.
Demand during the first half of the year was 21.8% above 2021 levels and half-year capacity was 32.6% above the same period.
In the last half year, the South American cargo market added new operators. DHL Aero Expreso entered Chile connecting Miami and Panama, Cargojet landed in Brazil with flights from Miami and Air Canada Cargo has a route to Quito and Lima from Miami and Toronto.
In addition, Atlas Air added more flights between Brazil and Chile from Hong Kong, as a result of the agreement signed with Alibaba, in view of the increase in shipments from the e-commerce giant.
Established carriers with hybrid operations – passenger and cargo – are also increasing their dedicated fleet: LATAM Cargo will have eight Boeing 767-300F and thirteen Boeing 767-300 (ER) (BCF) aircraft by 2023 and Avianca Cargo will have six A330-200 (F), four A330-300 (P2F) and one A321 (P2F) aircraft by 2024.
