The London, UK-based cargo specialist now provides air services between Sharjah (SHJ) and Cologne-Bonn Airport (CGN). These have already started, Chief Operating Officer, Liana Coyne confirms to CargoForwarder Global. The flights are operated once weekly, on Saturdays and Sundays, using a B757F that can accommodate 200 m³ or 26,000 to 29,000 tons of freight per takeoff, depending on head- or tailwind.
Lucky Liana
Freighters are currently a much sought-after commodity, not just variants like the B757 P2F. Therefore, it can be assumed that Liana Coyne belongs to the small group of rather content
decision-makers who have scored a major success. She and her team have managed to charter a B757F for the air transport of consignments between the Gulf region and central Europe, while many
others are struggling to contract an all-cargo aircraft. This is evidenced by a recent statement made by Ulrich Ogiermann, CEO of Italian newcomer Aliscargo Airlines: “Give us a freighter and
we'll start flying immediately,” the manager exclaimed during the online World Cargo Summit hosted by Euroavia International
Touching on the issue of the B757F’s provenance, Ms. Coyne remained tight-lipped, saying only that it is a very reliable and supportive company with which Coyne Airways has done business for
years. Out of consideration for other capacity users, she requested understanding for not disclosing the name of the operator.
Imbalance of tonnage
As to the Sharjah-Cologne rotations, these will be operated once a week: Saturdays CGN - SHJ, Sundays SHJ - CGN. A total of 13 rotations are currently planned, 4 of which have already been
carried out. Liana did not exclude that more could follow if the promising results achieved during the first weeks continue. At the same time, she mentions a certain imbalance in volumes. For
example, while all previous flights from the UAE to Cologne/Bonn were completely full owing to the optimal combination of price and transit time for sea-air cargo from Asia, there is for now
capacity available on the flights to the UAE. In view of the booming cargo business and capacity scarcity, this is rather unusual and unlikely to last long. All the more so since Coyne Airways
offers various destinations via the UAE on a through-AWB. For example, Coyne Airways provides a per kilo and charter service for humanitarian and relief goods to Kabul, and continues to serve
Baghdad, Erbil and Sulaimaniyah in Iraq. They also have an extensive network in Africa including Djibouti, Ndjamena, Hargeisa and Mogadishu. These are all places that are barely connected to the
global air transport network, making serving them even more attractive for companies or organizations active there. “We operate an extensive network in these regions for years, which is
complemented by trucking services,” she states. The same applies to CGN, where road feeder services to and from Italy, the Benelux, or the UK, ensure the smooth and also fast flow of imports
or exports processed at the airport.
2021 was not a bumper year
Asked about the 2021 annual results, Ms. Coyne simply says that the figures were not as strong as in the bumper year 2020, because “we saw the recovery of passenger flights which added
capacity to the market and put pressure on rates. We also found it hard to source interline capacity at the right rates – another reason for this new rotation.” However, 2022 has started off
well, she says, summarizing the preliminary results of the first 6 weeks.
Heiner Siegmund
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