The new British all-cargo carrier, CargoLogicAir (CLA), which received its Air Operators Certificate last week, now says it aims to become a leader in the European air cargo market in both scheduled and charter flights by adding four more freighters over the next two years.
CargoLogicAir has taken delivery of its first 747-400 freighter from Air Castle and will add a second 747F to its fleet in July 2016, the startup carrier said. CLA also said it expects to have a fleet of five 747Fs by April 2018.
Dmitry Grishin, the newly appointed CEO of CargoLogicAir and former vice president sales at Ruslan International, said the all-cargo airline business model “has its place on the market,” and that CLA will seek “sustainable growth by specializing in outsize and flexible solutions for our customers.” He added that the new carrier is “open to cooperation with all who share the same passion for cargo as we do. We are also very grateful for the help we have received so far from partners such as Boeing, Stansted Airport and Aeropeople, who have supported us in building the company and its capabilities.”
Grishin is joined in the executive ranks by Peter van de Pas in the role of chief operating officer and accounting manager, who previously held senior positions at KLM and Cargolux. Steve Harvey is CLA’s chief commercial officer, having joined the airline from his previous post of regional charter sales manager EMEA of Atlas Air.
Comparing CLA to other U.K.-based all-cargo carriers, such as HeavyLift and AirFoyle, Harvey said the “time is right” to launch another cargo airline in the U.K., which he called the second largest air cargo market in the European Union. “Using our knowledge, we plan to make a strong contribution to putting the U.K. back on the map of global all-cargo leaders,” he said. “We have been extremely encouraged by the level of interest from our customers and expect this to result in us attracting the level of business we need to support our growth strategy over the next three to five years.”