Start-Ups AFG Aviation Ireland acquires four A330Fs for Start-Up CMA CGM Air Cargo

AFG Aviation Ireland has acquired four Airbus 330-200 Freighters from Qatar Airways Group. The aircraft are MSN 1688, MSN 1708, MSN 1584, and MSN 1594 and have an average age of nearly six years.

All four aircraft will be operated by Air Belgium on behalf of French cargo carrier CMA CGM Air Cargo. The company has recently decided to start its own specialized air freight division and these aircraft are the first to join the fleet of the Start-Up air cargo operator.

The A330-200 freighter brings CMA CGM the opportunity to transport 60 tons of payload. The aircraft have an operational range of 4000 nautical miles and are expected to fly operations across the world.

Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, said: “In response to the growing demand from our customers for agile logistics solutions, we are creating a new division within the CMA CGM Group dedicated to air transport: CMA CGM Air Cargo. This division will launch with four Airbus A330-200F aircraft and will leverage commercial partnerships with airlines in order to deliver global coverage. This is a major milestone in the development of our logistics services.”

Regarding the acquisition of the new aircraft, Christian Nuehlen, CEO of Aircraft Finance Germany, comments: “Obviously, we are more than pleased with the outcome and that we managed to successfully conclude this transaction amidst a challenging pandemic environment. The air cargo market presents strong potential going forward and these four aircraft will play a vital role in the years to come.”

CMA CGM Group is a leader in shipping and logistics and with this new component, the operational and commercial divisions of the company will be strengthened. The ultimate goal of the new freight division is it, to offer customers more flexible options for shipping and logistics.

Two of the four aircraft have already been delivered to Air Belgium and the first aircraft has been seen outside with the CMA CGM livery. Laurent Olmeta, Executive Vice President at CMA CGM America LLC, has posted first pictures on its Linkedin-profile (pictured above).