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The ambition for the next four years is to jointly investigate and exploit the available opportunities in the air cargo market. To achieve this the airlines want to:

• Expand their existing cooperation and build on mutual experience to connect the cargo business in China, Europe and beyond markets. This will also enable them to continue to use their membership of the SkyTeam Cargo Alliance to maximum advantage.

• Connect CZ’s strong position in China and Asia Pacific region with AFKLMP’s strong position in Europe, Africa and the Trans-Atlantic area, possibly by sharing capacity and space agreements.

• Combine CZ and AFKLMP Cargo networks (belly and main deck product) to offer high frequency services via their hubs at Guangzhou, Shanghai, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol.

• Provide easy access to each other’s capacity within this combined network cooperation and explore each other’s ground service facilities at home base hubs, which might support quick interline transfers (one roof concept).

• Increase Mail and Express business opportunities between China, Europe and the USA.

Ultimately this could lead to an integrated commercial and operational cargo cooperation model (Joint Venture) between Europe and China.

In the first stage of the agreement a smooth use of each parties’ ground handling facilities at their hubs will enable a faster and seamless transfer process.

The agreement also covers mutual access to the airlines’ respective networks through interlining SPA (Special Prorate Agreements). The partners will also intensify their cooperation on the Express and Mail premium products in response to the substantial increase in e-commerce trade between Asia and Europe, and beyond.

Mr Bram Gräber, EVP AIR FRANCE KLM MARTINAIR Cargo and Mr Zhao Fengsheng, SVP China Southern Cargo, signed up to this new partnership at a ceremony in Guangzhou on 15 September, 2015.

Years of cooperation KLM and China

KLM and China Southern Airlines have worked together on the Amsterdam-Beijing route since 1996. Their cooperation has since steadily evolved into a strategic partnership. Now KLM serves routes between Amsterdam and mainland China (Chengdu, Hangzhou, Xiamen and together with China Southern Airlines Guangzhou) with a codeshare agreement in 2001 and a Joint Venture Agreement in 2006. KLM is proud of its partnership with China Southern Airlines, which makes Amsterdam an important gateway to China from Europe and for Chinese passengers visiting Europe and the rest of the world.

KLM and China Southern Airlines together offer eight non-stop services between Amsterdam and destinations in Greater China, with 57 frequencies a week, and per 26 July 2015 with the addition of Xiamen Airlines 60 frequencies a week. Together Air France and KLM operate nine destinations in Greater-China with 88 frequencies weekly.

Code sharing

KLM and Xiamen Airlines are both members of SkyTeam. The Xiamen Airlines’ flights will be codeshare operated with KLM. KLM and Xiamen Airlines currently have a one-sided codeshare agreement to six destinations in China. Due to the increase in the number of flights between Amsterdam and Xiamen, KLM and Xiamen Airlines will expand their codeshare partnership in China and Europe to 15 destinations. The airlines will also codeshare on the Amsterdam-Xiamen route.

About Xiamen Airlines

Xiamen Airlines is established on 25 July, 1984 and owned by China Southern Airlines (51%), Xiamen Construction and Development Group (34%), and Jizhong Energy Group (15%). Headquartered in Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (XMN), Xiamen Airlines also operates another six bases in Beijing, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, ChangSha, Nanchang and Tianjin. Xiamen Airlines (IATA designator MF) is one of a few airlines operating an all Boeing fleet. Xiamen Airlines operates a total of 116 aircraft, including a mainline of ninety Boeing 737-800 and three brand new Boeing 787-8, with an average airplane service age of 5.3 years. With a network covering Greater China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia, Xiamen Airlines operates to 56 domestic destinations and 13 destinations in Asia Pacific.