KLM Newsroom

Four new, more sustainable freighter aircraft for KLM Group

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 08:04:22 +0100

The A350F is the freighter version of the A350. It is fitted with an extra-large cargo deck. Lighter materials have been used wherever possible to keep take-off weight to a minimum. In combination with the efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, this considerably improves performance in terms of CO₂ emissions and noise pollution. This aircraft is suitable for carrying a range of cargos, including fresh produce, express shipments, pharmaceuticals, horses and oversized cargo. The maximum payload of the chosen configuration is 108 tonnes.

Read the Air France-KLM press release here.

Martinair pilots and ground staff released

Mon, 27 Jan 2020 15:56:07 +0100

KLM and Martinair Cargo are sincerely delighted to confirm that the 3 pilots and 3 ground staff involved in the investigation in Argentina will be released today. In connection with the welfare and privacy of all employees involved, we will not make any substantive statements as long as the investigation is ongoing.

The cargo aircraft in use by Martinair Cargo and investigated by the Argentinian authorities has not yet been released.

Convair crash South Africa

Tue, 10 Jul 2018 19:17:25 +0200

Martinair has been informed that a Convair aircraft has crashed in South Africa. The aircraft was painted in Martin’s Air Charter (retro) livery, but is not operated nor owned by Martinair.

The Convair aircraft was destined for the Dutch aircraft museum Aviodrome at Lelystad Airport in The Netherlands, which is also the owner of the aircraft.

Martinair wishes to send it’s sympathy to the passengers and crew and all others involved in this accident.

Martinair Cargo to Reduce Fleet by June 2016

Mon, 16 Mar 2015 15:15:00 +0100

In September 2014, Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo announced it would be reducing the amount of freighter capacity it needs in its network. Both KLM and Martinair Cargo have discussed the consequences of this decision with the works councils. The decision to scale back the full-freighter fleet has been taken to restore the division’s financial health. The decision will affect more than 330 employees.

Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo has decided on a business model which requires less freighter capacity, rather than a model with no freighters at all. Consequently, as an operating carrier within the KLM Group, Martinair Cargo will scale back its fleet and use just one type of aircraft (Boeing 747). This decision affects around 170 ground staff FTEs in the Netherlands, 50 FTEs abroad and 110 cockpit FTEs.

The company will do its utmost to reassign ground staff within the KLM Group using existing instruments, the scope of which may be extended to include voluntary redundancy. This will take place in close consultation with the unions and will only apply to employees working in areas where a staff surplus arises.

A number of voluntary measures have recently been rolled out for pilots at Martinair Cargo. Reassignment options within the group have been explored over the last few months and a number of pilots have taken the step to join Transavia. Recent changes in the financial conditions mean KLM is unable to offer pilots the same salaries they were receiving at Martinair. With KLM’s help, Martinair will continue to make every effort to find solutions for the pilots outside the KLM group. Negotiations between Martinair Cargo and the unions are ongoing and are based on the existing collective labour agreement (CLA). However, the possibility of compulsory redundancies cannot be excluded. Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo deeply regrets the social consequences of these changes, but the reduction is unavoidable if the cargo business is to be restored to good health.

From 2016, Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo will continue to operate with a mainframe fleet of six Full Freighters (two Boeing 777Fs at Paris Charles De Gaulle and four Boeing 747-400s at Amsterdam Schiphol), supplemented by 15 Boeing 747 Combi’s. Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo is convinced that the remaining flexible freighters will continue to provide its clients with a full range of solutions to meet their needs. The freighter network at Schiphol will concentrate on Africa and North, Central and South America and will, of course, continue to serve important markets, such as the flower sector. The company will also continue to invest in Cargo (Express, Pharma, e-commerce).

Cargo remains a core business for the Air France-KLM Group. It generates income of EUR 2.5 billion per year and contributes around EUR 1 billion a year to the passenger network. It goes without saying that pulling out of the cargo business is out of the question.