CMA CGM Air Cargo insists forwarders are essential to business, with concerns that the company might cut capacity like Maersk did last year, reports London’s Loadstar.
At the World Cargo Symposium in London, cma CGM chief executive Olivier Casanova emphasised the role of forwarders in air freight.
‘We are a newcomer, and the idea was to launch a new French airline dedicated to cargo. It’s an important step in the vision of our chairman, Rudolphe Saade,’ said Mr Casanova.
‘The more supply chains become complex, the more they require people who understand every link. We now span shipping and logistics, and air cargo complements our offering.’
‘The world is complex, we think there is more and more need for integration. We’ve worked in tripartite ways with shippers and forwarders when a problem needed three parties around the table,’ said Mr Casanova.
In shipping, forwarders accounted for 50 per cent of the line’s revenues.
‘Air freight works differently, and we see the value added by forwarders is essential. As an airline, we can’t do without them. We are seeing more forwarders contracting and securing long-term capacity. The frontiers are shifting; we need to find the right solution for customers and to work hand-in-hand with forwarders,’ said Mr Casanova.
The new airline is also partnering with AF-KLM and will form an exclusive deal with the airline group by December 1.
‘Our alliance with AF-KLM is a new and ambitious venture. We are in uncharted territory, but we have a shared vision. It’s complementary. We have six freighters each and will have 20 by 2026, which we will look to deploy in a coordinated manner. Plus, there are 160 long-haul passenger aircraft, making 3,000 destinations for our customers,’ said Mr Casanova.
‘We will commercialise the freighters and belly with one single voice to customers. We will offer a better quality of service and speed, and a unified product offering for the ease of doing business. The partnership will be implemented in the new year.’
