Singapore adds freighters on Brussels – Jo’burg route

Kevin Mayhew SINGAPORE AIRLINES (SIA) Cargo last week signed an agreement to form a joint venture cargo airline with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) and Dahlia Investments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Temasek Holdings. The new cargo airline, named Great Wall Airlines Company, will be incorporated in Shanghai, China. Great Wall Airlines plans to begin operations in the first half of 2006. Besides destinations within China, it plans to operate wide body freighters to the major cargo markets in the US, Europe, north East Asia and South West Asia. Meanwhile, locally, SIA Cargo has notified the industry of its intention to introduce two weekly B747-400F freighters out of Brussels into Johannesburg. To promote the freighters, it has introductory rates for large shipments and is seeking base loads with contract rates available for regular traffic. The first flight is scheduled to depart from Brussels on Wednesday, July 6, to return to Singapore the following day. The routing will be repeated each Saturday morning from Brussels to leave for Singapore in the evening.