Atlas Air, a leading global provider of air cargo assets and outsourced aircraft operating solutions, recently confirmed the successful operation on October 14 of the first scheduled freighter service into the new Dubai World Central (DWC)-Al Maktoum International Airport on behalf of its long-standing ACMI customer, Panalpina Group.
Atlas Air's Boeing 747-400 freighter flight initiates a new controlled airfreight service by Panalpina. The service will include two weekly flights into Dubai as part of a round-the-world rotation connecting Luxembourg, Dubai, South Africa, Hong Kong, North America and Latin America.
In addition, a second Atlas Air 747-400 freighter is helping Panalpina inaugurate new express service between Huntsville, Ala., and Sao Paulo, Brazil, enhancing connections between Asia, North America and Latin America.
"We are proud to support our long-term customer and facilitate Panalpina's growth," said Michael Steen, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Atlas Air. "Our industry-leading service enables Panalpina to offer its customers a unique and highly flexible solution for time-definite airfreight."
According to Claus Schmidt, Panalpina's Middle East Area Manager, "Our DWC service is a milestone in Panalpina's growth plans in the region. It links our new Middle East distribution center at DWC with our network in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. It also allows us to offer our customers fast turnaround times from cargo arrival to delivery."
A new multi-year ACMI service agreement between Panalpina and Atlas Air, under which Atlas Air operates two 747-400 freighter aircraft for Panalpina, was announced on September 15, 2010, at the 20th anniversary party of Panalpina's "Dixie Jet" freighter service connecting Huntsville, Ala., with Europe.(atlas air/mar)