2017 proved to be an exceptional year for Europe’s leading all-cargo airline, Cargolux Airlines. Net profit after taxes for 2017 totaled US$ 122.3 million (compared to US$ 5.5 million in 2016) whilst FTKs increased by 12.3%.  Consequently the load factor of the airline increased to 70.1% for the year. For the first time in its history the Cargolux Group exceeded 1 million chargeable tonnes flown. Its worldwide market share grew to reach 4% and it ranks as the 6th largest airline in respect of international scheduled freight operations. 

Market demand remained high throughout 2017 resulting in the airline generating a record 131,212 block hours, a 7% increase compared to the previous year. Accordingly aircraft utilization remained high with the daily average utilization in excess of 15:00 hours. 

Cargolux continued to build on its strong commercial relationship with China, especially at its Zhengzhou hub. Cargolux carried in excess of 250,000 tonnes of freight to and from China, including 147,000 tonnes to and from Zhengzhou and established itself as the largest cargo carrier in this hub. The airline operates between 19 and 25 weekly flights to mainland China depending on season. During a State visit by Prime Minister Xavier Bettel in June 2017, several key MoUs and agreements were signed between both governments to extend commercial exchanges between the countries.

In 2017, Cargolux and Emirates SkyCargo (Emirates) also entered into a groundbreaking agreement, the first of its kind between a mainstream airline and an all-cargo carrier. A number of agreements were signed, including capacity swaps on each other’s aircraft to certain destinations, a new freighter service operated by Emirates’ between Luxembourg and Dubai, UAE that complements the thrice weekly connection that Cargolux already offers to Dubai World Central, thus increasing connectivity between both hubs. The implementation of this agreement allows Cargolux to access Emirates’ extensive network thus broadening the range of destinations available to customers. 

In order to offer its customers a tailored service geared towards their specific needs, Cargolux is continuously looking to further develop its global network.

In 2017 two additional destinations were added in Africa; Douala in Cameroon and Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These weekly flights bring the number of destinations in Africa up to 14. Since July 2017, the airline also offers 4 weekly connections between Europe and Quito, Ecuador, in addition to flights to Curitiba, Viracopos and Mexico.