Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) has extended its sixteen-year working partnership with European Cargo Services (ECS) with the awarding of a new GSA contract to provide sales representation for the airline across Europe and worldwide.
The exclusive contract with ECS - which operates 42 subsidiaries in thirty countries - gives UIA a unique opportunity to substantially expand its cargo transportation network and gain access to the worldwide market.
The agreement will allow UIA to deliver cargo not only to countries with a direct connection to Ukraine but also to additional markets in Western Europe, North America and Southeast Asia.
The airline connects Ukraine with nearly 3,000 locations worldwide, operating some 350 scheduled flights a week to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Frankfurt, Vienna, Zurich, Rome, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Helsinki, Dubai, Tbilisi, Monastir, Lvov, Ivano-Frankovsk, Kharkov, Lugansk, Uzhgorod, Dnepropetrovsk, Odessa and Simferopol.
The first airline in the CIS to introduce Boeing 737 aircraft into its fleet, UIA now operates seventeen versions of the aircraft. The carrier has developed a profitable cargo business carrying cargo in the bellyhold of its passenger aircraft, and supplemented this business with the arrival of a Boeing 737-300SF freighter in July last year. With a payload capacity of 20 tons, the B737SF is already proving to be a sound investment, with cargo tonnage increasing month on month, and the carrier is considering leasing a second Boeing 737-300SF freighter this year.
Turkish Airlines has awarded a contract for cargo handling at Birmingham Airport in the UK to Worldwide Flight Services (WFS).
As part of its ongoing network expansion, Turkish Airlines launched a new direct service between Istanbul and Birmingham on December 15th.
The airline operates either an Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 aircraft on the route with a cargo payload of up to 2,000 kg per flight. Flights depart the UK Midlands airport on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Under the terms of the agreement, WFS provide a full cargo handling service for Turkish Airlines at its 30,000 sq.ft cargo centre at Birmingham Airport, including freight reception, pallet build and break and documentation.
