Maersk has chosen Denmark’s second-largest airport, Billund, as its air freight hub for Maersk Air Cargo. It says daily flights creating several jobs in the region.
The new air freight company is the result of the existing in-house aircraft operator, Star Air, which has transferred activities into Maersk Air Cargo. The new carrier shall support existing and new customers and Maersk’s end to end logistics.
“We see an increased and continued demand for air cargo both today and going forward as well as a growing demand for end-to-end logistics, why it is important for us to strengthen our own-controlled capacity and advance further on our air freight strategy,” says Torben Bengtsson, Global Head of Air & LCL (Less than Container Load), A.P. Moller – Maersk.
Maersk last operated from Billund in 2005. From the continent, Maersk Air Cargo will progressively deploy and operate a controlled capacity of five aircraft – two new B777F and three leased B767-300 cargo aircraft.
Three new B767-300 freighters will also be added to the US-China operation, which will be initially handled by a third-party operator.
The new aircraft are expected to be operational from the second half of 2022 and onwards up to 2024.
Maersk’s ambition is to have approximately one-third of its annual air tonnage carried within its own controlled freight network. This will be achieved through a combination of owned and leased aircraft, replicating the structure that the company has within its ocean fleet. The remaining capacity will be provided by strategic commercial carriers and charter flight operators.