"Towards the end of the winter season, our network had already been significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. This summer, however, we will operate services to around 30 longhaul destinations", Air France KLM Martinair Cargo state in their press release.
Last week they increased flight frequency to Johannesburg, Bangkok, Beijing and Shanghai. They will continue to improve their services in the coming week, restoring operations to Houston and increasing flight frequency to Bamako, Ouagadougou, Chicago, Toronto, Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore.
"Our summer network is supported by our regular full-freighter services. From Paris Charles de Gaulle, we operate to Dublin, Djibouti, Nairobi, Antananarivo, Reunion, Chicago and Shanghai. From Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, we offer service to Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Lima, Bogotá, Guatemala, Quito, Miami, Harare, Nairobi, Johannesburg and Cairo."
"It is our priority that we are able to repatriate passengers to their home countries. We also need to ensure that medical equipment, facemasks, medicines, foodstuffs and other essential commodities can be efficiently transported. To do so, Air France and the French government have set up an air bridge between Shanghai and Paris. In the Netherlands, a similar initiative was undertaken by the Dutch government, Philips and KLM. Meanwhile, it is essential to ensure that our customers have access to regular and specialised cargo services."
Gertjan Roelands, SVP of Sales & Distribution for Air France KLM Martinair Cargo: “It is essential to be very agile at this time. We are in very close contact with our customers to ensure that we adjust our network and services to their needs. Close cooperation and partnerships are even more essential during this period.”
New Charter services
In addition, they offer charter services with ample belly capacity on their long-haul passenger aircraft. "In response to significant demand for this solution, we have extended our online services. You can now submit charter requests via a special form on our website. We now also have a dedicated Charter Sales & Service Team, who are specialised in the field of charters in order to following up on customer requests and queries. With these new initiatives, we aim to offer the best possible standard of service for this specific product."
Online service
Owing to the corona crisis, many of their staff have been working from home, often with restricted working hours. "Nevertheless, we have been able to maintain a high standard of customer service, thanks to
smart scheduling, strong cooperation and the expertise and enthusiasm of our staff. Fortunately, our unique myCargo portal has ensured that our customers have access to all our services 24/7."
Gertjan Roelands: “The importance of online services has been confirmed in this period. Visits to our website increased significantly and we have seen more online bookings. All our staff – frontline, operational and central support – want to help fulfil logistical needs in this unprecedented crisis, while continuing to provide the regular services required by our customers. It is fantastic to see our staff
making the difference, even in these challenging times.”
For more information
Air France KLM Martinair Cargo
www.afklcargo.com