Jade Cargo deploys round-the-world flight

The inaugural flight of Jade Cargo's first ever round-the-world service is scheduled for take-off 12 October. The B747-400F on lease from US capacity provider World Airways for a period of one year will depart from Shanghai, touch down shortly after in Yantau, head on to Fairbanks for refueling before going on from Alaska to Chicago, departing thereafter for Amsterdam before finally returning from Schiphol airport to Shanghai Pudong. "Our stopover at Yantau was highly demanded by forwarders because of the many exports of electronics produced by the local industry,"says Jade's CEO Kay Kratky.

The entire journey around the globe from China via North America, on to Europe, and back to China, he says, is calculated to be 35 hours in duration. This new service will be offered to shippers and forwarders three times per week. According to Kratky his airline has been conceded traffic rights for the entire route, including the loading of shipments in Chicago for bringing them via the North Atlantic to consignees in

the Netherlands, or the rest of Europe.

On the wet lease from World Airways Kratky said: "We intend to collaborate closely with World in the months and years to come,"adding that this is the first step in an attempt to continuously expand Jade's business. According to this aim Jade's own six B747-400ERFs build the basic fleet for covering the current network. For serving additional routes in gaining a foothold in lucrative markets Jade intends to add leased equipment whenever demanded by customers and market conditions. "This guarantees us the necessary flexibility that we need when giving a shot on new routes."But the Jade boss does not exclude upping Jade's own fleet in the times ahead by buying more freighters.

"With the exception of charter flights, North America so far has been a white spot on our route map,"enthuses executive VP Product and Sales, Gaby Ahrens. Concerning the upcoming transpacific flights to Chicago, both Ahrens and Kratky speak of a "second traffic pillar"Jade is determined to establish there. Since its inception in 2004 the carrier mostly flew on east-west routes between China and South Korea to places in Europe or the Middle East.

Shelved meanwhile, are plans to serve Africa after landing in Lagos, Nigeria for a number of weeks in 2008. Says Kratky: "The African market has proven to be extremely difficult, so we pulled out of Lagos and scrapped further considerations like flying to Johannesburg for the time being.”

Majority stakeholder of Jade Cargo International is Air China's subsidiary Shenzhen Airlines possessing 51 per cent. Lufthansa Cargo with 25 per cent and DEG - Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft holds 24 per cent, are the two other co-owners of the all-freight carrier. After posting an "acceptable result"in 2009 Jade is well on track for achieving a "satisfying solid and positive result"until the end of the current fiscal year, Kratky states.