Hat-trick of new cargo airlines plan for take-off

The past week has seen three new companies – in the UK, Italy and Vietnam – reveal plans to enter the all-cargo market as prices and availability of capacity make the sector an attractive prospect. Last week, Italian firm Aliscargo was preparing for the arrival of its first aircraft – a B777-200ER set up in a preighter configuration – with a second soon to follow. The company is aiming to eventually launch services connecting Italy with Asia-Pacific and North America and has two well-known industry names amongst its management team: chief executive Francesco Rebaudo and chief commercial officer Ulrich Ogiermann. In the UK, ZFG Air is preparing to launch operations from Newcastle in the northeast of the UK later this month. The company will offer flights from Newcastle International to Hong Kong via Dubai twice per week. ZFG will initially utilise an A330-200 passenger aircraft that has been converted to a preighter configuration. In Vietnam, billionaire businessman and chairman of luxury goods retail firm Imex Pan Pacific Group (IPPG), Johnathan Hanh Nguyen, has announced plans to establish a domestic and international cargo airline with an investment of $100 million.<br/>