MIAMI — National Air Cargo, a freight company that also operates an airline, is growing its business for large cargo. With its first nose-loading freighters and talks with Airbus about renting the massive Beluga transporter, which can carry tanks, yachts, satellites, and electric transformers, the company is creating new opportunities for oversized shipments.
National Airlines’ Orlando, Florida-based branch will begin using two Boeing 747-400 cargo jets next month, increasing the fleet to ten planes, including two for passenger charter. The new jets have a nose cone that opens for loading large items like helicopters and trucks that can’t fit through a regular side cargo door. The other six 747-400s in the fleet don’t have this feature.
Meanwhile, the company’s logistics division is looking into chartering the Beluga mega-freighter, which Airbus recently made available to companies with special shipping needs, according to Alan White, chief growth officer for National Air Cargo, during an air cargo forum here in November.
Airbus Expands Beluga Fleet for Freight Services
Airbus launched a new cargo airline last year, which will eventually consist of five Beluga super transporters previously used internally to ferry aircraft sections between manufacturing plants. The aerospace giant is replacing the whale-shaped Beluga STs with a larger Beluga version to support aircraft production. It offers two Beluga ST cargo jets through its new for-hire service for freight forwarders and charter brokers. According to officials, a third will be available in 2023, and the remaining mega-freighters will permanently join the fleet in 2024.
“From our freight forwarding element, we’re very accustomed to using the An-124” with its front-loading ramp, White explained, referring to the Soviet-designed super-jumbo jets that can carry more weight but have smaller cross-sections than the Beluga. “We’re talking to them [Airbus Beluga Transport] to see if there’s mutual benefit in collaborating because their volume capability is so much greater.”
Because of its size and versatility, the 747 remains one of the most popular freighters. Existing aircraft are likely to be in high demand for decades, as Boeing delivered its final 747-8 earlier this year, effectively ending production.
National Airlines Expands with New 747-400s
National Airlines recently acquired two 747-400s less than 15 years old. The planes will be painted in the company’s colors this month and will go into service in February. They will allow the company to broaden its reach into the oil and gas industry, which regularly transports long pipes and other noncontainerized equipment.
“We’re very [eager] to seize that opportunity. “We see that as a major goal for the coming year and beyond,” White said.
Since the pandemic, National Airlines has been transporting humanitarian aid, COVID medical supplies, e-commerce shipments, fruits and vegetables, automotive parts and finished automobiles, and US military aid to Ukraine.
A Forwarder with Assets
Many logistics companies form virtual airlines by signing long-term contracts with cargo airlines for dedicated transport under their brand. Still, National Air Cargo took the unusual step in 2006 of purchasing Murray Air, a small Michigan carrier, and operating its fleet to win government contracts in the United States. Murray Air supported the automotive industry at the time by flying old DC-8 freighters.
The airline enables the company to provide a packaged suite of services for internal customers who require airlift while also earning money from charter operations. As a freight forwarder, National Air Cargo also arranges ocean and road transportation.
“We can fly point to point for any customers who want that door-to-door element with pickup, delivery customs, one invoice, and track-and-trace,” White said, comparing it to a closed-loop FedEx or UPS network. “We refer to ourselves as a boutique integrator.”
Limited Competition
Unless large ocean shipping lines with logistics holdings have started airlines in the last couple of years, no other logistics providers offer a similar model.
CMA CGM, which owns Ceva Logistics, launched a cargo airline in 2021 with four widebody freighters and has since added two more intercontinental aircraft. It outsourced the flying at first but is now hiring its own pilots and obtaining its air operator certificate in France. Maersk, which also has a significant logistics division, is investing heavily in expanding its legacy cargo airline. Instead of only flying under contract with express delivery companies, it sells space directly to its own customers and other freight forwarders.
Mediterranean Shipping Co. started service between Europe, Asia, and North America with a single Boeing 777 in December and planned to have four freighters in its in-house fleet by the end of the year. However, the transportation conglomerate, which also offers warehousing and intermodal ground service, does not operate the planes. MSC Air Cargo’s underlying operator is Atlas Air.
