Cathay-Lufthansa air freight JV illustrates growing role of Gulf airlines

© Nicholas Burningham

As Lufthansa announces it is hoping to progress quickly with its Air China partnership, the excellent CAPA has analysed how the weak air cargo market  – plus Gulf competition – is forcing other airlines to set up joint ventures to expand their networks. This analysis examines the Gulf airlines’ capacity, (46 freighters between the three of them, at the last count) and their expansion into secondary Asia markets with cargo demand – at the expense of Asian carriers in particular. A worthwhile read, showing how tough life is for European carriers and how the new and ever-deepening partnerships are designed to offset weakness – or structural change – in air freight.