CMA CGM launched its air cargo airline in early 2021, part of a strategic plan to invest huge shipping profits in logistics capabilities and become a provider of turnkey services to large multinational companies interested in reducing supply chain complexity. The company recorded a $9.2 billion operating profit in the third quarter with a 46% profit margin, on par with last year’s stellar results.
The company purchased four used A330-200 freighters from Qatar Airways, set up a base in Liège, Belgium, and outsourced the flying to Air Belgium — until then an exclusively passenger airline. Two of its earliest routes were to Chicago and Atlanta. Last summer it received two factory-built 777 freighters from Boeing. CMA CGM operates the 777s from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris after obtaining an air operator certificate in France that allows it to use its own pilots. It is repatriating the A330s from Air Belgium to its own operating authority, with the final one scheduled to change over on Feb. 10, an Air Belgium representative said.
In September, CMA CGM Air Cargo began flying five times per week between Paris and Hong Kong utilizing one of the large 777 freighters. But Chicago O’Hare and Atlanta are not currently part of the airline’s network.
