April 11 - After operating a series of charter flights, Cargolux Airlines International SA will begin regular scheduled services between Luxembourg and Zhengzhou - the capital of Chinese province Henan - on April 24.
This inaugural flight marks the beginning of the partnership between Cargolux and its new shareholder Henan Civil Aviation and Investment Co Ltd (HNCA), which will own a 35 percent stake in Europe's leading all-cargo carrier after the closing of the share transaction at the end of April.
Cargolux intends to operate at least four weekly flights to Zhengzhou and will schedule weekly flights on Thursdays and Saturdays, leaving Luxembourg at 22:00. Both flights will be routed via Baku and arrive at Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport at 20:40 on the following day.
Return flights will leave the capital of Henan province at 22:40 on Fridays and Sundays, before arriving in Luxembourg at 06:40.
The implementation of regular air cargo services between Luxembourg and Zhengzhou is part of the dual-hub strategy centred on Luxembourg's Findel Airport and Zhengzhou's Xinzheng International Airport - which is a key part of the commercial cooperation agreement between Cargolux and HNCA.
For the first week of April, Cargolux recorded an all-time high average daily aircraft utilisation of its Boeing 747-440 freighter fleet, with the aircraft operating an average of 17:23 block hours per day.
