Leeham News
• Howard Hardee
Radia’s WindRunner concept pairs an exceptionally large airframe with an ambitious vision for specialized, high-volume cargo. The history of Boeing’s never-launched freighter highlights the commercial and development risks involved in creating a market around highly specialized airlift capacity.
Air Cargo & Freight Logistics
Latest source-backed stories
Radia’s WindRunner concept pairs an exceptionally large airframe with an ambitious vision for specialized, high-volume cargo. The history of Boeing’s never-launched freighter highlights the commercial and development risks involved in creating a market around highly specialized airlift capacity.
Royal Air Maroc is expanding its cargo capability with additional A321 freighter capacity obtained through a wet lease. The move gives the Moroccan flag carrier access to freighter lift while relying on an external operator for the aircraft and associated operating resources.
High activity
ANA Holdings will combine ANA Cargo, Nippon Cargo Airlines and NCA Japan into a single cargo business from April 2027, following its 2025 acquisition of Nippon Cargo. The consolidation is intended to create greater scale, improve efficiency and strengthen the reliability and responsiveness of ANA’s global air freight operation.
High activity
Amazon has suspended operations with 21 Air, the cargo carrier operating the Boeing 767-300 freighter that overran a runway at Miami International Airport on Sept. 6, crossed a nearby road and killed five people on the ground. The decision follows Amazon’s review of the accident and emerging NTSB data.
High activity
Flydubai plans to begin dedicated freighter operations on Oct. 1, 2026, using three wet-leased Boeing 737-800 freighters from Solitair, each offering a 23,000-kilogram payload. The Dubai-based carrier expects to add passenger-to-freighter conversions from 2029 and expand cargo capacity alongside its future 787 fleet.
ASL Airlines Australia’s proposed acquisition of Airwork Group’s freight business in New Zealand and Australia faces uncertainty after receivers said a conditional agreement to sell the business did not complete. The status leaves the planned transaction unresolved.
High activity
MBDA and Safran won approval to supply France’s new long-range land-strike capability, while the U.S. expanded military connectivity with 21 PWSA Tranche-1 satellites. Separate awards include up to $4.84 billion for Northrop Grumman’s CIRCM system, $4.7 billion to L3Harris for PAC-3 MSE propulsion and $343.2 million for T56 sustainment.
High activity
Evidence from the flight data recorder indicates the pilots of an Amazon Prime Air cargo aircraft considered aborting their landing shortly before the jet crashed in Miami, killing five people on the ground. Investigators are continuing to reconstruct the sequence of events and determine contributing factors.
Create a free account to see more recent Air Cargo & Freight Logistics stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
