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CAL boosts Americas flights while Shanghai services put on hold

ISRAEL's CAL Cargo Airlines could launch flights to new destinations in the Americas instead of earlier plans to provide services to Shanghai, reports London's Air Cargo News.

The owner of the carrier, Offer Gilboa, confirmed that an earlier plan to launch twice-weekly flights to Shanghai was now "in the deep freeze" owing to the weak market in China.

As a result, flights to North, South or Central America were a more attractive proposition for CAL, which now operates a three-strong fleet of 747 freighters based in Liege.

CAL launched twice-weekly flights to Atlanta in the US in September 2015, and a further Americas route would complement these.

CAL has also completed a fleet enlargement and modernisation programme, replacing its two classic Boeing 747-200 freighters with a B747-ERF, a B747-F and a B747-BCF aircraft.

CAL meanwhile expects to be busy with horse traffic at Liege, both on its own planes and those of other carriers using the Horse Inn. In May, another CAL Group subsidiary, the LACHS ground handling service, was awarded a three-year contract to manage the Inn.

There are good prospects for horse traffic to grow long-term in Liege, Mr Gilboa said, partly because the Belgian airport with its prime position in the centre of the European highway network and lack of curfews, has been successful in attracting traffic away from other European gateways.

The Horse Inn could also handle horses in transit by road, he said. Unlike a conventional truck stop, animals could be let out to exercise during statutory driving breaks.