Panalpina has added Querétaro International Airport (QRO) to the ‘speedy’ loop of its Boeing 747-8F charter network which connects Europe with the US and Mexico.
The freight forwarder starts operating the stop today (18 May), which also links Mexico City (MEX) and Guadalajara (GDL) with Panalpina’s air freight gateway in Huntsville (HSV), Alabama once a week.
Querétaro’s addition to the regular connections of the Panalpina Charter Network means it is the only freight carrier to serve three international airports with scheduled flights within and out of Mexico.
Panalpina is also the first and only company to offer a transatlantic flight from Querétaro to London Stansted Airport (STN) in the UK and to Luxembourg (LUX) via Huntsville.
Government representatives, members of the port authority, partners and customers will be present at an event today to celebrate the first scheduled landing of the Spirit of Panalpina at QRO. A customer induction took place yesterday (17 May).
The freight forwarder says the new Querétaro lane reflects s growth in aerospace and the continuous adaptation of the company’s charter network to meet evolving market needs and customer demand in Mexico.
Panalpina Charter Network global head, Matthias Frey said: “Panalpina has been committed to Querétaro for over five years now. We have been working closely with Querétaro airport operatives and government authorities, strategic airline partner Atlas Air, and Huntsville International Airport to build on the continued success of the Network.”
Panalpina’s flight schedule between Europe and the US/Mexico now includes LUX to HSV to QRO to GDL to HSV to STN to LUX once a week (Mexico loop on Fridays, new QRO stop instead of MEX), LUX to HSV to MEX to GDL to HSV to STN to LUX once a week (Mexico loop on Mondays) and LUX to HSV to LUX twice a week.
In addition, Panalpina offers one more transatlantic round-trip (LUX to HSV to LUX) using a Cargolux full charter, bringing the total number of scheduled transatlantic roundtrips to five.
Panalpina’s country head of Air Freight Mexico, Enrico Boehme said: “Panalpina’s own scheduled flights connecting the US and Europe with Mexico are a well-known and appreciated product in the Mexican market thanks to a remarkable on-time performance and top-notch equipment.”
Querétaro is located in the Bajio region, Mexico’s fastest growing economic area with key industries such as automotive and manufacturing and one of the largest aerospace industry clusters in the world. The city has many similarities with Huntsville, another engineering and aerospace hub, which hosts NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center among others.
“Panalpina is a pioneer in the Mexican air freight market and the new scheduled flights to and from Querétaro is another testimony of that. They offer our customers access to our global network, greater flexibility for their supply chains and room to grow. We give local and multinational companies in Mexico the opportunity to export, import and resupply from their worldwide network in a seamless way,” added Boehme.
With 995,900 tonnes of air freight transported globally, 2017 was a good year for Panalpina. And Mexico had a lot to do with it, not only with scheduled frequencies as of the 100 extra flights Panalpina pre-procured to operate regular charters during the peak season across the globe, 25 were Boeing 747Fs flying into Mexico. So far in 2018, Panalpina has organised 11 ad hoc charters for Mexico and 10 more are already scheduled for the next few weeks.
Panalpina also operates an extra transatlantic round-trip from Luxembourg to Huntsville and back using a Cargolux freighter that, like all of Panalpina’s Huntsville inbound flights, can connect with an exclusive trucking service and ad hoc charters to all the hotspots in Mexico.
“This unique combination of scheduled and ad hoc charter flights, as well as overland services, means that we can efficiently and reliably distribute imported products to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Querétaro, Puebla, Monterrey, San Luis Potosí, Aguascalientes, and elsewhere,” explains Frey.
Panalpina’s transatlantic fixed schedule also plays a strategic role for flying perishables out of Guadalajara, ensuring Mexican fresh produce is safely steered through the Panalpina Perishables Network on the way to its final destination.
“We look forward to expanding the cooperation with our customers in different sectors and are very happy to inaugurate the new Querétaro lane today,” adds Frey.
