ports

Challenge expands India operations with larger freighter aircraft to Europe

Challenge Group is launching new freighter services from Liège to India and China, capitalizing on surging airfreight demand from Asia. The carrier will operate twice-weekly 777-300ERSF flights to Mumbai and three weekly services to Shanghai beginning in July. The expansion replaces existing 767 operations on the India route with larger capacity aircraft. Freighter capacity between India and Europe has grown 24% year over year, outpacing expansion on other major trade lanes. Emirates SkyCargo, Atlas Air, FedEx and AeroLogic are adding dedicated services to Indian airports. The surge is driven by India's emergence as a manufacturing alternative to China and rising exports of pharmaceuticals and electronics. Chargeable weight from India to Europe increased 9% week over week in late May, contributing to a 13% increase in overall exports from the Middle East and South Asia region to Europe. By contrast, exports from the region to the US declined 4%.