Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi) has taken delivery of the first of five B777-200Fs due to be operated under a CM agreement with DHL Express.
9V-DHA (msn 67140) was ferried directly from Everett to Singapore Changi on August 3, 2022, but has yet to be deployed into revenue service.
The five Boeing dedicated freighters are due to be based out of Singapore and used on routes to the United States via points in Asia. A second aircraft is scheduled for delivery in October 2022, and the remaining three in 2023.
Singapore Airlines' in-house cargo fleet comprises seven B747-400FSCDs. The partnership with the Singaporean flag carrier is DHL Express's second South-East/East Asian venture. It was a 40% joint-venture partner in Air Hong Kong (LD, Hong Kong International) only for the carrier to be fully acquired by its other shareholder, Cathay Pacific (CX, Hong Kong International), as of January 1, 2019. However, it continues to operate exclusively on behalf of DHL Express. Thailand's K-Mile Asia (8K, Bangkok Suvarnabhumi) also operates two B737-400(SF)s, one B737-400(F), and one B737-800(BCF) on behalf of DHL Express.
Despite a rapid recovery in passenger demand, pandemic related lockdowns in China drove Singapore Airlines' cargo revenue for the April-June 2022 quarter down 1.5% to SGD1.096 billion Singaporean dollars (USD794 million).
"While cargo demand from Asia has been recovering, this is being offset by seasonally slower air cargo activity during the summer," it said. "Yields are expected to remain higher than pre-Covid levels in the near to medium term as air cargo capacity remains tight on key trade lanes to and from Asia, particularly between Europe and Asia, amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Changes to the Covid-19 situation in China may also impact the ongoing recovery in the country’s export volumes."
