Airfreight Insider Daily Briefing – November 2, 2025
Welcome to your daily dose of the most relevant news and trends shaping the air cargo and aviation logistics industry. Today’s briefing covers exciting developments in freighter technology, airline expansions, regional airport successes, and key personnel updates — plus much more.
Airbus Confident in Trent XWB-97 Engine for the A350 Freighter
At Airbus’ 2025 Cargo Global Market Forecast event, Crawford Hamilton, Head of Freighter Marketing, reaffirmed Airbus’ strong confidence in the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines powering their upcoming A350F freighter. The next-generation aircraft aims to combine fuel efficiency with reliability, positioning Airbus competitively in the growing air cargo market. Industry watchers will be keen to see how the Trent XWB-97 performs under real operational stress once deliveries commence.
Expansion and Innovation in Airline and Airport Operations
Air Transat announces a new transatlantic route, initiating nonstop flights from Montreal to Agadir, Morocco, every Friday from June to October 2026 using the Airbus A321LR. This addition reflects growing leisure demand to African destinations and enhances connectivity from North America.
In regional Australia, Smart Lynx Australia (formerly Skytrans) confirms its commitment to operating turboprop regional routes under the Avia Solutions Group umbrella, reinforcing its focus on sustainable regional service expansion.
Meanwhile, Ascend Airways Malaysia, also part of Avia Solutions Group, has secured its Air Operator Certificate and plans to commence operations this month, signaling further growth in Southeast Asia’s ACMI and regional aviation sector.
Airport Highlights: Memmingen’s Stability and Lapland’s Record Growth
The privately funded Memmingen Airport continues to impress as a low-cost, efficient alternative in southern Germany, renowned for its short transit times and regional attachment – a case study in how smaller airports can thrive amid industry consolidation.
Finnish Lapland’s airports – including Rovaniemi, Ivalo, and Kittilä – anticipate handling over one million passengers this upcoming winter season, driven by a combination of scheduled flights and robust charter operations. This boom highlights growing Arctic tourism and the importance of regional air connectivity in northern Europe.
Personnel and Labor Developments
Lufthansa’s pilot union, Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), has decided to hold off on strike action for now, granting the airline more time to enhance its pension proposals amid ongoing negotiations. This temporary truce provides a window for constructive dialogue in a sector regularly challenged by labor disputes.
At Eurowings, CEO Jens Bischof is set to depart, sparking questions about next steps in leadership at the low-cost subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. Despite record group revenues, airlines wrestle with profitability and strategic alignment, making this a crucial succession to watch.
On an unusual note, two Bulgarian strongmen will make headlines on November 4th by challenging each other to pull a Bulgaria Air Airbus A220 over a distance of 15 meters at Sofia Airport – a spectacle blending aviation and human strength.
Security and Operational Updates
The Dutch Marechaussee reports that roughly twice a year, stowaways are discovered inside aircraft wheel wells arriving in the Netherlands, underscoring ongoing security challenges for international airports.
Infrastructurally, the train service between Amsterdam Zuid and Schiphol has resumed after a signaling failure, restoring a vital passenger and cargo transit route critical to the region’s logistics chain.
Luchtverkeersleiding Nederland (LVNL), the Dutch air traffic control, is confirmed to participate in the Career Experience event in January 2026, emphasizing the ongoing efforts to recruit and train the next generation of aviation professionals.
Market Insights: Benelux Cementing Its Role in European Air Cargo
As Europe’s logistics landscape evolves, the Benelux region solidifies its role as a key nexus for air cargo flows thanks to strategic airports like Maastricht Aachen. The area’s infrastructure investments and forward-looking policies helped sustain a record-breaking 2024 and position the region for continued growth.
A Glimpse at the World’s Longest Direct Flight
China Eastern Airlines is preparing to launch a new service from Shanghai with a single stop en route to the world’s longest direct flight destination, set to surpass existing records by covering nearly 18,000 kilometers. This route exemplifies the industry’s push to connect distant markets more efficiently than ever before.
That wraps up today’s key stories — stay tuned for our daily video briefing on YouTube, where we bring you deeper analysis and interviews with industry insiders.
Stay informed, stay ahead.
Your Airfreight Insider Team