Shipping giant Maersk is entering another freight area: airlines. Maersk Air Cargo will be the company's latest venture, set to debut in the second half of 2022, and hopes to strengthen end-to-end logistics for the company. The carrier will be based in Billund, Denmark.

New kid on the block

In a statement on Friday, Maersk announced plans to start its own cargo airline in the coming months. The move is not a surprise given the company's acquisition of Senator International, an shipping and air freight forwarder, last year and its plans to buy two 777Fs from Boeing.

Maersk is not entirely new to the market, however. It has long owned Star Air, a Danish air cargo company with a fleet of 15 767Fs. However, the conglomerate wants to make a more significant mark in the cargo sector, with Maersk Air Cargo set to take over operations from Star Air and add new planes until 2024.

In a statement, A.P. -Moller Maersk Global Head of Logistics and Services, Aymeric Chandavoine, said,

"Air freight is a crucial enabler of flexibility and agility in global supply chains as it allows our customers to tackle time-critical supply chain challenges and provides transport mode options for high value cargo. We strongly believe in working closely with our customers.

Staying near home

The new carrier will be based out of Billund, Denmark, a city best known for the headquarters of LEGO. The airline previously flew from there until 2005, and it is now planning a major comeback by the second half of 2022. In addition to Star Air's capacity, Maersk Air Cargo intends to add two new 777Fs (due by 2024) and three lease 767-300Fs from launch until 2024.

Additionally, the company will contract three 767-300Fs from another firm to operate flights between the US and China, details of which are sparse currently. Given the handover has already begun, it seems Maersk Air Cargo's first flight is only a matter of months away.

The decision to invest in a branded airline subsidiary results from the pandemic. Cargo demand has risen dramatically since March 2020, when most flights were grounded, and the 50% of belly capacity shrunk rapidly. Add to this supply chain crises and shortages, and it's clear why shipping companies want to take more control of their process.

Maersk competitor CMA CGM launched in mid-2021, leasing planes from Air Belgium and later ordering the brand-new Airbus A350F in December. For now, the cargo market is set to get hotter than ever before as shipping companies and mainline airlines all dive in.

What do you think about the future of air cargo capacity? Can the rapid expansion be supported in the future? Let us know in the comments!