Maersk-owned cargo carrier Star Air (Denmark) (Copenhagen Kastrup) is looking to expand its capacity by one or two aircraft, Peter Corfitsen, who took over as the airline’s chief executive on May 1, confirmed to ch-aviation.
“Star Air has had a quiet existence but operated a controlled business with primarily two clients. With Maersk’s expansion strategy, attention has been paid to the possibility of using Star Air as a lever to offer clients new opportunities across logistics solutions, not just those on sea and land but also very much aviation,” he told the Danish news site ShippingWatch on June 4.
Corfitsen later told ch-aviation that he could not yet disclose which aircraft types Star Air was looking to induct or any timeframes, as “growth plans are indicative only at this stage.”
He added: “Although we are a B767 operation as-is, it is too early for us to determine if or where additional capacity will be sourced or implemented.”
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Star Air currently operates a fleet of 14 aircraft, namely five B767-200(ERBDSF)s, six B767-200(PC)s, one B767-300ER(BDSF), and two B767-300Fs. All are leased from GECAS except two of the -200(PC)s which are owned.
Star Air operates 12 of its aircraft on behalf of United Parcel Service, the rest for DHL Express, so to offer its services to Maersk clients, it would need to expand its capacity.
“Our current capacity is fully dedicated to UPS and DHL and cannot be extended for any other uses. That means we’ll need additional capacity when we have to start meeting the needs of Maersk’s clients,” he told ShippingWatch. “I can’t put any clear figure on it, but we’ll probably lead with one more plane, maybe two. Then we’ll see how the needs evolve.”
