Air France KLM Martinair Cargo will launch three-times-weekly Boeing 777F flights to Cairo this winter, anchoring a 14-destination freighter network and a 112-city cargo footprint the Franco-Dutch group will operate between 25 October and 27 March.

The new all-cargo link to the Egyptian capital is the only new maindeck addition announced for the season. The schedule, built around the group's two hubs at Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol, also markets cargo capacity across the passenger network and that of joint venture partner Delta, which provides North Atlantic bellyhold tonnage to and from Europe.

"Winter is a demanding season for our customers, from the year-end peak to the flower season in the run-up to Valentine's Day," Pierre-Olivier Bandet, executive vice president cargo at Air France-KLM, said.

Bandet added: "We combine dedicated maindeck capacity with the reach of our widebody and European belly networks via Paris and Amsterdam. With our new services to Cairo, Punta Cana and Malé, we offer our customers reliable capacity, flexibility and more choice throughout the season."

What does the bellyhold network add this winter?

Three changes anchor the widebody bellyhold schedule from Paris CDG:

• Punta Cana, Dominican Republic — three-times-weekly Boeing 777-300ER, from November
• Malé, Maldives — twice-weekly Airbus A350-900, from December
• Ottawa, Canada and Barbados — seasonal services restored

Punta Cana and Malé extend reach into Caribbean and Indian Ocean tourist markets, opening bellyhold capacity for perishables, seafood and e-commerce flows that travel alongside passenger demand on the 777-300ER and A350-900.

Which freighters anchor the all-cargo schedule?

Cairo will receive three 777F rotations a week. Air France will simultaneously retire its Mumbai (BOM) freighter call and redirect twice-weekly 777F flights to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI).

From Amsterdam Schiphol, the KLM/Martinair Boeing 747 fleet continues to link the Dutch hub with markets across the Americas, Africa and Asia. The Seoul schedule tightens to three weekly flights, comprising one direct service and two routed via Hong Kong.

Delta Cargo provides capacity on North Atlantic services to and from Europe, extending reach beyond the group's own metal and feeding connections into the same joint-venture commercial framework that governs the Franco-Dutch passenger network.

How does the dual-hub structure split maindeck work?

Maindeck flying divides between Air France's 777F fleet, which handles long-haul freighter operations out of Paris CDG, and the KLM/Martinair Boeing 747 freighter fleet based at Schiphol. Concentrating connections through the two hubs lets the carrier position payload, range and unit-cost profiles against specific lane demand.

The split also limits disruption risk during weather, industrial action or slot constraints by allowing cargo to be re-routed through the alternate hub.

What handling changes accompanied the schedule?

In September, AFKLMP Cargo deployed a vacuum lifting aid at the KLM Cargo Hub at Schiphol. The unit, supplied by Swedish manufacturer Lifts All, supports staff handling individual cargo boxes during pallet breakdown. The carrier said the device reduces the physical effort required to lift and move cargo, part of a wider effort to ease warehouse tasks ahead of the peak season.

What should shippers watch next?

The 25 October switchover will mark the first operational use of NMI by AFKLMP's freighters, a milestone for the new Indian gateway and a live test of how it absorbs 777F tonnage diverted from Mumbai before the northern spring season reshapes the network again.