Air France KLM Martinair Cargo will operate 14 freighter destinations and reach 112 cities via passenger bellyhold and partner capacity during the 2026-27 Northern Hemisphere winter, the group said on 7 October.

The schedule runs from 25 October to 27 March. It introduces Cairo as a new maindeck connection and adds Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic and Malé in the Maldives as widebody bellyhold cargo points from Paris Charles de Gaulle.

What maindeck capacity is being added?

Cairo will receive three weekly Boeing 777F rotations. The group's Paris-based all-cargo operation also shifts its India service from Mumbai to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport, with two weekly 777F flights.

KLM and Martinair will continue to deploy Boeing 747 freighters from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to the Americas, Africa and Asia. Seoul-Incheon services will operate three times weekly, comprising one direct rotation and two flights routing through Hong Kong.

Which bellyhold routes open and which return?

From Paris CDG, Punta Cana will receive three weekly Boeing 777-300ER services from November. Malé will see twice-weekly Airbus A350-900 operations from December. Seasonal services to Ottawa in Canada and Barbados will also return.

Delta Cargo continues to offer capacity on North Atlantic services to and from Europe under the joint venture, extending reach beyond AFKLMP's own 14 freighter cities.

What is the operational rationale?

Pierre-Olivier Bandet, executive vice president cargo at Air France-KLM, said winter remains a demanding season for customers. He cited the year-end peak and the flower season ahead of Valentine's Day as drivers of capacity planning.

"The new services to Cairo, Punta Cana and Malé offer our customers reliable capacity, flexibility and more choice through the season," Bandet said.

He added that AFKLMP combines dedicated maindeck capacity with the reach of its widebody and European belly networks anchored at Paris and Amsterdam. The dual-hub model gives the group maindeck and bellyhold reach across all four major trading regions.

What ground-handling changes has AFKLMP made?

In September, the group introduced a vacuum lifting aid in build-up and break-down operations at the KLM Cargo Hub at Schiphol. The equipment, supplied by Swedish company LiftsAll, supports staff handling individual cargo boxes during pallet breakdown.

The device reduces the physical effort required to lift and move individual boxes. AFKLMP positioned the investment as part of broader efforts to make warehouse operations less physically demanding, an issue the air cargo industry has tracked amid rising labour costs and ergonomic scrutiny at European hubs.

What does the network signal for capacity?

The winter schedule confirms AFKLMP's continued commitment to a split maindeck and bellyhold strategy. The carrier groups its Boeing 747-400F and 777F operations across the two hubs, while Airbus A350-900 and Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft carry lower-deck cargo on long-haul routes.

The shift from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai International Airport places AFKLMP at India's newest commercial gateway as it ramps operations. Punta Cana and Malé extend Caribbean and Indian Ocean reach from Paris, two leisure-heavy destinations where bellyhold uplift typically tracks seasonal passenger demand.

Whether Cairo builds sufficient tonnage to justify year-round scheduled 777F service will depend on demand performance through the December-February peak and the pre-Valentine's flower season, both of which Bandet identified as planning drivers.