Cargolux, together with Boeing, welcome the clearance of Viracopos airport for 747-8 operations by the Brazilian authorities. The Luxembourg carrier’s quest for this clearance for all major Brazilian airports has been actively supported by Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs. The excellent long-standing bilateral relations between Luxembourg and Brazil and the substantial work of the Brazilian aviation authorities paved the way for this first commercial clearance of the Boeing 747-8 for a Brazilian airport.

‘We are extremely pleased to see our new flagship freighter eventually operating to a first airport in Brazil,’ said Richard Forson, Cargolux Interim President and CEO. ‘I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Luxembourg government and the Brazilian authorities for their unwavering support. And I would like to thank to the Cargolux employees in Luxembourg and Brazil who worked very hard to make this happen. We look forward to other Brazilian airports following suit, so that the entire Brazilian market can benefit from the superior performance of our Boeing 747-8 freighters.’

‘The 747-8F will further support airfreight exports from Brazil, permitting export commodities like automotive parts, pharmaceutical products and fruits to reach their markets throughout the world in a more fuel efficient and, therefore, sustainable way’, said Pier Curci, Cargolux Vice President The Americas.

Until today, none of the airports served by Cargolux in Brazil were certified for 747-8 operations. Cargolux could therefore only deploy its 747-400 freighters, offering significantly less payload capacity on these routes. Brazil ranks as Luxembourg’s largest trading partner in Latin America. In addition to Viracopos, Cargolux also serves the airports of Curitiba, Manaus and Petrolina. Including Viracopos, Cargolux has already deployed its 747-8 freighter aircraft to 78 destinations worldwide.