France's CMA CGM Group advances air cargo business

French shipping and logistics company CMA CGM Group is advancing its newly formed air cargo division, operating its first flight to the U.S. and selecting ECS Group to market the expansion of the business, the company said today. ECS Group is a French general sales and service agency (GSSA) that represents airlines around the world.

CMA CGM announced the air cargo service in February and operated its first full-freight flight on March 13, between Liege Airport in Belgium and Chicago O’Hare. ECS Group said it will help CMA CGM expand the service by connecting Europe to more international markets, starting with the United States. This is the first phase of the expansion strategy, with plans to add more U.S. destinations, both companies said. They did not specify which U.S. cities will be added next.

CMA CGM’s air cargo division consists of four Airbus A330-200F aircraft and is based out of Liege, one of Europe’s largest cargo airports.