Amidst ongoing pandemic, shipping giant CMA CGM has reportedly acquired 30 per cent stake in Groupe Dubreuil Aéro, which owns two airlines – Air Caraïbes and French Bee mainly to gain access to the air cargo capacity.
French shipping group, CMA CGM, which also owns logistics company Ceva, is said to have invested 50m Euros into the airline group.
As per the reports, this deal was approved by Groupe DUBREUIL Aéro employee representative bodies but is still subject to the approval of the competition authorities in France, French Polynesia and Austria as well as authorisation from the French Ministry of Economy and Finances.
The company’s official statement said, “The CMA CGM Group provides its recognised logistics expertise to contribute to the development of Groupe DUBREUIL Aéro cargo activity, notably through Hi Line Cargo, a subsidiary tasked with commercial distribution of freight on Air Caraïbes and French Bee’s aircraft.”
Both the airlines operate 14 long-haul aircraft, including 8 Airbus A350s and 6 A330s, providing cargo capacity of between 15 and 25 tonnes of freight.
CMA CGM said in a statement that since the reopening of Orly on June 26, Air Caraïbes and French Bee have refocused their routes on overseas territories and benefit from important affinity traffic maneing they can access French overseas markets, cushioned from geopolitical or health constraints.
The new partners said that through their cooperation, they aim at enhancing and supporting economic development in Martinique, Guadeloupe, Reunion, Guyana and Polynesia.
The statement added, “The synergy between the CMA CGM Group and Groupe DUBREUIL Aéro will notably enable the CMA CGM Group to offer its clients services that are complementary to ocean freight, while keeping a hold on the transport chain in markets served by both groups.”
