The global transport and logistics group Panalpina offers its customers a new service linking its worldwide network with Latin America. Together with its partner Centurion Air Cargo, Panalpina serves destinations in Latin America via the gateway in Miami, Florida.

Panalpina has launched a new innovative service called Palmair. Using the gateway in Miami/FL, Panalpina will offer a direct transshipment concept for destinations in Latin America in cooperation with its longstanding partner Centurion Air Cargo. The maiden flight took place on April 6, 2008.

Miami serves as both Centurion Air Cargo's base as well as Panalpina's gateway to Latin America for freight originating from Europe, Asia and North America. With the new concept, the two companies establish a link between the Latin American connections of Centurion and Panalpina's European Road Feeder Network with its hub in Luxembourg. Therefore it was an obvious decision for Centurion to subcontract the first leg to Luxembourg-based Cargolux, which is also a major business partner of Panalpina. This set-up enables Panalpina total control of the entire cargo flow from origin to destination.

The main destinations served through the new service are Bogota, Medellin, Barranquilla (all in Columbia), Caracas (Venezuela), Lima (Peru) and Manaus (Brazil), amongst others.

According to the schedule, the plane departs from Luxembourg on Sundays. 'This is important because the production output of European companies is usually ready by the end of the week,' explains Andr' Kaiser, Regional Head Procurement airfreight of Panalpina Europe. 'With our concept we can deliver the goods to the major markets in Latin America early in the week', he adds.

With Panalpina, Centurion and Cargolux, the new service unites three pioneers of the airfreight market. According to the Managing Director of Panalpina Air Freight, Robert Frei, the company responds with this innovative service to a strong demand from its European and Latin American customers. 'With this service we respond to the pull environment where the customers in Latin America can gain more influence and control in the routing and monitoring of the cargo,' he explains.