Egypt's early strawberry season is creating higher demand for air freight capacity into Central and Western Europe. Charter operator AirMaster has started operating perishables flights from Cairo to Hahn Airport, using two B737-800BCF aircraft with an uplift of 22 tons per flight. Most consignments are addressed to DHL Food Logistics and the Belgian Tulpin Group, supplying wholesalers in Germany and the UK.
In addition to the charter operation, Egyptair Cargo's A330F freighters are landing twice a week at Hahn or Ostende to support the strawberry flow. According to Tulpin CEO Alain Tulpin, the 2025 strawberry season in Egypt began about two weeks earlier than last year, and crops are already showing a stronger outlook than in 2024. This is driving additional pressure on the main deck capacity to move fruit from harvest regions to European distribution hubs.
Egyptair previously handled the bulk of these volumes with its own freighters. This season, however, a portion of its fleet is tied to long-term e-commerce routes between China and Europe, resulting in fewer aircraft available for berry shipments. More main deck capacity from Egyptair is expected from December 2025 onward.
To fill the gap, the airline chartered freighters from AirMaster. According to Hahn Cargo's COO, Lotfi Zekkour, the MR flights are scheduled to continue through Christmas, operating at least once and often twice daily. He noted that the cooperation began after a direct call from Egyptair Cargo headquarters asking whether Hahn Cargo could handle the perishables without delays. Zekkour said his North African background and Arabic language helped facilitate the initial communication.
He added that AirMaster chose Hahn over alternative German or Benelux airports based on handling speed and the ability to protect product condition in cold weather. The involvement of local plant protection agents also supports rapid throughput.
Of the strawberry volumes arriving at Hahn, around 60 percent remain in Germany through DHL's distribution to wholesalers such as Rewe and Edeka. The Tulpin Group transports a substantial share to the UK via the Channel Tunnel. French forwarding agent Sotracom moves a smaller portion onward to France.
The current shuttle operation is intended to stabilise the supply chain during the early Egyptian season and bridge the temporary capacity shortfall until Egyptair restores additional freighter availability.
Source: Cargo Forwarder Global
