Air Belgium
Air Belgium is a Belgian cargo airline operating Boeing 747-8F and Airbus A330-243F freighters, providing ACMI/wet lease, charter, and operational services to airlines, freight forwarders, and humanitarian clients. Since April 2025, it has operated within CMA CGM Group's air freight division.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersMont-saint-guibert, Belgium
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Air Belgium does
Air Belgium is a Belgian cargo airline headquartered in Mont-Saint-Guibert, founded in 2016 originally as a passenger carrier and pivoted in September 2023 to focus exclusively on cargo and ACMI/wet lease operations. The company operates a small fleet centered on Boeing 747-8F freighters (two currently active, 135-tonne max payload) and Airbus A330-243F freighters (58-tonne max payload), with full-freighter configurations including nose-loading capability for oversized cargo. Its core technology stack is operational rather than digital: a 24/7 Operations Control Center for flight supervision, CAMO maintenance services, dangerous goods handling certified under IATA guidelines (all classes except 1 and 7), and an in-house capability to secure international traffic rights, landing permits, and diplomatic clearances. Since 2018, Air Belgium has operated over 12,000 flights to 182 destinations across 85 countries.
The business operates three revenue streams: ACMI/wet lease contracts providing fully dedicated aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance to other airlines; on-demand and long-term cargo charter services for freight forwarders and shippers; and ancillary operational services including ground handling, CAMO, traffic rights acquisition, and dangerous goods handling. Go-to-market is enterprise B2B direct sales, with named enterprise customers including Condor, DHL, Emirates SkyCargo, LOT Polish Airlines, Qatar Airways Cargo, Royal Air Maroc, SriLankan Airlines, and interline partners Air Mauritius and Airlink. Pricing is contract-based and not publicly disclosed. Following a judicial reorganisation filing in 2023 and a bankruptcy filing in April 2025, Air Belgium's cargo operations were acquired by CMA CGM Group in April/May 2025; the Air Belgium brand is preserved and continues operating within CMA CGM's air freight division. The company employs between 251 and 500 people and was previously funded by Belgian sovereign-linked investors SFPI-FPIM and S.R.I.W. in a 2018 round of approximately $24.6 million.
Air Belgium firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Air Belgium
- Legal name
- Air Belgium S.A.
- Website
- https://airbelgium.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Air Belgium is a Belgian cargo airline operating Boeing 747-8F and Airbus A330-243F freighters, providing ACMI/wet lease, charter, and operational services to airlines, freight forwarders, and humanitarian clients. Since April 2025, it has operated within CMA CGM Group's air freight division.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Air Belgium industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Air Cargo Services
- NAICS
- Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation (481212), Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812)
- SIC
- Air Transportation, Nonscheduled (4522), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Air Cargo Charter Specialists (On-Demand) (TLADAAAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- ACMI / Wet-Lease Cargo Operators (THABAEAC), General Cargo Air Freight Carriers (Scheduled & Charter) (TLADAAAA)
Keywords
Where Air Belgium is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mont-saint-guibert
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Air Belgium business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- ACMI (Wet Lease) Services: Provides fully dedicated aircraft including crew, maintenance, and insurance to customers. Customers include airlines seeking additional capacity without capital investment. Flexible short, medium, or long-term commitments.
- Cargo Charter Services: On-demand charter flights for shippers, freight forwarders, manufacturers, and organizations requiring safe, efficient, and cost-effective cargo transport. Includes one-time ad-hoc flights, series of flights, or long-term charter solutions.
- Operational Support Services: Ground handling, flight supervision, CAMO (Continuous Airworthiness Management Organization) maintenance services, customer service, traffic rights acquisition, and dangerous goods handling.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Air Belgium product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Air Belgium is a Belgian cargo airline that provides ACMI/wet lease and ad-hoc cargo charter services using Boeing 747-8F and Airbus A330-243F full-freighter aircraft. Its service offering targets other airlines, freight forwarders, and shippers requiring dedicated aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI) or single-flight/series charter capacity, supplemented by operational services such as ground handling, CAMO maintenance, dangerous-goods handling, and traffic-rights acquisition.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cargo ACMI & CMI Fully dedicated freighter aircraft provided with crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI/wet lease), or with maintenance and insurance only (CMI), to airlines and freight operators seeking flexible cargo capacity without capital investment in equipment. Available under short, medium, or long-term commitments.
- Cargo Charters On-demand cargo charter flights for shippers, freight forwarders, manufacturers, and humanitarian organizations requiring dedicated transport on full-freighter aircraft. Available as one-time ad-hoc, series, or long-term charter solutions for time-sensitive, oversized, dangerous, or specialized cargo.
- Operational Services Standalone and bundled operational support including ground handling, flight supervision, CAMO (Continuous Airworthiness Management Organization) maintenance, customer service, and 24/7 Operations Control Center oversight enabling mission execution in line with contract terms.
- Traffic Rights Acquisition of flight authorizations, traffic rights, landing permits, and slots from foreign civil aviation authorities, including diplomatic clearance for VIP, state, and humanitarian flights.
- Dangerous Goods Handling Certified transport of dangerous goods following IATA guidelines, accepting all classes except Class 1 (Explosives) and Class 7 (Radioactive material), with Division 1.4 of Class 1 exempted.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 12,000 flights operated since 2018
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Air Belgium
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Air Belgium technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Air Belgium partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- CMA CGM GroupcoreCMA CGM Group officially took over Air Belgium's cargo operations in April/May 2025. The Air Belgium brand continues within the air freight division of the CMA CGM Group. This acquisition strengthens CMA CGM's position as a leading player in global air freight.
- Air MauritiusminorAir Belgium signed a new interline agreement with Air Mauritius for passenger and cargo services, expanding their network offerings.
- AirlinkminorAir Belgium expanded its Southern Africa route offering through partnership with Airlink, connecting Belgium and South Africa plus 38 other destinations across the African continent.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Air Belgium competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cargolux: Luxembourg-based cargo ACMI/charter operator and one of the largest all-cargo airlines in Europe. Directly comparable as a European flag-freighter ACMI/charter peer with similar outsize-cargo capabilities and overlapping customer base.
- ASL Airlines Belgium: Belgian cargo ACMI operator (formerly TNT Airways) running Boeing 747 freighters. The closest geographic and operational peer — both Belgian, both operating 747 freighters under ACMI and charter models targeting freight forwarders and integrators.
- Atlas Air Worldwide: Global leader in cargo ACMI/wet-lease, operating Boeing 747-8F and 777 freighters. Direct competitor in the wet-lease ACMI segment and the benchmark scale player Air Belgium competes against for multi-year integrators' contracts.
- Western Global Airlines: US-based cargo ACMI operator flying 777 and MD-11 freighters. Similar pure-play ACMI/wet-lease cargo model targeting integrators, militaries, and freight forwarders; comparable in offering (dedicated cargo capacity on flexible terms) though larger.
- AirBridgeCargo: Russian cargo ACMI/charter operator (Volga-Dnepr Group) flying 747 freighters on intercontinental routes. Direct cargo ACMI peer with similar long-haul 747 platform and similar integrators and freight forwarder customer base.
Emerging players
- SmartLynx Airlines: European ACMI/wet-lease specialist providing passenger and cargo aircraft capacity. Comparable in the ACMI/wet-lease operating model and European base, though with broader passenger exposure.
Broad incumbents
- Emirates SkyCargo: Flag-carrier cargo division of Emirates with large fleet of widebody freighters and integrated belly-cargo on passenger network. Listed as an Air Belgium customer; also a comparable industry incumbent and potential competitor on ACMI tenders.
- Qatar Airways Cargo: Flag-carrier cargo division of Qatar Airways with global freighter network and hub at Doha. Listed as an Air Belgium customer and comparable as a top-tier global cargo operator that also places ACMI demand into the market.
- Cathay Cargo: Cathay Pacific's dedicated air cargo division operating widebody freighters on global long-haul routes. Comparable as a major flag-cargo competitor and integrator operating the same Boeing 747/Airbus freighter platforms.
- DHL Aviation: Air freight arm of Deutsche Post DHL Group, the world's largest integrator, operating a fleet of cargo aircraft and contracting significant ACMI capacity. Listed as a customer of Air Belgium and comparable as the largest global air-cargo ACMI buyer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Air Belgium social profiles
Digital presenceAir Belgium financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Air Belgium leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Air Belgium funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Air Belgium M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Air Belgium
What does Air Belgium do?
Air Belgium is a Belgian cargo airline that provides ACMI/wet lease and ad-hoc cargo charter services using Boeing 747-8F and Airbus A330-243F full-freighter aircraft. Its service offering targets other airlines, freight forwarders, and shippers requiring dedicated aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI) or single-flight/series charter capacity, supplemented by operational services such as ground handling, CAMO maintenance, dangerous-goods handling, and traffic-rights acquisition.
Is Air Belgium a public or private company?
Air Belgium is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Air Belgium founded?
Air Belgium was founded in 2016. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Air Belgium based?
Air Belgium is headquartered in Mont-saint-guibert, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does Air Belgium make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. ACMI (Wet Lease) Services are the primary driver. The others are cargo Charter Services and operational Support Services.
Who are Air Belgium's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cargolux, ASL Airlines Belgium, Atlas Air Worldwide, Western Global Airlines and AirBridgeCargo. SmartLynx Airlines is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Emirates SkyCargo, Qatar Airways Cargo, Cathay Cargo and DHL Aviation.
Does Air Belgium have an API?
No public API is recorded for Air Belgium.
What industry is Air Belgium in?
Air Belgium's product category is Air Cargo Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLADAAAE, Air Cargo Charter Specialists (On-Demand), with a secondary code of THABAEAC, ACMI / Wet-Lease Cargo Operators. Its NAICS code is 481212 and its SIC code is 4522.