Air France KLM Martinair Cargo has lifted the curtain on its winter 2026/27 cargo network, confirming a slate of new routes that will shape capacity on the group's freighter and belly-cargo network from late October 2026 through March 2027.

The announcement, surfaced via The Aviation Hub, gives forwarders and shippers an early look at where the Franco-Dutch cargo group will place tonnage next winter. Details of the full schedule — including frequencies, aircraft types and specific trade lanes — were not disclosed in the initial notice, and AFKLMP Cargo is expected to publish route-level specifics through its standard seasonal schedule channels in the coming weeks.

Why does a winter schedule matter for cargo buyers?

IATA's winter season, running from the last Sunday of October to the last Saturday of March, is when airlines formally reset their networks. For cargo, it is when freighter deployments, belly capacity on revised passenger routes and trucking feeder patterns all change at once.

AFKLMP Cargo operates a mixed portfolio: Martinair Cargo's Boeing 747-400 freighters, belly hold capacity across the Air France and KLM widebody fleets, and the group's road feeder services out of its dual hubs at Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol. Any new route in the winter program therefore ripples into capacity on multiple fronts.

What should shippers and forwarders watch?

• Confirmation of which new destinations enter the network, and whether they carry dedicated freighter service or belly-only capacity
• Frequency levels on key trade lanes versus the winter 2025/26 program
• Any retirements or suspensions that offset the additions
• Booking windows, as winter capacity on the group's transatlantic and Asia lanes typically tightens ahead of the December peak

The absence of route-level detail in the initial announcement means forwarders should treat this as a planning signal rather than a bookable schedule.

Historically, AFKLMP Cargo uses its seasonal updates to reallocate freighter hours toward lanes with the strongest yield — e-commerce out of Asia, pharma via the group's pharma-certified hubs, and perishables into CDG and Schiphol. Where the group adds capacity, rates on competing carriers tend to face pressure within weeks of the first rotation.

The new routes take effect with the start of the IATA winter 2026/27 season in late October 2026. Operators with commitments on affected lanes will want the detailed frequencies in hand before the group's booking systems reflect the change.