Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) and Singapore Airlines Cargo (SIA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to develop a strategic partnership aimed at jointly pursuing opportunities to create greater convenience for their customers.

The proposed strategic partnership will build on existing block space arrangements between the two airlines that have been progressively expanded over the past five years.

As a first phase, NCA and SIA have agreed to introduce cargo codeshare services on routes between Tokyo and Singapore from 1 April 2018, subject to regulatory approval. When implemented, customers of both carriers will enjoy added flexibility to better meet their needs.

NCA currently operates six weekly scheduled cargo flights to Singapore Changi Airport from Tokyo Narita International Airport using Boeing 747F aircraft while SIA connects Singapore to Tokyo with two daily flights to Narita International Airport, and three daily flights to Haneda Airport.

“NCA has maintained a continual presence in Singapore for over three decades, and we are excited to embark on new partnership initiatives with SIA under this agreement. The proposed codeshare service will pave the way for future ventures, leading to greater customer satisfaction,” said NCA President & Chief Executive Officer, Mr Fukashi Sakamoto.

“We value our longstanding relationship with NCA. The signing of this MOU marks our commitment to explore synergies and mutually enhance our product and service offerings for the benefit of our customers. Our planned codeshare services between Tokyo and Singapore represent an important first step in building a strategic partnership between our companies,” said President SIA Cargo, Mr Chin Yau Seng.

About Nippon Cargo Airlines

Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) was founded in 1978 as the sole airline in Japan dedicated to freighter operation, and now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK). NCA operates the world's largest new generation freighter aircraft - the Boeing 747-8F, together with the Boeing 747-400F, serving 15 major cities in Asia, America and Europe in its worldwide on-line network from its Tokyo Narita (NRT) hub. NCA's philosophy is to support international relations through the transportation of air cargo and contribute to the progress of societies, economies and cultures around the world.

About Singapore Airlines Cargo

Singapore Airlines Cargo operates a fleet of Boeing 747-400 freighters, and manages the cargo capacity on passenger flights operated by Singapore Airlines, SilkAir and Scoot. Its network covers over 100 destinations in more than 35 countries and territories. It is the ninth largest^*1 cargo carrier in the world based on international freight-tonne-kilometres flown, and is ranked amongst the highest-performing cargo airlines based on CargoiQ service reliability benchmarks.

*1 As ranked by IATA in World Air Transport Statistics 2017.