European Perspective

The deal whereby German company Advanced Cargo Logistics (ACL) built a cargo terminal for Malaysia Airlines (MAS Kargo) at Hahn Airport is being investigated by police in Kuala Lumpur, at the behest of the airlines’ new management. So is the wet-leasing contract which MASKargo signed with Atlas Air for three 747Fs. The Hahn terminal is seriously under-utilized, following last year’s decision by MAS Kargo to relocate its European cargo hub back to Amsterdam. It transpires that ACL is 60%-owned by Naluri Bhd, a Malaysian company in which the largest shareholder is Tajudin Ramli, the former executive chairman and majority owner of Malaysia Airlines. Ramli sold his controlling stake in MAS back to the government early last year. Later, Naluri threatened to sue MAS for abandoning Hahn. The strategy of linking Hahn, Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne with a daily 747F ‘pipeline’ emerged while Ramli’s nominee Ralph Gotz was running MASKargo. Atlas Air was brought in to supplement the carrier’s own two 747Fs. But only 30% of the predicted annual 70,000 tonnes was generated, resulting in heavy losses, according to MAS officials.

(CargoFacts v. 27.03.2003)