# Challenge Airlines BE (IATA X7 · ICAO CHG · AWB 744)

> Challenge Airlines (BE) S.A. is a Belgian all-cargo airline within Challenge Group, using IATA designator X7 and AWB prefix 744. The company holds its own Belgian air operator certificate and is one of three airlines in the group alongside Challenge Airlines IL and Challenge Airlines MT. It flies Boeing 747-400 freighters out of Liège and serves as the group's full ACMI provider. Forwarders book capacity through Challenge Air Cargo; the air waybill and liability are issued in the name of Challenge Airlines (BE) S.A. Tracking, schedules and claims all run centrally via challenge-group.com.

## Quick facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Legal | Challenge Airlines (BE) S.A. |
| IATA | `X7` |
| ICAO | `CHG` |
| AWB prefix | `744` |
| Country | BE |
| Group | Challenge Group |
| Tracking | https://www.challenge-group.com/tracking/ |

## Overview

Challenge Airlines (BE) S.A. is the Belgian freighter airline of Challenge Group and operates out of Liège Airport (LGG), Europe's largest full-freighter site. The company holds its own Belgian air operator certificate (AOC), granted by the Belgian civil aviation authority in 2019, and is therefore an air carrier in its own right rather than a mere sales brand. Alongside Challenge Airlines IL in Israel and Challenge Airlines MT in Malta it is one of three airlines in the group; sales and customer service are handled group-wide by the commercial arm Challenge Air Cargo.

Operating model: pure freighter operation, no belly capacity. Within the group the company acts as a full ACMI provider and flies Boeing 747-400 freighters. The carrier itself last stated a fleet of four Boeing 747-400Fs (as of July 2024); in December 2024 a further production freighter of the same type was added under the Belgian AOC, without the group breaking down the allocation per airline. The exact number is therefore left open here.

For forwarders: the air waybill and liability are issued in the name of Challenge Airlines (BE) S.A., the IATA designator is X7 and the AWB prefix is 744. Tracking, schedule enquiries, tariffs and claims all run through the shared challenge-group.com presence. The route offering is marketed group-wide and cannot reliably be attributed to an individual company; the home base and hub is Liège.

As a European carrier Challenge Airlines BE benefits from extensive traffic rights and, by its own account, also holds Chinese operations specifications under CCAR-129, US operations specifications and ACC3 security approvals for numerous foreign stations. Operations are IOSA audited. The group focuses on complex cargo: heavy and outsize freight, dangerous goods, pharmaceuticals, perishables and live animals, with a dedicated facility for horses in Liège.

## Hubs

- LGG

## Fleet

- Boeing 747-400F × 0

## Sources

- [Challenge Group – Carrierseite Challenge Airlines BE](https://www.challenge-group.com/expert/challenge-airlines-be/)

- [IATA – Current Airline Members, Challenge Airlines (BE)](https://www.iata.org/en/about/members/airline-list/challenge-airlines-be/582/)

- [Beacon – Air Waybill Prefix Codes (19.05.2025)](https://beacon.com/resources/air-waybill-prefix-codes)

- [Challenge Group – Mitteilung vom 17.12.2024 zur zusaetzlichen Boeing 747-400F](https://www.challenge-group.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Challenge-Group-introduce-an-additional-Boeing-747-400F-Aircraft-to-its-fleet.pdf)

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