Delta Cargo launches charter services in response to COVID-19

Mar 17, 2020: Delta Cargo, the airfreight division of Delta Air Lines, has launched a charter operation to provide “safe and reliable transportation of customers’ goods” during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

Air Partner sees spike in charter markets as COVID-19 cripples commercial flights

Mar 17, 2020: Following growing constraints on logistics due to measures imposed to contain COVID-19, Air Partner is imploring companies to book air cargo transport in advance to secure availability and keep their supply chains moving.

UPS receives IATA CEIV Pharma Certification in Singapore

Mar 17, 2020: UPS’ freight forwarding operation at Changi Airport, Singapore, has received IATA CEIV Pharma Certification for pharmaceutical logistics. The certification is the first for UPS in Asia Pacific and strengthens the value proposition of UPS’s healthcare logistics offering in the region.

FedEx Express MEISA chief inks CEO statement of support for Women’s Empowerment Principles

Mar 17, 2020: FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp announced that Jack Muhs, regional president of FedEx Express for the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa region, has signed the CEO statement of support for the Women’s Empowerment Principles – Equality means Business.

Neutral Air Partner arm NAX 24-7 launches dedicated support for time critical and emergency cargo

Mar 17, 2020: Time critical group NAX 24-7, a part of Neutral Air Partner, has launched a dedicated service center for time critical and emergency air cargo solutions following the increasing and overwhelming flight bans and commercial restrictions due to Covid-19.

IATA calls on governments to take urgent measures to ensure air cargo be available to fight COVID-19

Mar 17, 2020: With the dramatic travel restrictions and collapse of passenger demand severely limiting cargo capacity, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on governments to take urgent measures to ensure that air cargo will be available to support the global fight against COVID-19.

CEVA Logistics contracts 86 freighters to keep supply chains moving

Mar 17, 2020: As part of a strategic initiative to keep customer production lines moving around the world during the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, global logistics company CEVA Logistics has contracted a range of 86 freighter aircraft to deliver parts and supplies to its customers.

IATA announces new dates for World Cargo Symposium

Mar 17, 2020: IATA has announced that its 14th World Cargo Symposium (WCS) will take place in Istanbul, Turkey from March 9 – 11, 2021. This announcement comes shortly after IATA cancelled the annual conference in Istanbul due to the coronavirus outbreak. The event will be held at the same venue – Hilton Istanbul Bomonti.

Strata deploys automated manufacturing for Airbus A350-900

Mar 16, 2020: Strata Manufacturing (Strata), the advanced composite aero structures manufacturing facility wholly-owned by Mubadala Investment Company PJSC, has deployed two of the latest generation MTorres Automatic Tape Laying (ATL) machines to support its Airbus A350-900 manufacturing capabilities.

Moustafa Mokrane takes over as MD of Bolloré’s Tunisian office

Mar 16, 2020: Bolloré Transport & Logistics Tunisia has named Moustafa Mokrane as its managing director, who will be joining the teams of the subsidiary based in Radès in southern Tunis. With over 15 years’ experience in the transport and logistics sector, the new managing director, aged 42, aims to contribute his expertise with a view to bolstering the company’s growth across the country.

Hellmann to handle contract logistics for JAKKS Pacific across Europe

Mar 16, 2020: Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, the international logistics provider, will handle contract logistics for the US toy manufacturer JAKKS Pacific. As part of the cooperation, Hellmann will handle around 360,000 cartons per year in its warehouse in Rotterdam in the incoming goods department.

Kintetsu World Express, Chapman Freeborn partner to fly relief cargo to South Sudan

Mar 16, 2020: Kintetsu World Express, in partnership with Chapman Freeborn, recently completed a series of seven Airbus A300F charter flights from Dubai World Central Airport (DWC) to Juba, the capital of South Sudan, uplifting over 230,000 kg of aid and relief materials. The project was completed in less than three weeks and well ahead of the delivery deadline.

Senator International increases flights between Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN) and Greenville-Spartanburg

Mar 16, 2020: Senator International is increasing the flight schedule of its own controlled flights between Frankfurt-Hahn (HHN) and Greenville-Spartanburg (GSP) and return from 18 March 2020.

Jack Ma Foundation donates 500,000 surgical masks and other medical supplies to Italy; eWTP facilitates shipping

Mar 16, 2020: A cargo aircraft carrying 500,000 surgical masks made its way from China on March 13 and arrived in Belgium’s Liege Airport, where it continued its journey to its final destination in Rome, Italy. The delivery was among the first batch of two million masks and other medical supplies, such as test kits, donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation to help combat the spread of the Covid-19 virus across Europe.

SpiceJet, GHIAL, Ras-Al-Khaimah International Airport enter into tripartite deal for dedicated freight corridor

Mar 16, 2020: SpiceJet has inked a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL) and Ras-Al-Khaimah International Airport, UAE at the Wings India 2020 in Hyderabad.

Port of Belize selects Octopi to modernise terminal operations

Mar 13, 2020: The Port of Belize has inked a deal with Octopi, part of Navis and Cargotec Corporation, to modernise its operations and bring the terminal up to international standards.

Alaska's first Covid-19 positive case took Anchorage-bound cargo flight, reports Ted Stevens Airport

Mar 13, 2020: Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) reported that an individual associated with an ANC cargo flight tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The patient, who is a foreign national, developed a fever and respiratory symptoms soon after arriving in Anchorage on March 11. After contacting the physician, the patient was sent to Alaska Regional Hospital for testing.

UPS finds a new CEO; David Abney to be executive chairman

Mar 12, 2020: UPS has a new chief executive officer and she is Carol Tomé. David Abney, the current chairman and chief executive officer, will hold his position until June 1 when he will take on the role of executive chairman of the Board. He will retire from the UPS Board on September 30 after 46 years of service.

Kerry Logistics moves air freight division to new London Heathrow Facility

Mar 12, 2020: Kerry Logistics has moved its UK air freight division close to London Heathrow Airport to leverage on the growth of its air freight volumes. The new office and warehouse in Feltham is located at the Skyport Heathrow site.

Fraport traffic figures not looking good

Frankfurt Airport (FRA) saw a 4 percent decline in its passenger count, serving some 4.4 million passengers in February 2020. In the first two months of 2020, accumulated passenger traffic at the airport decreased by 2.3 percent. Particularly towards the end of February, demand was strongly impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.

The Bottomline Impact of Digitalisation for Air Cargo Stakeholders

Airports play a very important role in the logistics value chain. These are the hubs of commercial activities and as one of the studies have revealed in the past the air cargo spends more time at the airport for processing and clearing than actually flying which is the core value that the end customer expects.

B&H Worldwide to handle AOG Technics’ logistics in Germany

Mar 12, 2020: Aerospace logistics provider B&H Worldwide has won a new contract of managing the logistics of aircraft spare parts and engine materials for AOG Technics, a leading independent specialists in the aviation industry, in Germany.

BOC Aviation to lease 22 Boeing 787-8s to American Airlines

BOC Aviation has signed an agreement with American Airlines for the lease of 22 new Boeing 787-8 aircraft. The aircraft are powered by General Electric GEnx engines, and are scheduled for delivery in 2020 and 2021.

Silk Way West adds Dallas Fort Worth to its cargo service network

Silk Way West Airlines will introduce weekly flights to Dallas Fort Worth Airport from April 06, adding to its already existing scheduled operation to Chicago, US. Silk Way West is expanding its three times per week Chicago service by opening a weekly Monday flights to Dallas Fort Worth, operating its B747-8 equipment.

Renault signs DP World global logistics partner and title partner for Formula 1

Mar 11, 2020: DP World and the Renault F1 Team have signed an agreement making DP World the global logistics partner and title partner of the team starting from the 2020 season.

Tigers Netherlands, Asendia Benelux expand alliance with new postal service for European clients

Mar 11, 2020: Enterprise solutions company Tigers is working with shipping and distribution specialist Asendia to provide a postal solution for the European B2C market for small sized and low weight orders as a new and additional offering.

Etihad Cargo launches mobile app

Mar 11, 2020: Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Etihad Aviation Group, has expanded its digital portfolio by launching the first version of its mobile application, offering customers the ability to gain real time access to information on-the-go.

Yusen Logistics starts ops at new shared user warehouse facility in Wolverton

Mar 11, 2020: Yusen Logistics has commenced operations from its new shared user warehousing and distribution facility in Wolverton, Milton Keynes. The new distribution facility will initially service one core customer, who due to their continuing growth are expanding the current range of services provided by Yusen Logistics.

DHL Global Forwarding forms Arabian cluster to capitalise on region’s growth prospects

Mar 11, 2020: DHL Global Forwarding, the international provider of air, sea and road freight services, has formed an Arabian Cluster (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq), to further capitalise on the region’s growth prospects by synergizing resources and expertise. Sue Donoghue, country manager in Saudi Arabia, will also oversee operations in Bahrain, while Firas Sukkar will be the country manager in Kuwait and also manage operations in Iraq. Both of them will report to Moustafa Elbanhawi, CEO Arab Cluster, who is also head of industrial projects and business development in Middle East and Africa.

Imperial, Newtown Partners join hands to launch $20 million VC fund

Mar 11, 2020: African and Eurozone logistics provider Imperial, has partnered with venture capital firm Newtown Partners to launch a corporate venture capital (CVC) fund focused on investing in disruptive startups in the logistics industry, with an initial investment of $20 million.

DAMCO offers tailormade freight forwarding solutions as part of digitalisation drive

Mar 11, 2020: DAMCO has refined its product portfolio with three services now branded as Air/Ocean Standard, Plus, and Customised as part of its ongoing focus to deliver value-effective, tailored freight forwarding solutions.

Lufthansa Cargo moves to IBS Software’s SaaS hosting platform

Mar 11, 2020: IBS Software, global IT solutions provider to the global travel industry, has signed a five-year contract with Lufthansa Cargo AG (LCAG), to take full ownership of the hosting and maintenance of Lufthansa Cargo’s iCAP cargo handling application platform, which is powered by IBS Software’s iCargo cargo management platform.

CEVA opens offices in Dhaka and Chittagong, Bangladesh

CEVA Logistics opened its own offices with a fully staffed team in order to meet Bangladesh's continuing economic expansion and increasing demand for exports, In line with its regional development strategy.

Jettainer Americas appoints new managing director

Mar 9, 2020: Shailendar Kothari is the new managing director of Jettainer Americas Inc. The Jettainer daughter company is based in Delaware and includes branches in Dallas, Chicago, Miami, New York and Los Angeles. In his new role, Kothari is responsible for the company’s operational activities, as well as business and market opportunities in the Americas.

FROM MAGAZINE: Tackling the digitalisation challenge

The demand for improved predictability and end-to-end visibility of shipments in transit has never been more significant to the air cargo industry. While there have been notable strides in the adoption of technology with initiatives such as e-freight and digital cargo, digitalisation still remains a challenge with just over one million of e-AWBs used for freight operations by select airlines as of October 2019.

FROM MAGAZINE – From passive to active: Women transform the world of cargo

The aviation industry is undergoing a breakthrough with women's participation in the sector but the industry experts are not yet satisfied with the percentage of women working in the sector. IATA 25by2025 campaign, which aims to bring 25 percent of women participation across the sector, has created a door of opportunity for women, bringing 59 airlines to join the campaign to date.

FROM MAGAZINE: Still watching from a distance

Before being awarded The STAT Trade Times Lifetime Achievement Award at the Air Cargo India 2020 exhibition and conference held in Mumbai, Lise-Marie Turpin, sat with Reji John, to talk about reaction to the award, retirement, and her current connections with the air cargo industry. Edited excerpts:

FROM MAGAZINE: Covid-19 cripples global air cargo supply chain

It is said when China sneezes, the rest of the world catches cold. How true? With Covid-19 originating in Wuhan, claiming several lives and now becoming a global pandemic, China decides to shut its factories to deal with SARS-Cov-2. But the world now suffers not just from Covid-19 but from a severe acute shortage of global supplies. How serious is the issue of excessive reliance on Chinese-built global supply chains and its impact on the global air cargo industry?

FROM MAGAZINE: Bricks

Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (KIAB), operated and managed by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), is one of the fastest growing airports in the world with an annual footfall of over 33 million passengers and over 386,000 tonnes cargo processed.

TIACA, CLIVE Data Services ink pact for air cargo market and route analyses

Mar 9, 2020: TIACA, The International Air Cargo Association, has inked an intelligence sharing agreement with CLIVE Data Services, creators of the new ‘dynamic load factor’ analyses to deliver the latest market and route analyses to its members.

FROM MAGAZINE: ACI 2020 On building resilience

By safely bringing the air cargo community together in the midst of the unfortunate coronavirus outbreak, Air Cargo India 2020 successfully set a platform for the industry to gauge the prevailing crises and discuss on resilient programs and services that could alleviate the impacts of current situation and other challenges being faced by the air cargo industry.

Etihad will start flying Abu Dhabi to Vienna daily, starting May

Etihad Airways will launch new daily scheduled year-round flights to Austria’s capital Vienna using a two-class Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The introduction of the widebody aircrafts on the route will provide Etihad with opportunities for belly-hold cargo between Abu Dhabi and Vienna, and onwards across the Etihad Cargo network.

Imperial opens multi-user warehouse in Werne, Germany

Imperial logistics international’s new facility provides an under-cover storage area of 22,000 square meters, with racking for over 21000 pallets and 11,000 parts bins already installed, and over 8,500 square meters of floor storage space. In addition, the facility features 24 truck doors, a yard and parking area of 7000 square meters, container loading and unloading facilities and a paperless order picking system.

FROM MAGAZINE: To the new digital future

“The future is something we cannot – and would not want to – foresee. Nevertheless, developing possible scenarios is the only way to approach it,” wrote Jakub Piotrowski when he assumed the responsibility of heading the sustainability and digitalisation department at BLG Logistics in 2018. He would eventually roll out many future-oriented projects to slowly and smoothly step into the new digital future.

Jet Maintenance Solutions brings Vytis Zalimas on board as CEO

Mar 9, 2020: Jet Maintenance Solutions (JET MS), a global provider of integrated aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul solutions for business and regional aviation, has assigned Vytis Zalimas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Zalimas takes office on March 9.

Kuehne Nagel divests from major chunk of its UK contract logistics portfolio

Kuehne + Nagel to sell a major part of its UK contract logistics portfolio to XPO Logistics under a definitive agreement. The scope of the transaction includes the drinks logistics, food services and retail & technology businesses. These operations generated a turnover of approximately CHF 750 million (approximately 809 million USD) in 2019 and are supported by 7,500 employees.

Hensoldt picks CoreAVI for new avionics computing system

Mar 9, 2020: Germany-headquartered Hensoldt has selected CoreAVI’s COTS-D hardware IP and graphics and compute software to provide a new generation of safety certified mission computers and display systems. The system will be certified to DO-254/ED-80 and DO-178C/ED-12C Design Assurance Level (DAL) A. The system will use the AMD E9171 GPU, AMD’s latest graphics processor that is provided by CoreAVI to the avionics and high reliability markets. Hensoldt’s advanced display and compute systems aims to provide technology refresh requirements as well as deployments for new safety critical avionics programs.

Data Gumbo is now a blockchain in transport alliance (BiTA) member

Data Gumbo joined BiTA, an organization dedicated to determining best practices and standards for blockchain in the transportation industry. BiTA members include Descartes, Daimler, FedEx, SAP and Uber Freight, among dozens of other global brands. Data Gumbo offers GumboNet™, it is an interconnected blockchain network that frees up working capital, reduces contract leakage, improves cash and financial management, and delivers material provenance for global freight and transportation.

Air Charter Service enters Chicago

Air Charter Service, further investing in its US operations, has opened a new office in Chicago – its tenth in the Americas.

FedEx Express gets a green signal from Hong Kong customs and excise department

FedEx Express has again been accredited as a Hong Kong Authorized Economic Operator (HKAEO) by the Hong Kong customs and excise department of the Hong Kong SAR Government.