Emirates SkyCargo, United Cargo sign deal

Emirates SkyCargo and United Cargo signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that follows on the heels of the new broader historic commercial agreement between two of the largest global airlines.

“The MoU was signed at the World Cargo Symposium (WCS) — IATA event in London, U.K by Nabil Sultan, Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo, Emirates and Jan Krems, President, United Cargo,” says a release from Emirates.

Under the terms of the MoU, Emirates SkyCargo and United Cargo will work closely on expanding cargo interline options and blocked space agreements, pending regulatory approvals. “This will build on existing cargo interline arrangements between both air cargo operators and offer freight customers access to more capacity on a larger combined global network.”

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CargoAi launches CO2 Efficiency Score in its Cargo2ZERO solution

CargoAi responds to growing market needs for greater visibility regarding CO2 emissions with its real-time Cargo2ZERO suite of solutions and new CO2 Efficiency Score, enabling freight forwarders to make informed green choices when booking online as well as engage in data-driven conversation with their own customers.

“Only if targets can be measured, can they be achieved. Our Cargo2ZERO suite of solutions is the result of a number of customer discussions over the past few years, which have confirmed the increasing importance of sustainability in business decisions. It is a prime example of Tech for Good,” says Magali Beauregard, Chief Commercial Officer, CargoAi.

“Specific shippers are requesting full transparency on CO2 emissions per AWB, and many forwarders have set Scope 3 SBTI reduction targets which they are required to report on. Therefore, in addition to the new Cargo2ZERO report, CargoAi has also developed a CO2 Efficiency Score based on the IATA CO2 emissions standard. These tools will provide the basis for constructive discussion and will help the air cargo industry to bridge the gap between an intention for climate action and actual climate action.”

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CMA CGM AIR CARGO choses Jettainer for ULD deal

Jettainer, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Cargo, has been chosen by CMA CGM AIR CARGO, the cargo airline of the CMA CGM Group, to deliver unit load device (ULD) management and maintenance services.

Jettainer will provide global positioning, management, maintenance, and repair services for the fleet of a few thousands ULDs under a five-year contract, says an official release. “In addition, CMA CGM AIR CARGO also benefits from Jettainer’s monitoring and a high quality of location data so that the ULDs find their way from their forwarders back to the cargo airline and are thus always available, even for short-term charter flights.”

Launched in March 2021, CMA CGM AIR CARGO operates a fleet of four Airbus A330–200F, complemented by two recently acquired Boeing 777F aircraft, which will grow up to 12 aircraft by 2026, the release added.

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Lufthansa Cargo, Kintetsu World Express conclude agreement for usage of SAF

Kintetsu World Express will reduce around 5 percent of its total CO2 footprint of transported airfreight with Lufthansa Cargo for one year. Kintetsu World Express has committed to using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in the period from October 2022 to September 2023. In addition, the company has decided to offset the so-called well-to-tank emissions generated during the production and provision of SAF with the help of certified climate protection projects.

“Climate change is getting more and more obvious and devastating everywhere in the world. As an asset-light freight forwarder, reducing our Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions is key to winning the battle against global warming. And SAF is a rising star. Recently, in our initial response to the recommendations of The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), we declared our intention to actively participate in our partner airlines’ SAF programs. I am delighted and proud to work with our long-time partner Lufthansa Cargo for the sustainable future of the air cargo industry”, states Nobutoshi Torii, President & Chief Executive Officer of Kintetsu World Express.

“We are very proud that we have been able to win Kintetsu World Express, one of our most important customers, to transport their freight with us on a CO2-neutral basis,” says Dorothea von Boxberg, Chief Executive Officer of Lufthansa Cargo AG. “Already today, Sustainable Aviation Fuel offers the opportunity to save around 80 percent of emissions in airfreight transport. That’s why every customer who takes advantage of this opportunity makes a decisive contribution to advancing decarbonisation in logistics. Thanks to the commitment of Kintetsu World Express and our other customers who have chosen Sustainable Aviation Fuel, we have already been able to replace around 2 percent of our annual fossil fuel requirements with Sustainable Aviation Fuel in 2022.”

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Astral Aviation gears up for its digital expansion with FR8Manage

e-Cargoware — a UK-based SaaS company — on Tuesday announced that the upcoming and rapidly growing full freighter operator, the Nairobi-based Astral Aviation has chosen the acclaimed FR8Manage — Airline and FR8Booking solutions to further expand its digital footprint in the market. The announcement was made at the ATA WCS, 2022 being held in London.

About the development, Astral Aviation, Founder and CEO Sanjeev Gadhia commented. “We are very pleased to work with e-Cargoware and the selection was based on the user-friendly and intuitive FR8Manage — Airline to aid in our company’s continuing growth”.

Gadhia explained that the key focus for Astral Aviation was to sustain its rapid growth and increase our digital footprint, “We are piloting the system as of September 2022 with FR8Manage — Airline and FR8Booking and what better way to announce it than during the IATA WCS, 2022. We are very pleased with the applications and the support and proactive interaction we get from the e-Cargoware team. e-Cargoware’s co-founder and CEO, Ramesh Darbha and his team have shown us why e-Cargoware is the right choice for us and the perfect innovative solution provider and ideal software partner.”

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FAA releases vertiport standards for AAM aircraft

The FAA has announced new design requirements for vertiports and infrastructure that will enable Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft. The design guidelines will be the first step in providing critical information to airport owners, operators, and infrastructure developers so that they may begin developing facilities to support the operations of AAM aircraft that are electrically driven and take off and land vertically.

“Our country is stepping into a new era of aviation. These vertiport design standards provide the foundation needed to begin safely building infrastructure in this new era,” said Shannetta Griffin, P.E, Associate Administrator for Airports, FAA.

These Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) operations will transport passengers or cargo in rural, urban, and suburban locations at lower altitudes.

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WFS, Diagnose develop method to detect undeclared lithium batteries

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) and Diagnose, a world leader in dog-handing detection, have worked out the detection of undeclared shipments of lithium batteries following a six-month trial involving thousands of cargo consignments in France.

“WFS and Diagnose partnered in March 2022 to carry out a feasibility study using dogs to detect the presence of lithium batteries in cargo shipments, mail and baggage,” says a release from WFS.

“Currently, there are few means to physically check for undeclared lithium batteries, posing one of the biggest threats to flight safety due to their fire risk.”

At the International Air Transport Association (IATA) AGM in June, Director General Willie Walsh called on governments to develop and implement research methods for the detection of lithium batteries. “Airlines, shippers, manufacturers, and governments all want to ensure the safe transport of lithium batteries by air. It’s a joint responsibility. The industry is raising the bar to consistently apply existing standards and share critical information on rogue shippers. But there are some areas where the leadership of governments is critical. Stronger enforcement of existing regulations and the criminalisation of abuses will send a strong message to rogue shippers.”

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Emirates SkyCargo upgrades customers to seamless booking experience with WebCargo

Emirates SkyCargo is adding a new channel for its customers around the world to directly access and book its flights for cargo shipments, in a digital-led move to enhance user experience and booking efficiency.

Working with WebCargo by Freightos, the industry’s largest air cargo booking platform, Emirates SkyCargo customers will have quick and easy direct access to the cargo airline’s flights and inventory to make direct bookings.

“Emirates SkyCargo continues to develop and implement digital technologies that enable us to improve our operations at the backend and enhance our customer experience at the frontline. Partnering with WebCargo enables us to improve access to our products and services, and provide a secure and convenient booking channel for our customers. This is one of several initiatives in the pipeline as we work hard to ensure that every Emirates SkyCargo touchpoint, from booking to tracking to delivery, is a world-class experience for our customers,” said Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo.

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Akasa Air signs cargo biz deal with SmartKargo

Akasa Air has signed an agreement with SmartKargo to implement its state-of-the-art air cargo management solution that will digitally enable the launch and growth of the airline’s cargo business.

“Akasa will deploy the SmartKargo solution across all functional areas of its cargo business serving all its destinations pan India,” says a release from SmartKargo.

The solution will interface seamlessly with the airline’s other systems and third-party providers via APIs — for fast integration and deployment, the release added.

SmartKargo’s superior capabilities include 100 percent paperless e-AWBs, ease of booking, modern and flexible technology, single screen data entries, user-configurable Business Intelligence (BI) and reporting, powerful pricing and rate making, and real-time capacity management.

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TIACA announces launch customers for BlueSky sustainability verification programme

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) announces the pioneering launch customers for the air cargo industry’s first multi-sector sustainability verification programme.

Following the announcement of the launch of the BlueSky Programme at the March Executive Summit, a successful pilot programme was run with airline and ground handling companies.

The TIACA BlueSky programme, open to the entire industry, not just TIACA members, is now ready to launch live operations with the first wave of participants representing organisations from the airline, airport, freight forwarder, ground handler and GSSA sectors.

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Amazon expands renewable energy projects to generate 50,000 GWh

Amazon is expanding its renewable energy investments with 71 new renewable energy projects around the world including its first renewable energy project in South America -a solar farm in Brazil- and its first solar farms in India and Poland.

“Once fully operational, Amazon’s global renewable energy portfolio will generate 50,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean energy, which is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power 4.6 million U.S. homes each year,” says an official release.

Adam Selipsky, CEO, Amazon Web Services says: “We are bringing new wind and solar projects online to power our offices, fulfillment centers, data centers, and stores, which collectively serve millions of customers globally, and we are on a path to reach 100% renewable energy across our entire business by 2025. Around the world, countries are looking to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy, and continued investments like ours can help accelerate their journey as we all work together to mitigate the impacts of climate change.”

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Wiremind Cargo's Revenue Optimisation System is a CargoTech first

Wiremind Cargo has today launched a new module within its CargoStack CMS suite: Revenue Optimization is a comprehensive decision support tool designed to help sales steerers and flight controllers in three key aspects of their job. For Revenue Management, the system recommends an Entry Condition, or “hurdle rate”, to help flight controllers to decide on which bookings to accept on the flight. For pricing, a rate recommendation for spot requests is provided. Lastly, for overbooking, the system provides advice based on the expected show-up rate of booked cargo.

The advice that the system provides is not the only added value it offers. As important as these recommendations based on AI models are the flexibility that the system offers by allowing rules to be set by the user, especially in cases where there is less data, such as on a newly launched route. Finally, one of the key differentiating features of CargoStack Revenue Optimization is the display of key market insights to help with decision-making. For Revenue Management and Pricing, in particular, those insights include live market data (capacity and demand) that are essential to take a decision for a flight controller. This Model, Rules and Insights (MRI) approach offers the right level of advice for each possible use case.

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Lufthansa Cargo to go live on CargoAi

Lufthansa Cargo is launching a pilot in three countries in preparation for going live worldwide on CargoAi. It will be the first CargoAi customer to make use of the instant rate offer and booking confirmation.

Effective today and a few months after Lufthansa Cargo signed a Letter of Intent with CargoAi, marketplace users in The Netherlands, Italy and Spain have access to routings and capacity information on all Lufthansa Group airlines serving those countries. General and Express cargo can now be booked on Lufthansa, Austrian, Brussels, Eurowings, or SunExpress.

“We are honoured that Lufthansa Cargo, one of Europe’s largest air cargo carriers, has chosen to market its capacities on our platform,” says Matthieu Petot, CEO, CargoAi. “Lufthansa Cargo has often pioneered innovation in its long history and is again ahead of the digital curve with CargoAi: it is the first and only airline so far to enable forwarders to make use of our instant rate offer and booking confirmation functionalities.”

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B747-400ERF joins National Airlines Fleet

US-based National Airlines announces the arrival of a Boeing 747–400 ERF, Extended Range Freighter, to its fleet. This addition is a fuel-efficient freighter under registration N663CA (MSN 35237).

Featuring a nose door and a large side door, the aircraft is a logical choice globally for sophisticated cargo movements across long distances. The induction is part of National Airlines’ current global fleet and network expansion approach to meet the massive demand to move huge shipments worldwide.

The aircraft has a maximum gross payload of an incredible 128 metric tons (about 282,000 pounds). The nose door loading capability, a unique feature of this type of aircraft, gives National the capability to move customers’ shipments of any length, which is not possible with the B777 freighter. This aircraft is also particularly suitable for pharmaceuticals, seafood, perishables, and other cold chain shipments.

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Cathay Pacific to purchase 38mn US gallons SAF from Aemetis

Cathay Pacific has signed an agreement with Aemetis for the supply of 38 million US gallons of blended Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to be delivered over seven years beginning in 2025 from San Francisco International Airport.

“The SAF purchased can reduce more than 80,000 tonnes of lifecycle carbon emissions, equivalent to the amount of carbon sequestered by more than 1.3 million tree seedlings grown for 10 years. The agreement is also part of the joint procurement initiative for SAF by the oneworld alliance, of which Cathay Pacific is a founding member,” says a release from Cathay Pacific.

Chief Executive Officer Augustus Tang says: “Cathay Pacific continues to reaffirm its commitment to addressing climate change despite these challenging times. In the past few years, we have announced our carbon net-zero by 2050 target and our goal of achieving 10 percent use of SAF by 2030. In doing this, we have built a robust SAF procurement strategy to help meet our goals. We are pleased that this agreement with Aemetis will contribute to that effort, and we hope it will also send the right signal to the SAF industry to encourage the much-needed investment and scaling up of its supply chain.”

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Hellmann to build 18,000 m² warehouse for CLAAS

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics is opening a new warehouse location totaling 18,000 m² in Oelde, Germany, to ensure production supplies to the world’s largest CLAAS plant in Harsewinkel.

CLAAS, a family business founded in 1913, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of agricultural machinery. CLAAS employs more than 11,900 staff worldwide, and generated a turnover of €4.8 billion ($4.8 billion) in 2021.

Hellmann is initially putting 9,000 m² of warehouse space into operation with a further 9,000 m² to be occupied later this year following the completion of the second construction phase, says an official statement.

“With this significant capacity expansion, Hellmann is responding to the ongoing growth of CLAAS. The opening ceremony of the new warehouse, which is one of the largest Hellmann locations in Germany, was attended by the management of CLAAS and Hellmann as well as the Mayor of Oelde.”

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Amazon launches free shipping software for sellers, including discounted shipping rates

At Amazon’s annual seller conference — Accelerate — held recently, the e-commerce giant announced the U.S. launch of Veeqo, a multi-channel shipping software built to simplify fast growth ecommerce. Acquired by Amazon earlier this year, Veeqo helps sellers cut shipping costs while increasing the speed of fulfilling customer orders.

Sellers using Veeqo can connect their sales channels, including Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Shopify, and access discounted rates on UPS, U.S. Postal Service, DHL, and FedEx. Veeqo’s rate-shopping feature imports sellers’ orders and automatically finds the lowest shipping rate available based on size and weight.

Veeqo CEO Matt Warren founded the company in 2013 when he was an online seller who needed software that made shipping orders from multiple sales channels cheaper and easier.

“As a seller, I found that shipping orders and managing inventory across channels was time-consuming and error prone,” Warren said. “The available shipping management software was complicated, lacked the right features, or was designed for an enterprise-sized retailer. I created a system built with the needs of all multi-channel sellers in mind. Sellers should be able to track, price, sell, and ship orders across multiple channels in just a few clicks, and with Veeqo, they can.”

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Finnair Cargo offers carbon offset solutions to customers

Finnair Cargo encourages customers to monitor, decrease, and offset their shipping emissions with a solution that combines Sustainable Aviation Fuel and trustworthy climate projects, beginning September 15, 2022.

Customers of Finnair Cargo may assess their flight’s direct CO2 emissions and seamlessly address their route by selecting a combination of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and approved offset projects using the service, which is powered by CHOOOSE. Pricing varies according to how the contribution is split between the two. The service is available with a credit card payment in the first phase, and it provides a simple way for freight forwarders to communicate the climate programme link with cargo shippers interested in sustainability.

The service is designed to manage the CO2 emissions from a single or limited number of shipments. Customers that want to compensate for a higher volume of shipments can use this form to contact Finnair Cargo.Customers of Finnair Cargo may assess their flight’s direct CO2 emissions and seamlessly address their route by selecting a combination of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and approved offset projects using the service, which is powered by CHOOOSE. Pricing varies according to how the contribution is split between the two.

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American Airlines Cargo announces new president

Greg Schwendinger has been named President of American Airlines Cargo, the company announced. The announcement followed Jessica Tyler’s departure in May when she moved to another leadership position within the airline.

Schwendinger has extensive aviation and business experience. With over 15 years of experience at American, he has held a variety of leadership positions across the airline. Schwendinger most recently led the Finance team of AccentCare, a supplier of health care services, during a period of transition and expansion.

“Greg brings a unique perspective that will shape our cargo business and its growth potential. We are fortunate to regain his expertise and welcome him as he leads cargo toward greater success,” said Derek Kerr, Vice Chair, Chief Financial Officer and President, American Eagle.

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Air Canada becomes first airline to get IATA CEIV Live Animals recertification

Air Canada has become the first airline to be re-certified by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for the safe transport of live animals by Air Canada Cargo. IATA awarded Air Canada Cargo with the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators for Live Animals Logistics (CEIV Live Animals) recertification following the successful completion of the verification process.

Air Canada has become the first airline to be re-certified by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for the safe transport of live animals by Air Canada Cargo.

“We are very proud to be recognized for our work in operating to the highest global standards for the worldwide transport of all live animals, and being the first airline to be re-certificated continues to position Air Canada Cargo as an industry leader. Every year, we expertly and safely handle thousands of complex shipments, from rescued dogs to endangered animals transported in conservation efforts and family pets. Air Canada Cargo’s dedicated employees handling animals are specially-trained, and I thank them for their diligence in treating all animals as precious cargo while in our care,” said Jason Berry, Vice President, Cargo at Air Canada.

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BBN Cargo Airlines Holdings sets up air cargo operations in Jakarta

BBN Cargo Airlines Holdings, a global aviation company operating Icelandic cargo airlines Bluebird Nordic, is expanding its network and has opened a new AOC alongside its Icelandic airlines. The newly established cargo airline BBN Airlines Indonesia has set up its operations in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 31, 2022.

As scheduled, BBN Airlines Indonesia will manage cargo operations in the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the southern hemisphere. The growing demand for air cargo transportation services in the last decade is one of the main reasons for this business expansion.

“With the growth of exports and imports, and the rapidly expanding e-commerce trend, Indonesia has a promising future for its air cargo and logistics industry,” explained Martynas Grigas, the Commissioner of BBN Cargo Airlines Holdings. “Indonesia is the largest and fastest-growing internet economy and is expected to account for half of all e-commerce transactions in Southeast Asia by 2025. We see this as a great opportunity and are excited to develop the cargo airline to fulfil the market needs.”

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Schiphol cargo volume down 14% in H1

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s total cargo volume for the first six months of 2022 declined nearly 14 percent to 721,746 tonnes compared to H12021.

Inbound cargo volumes declined 17 percent to 364,376 tonnes, and outbound cargo volumes were down nearly 10 percent to 357,369 tonnes.

The top three destinations for cargo by tonnage were Shanghai, China; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Chicago, USA.

“Freight volumes were shipped in two categories of flights: full freighters, which accounted for 65% of total volumes, and passenger flights at 35% of total volumes,” says an official release.

Outbound cargo to the Asian region decreased over 10 percent to 117,694 tonnes while inbound traffic from the region also went down by 15 percent to 123,704 tonnes.

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DRONAMICS partners with COTESA to manufacture long-range cargo drones

DRONAMICS has signed a strategic manufacturing partnership with Cotesa, a European maker of high-quality composite fiber components for aerospace and automotive companies. The agreement assures that DRONAMICS’ cargo drone manufacturing will fulfill the need for commercial routes to be opened in Europe in 2023.

DRONAMICS is the first drone cargo company to be granted a European drone airline license.

Svilen Rangelov, CEO and Co-Founder, DRONAMICS said, “We are delighted to have Cotesa as a manufacturing partner in Europe. This agreement to produce the Black Swan in their German facility supports our promise to enable same-day delivery for everyone, everywhere, and the start of DRONAMICS’ commercial operations as the first drone cargo airline on the continent next year.”

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Former Tesla CFO Deepak Ahuja will join Zipline

Zipline announced that former Tesla chief financial officer Deepak Ahuja will join Zipline as its first-ever chief business and financial officer on September 30.

Ahuja brings more than 20 years of financial leadership experience to Zipline’s management team.

“In his new role, he will oversee all aspects of Zipline’s global financial operations, including finance, accounting, investor relations, as well as global sales, excluding the Africa region,” reads the release.

Most recently, Ahuja was the CFO at Verily Life Sciences. Prior to that, he was the CFO of Tesla where, among many things, he oversaw the company’s rise to profitability.

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CargoTech grows and welcomes its fourth member: Rotate

“Turning data into action” is Rotate’s company slogan, and CargoTech’s latest member is thus poised to support customers with a new digital spin on insights and analysis for improved commercial decision-making in air cargo.

Founded on 1 June 2022 in The Netherlands, Rotate’s core function is to build solutions that make intelligent use of the vast amount of data that is produced and stored within the air cargo industry. Insights gleaned from this data can greatly support airline customers in making commercial and operational decisions.

By adding Rotate to its portfolio of companies, CargoTech gains an increasingly important niche focus, perfectly complementing its one-stop-shop direction.

“Data is a valuable commodity and the basis for all business decisions, from quality to operational steering, market expansion and customer growth,” says Cedric Millet, President of CargoTech. “Rotate is founded and run by Gert-Jan Jansen, who many in the air cargo industry know as the former Head of Seabury Cargo and as co-founder of WorldACD. Together with ex-Seabury colleagues and technology experts, he intends to develop Rotate into the leading firm providing commercial tools and solutions to improve day-to-day decision-making in air cargo. Rotate shares the digital future mindset of all our CargoTech members.”

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Qatar Airways Cargo prioritizes digital transformation

In its digital transformation plan, Qatar Airways Cargo aspires for reliable information, quick access, and efficient interactions — first and foremost for its customers, but also, in equal measure, for its personnel. Qatar Airways Cargo is Moved by People and offers the best user experience possible through a combination of clever technology and completely personalized customer service.

Digital transformation is a key component of The Next Generation concept, which entails a completely new way of thinking about business: in the fast-changing air cargo industry, The Next Generation approach is also intended to help Qatar Airways Cargo realize its full digital potential in order to improve processes.

“Digital tools are an enabler and an enhancement of our service portfolio, giving our customers a broad and varied choice of how they wish to interact with us, and our employees the tools for proactive rather than reactive engagement. Our digital developments are based on reducing process inefficiencies so that customers receive a faster turn-around. These adaptations enable our people to focus on value-added work, not on repetitive manual tasks that do not bring value,” says Faisal Karamat, Vice President Customer Experience at Qatar Airways Cargo.

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