iAero Airways 737 Fleet US aircraft charter airline iAero Airways, part of the iAero Group aviation investment platform, has expanded its service to operate six DHL freighters. The latest aircraft to be added, a Boeing 737-800F, will operate on an ACMI basis by iAero Airways, while the other five existing aircraft are operated on a CM basis. Robert Caputo, chief executive of iAero Group, commented: “We are honored to serve such an iconic global logistics brand with our safe and reliable cargo services. “And we look forward to operating additional aircraft for DHL to help them expand their global services.”

Blue Dart, India’s leading express logistics service provider and part of the Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL) has been facilitating the transport of oxygen concentrators amongst other essential COVID relief medical equipment across the length and breadth of the Indian terrain. Speaking about fulfilling the responsibility taken on, Balfour Manuel, Managing Director, Blue Dart said, “As we fight the second wave of COVID-19, findings of a double mutant indicate despite heightened efforts, that our battle to inoculate a sizeable population may still take a longer duration. We understand in these times when livelihood and supply Chains are stressed, our mission and purpose of ‘Connecting People, Improving Lives’ is extremely important. Blue Dart continues to use, its fleet of Boeing 757 freighters and resources at its disposal to play a key role in transporting O2 concentrators and critical medical supplies within the country; through our scheduled and International charter flights, ground network; supporting individuals and corporates alike. Through the pandemic, our people, have demonstrated their ‘Can do’ attitude standing true to our value of customer-centricity.”

The VO Chidambaranar Port in Thoothukudi has handled the longest windmill blades in a single export consignment that comprised of 24 windmill blades of length 77.50 metres, on Sunday. This consignment marks the longest blades handled through the port so far. The Vessel ‘MV PAC Alcor’, with Length overall (LOA) of 199.9 m was berthed at the Port on June 10 and the loading of the 77.50 m long wind blades were carried out diligently. These blades, which were manufactured at Sriperumbudur and taken to the port by M/s NTC Logistics India Private Ltd, were loaded using the ship’s hydraulic and mobile cranes and were stacked three containers high conforming to safety standards. On Sunday, the vessel set off for Aransas, Texas, US. Port Trust chairman T K Ramachandran said the port was preferred for export of windmill blades and towers. “The size of windmill rotor blades is getting longer and utmost care is being taken regarding the shipment,” he added.

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is expanding its air cargo facility by 136 acres and will almost tripple its airfreight warehousing space. To support its expansion and cargo handling capabilities, PHL has formed a partnership with Aviation Facilities Company (AFCO) and has also become a member of TIACA. PHL’s expansion plan includes the construction of cargo buildings totaling more than 1m sq ft, bringing its cargo building coverage to 1.4m sq ft. Stephanie Wear, director of air service development and cargo services at PHL, commented: “We have a huge opportunity to become one of the most successful cargo airports on the East Coast, focusing on speed, efficiency and quality. Our ability to attract and collaborate closely with world-class partners is a major strength of this programme.” Chellie Cameron, chief executive of PHL, added: “This initiative will have a massive economic impact on the region and cement Philadelphia’s status as an intermodal logistics hub. We are thrilled to begin this work in partnership with our interdisciplinary partners to drive both immediate and long-term growth.”

In a bid to protect thousands of Customs Brokers, their staff and family members, Delhi Customs Brokers Association (DCBA) has organized a 4-day COVID-19 vaccination camp at New Customs House (NCH), near IGI Airport, New Delhi from June 15 to 18, 2021. Supported by the Office of the Chief Commissioner of Customs (Delhi Zone), the vaccination camp is being conducted by Medanta Hospital. The vaccination camp was inaugurated by Smt. Ranjana Jha, Chief Commissioner of Customs (Delhi Zone) along with Smt. Simmi Jain, Principal Commissioner of Customs, Air Cargo Import and Shri Manish Kumar, Commissioner of Customs, Airport & General. Customs Brokers are one of the vital components of the logistics & supply chain system and recognised as frontline warriors in respect of the fighting against COVID-19 pandemic through their immensely valuable services. Risking their lives, the Customs Brokers are working 24×7 to clear all urgent Covid related cargo/material including oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders, ventilators, PPE kits, vaccines, etc from airports, ports and ICDs.

Finnair Cargo is now offering e-quotes and e-bookings for its airfreight capacity to forwarders through the CargoAi online platform. The largest air cargo carrier in the Nordic and Baltic region, Finnair Cargo said the move will “guarantee visibility” and is in line with its sales digitalisation strategy. Head of revenue and pricing Karri Kauppi said: “With CargoAi, we have been moving fast with the integration and we are very happy to be able to provide this service to our customers. We speak the same language and the cargo challenges we face are fully understood and integrated into the tool.” CargoAir chief executive, Matthieu Petot, added: “We’re very proud to partner with Finnair Cargo, which is a pioneering cargo carrier in the field of digitalisation and was one of the first to put APIs in place. The airline’s network and its product expertise fully meet the needs of our forwarder clients.”

Air Canada and Air Canada Cargo have announced the initial list of planned routes for the Boeing 767-300ER freighters scheduled to enter service this fall. Air Canada is in the process of fully converting several of its Boeing 767 aircraft into dedicated freighters in order to fully participate in global cargo commercial opportunities. “These freighters will provide long-term stability and growth for our cargo customers, in particular the freight forwarding community who require reliable air freight capacity year-round. They will allow us to continue building on the success of our cargo-only flights and are an important part of our future growth. I am excited to have these aircraft enter service, a milestone for Air Canada Cargo that also opens up a world of opportunities for us and our customers,” said Jason Berry, vice president, Cargo at Air Canada.

Chetak group, a pioneer in logistics and supply chain solutions in automobile transportation in India, has forayed into Multi-modal transportation model by venturing into transportation of finished auto good through Railways. The company started its induction into the multi-modal transportation on a strong note by using Rail and Road transport to deliver 430 customised Tata Xenon ambulances from Tata’s manufacturing unit in Dharward to various Military hospitals, located at widely spread defence locations including Jammu, Prayagraj, Guwahati, New Delhi and Durgapur. Speaking on the momentous occasion, Mukesh Haritash, Director Chetak Group said, “We are really proud to cross this significant milestone as Chetak Group debuts into rail and multi-modal transportation segment. We cannot visual a better way to enter the segment, than transporting Tata’s ambulances to our India’s defence forces, travelling across many states on rail and roadways. The credit for this achievement goes to our dedicated team and to the outstanding relationship that the Chetak Group enjoys, with our all our prestigious clients.”

Teleport, the logistics venture of airasia digital is further reinforcing its position as a key air logistics player in Asia with the operation of its very first freighter, a dedicated 737-800F and the conversion of two (2) AirAsia A320 passenger aircrafts, with seats removed for increased capacity. The freighter will begin operations across Asia beginning Q3 2021 and will operate out of the Teleport hub in Bangkok. The additional capacity will strengthen its route network between China, India and Southeast Asia and offer improved connectivity to and from Teleport’s long-haul markets. Adrian Loretz, Chief Operating Officer of Teleport said, “We are excited to share this expansion as we strengthen our logistics footprint across Asia. It was evident at the end of last year that the demand for cargo capacity was not going to be served with passenger belly capacity alone in the long run. So, we evaluated the option to utilise dedicated freighters to transport cargo. This is also part of our strategy to build the capacity and connectivity to offer 24 hours door-to-door delivery across all of Southeast Asia.”

CMA CGM and Hapag-Lloyd have announced shipment suspensions in several regions across the world. The French shipping group said that all reefer shipments to Cabinda in Angola are suspended due to ongoing congestion, which causes “increasing and extremely irregular” transit times. Additionally, Hapag-Lloyd has confirmed that with immediate effect, it temporarily suspends all imports into East Malaysia ports (Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu, Kota Kinabalu, Labuan, Sandakan, Tawau) due to feeder space limitation. Moreover, the German carrier has announced it has already stopped the acceptance of wood and its allied products including charcoal in Nigeria, due to Nigeria Customs Service E11/2021/Circular No.011 referring to the suspension of export of wood and its allied products.