In its recently held 60th Annual General Meeting (AGM), the Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India (FFFAI) elected new Office Bearers of the Executive Committee for the term 2023-25. Dushyant Mulani, who was earlier Chairman Elect, FFFAI and currently President of Brihanmumbai Custom Brokers Association, has taken over as the Chairman of FFFAI. Amit Kamat (Honorary Secretary Goa Custom Brokers Association) has been elected as Chairman Elect for the term 2023-25. Following are the six Vice Chairmen who have been elected at this AGM: 1. Puneet Jain (President, Delhi Customs Brokers Association) 2. Rajesh Verma (President, Ludhiana Customs House Agents Association) 3. G Sambasiva Rao (Past President, Visakhapatnam Customs Brokers Association) 4. Anurag Vijayvargiya (President, Indore Customs House Agents Association) 5. Dinesh Gupta (President, Kandla Custom Brokers Association) 6. Sailesh Bhatia (Honorary Secretary, Aurangabad Customs House Agents Association) Sudip Dey (Past President, Calcutta Customs House Agents Association) has been elected unopposed as Honorary Secretary and Sudhir Agarwal (Past President, Nagpur Customs House Agents Association) has been elected unopposed as Honorary Treasurer. Shankar Shinde (Past President, Nashik Customs House Agents Association) is the Immediate Past Chairman of FFFAI for the term 2023-25.

Çelebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first Indian cargo handler to participate in and complete the highly esteemed BlueSky Sustainability program offered by The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA). Çelebi’s commitment to sustainable practices is a testament to its role as a responsible stakeholder in the aviation industry and has set a benchmark for the Indian cargo handling industry. Çelebi has diligently scored in all sustainability standards set by TIACA’s BlueSky program. This comprehensive program focuses on the environment, society, culture, and leadership, with an emphasis on reducing carbon emissions, conserving resources, supporting communities, improving quality of life, and enhancing efficiency. By diligently following this program, Çelebi is committed to achieving a broad spectrum of environmental and operational goals. Kamesh Peri, CEO, Çelebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management, commented, “At Çelebi, we have always looked for innovative and environmentally sustainable ways to enhance our ground handling services. We’re thrilled that our efforts have been recognised and that we are now India’s first cargo handler to complete the BlueSky Sustainability programme of TIACA. This accomplishment demonstrates our dedication to environmental protection and sustainability. We are wholly committed to supporting the Indian aviation sector in achieving its carbon-neutral objectives.” Mr. Glyn Hughes, Director General of TIACA, also congratulated, stating, “We congratulate Çelebi Aviation for undergoing the TIACA BlueSky assessment program for their Delhi location. The results reflected some impressive scores in relation to workforce management and business efficiency which are key components of a sustainable strategy.” Completing the BlueSky Sustainability program reaffirms Çelebi’s status as a trailblazer in the cargo handling sector. As the industry continues to evolve, Çelebi remains steadfast in its mission to drive …

Buoyed by rising demand being experienced by the e-commerce and manufacturing sectors, Everstone Group-backed industrial real estate and logistics parks developer IndoSpace has invested close to $3 billion, through a mix of equity and debt, in assets under management across its investment vehicles in India. Over the next three years, the company will be constructing an additional 22 million sq ft across the country and will deploy approximately $1 billion on new acquisitions, said Rajesh Jaggi, vice chairman, Real Estate, Everstone Group.

UPS announced a deal to acquire time-critical logistics firm MNX Global Logistics as it looks to ramp up its healthcare capabilities. Long Beach-headquartered MNX provides services covering next flight out (NFO), air charter, on-demand courier, managed transportation, service parts logistics (SPL) and specialty freight. Its clients include multinational firms in the biopharmaceutical, life sciences, high-tech, medical device, aviation and financial industries. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Executive vice president and president of UPS International, Healthcare and Supply Chain Solutions Kate Gutmann said, “UPS already brings extensive capability and industry-leading on-time delivery to our customers, and that breadth and reliability is why they place their trust in us. “Together with MNX, we will further that reliability and speed globally, especially for our UPS Healthcare customers. We continue to invest in services that bring unique value to our customers and create additional growth opportunities for UPS.” MNX chief executive John Labrie added: “By joining UPS, we will be able to use the MNX team’s expertise in global, time-critical logistics within UPS’s extensive network, allowing us to provide our customers with the best possible service. MNX is confident that UPS is the best partner to help us accelerate our business into the future.”

Vikram Kumar, Honorary Secretary General, ACAAI and Director, CTC Air Carriers elaborates on upcoming 47th ACAAI convention theme ‘AI The Game Changer – Embracing the Intelligent Future.’ He said, “AI can help to improve efficiency and Productivity. AI can help in Route Optimisation and Automated Cargo handling through smart devices. There can be significant cost reductions due to fuel efficiencies and predictive maintenance reducing downtime of aircraft and ensuring continuous supply. Safety and security can also be enhanced through predictive technologies. AI based Profiling, screening and risk management can mitigate risks associated with air transportation, enhancing safety and reliability. Good quality AI that can analyze vast amounts of data accurately can optimise capacity planning and resource allocation. The quality of data can also help automate customs and port processes and ensure higher compliance. Customer service is an area where AI has already shown its importance and chat bots can provide real time tracking, bookings and end to end visibility for sensitive products with IOT providing continuous data automated and presented to improve customer experience. The implementation of AI at multiple points in the supply chain can offer significant benefits, but it also comes with several challenges. AI relies heavily on data, and inconsistent or poor-quality data can lead to inaccurate results. Standardizing data formats and ensuring data quality can be a significant challenge, especially when dealing with data from multiple sources. Sharing data across the supply chain can raise concerns about data privacy and security.

Airblox has added Pacific Air Cargo to its network of carriers. The partnership between Airblox and Pacific Air Cargo represents a powerful fusion of community support, innovation, and logistics excellence, says an official release. Pacific Air Cargo has remained strong in its commitment to the communities it serves with a particular emphasis on the Hawaiian Islands. Christian Calderon, Sales Manager, Pacific Air Cargo says: “Since our inception in 2000, Pacific Air Cargo has steadfastly committed to supporting the communities we serve with a particular focus on the Hawaiian Islands. This dedication extends beyond providing exceptional air cargo services since we also provide a vital lifeline during challenging times such as the recent pandemic and natural disasters in Guam and Maui.” Brian Kolb, VP, Strategy, Airblox adds: “Pacific Air Cargo’s unwavering support for the communities they serve aligns perfectly with our mission to provide the air cargo industry with an efficient and reliable platform. For forwarders and logistics professionals, this partnership represents an exceptional opportunity. Accessing Pacific Air Cargo’s capacity in and out of the Hawaiian Islands through the Airblox platform means more than just enhanced flexibility and efficiency in managing supply chain operations; it’s about supporting a carrier deeply committed to community well-being.”

V Trans opens state of the art transshipment center at Golden Chokdi in Vadodara. This strategically positioned facility is poised to meet the logistics requirements of various industries, showcasing V Trans commitment to progress. The occasion was graced by Executive Director, Hasmukh Shah, who inaugurated the facility signifying a pivotal step forward on path to logistics excellence, said LinkedIn Post.

In a seamless transition of leadership, B N Rajmoghon, New Regional Chairman of ACAAI, Kerala Region succeeds Suresh Kumar, who is now the newest member of Managing Committee. The Regional Meeting of Kerala Region was held at the Hotel Windsor Rajdhani Trivandrum Kerala where regional issues related to air cargo were discussed. C K Govil, President ACAAI attended the meet.

The Noida International Airport (NIA) unveiled its International Air Transport Association (IATA) code as DXN. The airport is expected to launch flights by the end of 2024. The code will become active once the airport starts operations. The IATA codes are unique to each individual airport and serve as essential identifiers for airports globally to prevent any ambiguity between countries and cities. These codes are featured not only on passengers’ travel documents but are a crucial element in various other communications on a daily basis across flight schedules, ticketing, and baggage handling from one airport to another.

Starting from October 29, 2023, during the Northern Winter 2023/24 season launch, Etihad Airways will enhance its service on the Abu Dhabi to Mumbai route. The airlines will introduce a fourth daily flight on this route, with flights designated as EY196/197. These additional flights will be operated using Airbus A320 or A321 aircraft. The Abu Dhabi-based airline currently has many unutilized seats, amounting to 10,000 per week out of the total 50,000 allocated seats. By expanding its services and filling these unutilized seats, Etihad Airways is gearing up to enhance its presence and connectivity in the Indian market. In partnership with Abu Dhabi Air Arabia, Etihad operates 165 weekly flights to 10 important gateways across the Indian market.