The cost of cargo safety and security compliance is relatively high in India thus the industry pushes voluntary compliance to the back seat. The biggest challenge is in developing and nurturing a safety and security culture in the industry, says B.Govindarajan, Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Tirwin Management Services. We believe that compliance culture building is not an overnight affair. It demands patience and passion and we know that we have both. We are currently working for some big customers on Lithium Battery Logistics Safety Management and certification.

Mumbai based Maritime Energy Heli Air Services (MEHAIR) has signed an order for fifty, electrically powered regional amphibious aircraft PHA-ZE 100 with Switzerland based Jekta. (MEHAIR) has inked a deal with deposits agreed for ten firm orders and options for 40 more. With this agreement, MEHAIR will be the first customer to receive the aircraft in Asia, with initial deliveries starting in 2029. It is anticipated that the first ten aircraft will be delivered in baseline configuration for 19 passengers to support regional connectivity. The company has made a decisive move In line with the global trends to move toward sustainable aviation by placing orders for Jekta’s electrically powered aircraft. “We know the Jekta team’s heritage for producing efficient amphibious aircraft, and having been introduced to its electrically powered PHA-ZE 100, we made a decisive move to acquire these aircraft early, showing our deep commitment towards greener technology. We want to be one of the first operators in the world to update its fleet with a zero emissions aircraft to support regional flights between land and water infrastructure,” says Siddharth Verma, Director of MEHAIR. “Blessed with a 7,400 km long coastline and a rich diversity of rivers, lakes, backwaters and dams, India is readying for the upcoming amphibious aircraft revolution. It is both the fastest-growing aviation market as well as the single largest untapped seaplane geography in the world, and the PHA-ZE 100 checks all the boxes for meeting this upcoming seaplane potential. The next 25 years will be as much a seaplane era as it will be for general aviation in India. The PHA-ZE 100 has enhanced operating parameters, which lend strong value to our proposed operations and vision …

DHL Express has onboarded new customer, Linklaters, on its GoGreen Plus service to reduce carbon emissions for its time-definite international (TDI) shipments through the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A leading global law firm, Linklaters aims to reduce (‘inset’) the carbon emissions associated with their shipments across the Asia Pacific and United Arab Emirates (UAE) regions. Ken Lee, CEO DHL Express Asia Pacific, says, “Sustainability is increasingly becoming an important part of the business for most of our customers. Companies are now more committed than ever to reducing their environmental impact, thus it is important that we provide them with feasible solutions to do so. SAF is our key lever to improve carbon emissions, and we are proud to be the first global express courier to enable our customers to do.” Launched this year, GoGreen Plus enables customers to reduce their Scope 3 emissions through insetting. This means that customers can effectively bring down carbon emissions that occur in their supply chain by choosing the amount of SAF they want to use for their shipments. SAF is currently the only scalable solution for the next years to come, given that it is the only option for long-range flights. SAF can also reduce lifecycle emissions of typical aviation fuel emissions by up to 70-80%.

Swiss WorldCargo’s new commodity-focused, modular airfreight service structure has now become live, offering a range of tailored solutions that cater to its customers’ unique needs. “From high-value goods to temperature-sensitive shipments, and everything in between, we handle every commodity with expert care and precision. At Swiss WorldCargo, we extend the same level of quality and dedication to all types of shipments, ensuring excellence across our entire product pallet. I’m very excited about our new offer structure, as I believe that it will bring added value to our customers thanks to the enhanced customization opportunities that come with it” said report. “It is our commitment to ensure the highest quality for a seamless and secure journey of our customers’ shipments, giving them peace of mind throughout the entire transportation process. Thanks to the new modular product structure, the customers can now choose one of the branded products and easily combine it with one or more of the transportation solutions and add-on services to facilitate their shipment; this modular structure enables them to customize their air cargo service to align it with their requirements perfectly,” report added.

Air cargo industry’s focus on sustainability demands our full attention and support. I think incentivizing the production of green aviation fuel, which currently costs up to four times the traditional fuel, is a worthy endeavor by global industry leaders,” says Chandra Kant Govil, Vice President, ACAAI. “We are talking about it every day, watching other industries work towards it, and we are trying to adopt as many techniques as possible to reduce our carbon footprint. Many startups have emerged that are closing the gap between AI-powered technologies and faster air cargo handling across India. AI can help in better planning and resource utilisation and save time and effort. It can help reduce operational and production costs, thus boosting customer demand and the need for air cargo logistics. We need to embrace the change. AI’s entry into our industry was long due and is expected to alter our modus operandi forever.”

Global air cargo tonnages in June show a continuation of the flat trend we have seen since the beginning of the month, while average rates remain on a slightly sliding trend, According to WorldACD’s latest market summary. “Comparing the overall global market with this time last year, chargeable weight in weeks 24 and 25 was down 6% compared with the equivalent period last year, mainly driven by decreases in tonnages ex-North America (-17%), ex-Europe (-9%) and ex-Asia (-3%). Increases were recorded ex-Africa (+5%), ex-Central & South America (+3%) and ex-Middle East & South Asia (+3%). Capacity for the period, meanwhile, was up 11% compared with last year,” the data indicated.

Global freight forwarders need more support than ever in the form of collaboration on multimodality, trade facilitation, and capacity building, says Dr. Ivon Petrov, President, FIATA International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations. He adds, “The association is collaborating with many United Nations’ divisions like UNCTAD, UNCITRAL, UNESCAP, UNECE, the WTO, IRU, UIC, ITC, and many others, to bring members the support they need at this uncertain time. Thanks to the work of the FIATA Advisory Body on International Affairs, FIATA has produced a WTO-TFA guidance to help members to implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. FIATA also continues to advocate for accessible AEO programmes that offer comprehensive benefits to businesses of all sizes, and guidance on Business Continuity about Authorized Economic Operators. FIATA will continue to facilitate webinars about multimodal corridors like we did in the past.”

The Delhi Customs Brokers Association (DCBA) in its 39th AGM discussed course of action for malpractices happening in different ports/customs locations. The AGM has also approved some important constitutional amendments to eradicate ambiguities, adopt digitalization and benefit the Customs Brokers at large irrespective of whether their parent license is issued by Delhi Customs Commissionerate or by others some in the country. The constitutional amendments include: Eliminating the process for intimation by members regarding suspension of their license to claim waiver of all charges of DCBA from the revocation of license till restoration of the same with supporting evidence of the Restoration of License. If any vacancy occurs in any year for the President post during the intervening period between the two Annual General Meetings, the Vice President will take additional charge as Officiating President till the next AGM. If the ensuing AGM is a non-election AGM, the House of this AGM will elect the President for the next one year. The provision of digital issuance of membership certificates will be inserted in the existing provision. The provision of voting through EVM/ any other technology introduced in the near future will be inserted in Section 19(a) of The Articles of Association. its 39th Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) on June 25, 2023 in New Delhi. The AGM was participated by a large number of DCBA Members to discuss the activities of the DCBA during the last one year and future course of action in view of some pressing issues including day to day operational issues and mal-practices happening in different ports/customs locations.

Qatar Airways Cargo has introduced two Boeing 777 freighters to Dammam in Riyadh. The newly added freighter will increase weekly capacity to 350 tonnes each way. “A new freighter frequency was also introduced to Riyadh, bringing the total frequencies to five Boeing 777 freighters each week on top of the four daily passenger flights, providing over 850 tonnes of cargo capacity each way to and from Riyadh,” says a LinkedIn Post. Qatar Airways Cargo commenced freighter operations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in November 2022. Before the two newly added freighters, as per the official release, the Boeing 777 freighter offered a cargo capacity of 100 tonnes per flight. Qatar Airways Cargo, in June this year, reintroduced flights to Haneda, Nice, Manama, and Sarajevo while continuing to expand its Middle East operations. With the reintroduction of passenger flights, the total weekly tonnage available to and from Japan now stands at 600 tonnes each way.

DB Schenker has expanded its capabilities and capacity in the UK and Ireland and in Scotland, the freight forwarder has opened a new facility in Glasgow. The freight forwarder’s new multimodal site in Hillington Park offers regional customers more than 17,000 sq ft of warehousing and more than 750 pallet positions for storage and pick/pack services. The site features full camera coverage including of its own external yard for devanning and loading containers. It is also ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 compliant and will achieve ETSF (External Temporary Storage Facility) Type A status within the next month. Our new Glasgow home offers our customers so much more in terms of warehousing solutions within this modern, highly secure facility supported by our committed and knowledgeable air and ocean team,” stated DB Schenker’s airfreight regional manager North, Debbie McBride.