To facilitate the movement of dangerous goods worldwide, the International Chemical Transport Association (ICTA) has collaborated with several global trade organisations namely International Cargo Handling Coordination Association (ICHCA), International Vessel Owners Dangerous Goods Association (IVODGA), National Cargo Bureau (NCB) and World Shipping Council (WSC). Now, they can jointly work on the White Paper entitled, ‘Safety Guidance for Dangerous Goods Storage and Handling Facilities’ issued in December last year. Richard Steele, CEO of ICHCA welcomed the additional support, “To make a real difference to the standards of safety in supply chains that feature hazardous materials, it is vital to reach all involved and create a critical mass of like-minded partners. The endorsement of our work by such an authoritative voice as ICTA is therefore decidedly welcome.”

Delta Air Lines and Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) have partnered to reduce aircraft carbon emissions. APB has also announced the carrier’s (Delta’s) recent agreements to purchase Split Scimitar Winglets for its 737-800 fleet and for several recently acquired 737-900ER aircraft, says an official release. The carrier also gave a green nod for Scimitar Blended Winglets for up to 70 of Delta’s 757-200 aircraft. Both the Split Scimitar Winglets and Scimitar Blended Winglets are upgrades to APB’s ubiquitous Blended Winglets. Delta has previously purchased and installed APB winglet products on its 737-800, 737-900ER, 757-200, 757-300, and 767-300ER fleets. “APB is proud that Delta has, once again, turned to APB’s winglet products across its fleets to deliver savings in jet fuel consumption and gains in fuel efficiency,” adds the release.

Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services has announced a new domestic cargo service to Dire Dawa and Jigjiga that will operate thrice a week from August 30. As per reports, its fleet includes B777-200F and B737-800SF aircraft. In March, Ethiopian Airlines partnered with International Djibouti Industrial Park Operation (IDIPO) and Air Djibouti as it looks to develop sea-air operations between China and Africa. Addis Ababa-hubbed Ethiopian operates in major trade lanes between Africa and Europe and the Middle East and Asia, serving 70 global freighter destinations. Currently, Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services operates a warehouse with annual capacity of 250,000 tonnes, equipped with modern cooling facilities. Currently, the company is building a new transhipment terminal anticipated to have a capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per year.

Skye Air Mobility has allied with Flipkart Health, a medical branch of Flipkart Internet, to deliver pharma products up to 5 kg by drone. Each flight can fly up to 16 km. The partnership began with the launch of BVLOS flights from Flipkart Health warehouse in Baruipur of West Bengal, to several Health Buddy OTC sites in Kolkata and suburbs. Flights numbering 20 will take medication each day from Warehouse to Health Buddy OTC locations in the region.

In a bid to reduce carbon emission, protect the ecology and to reduce logistics cost drastically, Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Govt of India suggested the logistics Industry to go green by using alternative fuel like LNG and ethanol. He informed that efforts are on to introduce ethanol in the transport sector as well. While addressing the 24th Biennial Convention of FFFAI, which was held in Chennai from August 12-14, 2022 Shri Gadkari said that Customs Brokers, Freight Forwarders and other logistics service providers are the major stakeholders behind the success of increasing international trade in the country. He commended FFFAI for choosing the theme of the convention: “Logistics – Reshape, Embrace and Surge in the Digital Era”, which is in line with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision pertaining to “PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan” focused on strengthening multimodal logistics infrastructure and transportation. The theme is also apt to achieve the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s goal of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ while the Convention is taking place on the eve of celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

The eleventh edition of India Warehousing Show (IWS), India’s most premium and established platform for warehousing, logistics, material handling, storage, AIDC, automation and supply chain sector is scheduled for 19-21 August 2022, Hall 4 & 5, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. After the successful 10th anniversary edition in 2021, India’s most awaited event for logistics is once again getting ready to offer an in-person platform for live product demos, innovative technologies, and several knowledge-sharing networking sessions. The theme of the event is ‘Sustainable and Cost-Effective Supply Chains’

TIACA and Messe München announce Edmonton International Airport as the inaugural host of the start.hub logistics during air cargo forum & transport logistic Americas 2022. Following the success of the Innovation Journey held during the Executive Summit in March 2022, The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) and Messe München are pleased to announce the launch of the start.hub logistics in Miami during the air cargo forum (ACF) and transport logistic Americas 2022. “The Innovation Journey showed how vital it is for the industry to connect and explore innovations that can be applied into our businesses. We knew then that this could not be a one off and innovation needed to be incorporated into our events going forward. The launch of the start.hub logistics in Miami is yet another step toward our vision for air cargo and we are excited that Edmonton International Airport, which has such a focus on supporting innovative start-up businesses will be the first host.” Steven Polmans, TIACA Chair.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is set to launch a new Boeing B777 freighter operation between Singapore and the US as part of a partnership with DHL Express. DHL partnered with SIA in March to deploy five B777Fs with SIA on a crew and maintenance agreement (CM) to secure capacity out of Singapore. DHL Express welcomed the arrival of the B777 freighter at Singapore Changi Airport. SIA will operate it on routes to the US via South Korea three times weekly from August. The freighter, which sports a dual DHL-Singapore Airlines (SIA) livery, has a maximum capacity of 102 tonnes. All five freighters will be operated by SIA pilots, with the maintenance overseen by SIA. The second Boeing 777 freighter is slated to enter service in November 2022, following which both freighters will operate the Singapore-Incheon-Los Angeles-Honolulu-Singapore route six times weekly. The remaining three freighters are planned for delivery throughout 2023. Following this, all five freighters will operate on routes between the US and Singapore via points in North Asia and Australia.

The Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation (RSIC) is planning to set up an air cargo complex at the Dabok airport in Udaipur to facilitate import and export of goods in the next few months. At present, businessmen based in the lake city of Udaipur and nearby places are required to travel to Ahmedabad or Jaipur for import and export purposes. RSIC, a government of Rajasthan undertaking, had forwarded a proposal to the ministry of civil aviation which has been given in-principal approval and the land for the project has also been identified. RSIC Chairman Rajiv Arora said the work on the complex will soon start and it is expected to be commissioned by early next year.

Qantas Freight is expected to increase its domestic fleet with six Airbus A321 passenger to freighter (P2F) aircraft to meet growing e-commerce demand from its customers. The Australian airfreight carrier said the A321s, likely to arrive between 2024 and mid-2026, will be sourced in the open market and converted to freighters. This conversion work will include removing seats and installation of a cargo handling system. The A321’s will replace the long-term fleet of five Boeing 737 freighters that are approaching the end of their economic life. Qantas said that each A321 freighter can carry 23 tonnes of cargo, nine tonnes more than the older 737s, and are around 30 per cent more fuel efficient per tonne of freight carried. Currently, Qantas has three A321P2Fs and is replacing the remaining 737 freighters with these newer aircraft will generate extra efficiency in training and maintenance. Qantas is also converting two widebody A330s to freighters for use on the domestic network.