Virgin Atlantic Cargo is launching a new structure for its products that offers various levels of speed and priority across the portfolio. The new structure means that when customers select one of the cargo divisions products – General, Courier, Fresh, Pharma, Valuable, Vulnerable, Cars, mail, and Custom – they will also be able to select from three service levels: Classic, Priority, and Express. Classic is the entry service level, Priority includes preferred access to space and guarantees delivery on time and Express offers the fastest solution, with the shortest close-out times and highest priority. Sean Cruse, manager of commercial development at Virgin Atlantic Cargo, said: “The logistics space is evolving quickly around how our customers want to interact, and the operational requirements needed to efficiently transport goods around the world, which is why it is important to us to provide our customers with more choice so they can move cargo, their way. “This new structure will help our customers understand the range of capabilities we can offer across our network and allow for a tailored movement based on their exact requirements. “It also acts as our foundation for continuous improvement, where we will be reviewing and developing our offering based on customers feedback through our established Customer Survey programme.” The development follows the airline’s recent cargo management system upgrade to Accelya’s latest SkyChain solution. Maria Sanchez-Grant, head of distribution at Virgin Atlantic Cargo, said: “As we continue our digital transformation journey, this change in our products allows us to provide an intuitive experience across any channel for our customers. Having this as our foundation allows us to continually develop and enhance what we do to further improve our offering.” The …

Indicold inaugurated the latest location on its Network at Rai Industrial Area Sonipat on 9th March 2023. The brand-new facility is a completely frozen facility with a capacity of 4416 pallets. The facility is equipped with the latest machineries and technology. It is designed with a view to minimize temperature loss by efficient planning of operations, mechanized movement, computer controlled plant management etc. The facility was inaugurated by Sh. Kalyana Rama, Chairman and Managing Director, CONCOR in the presence of Directors of CONCOR, Sh. Rajesh Goyal – President of Federation of Cold Storage Associations of India, Ms. Pragya Nehru, Director CII FACE, Shri Mukesh Aggarwal, MD, Siddhi Enterprises, Sh. Kartik Jalan, CEO & Founder Indicold. Sh. Kalayan Rama keenly noted the achievement by Mr. Mukesh Agarwal and Indicold is putting up this facility in a timeline of less than 60 days. This is no mean feat and an industry record by any standards. Sh. Mukesh Agrawal, thanked the entire team, vendors and specifically Indicold team led by Mr. Kartik Jalan in driving these seemingly impossible time lines and ensuring early commissioning of a world class facility. The event was well attended by industry leaders and representatives of the cold chain sector across Indicold’s verticals of store, move and prepare. On the day of the inauguration the first trucks of ice cream were unloaded and the facility started operations.

Allcargo Group is strengthening its ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) framework and accelerating its initiatives. The priority for Allcargo Group is to ensure that its businesses across the world have a common, robust framework for their ESG initiatives at different stages of evolution to create sustained outcomes whilst strengthening the group’s commitment to environment and societies. It has engaged KPMG Assurance and Consulting Services LLP to assist in laying the foundational framework for ESG strategy and formulating the milestone goals. Due to the group’s global presence and for automating ESG reporting along with the requisite digital tools for tracking as well as driving ESG programs it has roped in GovEVA. The GovEVA ESG software is a unique technology which combines leading-edge, AI-enabled automation and domain-rich content that accelerates an organizations’ ESG journey. The Group’s ambitious ESG strategy will be governed by a core group, including senior leadership from across its offices in the world, led by Suresh Kumar R, CEO of Allcargo Logistics India. A comprehensive roadmap for the Group to achieve its ESG and sustainability goals is being created. To further understand how ESG could be integrated into the group’s business, over 300 senior leadership team members have been trained through an immersive program by NITIE (National Institute of Industrial Engineering). “We are reimagining our existing business models and believe that for sustainable growth ESG has to be integral and embedded in our business strategy. To scale up our ESG agenda further we have embarked on our journey of building a diverse workforce while nurturing the community we live in. Our ultimate focus with the ESG strategy is to help us in positioning for continued success, while supporting our …

An initiative will be taken to start cargo flights from Maharaja Agrasen Airport in Hisar, Haryana for exporting fruits and vegetables to the Arab countries, said Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar while addressing an event. “New experiments are being done to increase the income of farmers. The government has also formed the Export Promotion Council. Besides, an initiative will be taken to start cargo flights from Maharaja Agrasen Airport in the coming time, so that fresh fruits and vegetables grown by state farmers can be exported to the Arab countries,” said the CM. He also stressed on the need for starting a new agricultural revolution. “We are ready to give every possible encouragement and support to these universities so as to ensure that the said research work is smoothly carried out. This desired research work will not only ensure reduction in agricultural cost but will also improve the quality of crops produced, which will further play a pivotal role in increasing the income of the farmers,” said Khattar. The CM urged the scientists working at the agricultural universities of the state to conduct research on the subject for adopting best ways to get a high yield at minimum cost. The focus should be on improving the variety of seeds. Also, the marketing board should make proper arrangements for the marketing of food grains, said Khattar. He once again highlighted that because of the constant exploitation of water, the underground water level is going down. Farmers should adopt sowing cash crops including fruits, flowers, vegetables, along with shifting to beekeeping, animal husbandry and fisheries, he said. “We also have to ensure optimum usage of water…for this micro irrigation has to …

Welspun One Logistics Parks (WOLP) launched its second fund of INR 2,000 crores, including a green shoe option of INR 1,000 crores. Welspun One Logistics Parks Fund 2 is the successor of WOLP Fund 1, a SEBI regulated Alternative Investment Fund or “AIF” offering for domestic investors which it had launched in early 2021. WOLP Fund 1 received a favourable response from investors and successfully raised capital commitments of ~INR 500 crore from a set of high net worth investors including marquee individuals and family offices. WOLP Fund 1 has delivered strong performance with a track record of 100% commitment across a portfolio of 6 investments, aggregating to ~6.5MM sf in a short span of ~1.5 years from its first close. Further, the portfolio has also seen excellent traction on the ground with ~50% of portfolio expected to be physically delivered, leased and operating by mid CY2023. The fund’s performance is reflected in its inception to date gross IRR of ~21% basis its 30 September Net Asset Value (NAV) which is computed based on an independent third party valuation by a leading international property consultant. The Company places a strong emphasis on creating and implementing robust processes for a high level of governance and transparency across its business. A recent initiative on this front is the “WOLP investor portal”, a first-of-its kind offering in the real estate private equity space which provides investors with online access to comprehensive information on their portfolio assets and performance along with a full repository of fund documents, all at the click of a button. Balkrishan Goenka, Chairman, Welspun Group said, “The warehousing industry is now a fully integrated priority sector in India that contributes …

Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prime Minister, Saudi Arabia and Chairman, Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced the establishment of Riyadh Air, a wholly-owned company of PIF. According to an official release, “The new national carrier will leverage Saudi Arabia’s strategic geographic location between the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, enabling Riyadh to become a gateway to the world and a global destination for transportation, trade, and tourism. Riyadh Air will be chaired by Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of PIF while Tony Douglas, who brings more than 40 years of experience in the aviation, transportation and logistics industries, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. The airline’s senior management will include Saudi and international expertise, the report added. With Riyadh as its hub, “the airline will usher in a new era for the travel and aviation industry globally. Riyadh Air will be a world-class airline, adopting the global best sustainability and safety standards across its advanced fleet of aircraft equipped with the latest cutting-edge technology. The airline is expected to add $20 billion to non-oil GDP growth, and create more than 200,000 direct and indirect jobs.” The new national airline represents PIF’s latest investment in the sector along with the recently announced King Salman International Airport master plan, the release added. “Riyadh Air aims to enhance customers’ journey while connecting them to over 100 destinations around the world by 2030 through offering an exceptional experience with authentic, warm Saudi hospitality at its heart.”

CargoAi onboards its first Australasia carrier with Air NZ Cargo’s capacity now live on CargoAi’s digital marketplace (CargoMART). Air NZ Cargo will be offering its capacity from USA and Canada into New Zealand and Australia. “We are proud to be the marketplace of choice that Air NZ has chosen to commence its digital offering with. With our shared vision of transforming the air cargo landscape, we are looking forward to bringing the best digital booking experience that CargoMART offers to our joint customers,” says Matt Petot, CEO of CargoAi. Freight forwarders in USA and Canada can book general and express cargo instantaneously on all Air NZ Cargo routes. Users of CargoMART benefit from searching for real-time schedules, bulk quoting, e-Booking, the ability to Track and Trace each shipment, as well CargoAi’s Cargo2ZERO sustainable features to support the air cargo industry’s decarbonization mission. “We are pleased to be partnering with CargoAi as Air New Zealand Cargo looks to expand our customer base within the North American market. While we enjoy a strong presence from the ports where we operate direct flights, the sheer size of the U.S. and Canadian markets dictates we embrace platforms that expand our commercial reach. CargoAi will provide us the tools necessary to effectively offer cargo solutions to these customers for their everyday transportation needs into New Zealand and Australia,” said Brooke Roberts, Sales Manager, North America from Air NZ Cargo.

US-based express cargo carrier Mountain Air Cargo has launched its first ATR 72-600 freighter. The ATR 72-600F made its debut on March 6, flying from New Bern, North Carolina to Raleigh, North Carolina. Mountain Air Cargo said, “We are excited to provide containerised service that comes with the versatility of the new aircraft!” In August last year, Mountain Air Cargo requested US Department of Transportation (DOT) authorisation to operate large aircraft and in its application stated it planned to add an ATR-72-600F freighter to its fleet that would be used in interstate and foreign charter cargo operations under contract with FedEx. Based in Denver, North Carolina, AirT subsidiary Mountain Air Cargo provides flight and maintenance services in the eastern half of the US and the Caribbean Islands. According to last year’s US DOT application document, Mountain Air Cargo holds a 14 CFR Part 135 certificate and a 14 CFR Part 121 certificate issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and operates 25 Cessna Caravans, 9 ATR-42s, and 9 ATR-72s on cargo flights in the US and the Caribbean, under a dry-lease agreement it has had with FedEx since 1980. Mountain Air Cargo states that it is one of seven feeder air carriers for Fedex in the US. The company also owns a 14 CFR Part 145 Repair Station in Kinston, North Carolina and performs maintenance work for itself and other commercial and government air carriers.

Global air cargo volumes fell -4% year-on-year in February as available cargo capacity rose above the pre-pandemic level for the first time in four years, according to the latest weekly market analysis from CLIVE Data Services, part of Xeneta. Global air cargo capacity increased for the eleventh consecutive month in February, up 11% on the same period last year. The global average air freight spot rate of USD 2.73 per kg declined -35% year-on-year but remained +52% ahead of the pre-Covid level seen in 2019. Niall van de Wouw, Chief Airfreight Officer at Xeneta, said the latest data means it’s time for the industry to let go of pre-Covid comparisons and to acknowledge a new baseline for air cargo market growth. “CLIVE Data Services was one of the first industry analysts to benchmark data versus the pre-pandemic level because a comparison was needed at the time to accurately measure air cargo’s performance. But the fascination and rhetoric around airfreight rates going back to the 2019 level needs to be replaced based on the inflationary components we now see. Name me a service or product that you acquired four years ago that you’re still paying the same price for now? The air cargo industry should be focused on where growth is going to come from because the general air cargo volumes have seen negative growth for four years, and based on the first two months of 2023 are still -8% in terms of chargeable weight compared to four years ago. That is not a growth market,” he said, adding 2019 was also a relatively weak year for air cargo after a buoyant 2018. He added: “The volumes are not there, flights …

GMR Aero Technic (GAT), the MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) division of GMR Air Cargo and Aerospace Engineering Ltd. (GACAEL), has been awarded an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Boeing Global Services (BGS) contract to convert 737-800 passenger aircraft into a 737-800BCF configuration. GMR Aero Technic is the first Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) partner to be located in India. The partnership will support conversions of both domestic and foreign aircraft. GAT has bagged the contract through a global competitive RFP (request for proposal) bid which Boeing had announced to identify MROs for their B737BCF program. GAT has been selected for the program post a detailed due diligence conducted by Boeing. GAT will be the 4th location after China, UK and Costa Rica, where the freighter conversion work will be performed for the B737 BCF program. Initially, this program will cover 30 plus aircraft BCF conversions, occupying multiple lines successively for appx. five years beginning in year 2023. Speaking on this partnership, Mr Ashok Gopinath, CEO, GMR Aero Technic said, “With the rise in the Indian aviation industry, MRO services in India has been one of the fastest- growing market globally. The partnership with Boeing reaffirms our capability to provide world- class MRO services and further contribute to the “Make in India” initiative. We thank Boeing for the opportunity given and look forward to working together for future initiatives.” “Our cooperation with GMR Aero Technic not only a testimony of the maturation of Indian MROs in the country to support the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, but also supports the anticipated growth of the cargo sector in the region,” said Salil Gupte, president, Boeing India. Key features of GAT – GMR Aero …