An air cargo complex is likely to be constructed soon for import of commodities, including handicraft items, mineral production, and export of fruits and vegetables at Dabok Airport in Udaipur. Rajiv Arora, chairman, Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation Limited, who recently interacted with Airport Authority in Udaipur officials. He said the possibilities of import of handicrafts from Udaipur, building stones, minerals and export of fruits and vegetables and supplies from local industry were explored for the new air cargo. As per reports, Ministry of Civil Aviation has given the go-green signal for giving in-principal permission to Dabok Airport to set up an air cargo complex and the location has been identified. “The day is not far when Udaipur will have its place on the international map as an importer and exporter,” Arora added.

Lufthansa Cargo reported an EBIT of €482 million (US$492 million) for the second quarter ended June 30 2022—an increase of 48 per cent compared to Q22021 on demand for freight and average yields in the airfreight industry well above the pre-crisis level. “Momentum continues due to ongoing capacity shortages, and ~70 per cent of load originates outside of Germany,” stated the airline. F00or Q22022, traffic revenue increased 45 per cent to €1.2 billion (US$1.23 billion). While available CTKs increased by 20 per cent to 2.9 billion compared to 2.5 billion in Q22021, revenue cargo tonne kilometres was down marginally at 1.8 billion. Cargo load factor was down 13 pts at 60.2 In the first half, Lufthansa Cargo achieved a new record adjusted EBIT of €977 million (US$996 million) compared to €641 million (US$654 million) in H12021. Traffic revenue was up 46 per cent to €2.3 billion (US$2.3 billion). “On 9 May 2022, the Lufthansa Group decided to purchase three Boeing 777F cargo aircraft and seven Boeing 777-8F cargo aircraft. In addition, leases for two Boeing 777F cargo aircraft, which run until 2024, will be extended,” the carrier added.

The newly developed domestic cargo terminal commenced operations at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The 600 square feet facility has the capacity to handle over 3,500 MT per year. The 24×7 terminal is poised to boost cargo trade from Thiruvananthapuram. The facility provides end-to-end cargo services encompassing cityside handling, security functions, storage and airside handling under close monitoring to ensure safety of the cargo. Besides adding incremental cargo handling capacity to the airport’s cargo infra, the facility will provide an additional choice of services for the trade at the airport. The infrastructure of the new cargo facility is likely to improve the service levels of cargo handling at the domestic terminal. The new facility is equipped to handle perishable goods, with temperature control from 15°C to 25°C. The facility will handle machinery parts, readymade garments, fabrics, dyes, chemicals, valuable cargo, and other commodities.

According to General Vijay Kumar Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of Civil Aviation, there are no norms prescribed by DGCA to specify the shelf life of an aircraft in the country. He said aircraft in India could fly till their certificate for their type is valid and are under production or maintenance support by their manufacturer. “The aircraft are considered airworthy provided the maintenance is as per the approved schedule laid down by the manufacturer. Aircraft registered in India may operate if the type certificate is valid for the type of aircraft and it is under production/maintenance support provided by the manufacturer for the continuous operation of the aircraft,” Singh said. He added the aviation regulator has laid down age criteria for importing aircraft to India. “Aircraft to be used for air cargo ops are restricted to 25-years or 75 per cent of its designed economic life in terms of pressurization cycles, whichever is earlier,” the ministry said.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation said, a broader ecosystem of civil aviation needs to be set up in the country, including cargo, drones, flight training schools and MRO facilities. “With India’s airport infra and airlines well in place, it is time to lay a wider focus on the sector,” he said, during his virtual address recently. He said it is important to look at the sector in entirety in addition to the focus areas of airports and airlines. Focusing on cargo, drones, flying training organizations, ground handling of the ecosystem, he said, “Too much preponderance has traditionally been on airlines and airports because they are the lynchpins of the ecosystem of civil aviation. But now that these lynchpins have come into place in a formidable manner in our country, it is important to set up in place the ecosystem of civil aviation and that ecosystem comprises multiple myriad areas within civil aviation.”

Etihad Airways has firmed up its order with Airbus for seven new generation A350F freighters, following its earlier commitment announced at the Singapore Airshow. The freighters will upgrade Etihad’s freight capacity by deploying the most efficient cargo aircraft available in the market. This order of the A350F sees the national carrier of the UAE expanding its relationship with Airbus and adding to its existing order of the largest passenger version of A350-1000s, five of which have been delivered. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “In building one of the world’s youngest and most sustainable fleets, we are delighted to extend our long-term partnership with Airbus to add the A350 Freighter to our fleet. This additional cargo capacity will support the unprecedented growth we are experiencing in the Etihad Cargo division. Airbus has developed a remarkable fuel-efficient aircraft that, in tandem with the A350-1000 in our passenger fleet, supports our commitment to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”

Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) and Shypmax have partnered to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) exporters in India showcasing their products on the latter’s Indian Business Portal (IBP). Under this pact the provider of comprehensive logistics and transportation solutions will offer a flat 15 per cent discount on routing service tariffs for express cross-border shipments to FIEO members and SMEs registered on the IBP. Dr. Ajay Sahai, Director General and CEO, FIEO, said the progress of e-commerce requires seamless supply chains that act as the building blocks for digital selling. There is a shift in focus toward technology-enabled tools and warehousing to ensure faster LMDs. Our aim is to handhold artisans, women entrepreneurs, start-ups and MSMEs to develop their orientation towards exports, he said. Dr. Sahai invited exporters to showcase their products on Indian Business Portal and avail the benefits of the association with Shypmax to ship effectively and efficiently.

Indian Railways has strengthened trade and commerce in Telangana with the commencement of freight operations. First freighter train arrived at Medak Railway Station on the newly commissioned Akanapet-Medak line. This will enable local traders to ferry their goods across the country. “Marking commencement of freight operations, the first goods train arrived at Medak on the newly commissioned railway line. This will enable local traders transport localgoods across the country,” announced G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Culture, Tourism And Development Of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Government of India on Twitter.

“After COVID-19 hit, we began cargo-only charters, initially using just the belly of our passenger aircraft, then expanding into ‘cargo-on-seat’ operations, after we received the necessary approvals, and later added a ‘cargo-on-floor’ A321. Hence, we have initiated a proper freighter program and are in the process of sourcing 4 A321CEO aircraft for conversion. The A321P2F—passenger-to-freighter conversion—is the narrow-bodied all-cargo aircraft available, offering 24 ULD positions and supporting a payload of up to 27 tonnes. We expect our first delivery in this month, coming from the conversion shop at Singapore Technologies. The aircraft is capable for IndiGo and able to service markets between China in the east and the Gulf in the west, not forgetting the CIS countries to the north,” said Mahesh Malik, Chief Commercial Officer, CarGo, IndiGo.

The rising cost of fuel has been an issue of concern for the aviation industry throughout 2022, but air cargo carriers have tackled the challenge successfully. Expensive fuel is not a new phenomenon, however, a perfect storm of economic and political issues has seen prices continue to rise this year until they flattened out in early July, as per S&P Global data shared by IATA. In February, against a backdrop of strong demand for still limited capacity due to the pandemic, the Ukraine-Russia war forced airlines to fly longer routes to avoid Russia-Ukraine airspace and increase their fuel usage, and now inflation is rising around the world. The latest data from the joint Platts – IATA Jet Fuel Price Monitor shows the jet fuel price for the week ending July 15 was up 85.7 per cent compared with a year ago at $146.4/bbl. The jet fuel price average for 2022 at the time of writing (year to date) is US$ 143.6/bbl. The impact of jet fuel price developments on 2022’s industry total fuel bill is US$ 134.3 billion.