Air France Martinair, part of the KLM Group, has placed a firm order with Airbus for four new A350F freighter aircraft. Martinair is the operating carrier for KLM Cargo. The four A350Fs emit over 40% less CO2 and make 50% less noise than their predecessors. The new aircraft will replace the current Boeing 747 freighters from the second half of 2026. The A350F is the freighter version of the A350. It is fitted with an extra-large cargo deck. Lighter materials have been used wherever possible to keep take-off weight to a minimum. Last April saw Air France-KLM make the announcement that it will finalize its order with Airbus for four new generation A350F freighters, following the earlier commitment announced in December 2021. In combination with the efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, this considerably improves performance in terms of CO2 emissions and noise pollution. This aircraft is suitable for carrying a range of cargo, including fresh produce, express shipments, pharmaceuticals, horses, and oversized cargo. The maximum payload of the chosen configuration is 108 tonnes.

IndoSpace has received an investment of US$205 million from Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments). The investment marks the first close for IndoSpace Logistics Parks IV (ILP IV), the company’s fourth development vehicle, targeting US$600 million of total equity commitments. This is the latest venture between CPP Investments and IndoSpace. The first joint venture, IndoSpace Core, was established in 2017 and now owns the largest portfolio of stabilized modern logistics assets in India. CPP Investments has also invested in ILP III. Following the investment in ILP IV, the partnership will exceed US$1 billion in assets. ILP IV will add an additional 25-30 million square feet to the IndoSpace portfolio, furthering IndoSpace’s leading position in the Indian market. ILP IV will focus on India’s largest logistics real estate markets: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune. The establishment of ILP IV follows on from the first three development funds, which have a combined total of 56 million square feet of modern logistics real estate in India. Hari Krishna V, Managing Director, Head of Real Estate India, CPP Investments, said, “Over the past few years, we have made numerous investments in India’s industrial space, where we see strong demand as the manufacturing sector continues to grow and the e-commerce sector matures. We are pleased to be working with our longstanding partner IndoSpace to further capitalize on opportunities in this space and believe this investment will deliver strong risk adjusted returns for CPP contributors and beneficiaries.”

Nisschal Jaain, Co-founder and CEO, Shypmax shares his expectations from the upcoming budget, “With the upcoming budget, the Indian e-commerce logistics sector is expecting some clarity on the de-minimis (threshold) value. Currently the de minimis value for India, for e-commerce import is 0 which means that all orders into India, regardless of value, will often incur GST on their shipments. Items imported into the United States are subject to duty when the value is over USD 800. In Australia, duty and taxes kick-in after the first USD 1,000. In Canada, it’s USD 20; in some other countries, it’s USD 5. It is evident that individuals will buy more if duties are exempted or reduced. In the 2022-23 Budget, implementation of a simplified regulatory framework to facilitate export of jewellery through e-commerce was introduced however it was limited only through ECCS (Express Cargo Clearance System) at ICT Mumbai, ICT Delhi and ICT Jaipur, according to Central board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) SoPs. Stakeholder are awaiting more details on the same from the upcoming budget. Additionally, the limit of Rs. 5 lacs worth of exports via courier under CSB-V, which affects the fine jewellery’s export, is counterproductive and confusing for the e-logistics players as well as the exporters

Air France-KLM ordered three Airbus SE A350-900 passenger aircraft for Air France and four A350F full freighter aircraft to be operated by Martinair on behalf of KLM Cargo as the Franco-Dutch airline group pushes to modernize its fleet and reduce carbon emission. The group said that the A350-900 passenger aircraft would be based at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, bringing Air France’s A350-900 fleet to 41. Deliveries for the A350s, which will replace previous-generation aircraft, are slated for 2024. The A350F full freighter aircraft will be based at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, with deliveries to Martinair expected as of the second half of 2026. Financial details weren’t disclosed.

US cargo airline Ameriflight has placed an order for 20 Natilus Kona autonomous feeder cargo aircraft valued at $134m. Ameriflight has become the first regional US carrier to sign an Aircraft Purchase Agreement with Natilus. The agreement brings total commitments for Natilus aircraft to $6.8bn – for delivery of 460+ aircraft. Other orders are from companies including Volatus Aerospace, Astral Aviation, Aurora, Dymond and Flexport. Ameriflight is the largest Part 135 cargo airline in the US, serving 200 destinations throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America. The airline’s primary business is moving high-priority airfreight to and from remote areas for overnight express carriers. UPS is its largest customer. “Through this strategic partnership, we are positioning Ameriflight to build the roadmap for the future in cargo operations and be the first regional operator for Natilus in the United States,” said Alan Rusinowitz, president and chief operating officer of Ameriflight. “Our goal is to grow our product and transform the way we do business through innovation and collaboration, and now through this new partnership with Natilus, Ameriflight will connect the world safely within a sustainable business model.”

Vipin Vohra, Chairman, Continental Carriers shares his expectations from the upcoming budget. He says, “With the launch of National Logistics Policy in 2022 under PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, Logistics industry has high expectations from Budget 2023, which aims at reduction of Logistics cost from 14% of GDP to 8% -10% of the GDP. It is expected that the Budget 2023 will continue with its thrust on infrastructure development both at Airport and off-Airport locations in the form of Air Freight Stations in accordance with AFS Policy inviting healthy competition among the Cargo handling players making Air Cargo affordable so as to improve the global competitiveness of the Indian industry in the world market. Budget-2023 should propose Warehousing and Logistics policy at centre level including PLI and other incentive(s)/subsidies with an option for the states to further liberalise it considering the local scenario.”

Air India SATS Airport Services (AISATS), has been selected by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to Design, Build, Finance, Operate & Maintain a Greenfield Logistics Park at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport / KIAB) for a period of 15 years. The upcoming Logistics Park to be developed on 8.2 acres will be a world-class warehousing facility comprising of a General Warehouse, Bonded Warehouse, Consolidation Centre, Cold-Storage Facility, Office Spaces and other amenities such as Bank / ATM Facility, Business Centre, Cafeteria etc. AISATS will also provide value-added services including manpower and equipment rentals on an hourly or pay-per-use basis for Loading/Offloading, Labelling, Packaging, Bulk-Breaking etc.

T. A. Krishnan, CEO and Co-founder, Ecom Express Limited, “The logistics industry is one of the foundations of the Indian economy which has experienced immense growth over the past couple of years. With the improvement in logistics infrastructure, industry is witnessing a significant growth in demand generation leading to job creation. The expectations from the budget for the financial year 2023-24 are introduction of more supporting initiatives from the government such as further infrastructure projects along with focus in completion of ongoing road/highway projects, digital transformation and to create skilled workforce and related platforms for the logistics and transportation segments. We can expect Budget 2023-24 to be taxpayer friendly with focus on maximum disposable benefits. There is a dire need to consider reduction of excise/VAT on energy and fuel products such as motor spirit, high speed diesel, natural gas, crude oil along with enhancement of tax deduction limit to help lower income group. This will help to cut down logistics and transportation cost to a great extent. For a growing economy like India, it is important to reduce logistics costs to boost export competitiveness at a time when global firms are moving their manufacturing facilities to India to de-risk global supply chains. The gig workers can also expect the announcement on implementation of social security cover, however, keeping this workforce away from taxation ambit will help build higher disposable income in the hands of a fairly large alternate employment pool in the country. Another much awaited ask from the government, given the global slowdown trends, is to consider Fuel and CNG subsidy or further tax reduction for 2023-24 to provide a trickle-down effect to the consumerism in the country. The …

Aviation data firm Cirium is expecting the world’s freighter fleet to grow at 2.3% per year over the next 20 years. The data provider predicted that in total the world’s freighter fleet will reach over 4,100 aircraft by 2041 on the back of a 3.7% per year increase in cargo demand. The forecast predicts the supply of some 3,560 freighter aircraft over the next 20-year period, including 1,060 newbuilds (30%) and 2,480 conversions from passenger aircraft (70%). This figure reflects the near-term boom in conversions due to air cargo market dynamics of the Covid-19 pandemic including e-commerce growth and rising feedstock availability. “The freighter fleet benefitted during the Covid-19 crisis from the short-term reduction in passenger aircraft belly capacity and the rise of e-commerce will drive longer-term freighter fleet growth. “Conversion demand is being driven by the rise of e-commerce which gained momentum during lockdowns as well as increasing volumes of feedstock in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis,” Cirium said. “Focus is increasingly on newer generation conversion programmes, including the A321ceo, 737-800, A330ceo and 777-300ER.”

Air Canada Cargo is continuing to expand its freighter operation with the addition of two new destinations. The carrier will add flights using its B767 freighters to Liege next month and to Basel in April. Air Canada Cargo will operate flights twice per week to Liege, with service increasing to three flights per week later in the year. Basel will see two flights per week. They will originate in Toronto and have a stop in Halifax. Liege has become one of Europe’s largest cargo airports in recent years by targeting freighter operations, while Basel is a major centre for pharmaceuticals. Matthieu Casey, managing director, commercial at Air Canada Cargo, said: “Air Canada Cargo continues to expand its freighter network to provide customers with reliable, year-round service that connects key European markets with Air Canada and Air Canada Cargo’s global network through its Toronto hub.”