Autonomous cargo aircraft company MightyFly will begin last and middle mile test flights with its hybrid, electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft following Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification. The FAA has granted the California company’s MightyFly Cento eVTOL aircraft a Special Airworthiness Certificate and a Certificate of Authorisation (COA) for long-range flights. This means that MightyFly can start demonstrating the long-range flight capabilities of Cento. Demonstrating autonomous eVTOL flights up to 600 miles of range with 100 pounds of cargo is unprecedented in the industry, said MightyFly. With this COA in place, the company will be able to accelerate development of its autonomous aircraft, with a larger airspace (230 square miles) in which to test the transition from hover to forward flight at medium and high altitudes (up to 5000 ft). The MightyFly Cento has a cargo capacity of 45 kg, a range of 600 miles and a max speed of 150 mph. Measuring 4m by 5m, the aircraft features eight electric vertical lift fans, one forward propulsion propeller, and a high wing carbon fibre airframe. Fully loaded, the Cento weighs 161 kg, said MightyFly.

Varun Gada, Director, LP Logiscience – A Liladhar Pasoo Company says, “In the post COVID era, the Indian logistics and supply chain sector has emerged as a significant backbone for the Indian economy and continues to be the important step to strengthening India’s position as a global economic power. While disruption through geopolitical stressors, further threatened international trade, India has emerged as a stable trade and business economy, thanks to positive government policies. As the Indian government enhances its focus on infrastructure development and bolstering Indian exports through various schemes, I would like to draw attention to the warehousing and contract logistic sector that has become vital in terms of building global supply chains. Currently, the warehousing sector is looking to accelerate digital adoption, embrace greener practices that match international standards, and drive value added collaborations with the manufacturing sector. In the upcoming budget, a focus on the following aspects will be beneficial for the sector: 1.​Reduction in Steel duty/ prices for industrial warehouse construction would be beneficial as up to 50% of the cost of construction of a warehouse is attributed to steel as a major component. 2.​Enhanced focus on improving the road transport infrastructure which can help decongest the existing warehousing hubs, reduce rentals and unlock better value for land available for warehousing. 3.​The government can additionally consider capital subsidies for the construction of grade-A warehouses in smaller towns. 4.​Better Public-Private Partnerships to setup of multi-modal logistics parks with better connectivity to new expressways. 5.​Reduction in solar panel import duties to help reduce capex investments and a re-look at the tax structure and subsidies for environmentally responsible practices 6.​Easier and attractive loans/ access to funds for tech adoption …

Citing his expectations from the budget, Mahendra Shah, Chairman, and Group Managing Director, V-Trans (India) Ltd said, “In the impending budget, The finance minister can address the challenges faced by the logistics sector in several ways and provide a steadiness between the economic growth priorities and inflation concerns, in an all-encompassing manner. Investments in infrastructure and technology can be given some motivation by offering tax benefits, it will on hand make the operations more effective and bring down the cost, on the other, it will also create employment opportunities. Also, to motivate the logistics players, the government can enhance or introduce rewards for building green infrastructure and practicing sustainable initiative”. Further he added, “The momentum of growth that our country has come to a way post the global pandemic cannot be undermined, the strengthening of the digital ecosystem with various initiatives under NLP, for faster communication and work, enhanced visibility, and transparency is very promising. To catalyze the master plan announced in the previous financial budget, NLP was much awaited by the industry and heard quite applause. We expect this budget to focus on lowering the costs of the logistics industry, especially by implementing the NLP that was launched in 2022, and look forward to seeing some tangible benefits to the industry being passed.”

Gati Ltd. An Allcargo Group company has launched state-of-the-art and tech-enabled surface transhipment centres(STC) in Nagpur, Maharashtra and Guwahati, Assam. The launch of Nagpur and Guwahati STCs is in line with Gati’s plan to set up 12 modern, automated and environmentally friendly STC. The company has plans to launch more STCs in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, as it aims to further strengthen its supply chain and warehousing competencies and networks. Strategically located at Nagpur-Amravati Road, the Nagpur STC is spread over a 50,000 sq. ft. area and has the capacity to efficiently manage short-haul deliveries in west India and long-haul deliveries across the country. Equipped with advanced technologies, the STC offers its customers optimized supply chains, reduced dwell times and on-time deliveries. Designed in compliance with green norms, Nagpur STC is equipped with built-to-suit technology-enabled warehouses of global standards, shop floor automation, an advanced Warehouse Management System, world-class material handling facilities, integrated warehousing and distribution mechanisms and superior safety features. The facility has adequate docks to turn around over 100 trucks a day and has a throughput capacity of over 1800 tonnes per day. With customised solutions, the Nagpur STC will cater to multiple industries including automotive, electrical equipment, apparel, heavy engineering, pharmaceutical, etc. The Nagpur STC adheres to the highest levels of performance and precision for sorting and loading and unloading cargo. Centrally located with congestion-free access to Nagpur-Amravati Highway, other key arterial highways and seamless connectivity into the hinterlands, the Nagpur STC has establishments of major corporates located within the periphery of 10 km. Located at the geographical centre-point of the country, Nagpur has emerged as a busy logistics hub in India. The combined advantage of its geographic …

Amazon India has launched Amazon Air, making it the first e-commerce company in the country to have a dedicated air cargo network . Amazon Air will utilise the complete cargo capacity of a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operated by Quikjet Cargo Airlines, a joint venture between AFL and the Ireland-based ASL Aviation Group. The Amazon-branded aircraft will transport customer shipments to cities such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai. “We’re thrilled to launch Amazon Air in India to ensure we can provide our growing customer base with great selection, low prices, and faster deliveries,” said Sarah Rhoads, Vice President, Amazon Global Air. The announcement reinforces Amazon India’s commitment to continue building capacity and will further enhance its transportation network.

Continental Carriers Pvt Ltd (CCPL) was felicitated as the “Best Freight Forwarder” for the 2nd consecutive year at ASSOCHAM’s 14th International Aviation Conference and Awards held recently on 18th January, 2023 at Hotel Leela, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. Managing Director, Vaibhav Vohra and Director, Viraj Vohra received the award from P K Thakur, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Civil Aviation and K Narayan Rao, Chairman, ASSOCHAM National Council on Civil Aviation and Deputy MD, GMR Group; in the presence of Vipin Vohra, Chairman, Continental Carriers Pvt Ltd.

Quikjet Cargo Airlines has recently launched its maiden freighter service from GMR Hyderabad International Airport. Quikjet will be operating with Boeing 737-800F freighter aircraft based in Hyderabad with daily freighter services to Delhi and Bangalore. The freighter will carry air freight and express cargo across their network area covering Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. The Quikjet freighter will depart to Delhi daily from HYD at 00.30hrs and arrive from Bangalore to Hyderabad at 08. 50hrs every day. Currently, Quikjet has two aircrafts B737-800F with a capacity of 22 metric tons, both based at HYD. This new Cargo airline will boost the state’s economy and empower businesses with increased cargo connectivity & quicker reach for E-commerce. Speaking on the Quikjet launch, Mr Pradeep Panicker, CEO-GHIAL, said, “We are delighted to support Quikjet operations and glad that this is another Cargo servicing addition at our airport. Quikjet services is all set to offer increased cargo connectivity from Hyderabad to Southern India. The Quikjet services from our airport reiterate the growing prominence of Hyderabad for cargo. Over the years, GMR Hyderabad Airport has been building world-class capabilities to ensure seamless and faster cargo service globally.” GMR Hyderabad Airport Cargo handles pharma, perishable, engineering, automobile, aerospace products, large machinery, Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) and Dangerous Goods (DG). Apart from all major cargo hubs in India, international destinations like Frankfurt, Istanbul, Dubai, Doha and Hong Kong are also well connected to the Hyderabad International Airport.

Rizwan Soomar, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, DP World Subcontinent shares his expectations from the upcoming budget. He says, “The Budget for FY 2023-24 is expected to catalyse implementation of efficiency boosting projects under the umbrella of Gati Shakti and National Logistics Policy, that will bring India a step closer to its export vision of $2 trillion by 2030. Adequate budgetary allocation to capital expenditure projects, spread across roads, railways and ports, will be essential for encouraging logistic infrastructure development, creating resilient supply chains and spurring private investments. The Government continues to launch multiple initiatives to facilitate ease of doing business in the country and we are confident that the budget will also propose necessary regulatory improvements to infuse confidence in investors aligned with development of logistic infrastructure in the country.”

To offer enhanced supply chain solutions and to respond efficiently and flexibly to changing supply chains, Silk Way West Airlines has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japan’s Nippon Express Holdings. The agreement will strengthen Silk Way West Airlines’ presence in the Japanese market, which is has been serving since 2018 with weekly flights between Baku and Kansai International airport. The carrier also started regular flights to Tokyo’s Narita gateway in 2021, and said the deal with Nippon would enable it to “play an increasingly important role in the region’s freight network, constantly improving the quality of air cargo transportation services for both Japanese and international partners”, said an official release. Meanwhile, the agreement will help Nippon Express to expand its business globally through access to cargo capacity on Silk Way West Airlines’ extensive network, which covers destinations across Europe, the CIS, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Asia, and the Americas. The Azeri carrier operates 12 Boeing 747-8 freighter aircraft and 747-400Fs, and also has five new 777Fs, two 777-8Fs and two Airbus A350 freighters on order, the release added.

Godrej & Boyce has announced that its Material Handling business, plans to significantly boost investment in IoT-based technology and data, to enhance customer experience, global footprint and increase market share. The overall intralogistics businesses of Godrej & Boyce include Material Handling solutions, Storage solutions, and intralogistics solutions through a joint venture with Koerber (Godrej Koerber). They have a total turnover of 1800cr, growing at a consistent 12% CAGR, said an official release. The Material Handling division has recently established strategic alliances with tech giants to launch disruptive solutions that are expected to increase customer efficiency. The pilot project has shown an increase of 12-15% in customer efficiency through better utilisation of their assets, monitoring the movement of the assets and monitoring of key performance parameters such as productivity, energy consumption, vehicle performance etc. the release added. Anil Lingayat, Business Head- Godrej Material Handling, Godrej & Boyce said, “The advancement of technology has become a necessity for the intralogistics sector to connect, automate, and analyze the success of operations. Material Handling business has been continuously focusing on digitization and connecting across the value chain. With new connected products, it is going to enhance the customer experience by leveraging the power of IoT, cloud, and analytics”.