International Air Transport Association (IATA) in its latest reports suggested that the air cargo market will begin to improve in the coming months ahead, despite the current market challenges. In its latest market update, IATA said that air cargo demand dropped by 11.2% year on year in April, while cargo load factors slipped by 5.2 percentage points on a year ago to 51.6%, and capacity was down by 2%. The fall in demand is the largest since August 2020 and load factors are at their lowest level since February 2020, although still above pre-Covid levels. The airline association said in the reports that the drop in demand was fuelled by the war in Ukraine leading to a fall in cargo capacity used to serve Europe as several airlines based in Russia and Ukraine were key cargo players. “Global goods trade has continued to decline in 2022, with China’s economy growing more slowly because of Covid-19 related lockdowns (among other factors). The lockdowns have brought much of the world’s largest port, Shanghai, to a standstill. Supply chain disruptions due to the Ukraine-Russia conflict are also adding to the downward pressure on trade,” th reports added.

Transworld Group and Bengal Airlift have formed a strategic partnership with the goal of combining their wide-ranging expertise in sea and air shipments, 3PL; consolidation, project logistics, contract logistics, cross-border trade, and customised solutions. K B Balmurali, COO – Transworld group, Mr. Maruf Hossainn Khan, COO – Bengal Airlift, and their senior team members signed the strategic MOU in the presence of the management teams of Transworld and Bengal Airlift. Ramesh S Ramakrishnan, Chairman, Transworld group said, “We are delighted with the strategic association with Bengal Airlift. Bangladesh has been a strong emerging economy and we see a lot of growth opportunities in the growing market. With this partnership, we look forward leveraging the strengths of both the group’s and it’s legacy to enable high scalability and growth.”

Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL) has selected Tata Projects Ltd. to undertake the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of Noida International Airport (NIA). The company has been selected from three shortlisted teams with demonstrated experience in the design, procurement, and construction of large infrastructure projects. Tata Projects will construct the terminal, runway, airside infrastructure, roads, utilities, landside facilities and other ancillary buildings at Noida International Airport. Noida International Airport will combine Indian culture and hospitality with Swiss technology and efficiency to develop a modern, user-friendly design, inspired by India. Christoph Schnellmann, Chief Executive Officer, Yamuna International Airport Private Limited, said in a statement, “With the award of this EPC contract, our project enters the next phase, which will witness a rapid increase in the pace of construction activities on site. Together with Tata Projects, we’re working to deliver a passenger terminal, runway, and other airport infrastructure with a capacity of 12 million passengers annually, by 2024. We are aiming to enable, promote and strengthen all-inclusive sustainable development of aviation and air cargo ecosystem in India. Noida International Airport will bolster employment generation and economic growth in the state as well as the country.”

Stating India as one of the largest exporters of perishables, Emirates SkyCargo expects a rise in exports of perishables from India in the next five years. Dennis Lister, Vice President, Cargo Commercial Development and UAE Sales at Emirates SkyCargo said in a statement, “The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed between India and UAE would give exports of pharmaceuticals and perishables further boost. Emirates SkyCargo would unlock the potential by promoting Indian perishables at Gulf Food, a fresh food conference to be held in UAE.” Lister further added, “We want to invite Indian farmers to Dubai for the Gulf Food Exhibition and we want to introduce them to local and international traders. We have that ability to reach even the smallest SME business anywhere in the world, from the smallest farmer or grower in India and in the UAE to transport their products. We want to grow more out of India, particularly around perishables.”

To boost digitalisation and provide access to its e-booking portal to airlines, Awery Aviation Software has teamed up with IBS Software. This partnership will allow Awery to deliver its CargoBooking and eMagic software platforms to IBS’s iCargo customers. The move is part of Awery’s ongoing strategy to drive digitisation across the sector with increased collaboration between all air cargo stakeholders, says release. Tristan Koch, Chief Commercial Officer at Awery said in a statement, “IBS shares Awery’s vision of open access to our products to encourage cooperation that will lead to a truly lasting transformation in the airfreight industry, which will benefit all stakeholders.” CargoBooking is an online booking portal that allows airlines and their GSAs to provide freight forwarders with real-time air cargo rate distribution and bookings between hundreds of airlines and forwarders.

Albuquerque based cargo airline, AirDialog has commenced its cargo flight operations, becoming the first Part 135 air cargo carrier to launch with FedEx in over 20 years, says release. The cargo flight, this week provided services between Gallup and Albuquerque. The airline is also planning to add new routes to its fleet. David DeRose, President and Director of Finance for AirDialog and former Ameriflight executive said in a statement, “It’s a groundbreaking opportunity to be a part of the FedEx feeder network, and we look forward to expanding cargo operations to serve customers in the Southwest and beyond.” AirDialog is led by an experienced team with over 100 years of collective cargo industry expertise. AirDialog, LLC is a Part 135 airline founded in 2004. In 2022, the company relocated its central base of operation to Albuquerque, New Mexico to provide cargo services.

Pune international airport authority is all set to commence a cargo facility on the 1.75-acre land which will be handed over by the defence ministry in the next week, says reports. The 1.75-acre land is part of 13-acre land which the Ministry of Defence will be handing over to the airport authority. To discuss on the same, the airport authority recently held a meeting with Girish Bapat, MP, Bharatiya Janata Party at Pune international airport premises. “As of now, we will set up a makeshift cargo facility on that vacant land. The defence ministry had approved to transfer land in March, the hand over process is remaining,” said Santosh Dhoke, Pune airport director in an official statement. The defence department already has its establishments on the remaining 11.25 acres of land. The department will be relocating all its assets before handing land to the airport authority, said reports. “The ministry is yet to submit its plans. Once we receive the plans the procedure for land allocation will start,” said the official from the airport authority.

Lessor Merx Aviation is all set to add its first B737-800SF converted freighter to its fleet with work being carried out by Aeronautical Engineers, Inc (AEI). The aircraft bearing manufacturer’s serial number 35131 has just commenced modification and is scheduled to be redelivered in August, says an official release. Gary Rothschild, Chief Executive of Merx, said, “We are pleased to have entered into this transaction with AEI and to add the 737-800SF, a mainstay of the global cargo fleet, to our portfolio. The type’s capacity, performance and versatility are well suited to a wide variety of operators around the world. We are pleased to be able to offer this aircraft to customers and look forward to continuing our relationship with AEI.”

To strengthens digital strategy and move towards cloud-based software for small and medium-sized customers, DB Schenker has acquired logistics software provider, Bitergo. The Germany-based companies worked closely together for three years prior to the takeover on May 31, said a release. Bitergo will continue to serve external customers as an independent entity. The partnership with DB Schenker is expected to help push Bitergo’s solutions to the market, develop new solutions more quickly and open international markets. Christa Koenen, Chief Information Officer/Chief Development Officer at Schenker AG, said, “For us, Bitergo is an ideal partner that we are happy to integrate into our vision of managing the supply chain digitally and end-to-end in the future. The European market for software-as-a-service providers in logistics is highly fragmented and does not meet the requirements of all players. Furthermore, competitors have very different backgrounds, core competencies, and value propositions. This cooperation creates great synergies: DB Schenker brings the global network as well as the long-standing competence in logistics and technology. Bitergo brings experience, expertise, and a great vision.”

Air New Zealand cargo is all set to launch new services in North America. Between June and November, Houston, Honolulu, New York, and Chicago will all see resumptions of service or in the case of New York, a totally new destination for the airline, said a company statement. Alex Larsen, manager of global cargo sales at Air New Zealand said the robust resumption of passenger services is enabling the quick launch of these key gateways. “We’re seeing demand for our ports bounce back faster than anticipated. To free up capacity, our teams are working hard to get more 777s back in service, with the first 777 that was reanimated earlier in the year set to return to passenger flying from 1 July, the rest following shortly after. By July, we expect to be at 65 per cent of 2019 international capacity, with 27 of our 29 ports operating. The ramp up is well and truly underway,” he added.