The existing multimodal infrastructure for cargo movement needs well-thought & strategically driven steps as presently the cargo movement from the warehouses to the respective ports does not have a comforting & time saving travel by road, says Sunil Kohli, MD, Rahat Cargo, adding road is the only mode which is used maximum by the shippers for domestic cargo movement. The desirability of smooth roads & seamless travel remains all over. He adds, “The critical areas of concern at present which need to be addressed by the related agencies are: Government Regulations, Environmental Regulations, Technological Barriers, Materials handling, Transport, Supply Management and Logistics, Information and control, Distribution and Material Movement and Production Logistics and Management.

As a bonded trucking operator, carrying export and import transshipment cargo, is a challenge because of unavailability of custom clearance services 24*7, says Dileepa BM, CEO Bonded Trucking, Shreeji Transport Services. “As a freight forwarder, we can’t move the cargo on custom holidays and weekends. If the cargo arrives on Friday night, we wait till Monday to move the transshipment cargo. We need 24*7 services available for moving, export and import transshipment cargo in all airports in India. Another challenge is in the US and Europe, bonded trucking is common. In India, the Bonded trucking activity is permitted only from one airport (from where cargo loading is done) to the destination airport. For example, if cargo is planned to move from Delhi to Bangalore via bonded trucking service, we can’t load the cargo from any other airport which will come on the route towards Bangalore Airport. But in the US, or Europe it is not like that. We need that facility in India, to simplify the process, simplify the movement of transshipment cargo. Thirdly – Dual handling charges are very high.”

Allcargo Logistics reported a 92 percent decline in net profit at Rs 16 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2023 compared to Rs 195 crore in Q2FY2023. Revenue from operations declined 35 percent to Rs 3,307 crore, says an official release. “The board has approved the issuance of three bonus shares for each share held by the shareholders. The decision is aimed at improving the liquidity and allowing for broader base participation of shareholders in the company. This shall also facilitate the strategic restructuring plans.” The express logistics business under Gati posted record volumes in the past quarter, driven by strong pickup in festive demand, the release added. “Contract logistics business under Allcargo Supply Chain continues to demonstrate robust growth in revenue and EBITDA for the numbers reported for Q2FY24.”

Logistics service provider Pristine Logistics and Infraprojects has agreed to acquire Distribution Logistics Infrastructure Pvt Ltd and its group companies (DLI India) from the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) London-listed Infrastructure India Plc in a stock and cash deal, the company said in a press release on November 7. “The agreement has been entered into with AIM (London Stock Exchange) listed Infrastructure India Plc (IIP), the holding company of DLI India and DLI Mauritius,” Pristine Logistics said in the release. The acquisition will help the rail-focussed logistics firm expand further into the hinterland, riding on the Indian Railways plan to raise modal share in freight from 27 percent to 45 percent by 2030 to cut carbon emissions. The deal involves DLI Mauritius selling 100 percent of the equity of DLI India to Pristine Malwa Logistics Park, which will become the sole owner of all IIP’s logistics entities in India.

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) faculty members, students and alumni have designed and developed a mobile application, OptRoute to enable easier and efficient transportation of goods within cities. This mobile app connects a driver with the consumer with no intermediaries. The key points of differences between OptRoute and existing services include zero commission per transaction and nominal subscription-based service model and direct payment from consumer to driver. The OptRoute app is available for Android devices and can be downloaded from Google Play Store. It is currently available for operational use in multiple cities across India, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Faridabad, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Noida, Panchkula, Pune, Mohali, Surat and Zirakpur.

Awery Aviation Software (Awery) has launched an onboard courier (OBC) quoting, booking, and tracking platform, supported by a mobile app for couriers, to bridge an industry communication gap flagged by the software developer. Awery OBC, the latest addition to the developer’s suite of enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions, gives OBC providers a centralised system to automate quotes, book couriers, track shipments, and send invoices by digitalising the entire shipment journey. “Onboard couriers are called in when goods need to get to the final destination quickly and securely, but a lack of visibility and real-time updates on such shipments are causing unnecessary delays and uncertainty for freight forwarders, charter brokers, and shippers,” said Vitaly Smilianets, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Awery. “Our OBC platform helps close this communication gap by automating tracking with customisable milestones – stakeholders receive shipment location updates by email following each completed milestone, which are signed off by couriers through a mobile app. “The app also enables couriers to instantly update their availability and pinpoints their live location to the closest airport, all of this information is accessible on the OBC interface, allowing users to track shipments in real-time.”

Tata-owned Air India has appointed TAM Group as its general sales agent (GSA) in Hong Kong. TAM Group will facilitate reservations, ticketing and marketing efforts, and provide comprehensive cargo sales support on behalf of the airline, says a release from Air India. “The appointment of TAM Group will help to further widen Air India’s presence in Hong Kong while supporting the airline’s continuing global expansion.” Wing Kun Tam, Founder and Chairman, TAM Group says: “We are honoured that TAM Group has been selected as the GSA for Air India. As the chosen partner, we are dedicated to leveraging Air India’s extensive network, our industry expertise and customer-centric approach to promote Air India’s offerings and expand its reach in the Hong Kong market. We firmly believe that this collaboration will not only facilitate seamless travel experiences for passengers but also promote cultural and economic exchanges between the two regions. With our shared vision and determination, we are confident in our ability to drive growth, unlock new opportunities, and strengthen the bonds between India and Hong Kong.”

Airbus reported a 12 percent increase in consolidated revenue at €42.6 billion for the first nine months of 2023 (nine months 2022: €38.1 billion) on higher revenue from commercial aircraft business. A total of 488 commercial aircraft were delivered (9m 2022: 437 aircraft) including 41 A220s, 391 A320 family, 20 A330s and 36 A350s, says an official release. “Revenues generated by Airbus’ commercial aircraft activities increased 18 percent (€31.5 billion), mainly reflecting the higher number of deliveries.” Net income dropped nine percent to €2.3 billion from €2.6 billion from the same period in 2022 on a 10 percent increase in R&D expenses to €2.2 billion. Gross commercial aircraft orders totalled 1,280 (9m 2022: 856 aircraft) with net orders of 1,241 aircraft after cancellations (9m 2022: 647 aircraft). The order backlog amounted to 7,992 commercial aircraft at the end of September 2023.

Emirates registered a double-digit percentage improvement in its cargo volumes in the first half of its financial year as it continued to re-introduce belly capacity following the Covid pandemic. Between April and September, Emirates SkyCargo saw its cargo volumes increase by 11% year on year to 1m tonnes of cargo “despite an overall softening in the global cargo market”. The increase reflects a 25% increase in available tonne km as the carrier ramped up passenger services following the pandemic. Emirates added: “This volume increase reflects the cargo division’s ability to meet customer demand with specialised products, and the excellent network options on offer with its freighter and bellyhold cargo operations.” The cargo volume performance mirrors that of other carriers with passenger operations – IAG and Lufthansa also saw their cargo volumes increase in the first nine months. However, declining rates resulted in lower cargo revenues at both of these European airlines despite the volume improvements. Overall revenues at Emirates – both passenger and cargo – were up 19% to $16.2bn and profits improved by 136% on last year to a record $2.6bn. “The airline’s record performance is attributable to the strong passenger demand for international travel across markets and Emirates’ ability to activate capacity to match demand,” the carrier said.

Ethiopian Airlines has taken delivery of a 10th Boeing 777 freighter to grow its air cargo capacity. The twin-engine commercial cargo plane, due to be operated by Ethiopian Cargo, has a payload of more than 100 tons. We are delighted to announce that we took delivery of our 10th Boeing 777-200LR Freighter aircraft,” said Ethiopian Airlines in a LinkedIn post on November 8. In September last year, Ethiopian Airlines signed up to lease three Boeing 767-300ER converted freighters from Titan Aviation. And in 2021, Ethiopian partnered with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to launch a B767-300ER freighter conversion line at Ethiopian MRO facilities in Addis Ababa.