DP World has received Platinum certification from The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) for its Nhava Sheva Business Park (NSBP). The IGBC rating systems acknowledge excellence in green design, construction, and operations, with the Platinum rating setting a benchmark according to international standards. NSBP has become the first FTWZ in India to achieve Platinum certification under the IGBC logistics parks and warehousing rating system. Strategically positioned near the port, NSBP is designed to facilitate global trade to explore the Indian market and vice versa. Operational since 2022, NSBP’s Platinum certification represents a significant leap forward for the Indian-Global trade ecosystem, providing sustainable supply chain solutions to its customers. Spread over 2 million square feet, NSBP is designed as per global standards and Green Building Certification requirements. The project design promotes natural habitat and biodiversity on-site. The facility has realized substantial benefits through noteworthy sustainable features. These include a 1.5MW Solar PV system covering 18.6% of annual energy consumption, 100% electric material handling vehicles for business park, water-efficient fixtures achieving 38.9% of saving, rainwater harvesting, and an impressive 75% reduction in construction waste as it was reused and recycled. Commenting on the achievement, Ranjit Ray, Vice President – Economic Zones, Middle East, North Africa, and Subcontinent said, “The IGBC Platinum certification marks an important milestone in the journey of Nhava Sheva Business Park. It is a testament to our unwavering commitment to pursuing eco-friendly practices in our operations that are beneficial to our customers and the planet. We prioritise customers’ needs above all, striving to provide sustainable and scalable logistics solutions to our esteemed customers.”

A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk), as a part of its integrated logistics solutions, has launched a fully digital solution for customers willing to purchase air freight solutions. The new online solution available on Maersk.com provides customers with an option to book their air cargo requirements through a simple online tool that will provide customers with instant prices for as many as 70,000 connections between virtually all relevant airports globally. With the launch of this new solution, Maersk takes further steps towards connecting and truly simplifying its customers’ supply chains. Maersk’s air freight cargo coverage extends to 70,000 airport pairings across more than 90 countries around the world. Being a fully online solution, the platform also allows the customer to book cargo movement for any of the 70,000 airport pairings from anywhere in the world.

Neutral Air Partner has recently started a partnership with Cargo iQ, “reflecting both organizations’ commitment to quality and efficiency in the air cargo sector.” Cargo iQ is an IATA interest group formed by stakeholders of the air cargo supply chain working together to set standards and improve quality and performance in the sector. With a focus on enhancing end-to-end supply chain transparency, Cargo iQ’s main projects involve the standardization of processes and the implementation of quality benchmarks. One of Cargo iQ’s main features is its advanced visibility functions, which provide real-time insight into the movement of shipments from its planning stage using a “route map”, which is shared by the airline and the freight forwarder at all times. Cargo iQ’s route map enables forwarders to monitor air cargo movement, receive real-time replanning information as well as exception handling alerts. Cargo iQ’s visibility function is also available to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), a program tailored to meet the unique needs of smaller businesses. This program provides access to Cargo iQ’s route map at a tailored price for their scale and with simplified onboarding.

BBN Airlines Indonesia is hoping to put its third Boeing 737-400 freighter into action in the opening weeks of March. The recently launched ACMI carrier took delivery of the converted freighter in November last year and since then it has been undergoing a maintenance check process. BBN said the aircraft, which was delivered alongside three passenger 737-800s, will be used on domestic and regional flights. The carrier has plans to expand its fleet to 40 aircraft by the end of 2027, although at this stage it is not known how many of these will be freighter aircraft.

Turkish freighter operator MNG Airlines has grown its fleet with an Airbus A330-200F. The airline said in a LinkedIn post, “We’re thrilled to announce the newest addition to the MNG Airlines family, the A330-200F, registered as TC-MCU. This aircraft strengthens our presence in the aviation industry with its modern design, high performance, and environmentally friendly features. We are grateful to everyone who has joined us on this journey and look forward to the opportunity to provide a broader and more efficient service to our valued customers and business partners. We are proud and excited to welcome the TC-MCU to our fleet and look forward to many successful flights together.”

Indian aerospace manufacturing scales new heights as Airbus and Dynamatic Technologies Limited (DTL) join hands to manufacture all door variants in the next-gen Airbus A220 family of aircraft in India. “This is one of the single-largest export contracts for an Indian aerospace manufacturing company,” said official LinkedIn Post. The step will go a long way in bringing the complete aircraft door making technology to the Indian aerospace ecosystem. This is a stellar example of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi‘s Make In India vision translating into huge growth and employment dividends for the nation. For the first time, every Airbus commercial aircraft and every Airbus helicopter has critical technologies and systems designed, manufactured and maintained in India. With this & in the near future, Airbus will double its procurement from India from UD$750 million to UD$1.5 billion.

Kruti Jobanputra, Director, JW Ventures, says “Govt is fully focused on developing MMLPs across India to boost free flow of goods and improve connectivity. These initiatives are the ones that will bring all of our systems and procedures under one umbrella. Government should have control measures to help & support Industries to concentrate on uplifting India. This will bring forward a new phase in the sector allowing for more organization in the public sector and the private. More visibility between ministries and departments will allow for quicker actions. Make in India is going to boost our country’s ability to manufacture but to be able handle this growth and sustain it We need be able to create channels through which this growth in supply will go through. Therefore these three initiatives, if implemented correctly and consistently will play a pivotal role in the growth of India and I would say that progress is going pretty well. Just take the city of Mumbai for example, the amount of projects that are going on throughout the city, just goes to show that the future these initiatives are building is for the long run. Currently the discomfort we all feel, is due to a paradigm shift throughout the country because we are trying to raise ourselves and competitor head to head with the global industry. Government incentive to help create MMLP’s in tier 2 or tier 3 cities. For example, Tax breaks for setting up a project in rural areas, so that more jobs are created. These incentives would help drive more investments towards these large long term projects. It is common knowledge that the transportation aspect of our industry is governed by the …

Afcom, Chennai based air cargo operator is all set to operate its own aircraft as the company has got certification and possession of a freshly arrived B737-800(BCF) with another two scheduled to land before the year’s end. The identity of the aircraft has not been verified yet, said reports. “This aircraft will support Afcom’s current capacity with its airfreight partners, thus enabling a faster and more reliable delivery service,” Afcom chairman Deepak Parasuraman told Indian media last week. “The company plans to add two more freighter aircraft to its fleet by the end of the year. Air cargo is today a key enabler of flexibility and speed in global supply chains. We foresee good and rising demand for air cargo and we are fully geared up to infuse the required capacity in the market.” The company ships around 250 tonnes of cargo a month using airfreight partners but acquiring its own planes will allow Afcom to uplift around 1,250 tonnes a month. Via their partners, Afcom now serves Singapore, Indonesia, and Brunei but the cargo carrier intends to start flights to Hanoi Noi Bai International and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi once they are cleared to fly their own planes.

Chennai International Airport (MAA) and Chennai is home to one of the busiest airports in India. Within our network, Chennai ranked 6th for exports in 2023, with top exported products including electronics, engineered goods, auto parts, garments and mobile phones, said Etihad’s LinkedIn Post. In fact, in 2023, we handled 442 tonnes of iPhone shipments. Our key routes for Chennai connect the bustling airport to Milan, Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam, London, New York, Chicago and Johannesburg. We operate two dedicated freighters for Chennai, offering four flights per week to connect this India hub not only to Abu Dhabi but also to Shanghai, providing additional capacity into two key global markets. We also provide additional belly capacity via 21 passenger flights per week, it added.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has urged the Telangana Government to consider building multimodal logistics parks in key trade and export hubs across the state and upskill youth. In anticipation of the Congress Government’s inaugural Budget for the fiscal year 2024-25, the CII has also called for the formulation of a detailed strategy and roadmap for transitioning to renewable and clean energy in the state. The CII, while presenting its wishlist to Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, stressed on the importance of incorporating green building norms and eco-friendly measures into upcoming projects, including the Pharma City initiative. C Shekar Reddy, Chairman of CII (Telangana), highlighted the immediate need for timely access to incentives and subsidies for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to enhance their competitiveness, said official reports. Focusing on the need to upskill the youth, Reddy recommended the introduction of a mandatory internship program for students in the manufacturing sector. This program, spanning 1 or 2 semesters, aims to provide students with practical, real-world experience, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills, added reports.