Vikram Mansukhani, National Operations Head, Blue Dart says, “In the upcoming union budget, a sustained commitment to enhancing rail infrastructure, especially for cargo, bulk, and express shipments, is strongly encouraged. Modernizing regional railway freight corridors and establishing advanced logistics hubs with cutting-edge technologies like AI and machine learning are essential for enhancing efficiency and global competitiveness. The government’s initiatives to cultivate skilled talent through logistics skill-building councils are commendable and should continue to ensure workforce readiness. Creating an environment conducive to innovation and collaboration is crucial for unlocking the full potential of the logistics sector. In FY 2024, the focus should be on building both physical and digital infrastructure, incentivizing multimodal logistics to reduce carbon emissions in the sector. With this targeted approach, India can propel its logistics sector towards resilience and sustainability, thereby driving economic prosperity in the process.”

Ravi Jakhar, Chief Strategy Officer, Allcargo Group shares his expectations from the budget 2024-25 in the logistics sector, “We expect the budget to support persistent efforts of the logistics industry to develop last-mile connectivity to facilitate the transformative growth of the SMEs through effective local and global value chain integrations, as they are the key growth drivers of the economy. As India is emerging as a viable alternative for the global multinational companies for diversifying their manufacturing base, the accelerated development of logistics infrastructure and favorable policy formulations will play an enabling role in helping the country garner a larger share in the global manufacturing value chain. Therefore, we expect the upcoming budget to propose a continued capex push for transportation, port and digital infrastructure development to boost logistics efficiency and competitiveness in line with the vision and goals of National Logistics Policy. In addition, we expect the budget to propose incentives to drive large-scale green or renewable energy adoption so that the industry can play a pivotal role in achieving the country’s net zero target.”

In a strategic move set to reshape its operational landscape, Subham Freight Carriers opened its latest warehouse in Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu. This milestone represents more than physical expansion; a commitment to efficiency, customer satisfaction, and adaptability in a dynamic logistics landscape. Pondicherry, nestled on the southeastern coast of India, is not merely a serene coastal town but a crucial nexus for Subham’s expansion strategy. This move positions the company strategically to serve the Southern region with increased agility, reduced transit times, and a localised approach to logistics.

Aneel Gambhir, Chief Financial Officer, DTDC Express shares, “We urge the government to address the logistics sector’s unique needs by enhancing the strategic allocations toward infrastructure development, tax reforms, and other governance policies. Besides this, the importance of digitally advanced processes through cutting-edge technologies including artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT, and big data are also required. Additionally, the inclusion of diesel under the GST ambit is a critical move that we hope the government will consider in this budget. With India aiming to reduce its logistics costs and become more competitive in the international market, this will help the logistics players to regulate costs by cutting on the tax outflow. Last but not least, facilitating a strong policy framework is essential to reduce expenditure, improve transportation, and warehouse facilities to continue the growth achieved by the industry. Further strengthening the National Logistics Policy (NLP) can bring a massive change and streamline operation for the industry in the future.”

WebCargo by Freightos has partnered with Japan Airlines Cargo (JALCARGO)- cargo division of Japan Airlines to enable freight forwarders using WebCargo to have option to book air cargo capacity on Japan Airlines for shipments to Japan and other Asian Countries. “Digital transformation is key for JALCARGO’s growth. Offering capacity on WebCargo’s platform will help generate new business and enable us to provide all our clients with real-time rates on a platform that makes it easy to book and pay for cargo online,” says Yuichiro Kito, Executive Officer, of Cargo and Mail at Japan Airlines. Through this collaboration, forwarders can now utilise JALCARGO’s large fleet to book cargo on select routes among JAL’s 66 international destinations and 133 domestic destinations. “With a network that spans hundreds of airports, JALCARGO is a wonderful addition to the cadre of leading world carriers offering air cargo capacity on WebCargo’s platform,” says Manel Galindo, CRO of Freightos. “Asia has been and always will be an integral market for WebCargo and our customers. With JALCARGO onboard, WebCargo can provide European and Japanese forwarders with access to 60% of global air cargo capacity online, efficient booking and quoting in just minutes, and wider trade lane coverage to key Asian markets. This partnership helps us continue to build Freightos’ vision of creating a truly vendor-neutral global freight booking platform that makes international shipping faster, more cost-effective, and reliable, and one that expands trade between the people of the world.”

Sandeep Kulkarni, Chief Operating Officer, Allcargo Gati Limited shared his expectations from the upcoming budget and says, “As country’s economic growth is gaining accelerated momentum and the key sectors are witnessing strong domestic and global demands, the logistics industry requires a robust infrastructure and policy push from the interim budget to build superior operational and efficiency to meet the growing demand and enhance overall competitiveness in the global logistics landscape. As the country is making significant progress towards becoming a global manufacturing hub, the logistics industry has an enabling role to play to catalyse the rise. In addition, an efficient logistics infrastructure and operational framework will eventually strengthen the ease of doing business narrative. Apart from continuing the capex push for multimodal transport infrastructure development consistent with National Logistics Policy, the budget needs to propose incentives in terms of tax benefits to attract private sector investments to strengthen last-mile connectivity in the form of building warehousing and transportation networks. As the growth of the digital economy is driving e-commerce progress, the budget should propose measures, provisions or policy support which will encourage new-age data-driven technology adoption to enhance supply chain agility, responsiveness and resilience. With environmental sustainability emerging as a dominant theme in the logistics and supply chain industry and more and more logistics companies adopting the principles of green logistics, the interim budget needs to propose incentives to encourage renewable energy adoption, EV deployment, etc.”

Retailers are turning to air freight to protect supply chains and keep their products on shelves amid the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea and Suez Canal, according to Oslo-based Xeneta. The latest data released by Xeneta today, January 18, 2024, shows air cargo volumes from Vietnam to Europe – a major trade route for apparel – spiked 62 percent in the week ending January 14. “This is also six percent higher than 2023’s peak week in October, and a 16 percent increase on the volumes recorded in the same week 12 months ago.” Niall van de Wouw, Chief Airfreight Officer, Xeneta says: “This is the first signal in Xeneta data that the Red Sea crisis is impacting air freight. This is typically a quieter time of year for air freight. To see increases of this magnitude with higher volumes than at any point in 2023 is significant. “Routes from Vietnam to Europe are used heavily for apparel, a sector we have been told is switching more goods from ocean to air due to the Red Sea crisis, so it is particularly noteworthy we are seeing volumes increase to such an extent on this trade. “We should also recognise that the upcoming Lunar New Year may also be contributing to the increase in volumes.” Air freight rates from Vietnam to Europe have increased by 10 percent compared to last week but with increasing volumes putting pressure on capacity and load factor, costs could be set to rise further, the update added. “When the Red Sea crisis escalated in December, we stated that once the impact starts to be felt in air freight, things could happen very quickly,” says Van de …

The International Air Transport Association(IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have extended their long-standing cooperation on setting and implementing global standards for the safe carriage of dangerous goods by air. An agreement to this effect was concluded at the IATA executive offices in Geneva during a visit by Juan Carlos Salazar, Secretary General, ICAO, according to a release from IATA. A greater collaboration between the two organisations was also discussed during the visit, the release added. “The safe carriage of dangerous goods has become common practice, thanks to the strict adherence to global standards and guidelines. Today’s agreement ensures that dangerous goods will continue to be handled according to the highest globally applicable standards. To this effect, IATA will continue its advocacy work with key stakeholders to maintain a globally aligned, and practically focused approach to the regulated transport of dangerous goods. This will lead to more efficient and robust supply chains whilst upholding aviation’s number one priority of safety,” said Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA.

Etihad Cargo, Abu Dhabi Airports and Abu Dhabi Food Hub KEZAD have signed MoU to jointly establish an origin-to-destination perishable air corridor known as the ‘Fresh Corridor 2.0’ to serve global supply chains and meet consumers need globally. The initiative aims to support the diversification of food sources, development of new trade corridors and enhance the choice and variety of products available for regional consumers. The partnership aims to help position the UAE as a key node in global food supply chains. The partners seek to establish a robust process for food trading and investment, which includes advanced infrastructure, access to regional consumer markets, and reliable logistics and connectivity worldwide. The three parties have agreed to an exchange of knowledge and expertise in handling, storage and logistics, food safety, and hygiene. The partners also aim to address the evolving demands of the food trade by liaising with government stakeholders, relevant facilitators, and key contributors from the food ecosystem.

DHL Express and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have deployed the fifth and final freighter as part of a tie-up signed in 2022. The Boeing 777 freighter, which offers a payload capacity of 102 tons, will be based in Singapore and be used to expand capacity between Asia and the Americas. In total, the five 777Fs will operate 12 flights each per week with a total payload capacity of 1,224 tons per aircraft per week. Following the addition of the final aircraft, three of the five freighters will ply the Singapore-Bangkok/Taipei-Incheon/Nagoya-Cincinnatti-Honolulu-Sydney-Singapore route seven times a week. The other two will cover the Singapore-Nagoya-Los Angeles-Honolulu-Singapore route five times a week.