Category Archives: Aviation

According to latest data released by Airports Authority of India (AAI), Indian airports handled 275,030 tonnes of cargo in July, an increase of 6 per cent compared to July 2021. International cargo movement was down marginally at 159,520 tonnes, and domestic cargo increased nearly 19 per cent to 115,510 tonnes, stated AAI. For the first four months of the current financial year, total cargo movement was up nearly 9 per cent at 1.1 million tonnes. Domestic cargo movement increased over 28 per cent to 446,730 tonnes compared to 348,090 tonnes during April-July 2021. According to AAI, the 70 domestic airports logged the maximum gains in the April-July period (62 per cent) at 11,663 tonnes. Airports reported mixed volumes in July as well as April-July period. For example, Delhi handled 46,013 tonnes in July, down 6 per cent y-o-y and 187,541 tonnes during April-July, down nearly 8 per cent. Mumbai also reported lower volumes, but Kochi reported a 20 per cent increase during April-July at 16,111 tonnes. Nagpur saw 86 per cent increase at 104 tonnes.

BBN Cargo Airlines has plans to add a new airline based in Indonesia as it looks to capitalise on growth in the region. BBN Cargo Airlines, which operates Iceland-based cargo airline Bluebird Nordic, said BBN Airlines Indonesia would be based out of Jakarta. BBN Airlines Indonesia is in the process of getting the airline business license, which the company stated should be ready this year, and it hopes to gain an Aircraft Operator Certificate (AOC) in the second quarter of 2023. The airline will manage its cargo operations from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, which one of the busiest airports in the Southern Hemisphere. “The demand for air cargo transportation services in the past decade is one of the main reasons for this business expansion,” the company stated.

To improve air transport logistics and diversify air cargo products in the region, Vietnam’s Vietravel Airlines shares plans to launch a new cargo airline in cooperation with logistics service Asean Cargo Gateway (ACG). With stakes of 51 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively in VUAir Cargo, Vietravel Airlines and ACG anticipate the first year of operations will see the airline focus on transporting goods between Vietnam and large factories in Asian countries, including China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, stated a company statement. VUAir Cargo will use a fleet of up to four Boeing B737-800F freighters in the first year, stated Vietravel Airlines. The fleet is expected to double next year.

To meet growth in cargo volumes, construction work at 77,000 sq. ft cargo facility has started at Pittsburgh International Airport. The cargo facility is scheduled to open in 2024 and will include 69,000 sq. ft. of warehouse space and 7,300 sq. ft. of office space across two floors. The building will feature 17 loading docks for trucks; most will come with dock levellers, while others will be used specifically for Unit Loading Devices (ULDs). Flatbed trucks will be able to access the interior of the warehouse with a dedicated loading dock, which is advantageous in poor weather. Dedicated areas in the facility will be able to segregate goods deemed valuable, vulnerable, or hazardous. It will also have expansion capabilities to hold more equipment for special cargo and accommodate temperature-controlled goods. In addition, the building’s design includes additional space for security screening, particularly for international cargo. It will be able to serve two Boeing 747-8 freighters side by side, or up to four Boeing 757-200s at once.

Astral Aviation operates charter flights to and from India on its B767-200F. The charter flights that originate from Hong Kong carry cargo comprising mobile phones and e-commerce cargo, and pharma. The charter flights from India comprise pharma, including vaccines destined for Africa. With the induction of B757-200F into the Astral fleet in September 2022, Astral will offer additional charter opportunities to meet the increase in demand, which will complement B767F which has a payload of 42 tons, while B757F has a payload of 30 tons. Sanjeev Gadhia, Founder & CEO, Astral Aviation said, “Astral Aviation currently operates two B747-400F for perishables between its Nairobi Hub and Europe and will be expanding its wide-body fleet with the arrival of two B767-300Fs in 2023 and two B777-300Fs in 2024 and 2025. Astral will be introducing new flights to and from Tel Aviv and Riyadh, while increasing its frequency to Johannesburg and Hong Kong. Astral operates to 50 destinations on its network, connected via its hubs in Nairobi, Liege, Dubai, Johannesburg, and Delhi.”

To attract international and domestic cargo, Chennault International Airport in Louisiana, US has built a new air cargo facility. Now available for lease, the facility on the I-10 corridor between Houston and New Orleans includes a 1,000 sq ft office area and an expandable 9,000 sq ft warehouse. The adjacent aircraft parking apron is 127,000 sq ft, able to accommodate all sizes of cargo aircraft. The airport will work with industry partners to help certify the building, first announced in July 2021, for international cargo clearance. “We have worked tirelessly to remove entry barriers for the air cargo industry,” said Kevin Melton, executive director in a statement. “We have made investments in facilities, established a rich incentive program, and we will invest in ground equipment to support the industry. We are committed to share the risk associated with new markets.”

The Asia Pacific air cargo market is expected to grow from US$ 38,355.21 million in 2022 to US$ 59,298.21 million by 2028; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.3% from 2022 to 2028. Online retailing attracts more prospective customers than brick-and-mortar-based competitors as the internet has a global reach. In addition, e-commerce market players choose from various logistics options, such as surface transport and air transport, to deliver packages to their customers. Therefore, as the e-commerce market is growing, varying buying patterns and trends have been observed in multiple countries across the Asia Pacific region. The majority of people’s purchases are influenced by the country’s demographics, such as the percentage of youth indulging in e-commerce activity, the economy of the country, the age group interested in e-commerce, and the level of awareness among the citizens in the Asia Pacific countries.

SF Airlines continues with its fleet expansion with the addition of freighter number 75. The carrier this week took delivery of B767-300 freighter ahead of the air cargo peak season, said official reports. The airline has added seven freighters to its fleet so far this year, following on from the addition of seven aircraft in 2021. The airline has been expanding its transport capacity and air-route network to provide efficient and stable transport services for diverse products, especially fresh agricultural products. SF Airlines is also jointly developing a huge 2.4m tonne capacity cargo airport in Ezhou, which will connect its regional and international services covering Asia Pacific, Europe and the US.

American Airlines Cargo adds flights from 28 more countries on booking portal, WebCargo. The carrier said the extra countries are spread across Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada. “Following Europe and the USA, this regional rollout onto WebCargo now includes a significant portion of the carrier’s global network, with plans to continue expanding on the platform in the coming months,” the carrier stated. Currently, the carrier operates more than 5,000 monthly flights out of these regions, including widebody flights out of Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago and São Paulo to USA hubs.

A policy for long-term leasing of railway land to implement the PM Gati Shakti, has been approved by the Union Cabinet. The government said it will help set up 300 cargo terminals and generate 125,000 jobs. The policy, Union minister Anurag Thakur said, will help provide land lease for a period of up to 35 years as against five years presently. It will be implemented in the next 90-days, he told reporters after the Cabinet meeting. In a statement, the Centre stated the 300 cargo terminals have a potential to generate about 125,000 jobs, which will be developed in five years. “Liberalising the land leasing policy would open avenues for all stakeholders /service providers /operators to establish more cargo related facilities and render their participation assisting in generation of additional cargo traffic and freight revenues to the railways. The policy will help bring in more revenue to the railways,” it stated.