Category Archives: Aviation

DHL Global Forwarding announces a collaboration with Mumbai International Airport Ltd. (MIAL) and Kale Logistics for the pilot rollout of D-Cube for paperless and contactless import operations. Soon MIAL will not require hard copies of MAWBs (Master airway bill) and HAWBs (House airway bill) to be submitted by DHL Global Forwarding, said Niki Frank, CEO South Asia and India, DHL Global Forwarding in a Linkedin post. This digital initiative facilitates ease of business to support all forwarders, customs brokers, transporters and customers, on the air import businesswith a ‘contactless’ and ‘paperless’ process, fast-tracking the deliverables factoring safety and security. The post read that queues at the Air Cargo Terminal will become a thing of the past with Digitalized Gate Passes to shortly be introduced. Being a major air cargo player at the Mumbai Terminal, DHL Global Forwarding volunteered to support this progressive initiative and played a significant role in its implementation. A well-aligned move to DPDHL’s own digitalization mission.

FedEx is predicting that next year air cargo capacity will once again be hard to secure with space remaining scarce and supply chain issues supporting strong demand. Karen Reddington, president of FedEx Express Europe, explained that passenger networks – and therefore bellyhold services – were taking time to resume and this would put cargo capacity under pressure. She said, “The pandemic has undoubtedly brought supply chain resilience to the fore. With a new, highly contagious Covid-19 variant, reduced port and air cargo capacity and heightened consumer demand, it will continue to impact global trade well into 2022. As passenger travel remains depleted, air cargo capacity will be constrained through 2022 all while the demand for goods is likely to grow, with 2021 trading volumes overtaking pre-pandemic levels and achieving their fastest year of growth in over a decade.”

Ethiopian Airlines has received IATA’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma) certification as an airline and for ground handling. The airline said it is the first airline in Africa to receive the CEIV pharma certification. The milestone is anticipated to aid it in providing efficient & effective transportation of pharmaceuticals throughout its global pharma network. Ethiopian, in recent years, has invested heavily in infrastructure, equipment, people, system and processes to enhance its pharmaceutical core handling capabilities throughout its pharma network. Cold storage areas in these freight facilities are dedicated to the handling of pharmaceuticals & healthcare products and equipped with dedicated climate control ranging between -30OC to +25OC. These facilities are monitored through a smart web-based system that allows real-time management of all zones and is capable of triggering SMS, phone call & email actions in case of an emergency.

With the leasing of four A321ceo freighter aircraft with a capacity to handle 27 tonnes of cargo, Indigo’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO)William Boulter assured the arrival of A321ceo freighter plane during the first half of 2022, showing the airline’s seriousness about growing its cargo business. He said, “Our cargo business has been one of the successes during the pandemic. We have operated close to 8,000 cargo-in-cabin charter flights.” Currently operating in 71 domestic cities, the carrier has the capability of Cargo operations in each of those pointed. On the topic of the aforementioned four cargo aircraft, he said, “The first aircraft has just gone to Singapore Technologies Engineering Limited as it’s being converted (from passenger aircraft to freighter aircraft) as we speak. It will be out sometime in the first half of next year.” Further, he added, “This will be a statement to everybody that IndiGo is very serious about cargo and that cargo is going to become a significant part of our business,”

SAL Saudi Logistics Services, a member of Saudi Arabian Airlines Corporation, launched the extension of its new Jeddah Station. The Jeddah station extension is expected to increase SAL’s annual cargo capacity to over 800K tons in 2030 while providing retailers and companies new premium cargo services at KAIA in Jeddah. Fawaz AlFawaz, chairman, SAL Board said, “The launch of the new extension comes in parallel with the National Industrial Development Program (NIDLP) – one of Vision 2030’s most prominent programs – aiming at transforming the Kingdom into a global logistics hub, contributing to a robust and diversified economy, sustaining the growth of the sector, and creating highly competitive investment opportunities.” AlFawaz also highlighted that this launch realizes the true ground handling potential of SAL where the company utilizes its logistics expertise to provide more developed services and solutions in and out of airports and expertly serve the international markets to strengthen the connectivity of KSA ports with those of the entire globe.

SF Airlines is rapidly expandin it’s freighter fleet with an additional B767 aircraft. The China-based express carrier last week added a B767-300 widebody freighter (B-221D), bringing its total fleet to 68 aircraft. Since the start of the year, the carrier has added a total of seven freighters: three B757-200s and four B767-300s. “The continuous expansion of aircraft capacity is one of the footholds for SF Airlines to continuously strengthen its aviation logistics capabilities, improve the quality of supply chain services, and promote the high-quality development of civil aviation,” said airlines spokesperson. “The further expansion of the fleet can provide stronger support for the development and operation of international routes, and at the same time, it will provide more adequate transportation capacity guarantee for the approaching Spring Festival logistics peak period.”

UPS has ordered 19 767 Freighters with Boeing. The new order highlights the 767 Freighter’s operational efficiency and payload capability to serve customers at a time of robust air cargo demand. Based on the 767-300ER (Extended Range) passenger jet, the 767 Freighter carries up to 52.4 tons of revenue cargo with intercontinental range, serving as a flexible platform for long-haul, regional and feeder markets. UPS currently operates 236 Boeing freighters including the 747, 757, 767 and MD-11. “The Boeing 767 is the most versatile aircraft we operate. Our plan to purchase 19 aircraft and take delivery between 2023 and 2025 aligns with the strategy and capital expenditure forecast shared during our June 2021 Investor and Analyst Day. It also supports our sustainability efforts by making our fleet more efficient and improving reliability,” said Nando Cesarone, U.S. Operations President, UPS. The deal adds to a record-breaking year for Boeing freighter sales, including 80 firm orders for new widebody freighters and more than 80 orders for Boeing Converted Freighters, says the official release.

Menzies Aviation’s Sydney and Melbourne bases are recognised by IATA with the Center of Excellence of Independent Validators for Pharmaceutical Logistics accreditation (CEIV Pharma) accreditations. The CEIV Pharma programme is a multi-stage process of independent audits, validation and training, which upskills employees and ensures that handlers upgrade their procedures, processes, risk assessment methodology and infrastructure for the delicate handling of time and temperature-sensitive pharma products. This accreditation formally endorses Menzies’ ability to safely handle high-value, time-sensitive and temperature-controlled pharmaceuticals transported into and out of LHR (London Heathrow Airport) and BUD (Budapest Airport), in line with shipper requirements and with the speed and consistency required.

Qatar Airways and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Qatar Airways became the first carrier to make a transaction on the IATA Aviation Carbon Exchange (ACE) using IATA Clearing House (ICH). The IATA Aviation Carbon Exchange (ACE) is a centralised marketplace where airlines and other aviation stakeholders can trade CO2 emission reduction units for compliance or voluntary offsetting purposes. IATA and Qatar Airways reach another landmark milestone that encourages carbon markets to respond to the needs of the aviation sector. This initiative enables opportunities to simplify processes to ensure the successful implementation of Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), while also supporting the successful implementation of voluntary offsetting programmes. With Qatar Airways making the ACE transaction using IATA Clearing House (ICH), it benefits from the IATA Settlement Systems and Clearing House for seamless and risk-free settlement of funds.

Abu Dhabi received the first global shipment of AstraZeneca’s Evusheld, long-acting antibody medication, after gaining Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention. The long-acting antibody medication is designed to prevent severe infection and death amongst immunocompromised patients. This medication will be in addition to the existing COVID19 medications that are already available within Abu Dhabi and the UAE to ensure the continuity of world-class care in the country. Under the leadership of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the first doses of Evusheld have arrived in Abu Dhabi on December 20th following a collaboration of key partners including Rafed, the UAE’S Primary Group Purchasing Organization and the procurement arm of the UAE, along with Etihad Cargo, the national cargo carrier of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in addition to AstraZeneca, the British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, and Abu Dhabi Airports Company (ADAC). The breakthrough medication will be stored at Rafed’s Distribution Centre, the region’s largest cold-chain storage facility, and then distributed from there to various destinations.