Category Archives: Aviation

A dashboard is being developed by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry to help the logistics industry flag issues or give suggestions to the government on matters related to logistics services. The dashboard is expected to be launched for all authorised industry associations soon, an official statement read. To streamline inter-ministerial coordination of service-related issues in logistics, an institutional mechanism such as the Network Planning Group under PM Gati Shakti, is also under consideration, the ministry said. “Such endeavours are expected to give a boost to India’s logistics efficiency,” the statement added. The creation of a user-interactive dashboard will allow authorised user associations to log in and lodge issues or suggestions to the government to track and resolve them in a transparent manner. The user interaction dashboard is believed to be a part of initiatives being developed by the logistics division of the ministry to address the technology, services, and human resource-related aspects of logistics efficiency in India.

Finnair Cargo has partnered with WiseTech Global to make it simple for freight forwarders to select, reserve, confirm, and modify shipments in real time through the CargoWise platform of WiseTech Global, says release. Customers of CargoWise will now have immediate access to Finnair Cargo’s flight schedules, pricing, capacity, and inventory across 24 countries in Asia, Europe, and the US. “Finnair Freight employs digitalization to drastically increase transparency and effectiveness of air cargo shipping procedures,” said Fredrik Wildtgrube, senior vice president of Finnair Cargo. “The direct data exchange with CargoWise enables us to communicate real-time data across the whole lifetime, from booking to execution of the Air Waybill, giving our customers a smooth experience without having to leave the CargoWise site,” he added.

Lufthansa Cargo is all set to expand its intra-European route network following the arrival of a new Airbus A321P2F (Passenger-to-Freighter), scheduled for next October, said release. The second aircraft of this type will join the fleet of the German airline’s cargo division is currently in Singapore, undergoing conversion from its original passenger version to freighter one. It will be registered as D-AEUA. The aircraft will offer a range of around 3.500 kilometres with a payload capacity of up to 28 tonnes, distributed over fourteen container positions on the main deck and a further ten positions on the lower deck. The conversion will include the installation of a reinforced floor, a roller system to facilitate cargo movement and a large door in the fuselage for stowage and unstowage, the release added.

Yashpal Sharma, President, Air Cargo forum India (ACFI) said, “Upskilling existing workforce is one of the key concerns and with the upbeat projections of growth in the industry we would need to collectively work to empower our workforce with training to make them future ready.” He further added,  “I will make my best efforts to take ACFI into a higher orbit by engaging with all stakeholders and policymakers at local and international level. Over the next five years, I see ACFI collaborating with various industry bodies in India and overseas to position and contribute to carving out knowledge banks, process development and building a robust ecosystem for galvanizing the industry in the country.”

Cathay Pacific has extended its Fly Greener, a carbon-offset program, powered by an integrated carbon emissions calculator, to its air cargo services as part of its commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, stated a release. The new carbon emissions calculator works out the carbon emissions of shipments and the cost to offset them. Customers can then contribute to buy carbon offsets from selected carbon-offset projects. All selected projects are certified under the Gold Standard to ensure their carbon reductions are verified and come with societal and developmental benefits. “The program follows the launch earlier this year of Cathay Pacific’s SAF Program, which brings SAF into Hong Kong International Airport for the first time in history. It provides corporate customers the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint from air cargo shipments by contributing to the use of SAF,” stated a release.

According to the latest figures from WorldACD Market Data, “Worldwide air cargo flown tonnages have further declined in August with a 5 per cent drop last week alone and a total 10 per cent decline in the first three weeks of the month.” This decline is believed to be steeper than last year when the industry saw a 6 per cent decline in the same three weeks, added report. The report stated, “In the Week 3 (August 15-21), worldwide chargeable weight decreased 5% compared with the previous week, and the average worldwide rate decreased slightly, based on the more than 350,000 weekly transactions covered by WorldACD’s data and analysis of the main international air cargo lanes. And comparing the last two weeks with the preceding two weeks (2Wo2W), average worldwide rates decreased -1%, while chargeable weight decreased by -6%, despite a capacity increase of +1%.”

Vietnam’s first cargo airline, IPP Air Cargo, is looking forward to commencing operations in November this year. According to the airline officials, the carrier is awaiting approval for different licenses from six various government organizations. “The airline has received its Air Transport License, but is awaiting several other permits, including the Aircraft Operator Certificate. It has officially begun the rental process for four Boeing 737-800BCF aircraft. One has been delivered, the other three are scheduled to be delivered in December and April 2023,” said release. As per the reports, the airline has also purchased 10 Boeing 777 aircraft. The airline intends to launch its inaugural flight from the Cat Bi Airport in Hai Phong.

Kamesh Peri, CEO, Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India said, “Domestic air cargo carriers are all set to launch new freighters in the coming months, which would be able to transport outsized or heavyweight cargo. Once this is done, then the terminal operators will get their act together. We are in that sense, planning to look at the opportunities. We have recently signed up with one of the new freighter airlines who are entering the Indian market soon. We are going to be looking at handling its cargo operations. We are modifying our processes, improving our infrastructure to meet their requirements. We cannot disclose it now but we will be announcing it soon. We have got the manpower, the trainings, the infrastructure, the equipment, special handling equipment, and the coordination that is required with the ramp ground handler. We have taken all those elements into account.” The demand is on the rise, and we have the belly capacity, which is not completely utilized yet, he added.

Abhishek Chaudhary, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) said, “We have integrated air cargo under our Unified Logistics Interface Platform developed with an aim to removing and breaking the silos of different systems of different ministries which were not aligned or integrated with each other. Under the ULIP platform, we have integrated different systems of various ministries. Close to 30 systems of seven ministries have been integrated by way of developing over 100 APIs and that cover close to 1,600 fields. “Air cargo has come as first time start point for us because under LDB we were not looking after the air cargo initially. But, under air cargo category, our systems are integrated with three different systems which are Air Cargo Community System, Hans Infomatic and ACMES used by Delhi airport, Hyderabad airport and AAICLASS operate 26 airports across India.”

Cargo facility at the Chandigarh International Airport is likely to be completed in a month’s time. As per reports, all the approvals have been okayed by CHIAL and Airport Authority of India Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited (AAICLAS) and both are closing the agreement. Decks have been cleared to fully operationalise the cargo facility. The decision to sign a pact with the AAICLAS was finalised at the CHIAL Board meeting recently, said reports. Rakesh Ranjan Sahay, CEO, CHIAL said, “The three-acre facility will be handed over to the AAICLAS and it will be ready in a month’s time. Once operationalised, the cargo facility will add a new dimension to the airport. We will provide the covered structure and install the set-up and operationalise it.” He added, “With this, the current capacity of 20 tonne is set to jump up to 80 tonne in the coming days. A full-fledged cargo facility operational at the airport will give a fillip to the businesses from Punjab. Vegetables, fruits, and pharma houses in Himachal Pradesh will also gain.”