Category Archives: Aviation

As per DHL’s recent Airfreight State of the Industry report, demand for air freight is still low, but capacity is rising. The report cites few factors for the poor demand, including inflation and diminished spending power. Despite “remaining softer” volumes, they are stable after the highest reduction witnessed in July. The impact of e-commerce on air cargo volumes is “mild but persistent”. However, DHL Global Forwarding stated in a LinkedIn post about the research that a volume rise during the approaching peak season is unlikely because of the report’s low export orders and high inventories. Additionally, the Ukraine-Russia war continues to impact the industry, while improving conditions in sea freight is reducing demand for airfreight. 

To ensure high quality combined products and services to fulfil the needs of global customers, Senator International and Maersk Air Services have now started to integrate their service offerings. The first integration involved the introduction of a brand-new ‘SAB’ product that offered weekly round-trip airfreight services from Liege, Belgium, to Hong Kong. Maersk and Senator are working together to promote the launch of this innovative own-controlled flight. More solutions are anticipated to be released soon as Maersk pushes its aim to become the go-to global integrator by leveraging its sizeable FCL customer base.

Paving way for speedy transportation of commercial goods through air, the cargo terminal at the Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport here is likely to be ready by December, said AAI. The facility is likely to boost the industry and provide access to domestic markets. About 90 per cent of the construction work has been completed on the two-storey building. The new facility will be four times bigger than the existing cargo complex. The area of the existing cargo block is 3,600 square feet, while the new building is being built over an area of 15,000 square feet. Laced with the latest technology and equipment the G +2 cargo terminal will be operational at the airport by 2023. An AAI official said the facility will have cold room refeer van, weighing scale, X-ray machines door frame metal detectors scissors lips palette, and high security apparatus. The building will be equipped with CCTVs for 24X7 monitoring, he added. KS Vijayan, GM, Projects AAI Patna said in a statement, “We are hopeful that the new complex will become operational by March 2023.”

TILOG Virtual Exhibition 2022 (TILOG VE 2022), ASEAN’s first most comprehensive logistics virtual exhibition which links Thai and International Logistics Service Providers is all set to begin from August 24 and conclude on 26. Organised by the Department of International Trade Promotion, Ministry of Commerce, Thailand, www.tillog-ve.com is the platform connecting Thai and global logistics key players thereby strengthening the competitiveness of Thai logistics professionals and expanding business network.  International logistics providers, foreign buyer and entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to discover and experience the innovative products from Thailand’s logistics industry. These include five catering namely Packing, Material Handling, Warehouse and Loading, Logistics IT and E-logistics and Transportation and Logistics Services.  

The only word that can be used to describe the current state of the air cargo industry is turbulent, says Glyn Hughes, Director General, TIACA. “Cargo volumes and capacity is fluctuating as consumerism and manufacturing is fluctuating. The rising cost of energy, food prices and raw materials are having an impact on household finances and production costs. This reinforces the view that the short-term outlook is challenging,” he added. The air cargo industry has shown its resilience and flexibility these past two years. “I think that innovative spirit will facilitate maximum benefit when market conditions improve. Preparations for the next wave of growth are already well underway with companies continuing to invest in technology and main deck cargo capacity across the spectrum with production and conversion orders remaining strong,” Hughes added.

Caribbean Airlines Cargo has teamed up with the air cargo digital solution platform, CargoAi to offer the capacity to and from the Caribbean. “CargoAi is delighted to announce that Caribbean Airlines Cargo successfully went live on the www.cargoai.co platform on 08 June 2022,” said a release. Caribbean Airlines has placed a strong focus on improved customer service both on the passenger as well as on the cargo side, and user experience is what CargoAi excels in,” said Matthieu Petot, CEO of CargoAi, in a statement. Marklan Moseley, General Manager, Cargo, and New Business, Caribbean Airlines also said in the release, “We see three major benefits in offering our capacity on CargoAi. First and foremost, our customers have access to a customized, easy-to-use e-booking system, allowing them to streamline their shipping processes more efficiently. Secondly, our capacity offers now reach a great many more potential and new customers around the world, and thirdly, these increased sales activities will ultimately boost our commercial cargo operations, enabling us to further enhance our service offers. A win-win all around.”

Air Canada Cargo freighters are being given a fresh look and the first newly painted Boeing 767F freighter has now rolled out of the paint shop. The 767F features a black, white, and red livery design first introduced in 2017. The aircraft, registration C-GXHM, is one of two factory-built freighters delivered to Air Canada earlier this summer that will enter service in 2023, said Air Canada in a statement. These are in addition to the eight converted 767 freighters that Air Canada Cargo will have in its fleet, two of which are already in service between North American, Europe and Latin America. Air Canada also recently announced the acquisition of two factory-built Boeing 777 freighters, which will enter service in 2024.

Airbus collaborated with IonQ, an industry leader in quantum computing to explore the potential application and benefits of quantum computing for aerospace services and passenger experiences. The Quantum Aircraft Loading Optimization & Quantum Machine Learning project will be a 12-month project that culminates in the development of a prototype aircraft-loading quantum application, hands-on collaboration and coaching sessions for Airbus developers and engineers, and an exploration of future integrations of quantum computers for Airbus and its customers. In response to the ongoing supply chain crisis, aerospace companies are investing in the latest technologies to understand areas for improved efficiencies – cargo loading being one of them. Airbus’ partnership with IonQ is the first step toward developing smarter algorithms based on quantum computers that can potentially lead to cost savings due to more optimized distribution of cargo on flights.

After observing a 30 per cent growth in volumes in the last year, Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has increased its facility footprint at London’s Heathrow Airport. WFS has signed a five-year lease on Building 578 in the airport’s cargo area, boosting its warehouse and office space by a further 27,000 sq. ft, said an official statement. The additional building, due to commence operations in October, features eight landside doors for cargo deliveries and collections, and a 20-foot truck dock. As well as caster deck storage for loaded pallets and containers, WFS also plans to install a 7,000 sq. ft. area for ambient shipments and dedicated storage for temperature-controlled cargoes requiring a 2-8°C environment, the statement added.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is all set to focus on building resilience to further strengthen air cargo’s post-pandemic prospects in its forthcoming annual event, World Cargo Symposium (WCS) taking place in London from September 27-29. The WCS will address many topics related to resilience building, including digitalization, sustainability, air cargo safety, attracting and retaining talent, e-commerce, air cargo market dynamics, digital distribution and booking, plus Digital Cargo and ONE Record. Three streams of content will be divided into the themes of digitalization, sustainability and safety and security. The event will also feature plenary sessions, specialized streams, workshops, and executive summits. Also scheduled is a first-time workshop focused on improving the efficiency of billing settlements between airlines and freight forwarders. The session will incorporate IATA’s new internet-based data processing and customer management system CASSLINK (the Cargo Accounts Settlement System).