Category Archives: Aviation

SpiceJet is looking to not only expand its passenger operations but also its cargo services, both domestically and internationally. The airline plans to induct 50 Boeing 737 Max planes by December 2023, said, Chairman, SpiceJet, Ajay Singh. Twenty additional cargo planes will be added in the next two years, the officials said. The airline may spend $2.5 billion to $3 billion to expand its cargo operations over the next few years. “A fleet of 10-12 wide-body planes and 10 freighter versions of narrow-body planes will be sufficient to expand our cargo operations in the next two years, over and above the 17 aircraft we currently have in our cargo operations,” a senior SpiceJet official said. “The cargo business is growing very rapidly and we are looking at all opportunities to raise funds to grow this business quickly, and that includes selling a stake,” said Singh. As part of SpiceJet’s cargo expansion plans, the airline will create a network for domestic and international operations. It may set up loading docks and storage facilities in India, said the officials.

B&H Worldwide, the specialist aerospace logistics provider has won two Green Apple Awards at a ceremony in London. The first for its Carbon Reduction project – which was achieved in 2020 but the awards were postponed for 12 months due to the pandemic – and the second for adoption of electronic air waybills (eAWBs) for all airlines it works with. The Green Apple Organisation is an independent, non-profit, non-political group that has been rewarding and promoting environmental best practice since 1994. Its annual awards recognise those businesses that make a positive contribution to the environment through carbon friendly initiatives. In the Distribution and Logistics category B&H Worldwide was rewarded for its efforts over two separate years to reduce its environmental impact across its global business. The challenge was to reduce its overall carbon footprint through changing working practices in all its international stations and then educating team members, customers, and suppliers about why and how it was making changes. It now operates a measurable, monitored environment and sustainability policy so that all stakeholders can see the year-on-year carbon reductions which have been made including changing the company’s IT infrastructure, installing LED lighting, introducing in-workplace recycling centres, transport routings and changing working practices. Measurable results have included a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions at its London Heathrow head office since 2018 and an 82% reduction in paper usage by switching to a paperless purchase ledger.

Airfreight rates on the transpacific trade lane continue to surge since the start of November as peak season demand kicks off and modal shift from ocean continues. The latest figures from the Baltic Exchange Airfreight Index (BAI) show that prices on services from Hong Kong to North America reached $11.22 per kg – the highest on (BAI) record and up from $9.12 per kg at the start of October. To Europe, prices from Hong Kong are at 7.80 per kg – also a high for the index. Meanwhile, the Freightos Air Freight Index shows that prices from Asia/China to the US west coast last week reached $14.22 per kg and to the east coast are at $12.76 per kg.

American has partnered with My Pet Cab on its PetEmbark programme to include a home delivery service for pets after being flown to destination. My Pet Cab vehicles are equipped with secondary air systems and electronic monitoring thermometers as well as remote cameras and vehicle monitoring systems. The airline has also launched a new video guide that offers instructions for booking a pet on American, ranging in information from kennel guidelines to approved travel conditions to drop-off and pick-up timing. Vittal Shetty, head of cargo strategy for American Airlines Cargo, said: “These enhancements not only make it easier for pet owners to do business with us but helps to ensure a safe and stress-free journey from start to finish.”

CMA CGM Air Cargo signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the purchase of four A350F freighter aircraft taking CMA CGM’s total Airbus fleet to nine aircraft, including five A330-200F. “I am proud to announce the acquisition of 4 new Airbus A350F, which will supplement our existing fleet. We will become the launch airline of this brand new aircraft. This investment in an efficient and future-proof full freighter is a strong evidence of the commitment of the CMA CGM Group towards air freight and providing agile solutions to take care of your cargo in better ways. The A350F will also be a major milestone towards more sustainable air cargo, with an improved fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions,” announced Olivier Casanova, CEO, CMA CGM.

MMI Asia, the regional subsidiary of Messe Muenchen (MMG), announced The Marina Sands in Singapore to host the Southeast Asian edition of the Transport Logistics and Air Cargo Trade Fair to be held in September 2023. This edition is the latest in the leading series of transport logistic and air cargo shows which include, India, China, Turkey, the United States and the world’s largest logistics event and parent show in Munich. The Singapore Tourism Board and MMI Asia signed an MoA for the event including the development of new content, marketing & publicity efforts, programme and exhibition components for the trade show and areas of collaboration in industry knowledge exchange. The exhibition will act as a platform to identify challenges of the logistics ecosystem and share best practices to overcome those challenges. “In a disrupted world, the logistics industry has had to adapt, change and remain flexible in order to meet the extraordinary demands the global economies have placed on their sector. The event will enable the very best minds to meet, network and ensure they remain up to date with the latest trends and best practices in the industry.” said, Michael Wilton, MMI Asia’s Director and General Manager

Etihad Cargo signed a Proof-of-Concept agreement with SPEEDCARGO, the logistics technology solutions provider, to utilise the Singapore-based provider’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) products to boost cargo capacity on flights. The agreement makes Etihad Cargo the second aviation company worldwide to leverage the Cargo Eye dimensioning system, and among only a few global carriers to trial SPEEDCARGO’s AI-powered Cargo Mind software solution, which delivers optimal cargo space planning and utilisation in seconds in full adherence to regulations and business constraints. “Etihad Cargo’s goal is to assess whether implementing Cargo Eye and Cargo Mind could ensure a complete end-to-end process which totally transforms airfreight operations,” explained Martin Drew, SVP Sales and Cargo at Etihad Aviation Group. “The Proof-of-Concept will confirm whether these advanced SPEEDCARGO products can boost efficiency, productivity and revenue return through digital technology solutions, with the plan to integrate them into our operations in 2022.”

Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) has opened its revolutionary new Integrated Hactl Control Centre (iHCC), creating a single command centre that is manned 24/7/365. The iHCC centralises operations control, systems control and maintenance control for the first time, with duty managers able to monitor the entire SuperTerminal 1 facility – from traffic management at its truck parks through the many different functional areas of the terminal, to cargo dispatch activities at the airside area. Before the opening of the iHCC, monitoring and controlling functions were decentralised to the individual Operations, Engineering and Facilities Services, and Information Services departments, which created a time lag in data collection and sharing. The iHCC provides comprehensive real-time data, and workload forecasts for the coming eight hours, enabling instant adjustments to be made to staffing and resources to cope with any unexpected workload peaks. The iHCC also serves as a fully-integrated emergency centre, facilitating the involvement of the crisis management team, and coordinating actions across all departments, to ensure effective decision-making and proactive responses to crises. The Centre’s concept is similar to the emergency centres now found in many airlines and major airports around the world. Says Executive Director – Operations, Paul Cheng: “iHCC provides totally-comprehensive, accurate and instantaneous information on every aspect of Hactl’s giant operation; this is available to those managers with the required access rights, providing them with a holistic view of the operational status of both cargo and flights. “Not only does this enable us to run our everyday operations at a new level of efficiency, it means we can forecast potential problems before they create issues. That places us in a better position to cope with every kind …

Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Aviation Group, has entered into a Proof-of-Concept agreement with SPEEDCARGO, the leading-edge logistics technology solutions provider, to utilise the Singapore-based provider’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) products to boost cargo capacity on flights. The landmark agreement makes Etihad Cargo only the second aviation company worldwide to leverage the CARGO EYE dimensioning system, and among only a few global carriers to trial SPEEDCARGO’s AI-powered CARGO MIND software solution, which delivers optimal cargo space planning and utilisation in seconds in full adherence to regulations and business constraints. “Etihad Cargo’s goal is to assess whether implementing CARGO EYE and CARGO MIND could ensure a complete end-to-end process which totally transforms airfreight operations,” explained Martin Drew, SVP Sales and Cargo at Etihad Aviation Group. “The Proof-of-Concept will confirm whether these advanced SPEEDCARGO products can boost efficiency, productivity and revenue return through digital technology solutions, with the plan to integrate them into our operations in 2022.” CARGO EYE, developed with Microsoft’s cutting-edge Time-of-Flight sensing technology, captures imagery of incoming cargo and calculates accurate dimensions based on cargo type, size, and packaging in real-time, while seamlessly integrating the data into existing warehouse management systems. The solution also feeds data into CARGO MIND to accurately build load plans, monitor, and promote data compliance, and identify damaged cargo to reduce potential claims. “Etihad Cargo is the first airline to propose using SPEEDCARGO’s new CARGO MIND-Airline Product for early-stage flight planning and creation of final booking lists and first-level load plan within the airline ecosystem,” Dr. Suraj Nair, Founder and Chief Technology Officer, SPEEDCARGO. “Thereafter, working with their GHA’s where SPEEDCARGO’s GHA solutions are deployed Etihad Cargo will further maximize …

The development of Maharaja Agrasen airport in Hisar is being planned by the Prime Minister and the Government of Haryana. A meeting with private stakeholders was conducted to discuss logistics. “The Government of Haryana is concentrating on air cargo. This will benefit Haryana’s economy, particularly in the western districts. The meeting was attended by experienced representatives from cargo associations who pointed out shortcomings they had witnessed in the past at various airports. Involving them in the planning stage and incorporating their suggestions will help in the airport’s successful operation,” says Pradeep Kumar, Chief Advisor for Civil Aviation, Haryana.