Category Archives: Aviation

AirBridgeCargo Airlines has moved 41 RKN containers for DSV on a scheduled flight from the Amsterdam, the Netherlands to Shanghai, China. The carrier flew the containers, which were manufactured by CSafe Global and contained more than 30 tonnes of temperature-sensitive pharma, on the lower and main decks of a Boeing 747-8 freighter aircraft. Amounting to a total of 11,000 tonnes, the airline has managed to achieve a 60 per cent uptick in temperature-sensitive pharma cargo from January to June this year. Yulia Celetaria, Global Director – Pharma, AirBridgeCargo Airlines, says, “This transportation, to some extent, is the rehearsal to check that we are prepared for the Covid-19 vaccine once its testing is finalised.”

“The digitisation has stood as a critical element in maintaining business continuity, safeguarding productivity, optimising processes & resources as well as ensuring the safety of the people at operations during the current COVID-19 crisis,” says Manoj Singh, Sr. Vice President & Head – Cargo, Mumbai International Airport. The continues, “The online transactions like e-reception, e-carting order, electronic FWB/FHL transmission, e-segregation report and e-delivery order in imports has averted overcrowding at the air cargo terminal and has enabled us to maintain social distancing very effectively at the cargo terminal premises. The e-freight and digital solutions offered by Mumbai Air Cargo have additionally helped us respond rapidly to the current challenges, recover from the delays and backlogs, and bring back normalcy in cargo operations while facing severe resource crunch due to the lockdown measures.”

Volga-Dnepr Airlines has partnered with Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) to move a power turbine from the UK to Russia. The 4.5 tonnes cargo was loaded into Volga-Dnepr’s An-124 aircraft (IL-76TD-90VD) aircraft using its onboard crane system before being flown to the Midlands, UK. Ekaterina Andreeva, Commercial Director, Volga-Dnepr Airlines, says, “For over two decades Volga-Dnepr Airlines and K+N have partnered on projects which have allowed us to innovate and develop new solutions together – pushing the boundaries on what air freight can do. Starting with our An-124 and IL-76 charter flights, and then progressing to partnership on scheduled operations with AirBridgeCargo Airlines, we work under the alignment of specialty cargo transportation across the globe.

The Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru has recently processed a consignment of 24,200 ornamental fish. With approvals from Indian Customs and the Bengaluru Animal Quarantine Services, the consignment was transported to Kozhikode, Kerala. The consignment, which arrived at Bengaluru Airport from Thailand through DHL Express on AeroLogic freighter, was handled by Menzies Aviation Bobba Bengaluru Cargo Terminal. The varieties included Betta Splendens (Fighting Fish) and Flower Horn Fish.

While lockdowns and travel restrictions have starved the skies of passengers, air cargo demand; particularly for PPE has been racing ahead of capacity. Sharing how Cathay Pacific has managed to sustain in business, Rajesh Menon, Regional Head of Cargo – South Asia, Middle East & Africa, Cathay Pacific, says, “We have introduced a number of measures including the 100 per cent E-Airway bill (E-AWB) across India and also enabled a digital payment platform for all import delivery order payments. Both introductions have not only helped us go paperless but have also reduced the risk of physical interaction, thereby safeguarding the health of all our partners. The recently introduced payment platform has also been widely accepted by the agents and freight forwarders as it gives them flexibility to choose from a wide array of payment options. We have also developed two digital platforms; one for our cargo agents to make their booking and allotment process a lot faster and convenient, while the other is for our internal handling.”

Targeting the life sciences market, DHL Global Forwarding has opened a new $1.6m facility in Indianapolis in the US. The building offers bonded services and three temperature controlled chambers: 15-25 degrees celsius storage and handling, 2-8 degrees celsius storage and handling and -20 degrees celsius storage and handling. Together the temperature controlled areas measure close to 20,000 sq ft and will be able to process pharmaceutical, biotech or medical devices that require a temperature-controlled environment. “This new building is especially important now during these challenging times, when temperature controlled logistics is crucial in helping customers navigate the pandemic,” said David Goldberg, Chief Executive, DHL Global Forwarding, US.

To continue accessing CHAMP’s Traxon cargoHUB and Traxon CDMP solutions, Lufthansa Cargo extended its partnership with CHAMP. The airline will be able to gain synergies and cargo insights through its continued use of CHAMP’s Traxon CDMP, a tool that measures over 40 per cent of the worldwide Cargo iQ airline shipments. The carrier will also benefit from being a part of CHAMP’s air cargo digital interchange community – the Traxon CargoHUB. “Traxon CargoHUB efficiently links the entire global airfreight community, irrespective of their IT configuration or systems resulting in higher productivity and lower costs,” explains CHAMP, in adding. “It improves supply chain quality and completeness; bookings, operations, document handling and customs processes can be executed and confirmed in seconds; it can be aligned with and updated to latest industry standards; it enables standard and custom message processing and conversions.”

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), air cargo demand is recovering slowly from the effect of COVID-19. The association has released data for global air freight markets in June showing improvement, but at a slower pace than some of the traditional leading indicators would suggest. Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs*), fell by 17.6 per cent in June (-19.9 per cent for international operations) compared to the previous year. That is a modest improvement from the 20.1 per cent year-on-year drop recorded in May. However, global capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTKs), shrank by 34.1 per cent in June ( 33.9 per cent for international operations) compared to the previous year. This was on par with the 34.8 per cent year-on-year drop in May.

“Over the last half-a-decade, digitisation has been the buzzword in air cargo industry, says, Amar More, CEO, Kale Logistics Solutions, in adding, “It has been the key topic of every conference or seminar. The most common term used during these conferences was ‘dinosaur’: are we a dinosaur in a digital world?” Calling COVID-19 an accelerator for giving a boost to digitisation, More explains, “It is true that compared to other sectors like automobile, banking and even travel; air cargo has been lagging behind in terms of digitalisation, despite the integrators and the increase of e-commerce. But now we have witnessed that there is a surge in the Cloud-based solutions and platforms. The focus is shifting from documents to data. The infrastructure is there, innovative technology is ready, it’s just a matter of time before we move to data and automate.”

With an aim to reduce its members’ environmental footprint, Delta Cargo has joined the Sustainable Air Freight Alliance (SAFA). The move aligns with Delta’s pledge earlier this year to become the world’s first carbon neutral airline. The airline has committed $1 billion over the next 10 years to mitigate all emissions from its global business. SAFA is collaboration between shippers, freight forwarders and airlines to track and reduce emissions from air freight and promote responsible freight transport. It is facilitated by BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), a global non-profit business network and consultancy dedicated to sustainability. “We are in the midst of the worst global pandemic in living memory, but we can’t afford to take sustainability off the agenda. Through this commitment, we are supporting Delta’s goal to be a more environmentally-friendly airline for generations to come,” said Shawn Cole, Vice President – Delta Cargo.