Category Archives: Aviation

Samir H. Mankad, CEO & Executive Director, GSEC, was awarded the esteemed DDP Trailblazer. He has been serving the company right from the time of its privatisation in 2004. GSEC is the custodian of cargo in Ahmedabad. Under his leadership, GSEC operates airports at Indore and Visakhapatnam as an O&M operator, while also looking after the domestic cargo terminals at Indore and Raipur. Mankad is a Mechanical Engineer and holds an MBA and has more than 37 years of experience in project management, MIS, systems and logistics. He has served in leading organisations like Bajaj Group, Alembic, Torrent and Adani Group. Mankad also devotes his time in teaching the management subjects in  institutions such as AMA, Nirma University, and more.

M. Afzal Malbarwala, Managing Director, Galaxy Freight, was awarded with the prestigious ‘Gallery of Legends’ award. With his rich experience in the freight forwarding industry, he has taken Galaxy Freight to a top position in airfreight and sea-freight industry. Malbarwala strongly believes that success is the product of competitiveness and high standards of quality. The Honorary Secretary General of ACCAI, Malbarwala, is a Commerce graduate and has a genuine, persuasive and interpersonal style that ensures trust to strengthen relationship among clients. He started his career in 1977 in the freight forwarding and logistics industry and started his own company soon after. Galaxy Freight handles approximately 1000 tonnes of airfreight export shipments per month. With more than four decades of experience in the freight forwarding industry, Malbarwala has developed the ability to adapt and cater to different client requirements; thereby, delivering hassle-free solutions.

The third edition of the India Cargo Awards – West & South celebrated the accomplishments of the extraordinaire leaders of cargo industry from the West & South regions of India at Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre on October 14, 2017.  Gautambhai Navalchand Shah, Mayor, Amdavad Municipal Corporation, was the Chief Guest for the glorious evening. The ceremony saw the august presence of Dr. Marisha Kaul, Gladrags Mrs India North 2017, along with the leaders of the cargo industry. India Cargo Awards honoured the real runners of the industry. The 32 winners were chosen after a fair and unbiased selection process which includes an online voting platform.

Ramesh Mamidala, Chief Executive Officer, Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management has appointed to the TIACA Board of Directors. “I am so honoured and feel privileged to serve on the TIACA Board, which I believe will give me an opportunity to integrate the Indian air freight industry with the global market through TIACA. The association will be able to reach out to the industry players in India, which I am confident will lead to several of them joining the organisation.”

A common user domestic cargo terminal (CUDCT) has started functioning at the Trivandrum International Airport. Airlines operating from domestic terminal of the airport, namely Air India, Indigo, Jet Airways and Spice Jet will handle cargo operations through the CUDCT. Keku Bomi Gazder, CEO, AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company (AAICLAS) has inaugurated the facility at the old domestic building of the airport. An X-ray machine for the CUDCT was brought from Mumbai. The facility was set up at a cost of Rs 50 lakh. “We hope to have nearly 500 tonnes of cargo movement in the first month and increase of 15-20 per cent in the coming months,” said Gazder.

Domestic cargo has registered a growth of 8 per cent at a CAGR during FY07-17, whereas international cargo grew at 6.2 per cent annually during the same period, according to an ASSOCHAM-Yes Bank joint study. Air Cargo should be treated at par with other logistics sector like roads which is subject to 5 percent tax rate. It is recommended that air cargo tax rate may be reduced from 18 percent and considered for a lower tax bracket, reveals the joint study on ‘Civil Aviation’ released.

Celebi Delhi Cargo terminal went live with Kale’s Galaxy (Domestic module) Cargo Management system as part of the phase wise implementation of the entire suite of Galaxy Air Cargo management software system comprising of EXIM operations, warehouse management, UD, invoice and accounts and domestic operations. The new age domestic module incorporates next generation features like mobile app, customer portal, hand-held based app and EDI with airlines. In order to keep pace with the ever-increasing domestic cargo demands, Celebi Delhi has partnered with Kale Logistics Solutions to automate their air cargo and terminal operations.

Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI) has launched Advance Air Cargo Handling Training Programme in the capital. The programme was launched by Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India in the presence of more than 125 numbers including senior government officials, members from various trade bodies and representatives of entire air cargo logistics industry. The programme is aimed to benefit the air cargo industry in India contributing to Government of India’s Skill India plans.

Agility has moved into a new larger office premises in Vadodara. The new office was inaugurated Detlev Janik, CEO, South Asia, Agility, in the presence of various existing customers, partners and senior management of Agility in India. The new office will allow Agility to cater to the ever-growing volumes & business opportunities in the Vadodara market. The facility will also enable the customers to access the various logistics services offered by the company in India. Janik, said, “Vadodara is a very important market for Agility in India. In the coming years, it is the tier 2 & tier 3 cities which will drive the next wave of growth in India. Hence tapping further business in these cities in India is also part of our growth strategy.”

At the 11th World Cargo Symposium opened in Abu Dhabi, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on the air cargo industry to accelerate modernisation and focus on delivering high quality service. “Listening to the customer has never been more important. The positive forces currently supporting growth are good news. But our customers are telling us that they expect more. Complicated and convoluted paper-based processes that are basically unchanged from the 16th century is still being used in air cargo today. Our customers pay a premium to ship by air and they rightly expect modern processes and high quality services,” said Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO, IATA.