Category Archives: Aviation

With berry season taking full swing in Africa, Etihad Cargo is on track to transport up to 500 tonnes of this delicious fruit over the coming months. Using its FreshForward system, moving fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, fish, meat and flowers has been simplified. Etihad Cargo bears the distinction of being the first Middle East carrier to be awarded the IATA CEIV Fresh certificate, ensuring that the transportation of fresh produce including dairy, vegetables, meat and fish is transported with the highest care. With the help its extensive road feeder services network, Etihad Cargo is trucking strawberries, blueberries and other fresh berries from Zimbabwe and Cape Town to Johannesburg, from where the perishable cargo will make its way to destinations around the world, including the UAE, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Jakarta and Bangkok, via its Abu Dhabi hub.

Air China Cargo’s handling business has extended its collaboration with Lufthansa Cargo through the signing of freighter ground handling and cargo handling contracts at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) in China. Under these new agreements, Air China Cargo will provide ground services for Lufthansa Cargo at CTU, including freighter ramp operations, cargo warehousing, aircraft services and crew services. “We are delighted to extend our partnership with LCAG to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, following years of successful cooperation in Beijing,” said Huang Jian, deputy managing director of the cargo terminal business unit of Air China Cargo. “This collaboration marks a significant milestone for both parties as we expand our presence to another city. We are excited to explore new cooperative opportunities with LCAG in China and continue delivering exceptional services to our customers.” Air China Cargo and Lufthansa Cargo have a longstanding relationship, which has spanned over 30 years in Beijing. Air China Cargo currently operates six cargo terminals across mainland China, including Beijing, Tianjin, Chengdu Shuangliu, Chengdu Tianfu, Chongqing, and Hangzhou. The company serves over 60 customer carriers at these airports.

Saudi Arabian airfreight flag carrier Saudia Cargo has recently joined Pharma.Aero. “We extend a heartfelt welcome to Saudia Cargo as it joins Pharma.Aero global community, and look forward to working closely to drive innovation and raise the bar for healthcare logistics! With the addition of Saudia Cargo, Pharma.Aero is proud to expand its reach into the region and further strengthen the collaborative platform of esteemed industry leaders dedicated to excellence in life sciences and MedTech transportation,” says release. A post by Saudia Cargo also stated, “We are proud of this partnership with Pharma.Aero, is a leading global cross-industry platform that aims to ensure the safe and reliable transportation of pharmaceutical products for the purpose of safeguarding humanity. This partnership will allow Saudia Cargo to fulfill its commitment to improving the quality of our services towards our customers and end users by leveraging Pharma.Aero shared knowledge and expertise from global key players within the pharmaceutical ecosystem, proving that combined efforts can lead to improved practices and innovations that can support the needs of the medical sector at large.”

Cathay Cargo has launched its new brand campaign, ‘We Know How,’ showcasing the brand’s strength and experience as a reliable expert in air cargo solutions. From temperature-sensitive vaccines and fresh produce to cars and caring for champion racehorses, Cathay Cargo experts ensure that all cargo arrives ready to make a difference to the world. “We Know How” is the first marketing campaign following the rebranding of Cathay Cargo earlier this year. It focuses on the innovation, people, solutions and service – as well as the “magic” – that are central to Cathay. Rajesh Menon, Regional Head of Cargo – South Asia, Middle East and Africa highlighted: “Our new brand campaign, ‘We Know How’, underlines the important role of cargo within the Cathay Group and showcases our commitment to innovation, exceptional service and the valuable contribution of our dedicated team. “In recent times, it offered the Cathay Group a financial lifeline, but it was a real-world lifeline, too. We delivered essential vaccines and fresh food to Hong Kong and other parts of the world. We helped to keep trade moving across the world and through our hub. Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) retained its status as the world’s busiest air cargo hub by tonnage in 2022 as per Airports Council International’s (ACI) rankings.

Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA), Bhubaneswar now connected with Dubai, Singapore and Bangkok through direct flights is all set to restart handling international cargo. According to reports, BPIA is likely to re-launch international cargo handling operations from September to boost exports from the state. The airport is upgrading its facilities to facilitate hassle-free export of goods to other parts of the world. The international cargo terminal will be operated from its earlier location close to the domestic air cargo terminal. The city office of Airports Authority of India (AAI) is the custodian of the international air cargo terminal, said reports. International cargo operations, started in 2017, was discontinued after the Covid-19 pandemic struck and direct flight operations between Bhubaneswar and Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok stopped in 2019. “The cargo terminal is now getting ready for relaunch of the operations,” the sources said.

Noida International Airport (NIA) has selected SITA’s Airport Management System to help automate and streamline the operations of the airport. SITA’s AMS will support NIA’s integrated approach to airport operations, focusing on maximizing efficiency. The agreement includes the provision and operation of systems to allocate gates and counters, boarding bridges, manage traffic flows on the airfield as well as display flight information. SITA will help Noida International Airport with reliable flight information and planning capabilities. The system will empower the airport to review performance, strategize operational efficiency improvements, and capture resource utilization statistics. Under this partnership, SITA will deliver a customized solution that offers flexibility and transparency for all airport partners to ensure smooth and efficient operations. The partnership aims to establish a platform for collaborative decision-making vital for achieving operational efficiencies at Noida International Airport.

India Cargo Awards 2023 is back to honour and appreciate the hard work of the ‘Heroes’ of the Indian Air Cargo and Logistics fraternity. Known as the “Oscars of the Cargo Industry,” the India Cargo Awards 2023 is all set to be held on 24 July 2023, 7 pm at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi. The annual awards hosted by Cargo Talk (DDP Group Publication) serves as an all-India platform created with a vision to recognise excellence in the Cargo-Freight-Logistics Industry across various domains, including Rail, Road, Air, Sea, Allied Services, Warehousing, Technology, 3rd Party Logistics, and more. Our world-class awards ceremonies are known for their formal Black-Tie affair, filled with glitz and glamour, attended by the most influential personalities in the Cargo Industry.

The cost of cargo safety and security compliance is relatively high in India thus the industry pushes voluntary compliance to the back seat. The biggest challenge is in developing and nurturing a safety and security culture in the industry, says B.Govindarajan, Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Tirwin Management Services. We believe that compliance culture building is not an overnight affair. It demands patience and passion and we know that we have both. We are currently working for some big customers on Lithium Battery Logistics Safety Management and certification.

Mumbai based Maritime Energy Heli Air Services (MEHAIR) has signed an order for fifty, electrically powered regional amphibious aircraft PHA-ZE 100 with Switzerland based Jekta. (MEHAIR) has inked a deal with deposits agreed for ten firm orders and options for 40 more. With this agreement, MEHAIR will be the first customer to receive the aircraft in Asia, with initial deliveries starting in 2029. It is anticipated that the first ten aircraft will be delivered in baseline configuration for 19 passengers to support regional connectivity. The company has made a decisive move In line with the global trends to move toward sustainable aviation by placing orders for Jekta’s electrically powered aircraft. “We know the Jekta team’s heritage for producing efficient amphibious aircraft, and having been introduced to its electrically powered PHA-ZE 100, we made a decisive move to acquire these aircraft early, showing our deep commitment towards greener technology. We want to be one of the first operators in the world to update its fleet with a zero emissions aircraft to support regional flights between land and water infrastructure,” says Siddharth Verma, Director of MEHAIR. “Blessed with a 7,400 km long coastline and a rich diversity of rivers, lakes, backwaters and dams, India is readying for the upcoming amphibious aircraft revolution. It is both the fastest-growing aviation market as well as the single largest untapped seaplane geography in the world, and the PHA-ZE 100 checks all the boxes for meeting this upcoming seaplane potential. The next 25 years will be as much a seaplane era as it will be for general aviation in India. The PHA-ZE 100 has enhanced operating parameters, which lend strong value to our proposed operations and vision …

DHL Express has onboarded new customer, Linklaters, on its GoGreen Plus service to reduce carbon emissions for its time-definite international (TDI) shipments through the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A leading global law firm, Linklaters aims to reduce (‘inset’) the carbon emissions associated with their shipments across the Asia Pacific and United Arab Emirates (UAE) regions. Ken Lee, CEO DHL Express Asia Pacific, says, “Sustainability is increasingly becoming an important part of the business for most of our customers. Companies are now more committed than ever to reducing their environmental impact, thus it is important that we provide them with feasible solutions to do so. SAF is our key lever to improve carbon emissions, and we are proud to be the first global express courier to enable our customers to do.” Launched this year, GoGreen Plus enables customers to reduce their Scope 3 emissions through insetting. This means that customers can effectively bring down carbon emissions that occur in their supply chain by choosing the amount of SAF they want to use for their shipments. SAF is currently the only scalable solution for the next years to come, given that it is the only option for long-range flights. SAF can also reduce lifecycle emissions of typical aviation fuel emissions by up to 70-80%.