Category Archives: Aviation

Kenya Airways Cargo has been awarded IATA’s CEIV Pharma certification for its KQ Pharma Facility as it targets the healthcare market. The certification means that Kenya Airways’ pharma facility complies with IATA Temperature Control Regulations and adheres to international standards and best practices in cold chain and pharmaceutical movements, said release. Allan Kilavuka, Kenya Airways Group chief executive said, “We will continue to improve our premium product verticals, offering long-standing standards of temperature-controlled and time-sensitive cargo transport. With this certification, we join a select group of international operators in reaffirming our diligence in transporting temperature-controlled and time-sensitive products via our pharma network.” Dick Murianki, director of cargo, Kenya Airways also added, “Pharmaceutical shipments are extremely challenging and necessitate maximum dependability from airlines. It is critical to maintain the required temperature so that medication can be used as planned after shipping. Being one of the first African airlines to receive IATA’s international certificate is the result of the work we’ve done over the last few years to strengthen our product.” The facility covers approximately 600 sq m and is dedicated to handling temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. The facility is segregated into three temperature levels: 2-8 degrees Celsius, 15-25 degrees Celsius and a freeze room.

Global Crossing Airlines (GlobalX) is all set to receive another Airbus A321 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) conversion aircraft shortly. “Our next A321 freighter- N411 GX- the “Spirit of Liberty” has now received all required FAA modification approvals, and is in final prep before test flights this week and then delivery to Miami,” said GlobalX in an official Linkedin post. The Miami-based airline said the aircraft is due to become operational at the end of May. “We expect to place this aircraft into revenue service at the end of May,” added post. GlobalX’s received its first A321P2F in December last year after conversion by ST Engineering. In May 2021, GlobalX signed a letter of intent (LOI) to lease five A321P2F aircraft with ST Engineering’s Aviation Asset Management unit. These aircraft are being converted and leased to GlobalX progressively.

To allow customers reduce the carbon emissions associated with air cargo shipments by efficiently using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), DHL Aviation, the in-house airline of DHL Express, is planning to launch a new GoGreen Plus service. From June, DHL air cargo customers can choose the GoGreen Plus service for their shipments, with customers being given the chance to tailor the CO2e reduction and the amount of SAF they use. Travis Cobb, executive vice president, global network operations & aviation, DHL Express, said, “Our greatest goal is achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Using SAF is currently key to reducing carbon emissions in aviation and our GoGreen Plus service is made possible following our collaborations with bp and Neste to supply SAF to DHL Express hubs around the world.” Ingrid Raj, senior vice president, global head aviation Commercial, DHL Express also added, “Insetting through GoGreen Plus allows customers to bring down their Scope 3 emissions, the indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur in a company’s value chain, including downstream transportation and distribution. With the introduction of GoGreen Plus, we empower our air cargo customers to make more sustainable choices and embolden their contribution to reducing carbon emissions.”

Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST), the second largest cargo hub in the Netherlands, has started renovation work on its runway as part of an infrastructure investment plan of up to EUR 100 million over the next few years. MST is investing EUR35.3 million in its runway upgrade between May and June in anticipation of a project to extend its operational length to 2,750 meters by January 2025. “Maastricht has much to offer the Dutch air cargo community, with no slot restrictions or congestion at the airport and now a significant infrastructure investment program,” said Jos Roeven, Chief Executive Officer, MST. “We are CEIV-Pharma certified and the preferred station for flower imports into the Netherlands, as well as specializing in handling dangerous goods and e-commerce, and we will be focusing on further developing our facilities with this investment. “There is a fantastic opportunity in the current market for regional airports to step up for the cargo industry and help drive a more sustainable future for freight, whilst at the same time creating job opportunities for our local communities.” MST is already the European base for Turkish Cargo and Royal Jordanian, and an online station for Emirates, Qatar, and Saudia.

The Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations’ in India (FFFAI) has been recognized as a Training Partner by the Logistics Skill Council (LSC). Presenting the Certificate of Partnership at the 13th FFFAI Executive Committee Meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram Dr. C. Unnikrishnan Nair Head – Maritime Logistic, LSC said the partnership is aimed to strengthen the training initiatives of the Council thanks to FFFAI’s presence at the operation level across the country through its 30 Member Associations. He also commended FFFAI’s initiatives pertaining to skilling the logistics industry practitioners and aspirants keen to choose the logistics sector as an exciting career option through its training arm Indian Institute of Freight Forwarders (IIFF). As a result, collaboration between LSC and FFFAI would provide a big push to the skill development initiatives, pertaining to the logistics industry in India. Commenting on the partnership with LSC Mr. Shankar Shinde, Chairman, FFFAI said, “This was pending for a long time and I am happy we could conclude it now. The joint efforts by LSC and FFFAI will have a very significant impact as far as skilling the entire logistics industry is concerned with special emphasis on the Customs Brokers/Freight Forwarding community.” According to Mr. Shinde, in view of the fast changing industry scenario, changing rules & regulations, digitization, faceless transactions and above all customers demand, skilling the human resources is a dire need to survive and thrive in the logistics business. And, FFFAI is committed to fulfill this training requirement for its members and the industry fraternity.

Emirates SkyCargo has added two Boeing 747-400Fs to its freighter fleet and expects to double its existing capacity over the next decade. The cargo division of Emirates is expecting 15 more freighters to join its fleet from announced orders and its freighter conversion programme, plus a boost in bellyhold capacity from new passenger aircraft deliveries starting with Airbus A350s in late summer 2024, followed by 777-Xs the year after, says release. Over the next decade, Emirates SkyCargo expects to double its existing capacity, add over 20 new destinations to its freighter network, and offer more flexibility and services to its customers with a fleet mix of over 300 widebody aircraft comprising: 777s, 777-Fs, 747-Fs, A350s, and A380s. Nabil Sultan, divisional senior vice president, Emirates SkyCargo, said, “While the current market volatility may cause others to hesitate, Emirates SkyCargo is pushing full steam ahead with our plans. The medium to long term projections for global air cargo show an upward trajectory of between 3-5%. Combine that Dubai’s strategy to double its foreign trade where multi-modal logistics will play a big role, and the economic activity happening in markets around the Gulf, West Asia, and Africa, and the opportunity for Emirates SkyCargo is clear. The 2 new 747-Fs which we have leased will give us immediate capacity, while we wait for delivery of 5 new 777Fs in 2024 and 2025, and 10 777-300ERs to roll out of our conversion program over the next 5 years. We believe even these additional planes will not be sufficient. By then, we’ll have the MRO set-up to quickly and efficiently scale-up our freighter conversion program if we needed to.”

Tushar Jani, Group Chairman, Cargo Service Center, who participated in Digital Conclave on May 5 on need for world-class cold chain infrastructure to store and transport Pharma in India said we have great infra for cold storage and it is only going to grow. “We have seen mobile technology, we have just jump on the 5 G technology now, that’s what’s happening here in the Indian cold chain business, beginning has been done, its going to spread now, ad very soon we will have reliable cold chain business coming out of India, with many industry players investing in it, our country will now lead the way, not only that India will set up a corridor now to the destination market, so some of us would venture in the other part of the world. We will have great infrastructure for cold chain distribution right from manufacturer till end customer. So you will have dedicated air connectivity, dedicated trucking, distribution. We will have big scale development coming up in the next 1-2 years.”

I have travelled across the world and India is doing far better than many countries when it comes to multimodal storage and transportation of pharmaceuticals in the world, said Satish Lakkaraju, Senior VP, Global Head-Air Freight and Pharma, WIZ Freight, Radar Ventures. He participated in CargoTalk and CSC Digital Conclave on May 5. As far as infrastructure is concerned, India has developed many pharma zones which are not very common and are not seen in other parts of the world. The terminal operators themselves have invested in huge infrastructure. The understanding of pharma is superior in India than most of the developed countries airports. The airports in Delhi, Mumbai Hyderabad and Bangalore predominantly have world class infra but in the days to come Ahmedabad and Goa will have great infra in coming years.

Rashmi Karnad Gurung, Manager Climate Control, Qatar Airways said, “No doubt, India is the pharmacy of the world. India is the third largest supplier of generic drugs globally. India is also becoming the new upcoming industry for medical devices which will bring India on top in the next two decades. India definitely has world-class infrastructure to store, handle and transport pharma at some of the major airports. There are large investments happening in terms of infrastructural and tech development. said, Rashmi participated in the digital conclave organised by CargoTalk and CSC on May 5. She added, “Considering the size of the country, India needs more development in cold chain storage and distribution sector. There’s definitely room for growth. India is capable of more. Some of the regional airports may need more development to avoid the current bottlenecks for multimodal transportation. More player could step in. We will definitely get there.”

At recently held digital conclave on Indian cold chain shipments handling and transportation, industry experts discussed about improving infra at airports and terminals and crucial pain points of stakeholders. “As far as understanding pharmaceuticals is concerned I would rate India on eight out of 10. There are some areas in airports which need improvement but those have nothing to do with terminals. In India, some airports are at larger advantage because they started as a greenfield airport but brownfield airports need attention. We will be having new airports soon that are taking infrastructure as a priority. Skilled manpower is another area which needs attention but improving simultaneously,” opined Satish Lakkaraju, Senior VP, Global Head-Air Freight and Pharma, WIZ Freight, Radar Ventures. Talking about crucial pain points, Tushar Jani, Group Chairman, Cargo Service Center said, “Infrastructure for cold chain is definitely improving. Mumbai airport alone has the throughput capacity of 14,000 MT per month. We are just doing 3-4 thousand tonnes a month. We have got capacity to handle much larger volumes. As a community, we need to educate each other, we need to collaborate with each other. There is whole data transmission which needs to come in time in a right format so it can help the process move faster.” Rashmi Karnad Gurung, Manager Climate Control Product, Qatar Airways also added, “We have everything to achieve the larger goals, we have bright minds, investments and enterprises. I feel visibility is the most impt thing today. End-to-end transparency ad visibility and tracking of shipments is required today. Lot of tech companies are also providing highly efficient tech services like shock mointoring, GPS, temp-controlled monitoring, humidity levels monitoring etc which are highly …