Category Archives: Aviation

Air Canada Cargo adds freighter to expand global operations

Air Canada Cargo is continuing to expand its freighter operation with the addition of two new destinations. The carrier will add flights using its B767 freighters to Liege next month and to Basel in April. Air Canada Cargo will operate flights twice per week to Liege, with service increasing to three flights per week later in the year. Basel will see two flights per week. They will originate in Toronto and have a stop in Halifax. Liege has become one of Europe’s largest cargo airports in recent years by targeting freighter operations, while Basel is a major centre for pharmaceuticals. Matthieu Casey, managing director, commercial at Air Canada Cargo, said: “Air Canada Cargo continues to expand its freighter network to provide customers with reliable, year-round service that connects key European markets with Air Canada and Air Canada Cargo’s global network through its Toronto hub.”

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MightyFly to begin testing autonomous cargo aircraft

Autonomous cargo aircraft company MightyFly will begin last and middle mile test flights with its hybrid, electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft following Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification. The FAA has granted the California company’s MightyFly Cento eVTOL aircraft a Special Airworthiness Certificate and a Certificate of Authorisation (COA) for long-range flights. This means that MightyFly can start demonstrating the long-range flight capabilities of Cento. Demonstrating autonomous eVTOL flights up to 600 miles of range with 100 pounds of cargo is unprecedented in the industry, said MightyFly. With this COA in place, the company will be able to accelerate development of its autonomous aircraft, with a larger airspace (230 square miles) in which to test the transition from hover to forward flight at medium and high altitudes (up to 5000 ft). The MightyFly Cento has a cargo capacity of 45 kg, a range of 600 miles and a max speed of 150 mph. Measuring 4m by 5m, the aircraft features eight electric vertical lift fans, one forward propulsion propeller, and a high wing carbon fibre airframe. Fully loaded, the Cento weighs 161 kg, said MightyFly.

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Amazon launches freighter service in India

Amazon India has launched Amazon Air, making it the first e-commerce company in the country to have a dedicated air cargo network . Amazon Air will utilise the complete cargo capacity of a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operated by Quikjet Cargo Airlines, a joint venture between AFL and the Ireland-based ASL Aviation Group. The Amazon-branded aircraft will transport customer shipments to cities such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai. “We’re thrilled to launch Amazon Air in India to ensure we can provide our growing customer base with great selection, low prices, and faster deliveries,” said Sarah Rhoads, Vice President, Amazon Global Air. The announcement reinforces Amazon India’s commitment to continue building capacity and will further enhance its transportation network.

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CCPL bags ‘Best Freight Forwarder’ Award by ASSOCHAM

Continental Carriers Pvt Ltd (CCPL) was felicitated as the “Best Freight Forwarder” for the 2nd consecutive year at ASSOCHAM’s 14th International Aviation Conference and Awards held recently on 18th January, 2023 at Hotel Leela, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. Managing Director, Vaibhav Vohra and Director, Viraj Vohra received the award from P K Thakur, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Civil Aviation and K Narayan Rao, Chairman, ASSOCHAM National Council on Civil Aviation and Deputy MD, GMR Group; in the presence of Vipin Vohra, Chairman, Continental Carriers Pvt Ltd.

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Quikjet Cargo launches maiden freighter service from GHIAL

Quikjet Cargo Airlines has recently launched its maiden freighter service from GMR Hyderabad International Airport. Quikjet will be operating with Boeing 737-800F freighter aircraft based in Hyderabad with daily freighter services to Delhi and Bangalore. The freighter will carry air freight and express cargo across their network area covering Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. The Quikjet freighter will depart to Delhi daily from HYD at 00.30hrs and arrive from Bangalore to Hyderabad at 08. 50hrs every day. Currently, Quikjet has two aircrafts B737-800F with a capacity of 22 metric tons, both based at HYD. This new Cargo airline will boost the state’s economy and empower businesses with increased cargo connectivity & quicker reach for E-commerce. Speaking on the Quikjet launch, Mr Pradeep Panicker, CEO-GHIAL, said, “We are delighted to support Quikjet operations and glad that this is another Cargo servicing addition at our airport. Quikjet services is all set to offer increased cargo connectivity from Hyderabad to Southern India. The Quikjet services from our airport reiterate the growing prominence of Hyderabad for cargo. Over the years, GMR Hyderabad Airport has been building world-class capabilities to ensure seamless and faster cargo service globally.” GMR Hyderabad Airport Cargo handles pharma, perishable, engineering, automobile, aerospace products, large machinery, Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) and Dangerous Goods (DG). Apart from all major cargo hubs in India, international destinations like Frankfurt, Istanbul, Dubai, Doha and Hong Kong are also well connected to the Hyderabad International Airport.

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MoU signed to increase capacity, global supply chain efficiency

To offer enhanced supply chain solutions and to respond efficiently and flexibly to changing supply chains, Silk Way West Airlines has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Japan’s Nippon Express Holdings. The agreement will strengthen Silk Way West Airlines’ presence in the Japanese market, which is has been serving since 2018 with weekly flights between Baku and Kansai International airport. The carrier also started regular flights to Tokyo’s Narita gateway in 2021, and said the deal with Nippon would enable it to “play an increasingly important role in the region’s freight network, constantly improving the quality of air cargo transportation services for both Japanese and international partners”, said an official release. Meanwhile, the agreement will help Nippon Express to expand its business globally through access to cargo capacity on Silk Way West Airlines’ extensive network, which covers destinations across Europe, the CIS, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Asia, and the Americas. The Azeri carrier operates 12 Boeing 747-8 freighter aircraft and 747-400Fs, and also has five new 777Fs, two 777-8Fs and two Airbus A350 freighters on order, the release added.

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‘NIA to develop multi-modal cargo hub in 2024’

The construction of cargo infrastructure at Noida International Airport is likely to start later this year. NIA will cater to a differentiated catchment and several upcoming industrial clusters in Uttar Pradesh. A multi-modal cargo hub (MMCH) will contribute to the vibrancy of the overall ecosystem. . Christoph Schnellmann, Chief Executive Officer, Noida International Airport told exclusively to us, “We expect the cargo ecosystem at NIA to develop with a focus on e-commerce, electronics, textiles, agri-perishables, and pharmaceuticals. With rising e-commerce demands and the auto market gaining traction, we see volumes back in the bellies of aircraft. This is further affirmed by the increase in aircraft orders by Indian domestic carriers. In addition, domestic carriers like IndiGo have introduced freighters with orders of four A321 P2F aircraft. Blue Dart, a well-established freight carrier, is also adding two additional B737s to their existing fleet. DHL and UPS are poised to increase their capacity in India as well. NIA is developing a multi-modal cargo hub across 80 acres, which will become operational in 2024. This will pave the path for a future cargo hub in India. Employing more efficient infrastructure and technology in this greenfield project and digitalization of manual process and documentation will help to address existing pain points in the market. Predictability in operations will be a key differentiator for NIA.”

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NASA, Boeing unite for sustainable operations

NASA has selected Boeing to lead the development and flight testing of a full-scale Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) demonstrator airplane, said an official release. “The technologies demonstrated and tested as part of the sustainable flight demonstrator (SFD) programme will inform future designs and could lead to breakthrough aerodynamics and fuel efficiency gains,” the release added. “When combined with expected advancements in propulsion systems, materials and systems architecture, a single-aisle airplane with a TTBW configuration could reduce fuel consumption and emissions up to 30 percent relative to today’s most efficient single-aisle airplanes, depending on the mission. The SFD programme aims to advance the civil aviation industry’s commitment to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 as well as the goals set forth in the White House’s U.S. Aviation Climate Action Plan.”

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‘Krishi Udan boosting perishables transportation from remote areas’

Indian air cargo sector has tremendous potential and great future and I don’t want to limit that to only transporting equipment and merchandising but also in terms of Krishi Udan scheme, horticulture, poultry, perishables and fresh foods that need to be moved from one destination to another. We found with Krishi Udan, that from far-flung areas of India actually horticulture, fruits, vegetables are being transported not only domestically but internationally as well to Germany and many other destinations,” said Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, the Minister of Civil Aviation at the 14th International Civil Aviation Conference cum Awards organised by the ASSOCHAM in New Delhi on Wednesday. “So I believe that the potential for cargo is tremendous, the fact that we increased our number of freighters and also the cargo volumes that we transported. It shows that it’s a sector that holds tremendous promise.” “Earlier there were many pain points that were listed of which we have resolved a few. The latest to be resolved was the whole issue of transshipment and the fact that cargo gets checked twice when it’s already been checked at the original destination along with BCAS. We’ve resolved that to a great extent for stakeholders. But I do believe that cargo and industries have tremendous potential in terms of service and airports,” he further added. “I think as far as the scheduled carriers are concerned, there is no restriction, only for the NSOP that is restricted to six ventures and I think the NSOP is a very small share. I don’t think the policy structure in place today restricts the proportion. I think the stakeholders should use bonded warehouses to facilitate ease of doing business. The growth …

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DRONECO launched to boost drone supply chain services

DroneTech company, TSAW has announced the launch of its logistics arm DRONECO. The startup comes with a vision to recreate the logistics ecosystem by introducing a new and faster mode of transportation i.e., drones. DRONECO will facilitate point-to-point drone transport supply chain logistics services with the primary goal of delivering goods to customers in a timely manner. Backed by its parent drone manufacturing company, TSAW and its cloud-based UAV system DCIS (Drone Cloud Intelligence System), DRONECO intends to be the go-to last-mile logistics facilitator for e-commerce platforms, armed forces, medical suppliers and others. Burdened with multiple constraints, logistics firms have long been experimenting with drones for end-to-end delivery. By bypassing the existing bottlenecks, DRONECO is all geared up to be the thought leader and one-stop solution with the desire to make deliveries economical and swift as well as to provide instant gratification to its clients. TSAW is co-founded by Kishan Tiwari and Rimanshu Pandey who have a stellar track record in the drone logistics segment with the ambition to bridge the gap between cultures and societies. Commenting on the launch of the DRONECO, Kishan Tiwari, Co-Founder & CEO, TSAW said, “There has never been a better time to launch a platform like DRONECO, as India is on its way to becoming a global player in both demand and supply chain. This implies that we have a lucrative market for the application of our wide range of solution portfolios. Our ability to strategize and execute across multiple service lines as well as provide tailored solutions that span the entire drone logistics spectrum will set the industry benchmark. With our proven technological expertise, many reputed enterprises have already shown keen interest by …

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