Category Archives: International

UPS has added a new freighter flight between Billund in Denmark and its European air hub in Cologne as it looks to meet growing e-commerce demand. The new daily B737F flight means that Danish businesses in the Jutland peninsula, including Vejle, Herning and Horsens will benefit from later pick-up cut off times with packages spending less time in transit. “With collection up to two hours later in place such as Vejle, companies can take advantage of reduced transit time for packages being exported internationally, and potentially increase time in production for goods,” UPS said. Michiel van Veen, managing director, UPS Nordics, added: “We are continuing to develop our European network to meet the growing e-commerce demand for the region. “The launch of the Billund flight will present opportunities for businesses of all sizes in Denmark to expand into global markets faster, thanks to a new connection to our global air network.”

Saudi Arabian Airlines is hoping to add a new freighter service between Europe and the US but has met some resistance from US carriers over the plans. In late December, the carrier applied to the US Department of Transportation for a limited exemption for seventh freedom rights to operate all-cargo flights between Liege, New York JFK and Chicago O’Hare. However, US carriers responded that they do not have seventh freedom rights to operate flights to Saudi Arabia and also questioned whether the flights are in the public interest. In response, Saudi Arabian said it would consult with the country’s government about the possibility of providing reciprocal seventh-freedom rights to US all-cargo carriers. The carrier also argued that the flights would be in the public’s interest. Saudi Arabian Airlines believes that this limited exemption is requested in order to serve the public interest by helping to alleviate the supply chain delays caused by the increased volume of air cargo between Europe and the US due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

ECS Group’s Cargo Digital Factory and Wiremind Cargo are coordinating their digital expertise under a new technology-focused and autonomous company:CargoTech. With the launch of CargoTech, ECS Group’s inhouse solution developer, Cargo Digital Factory, and the French software and data-science company, Wiremind Cargo will focus their efforts on intelligently digitalising the air cargo industry. CargoTech also supports one of the four pillars of ECS Group’s new Augmented GSA concept, comprising Commercial, Technology, Sustainability, and New Abilities. Based in Paris, France, Cargo Digital Factory and Wiremind’s newly established dedicated cargo business unit will collaborate to digitalise as many air cargo processes as possible. Existing Cargo Digital Factory products such as its APOLLO BI & Reporting System, PATHFINDER Track & Trace solution, and QUANTUM pricing support system, and Wiremind Cargo’s shipment volume evaluation & flight planning system SKYPALLET, form the basis of CargoTech’s product portfolio. The two divisions will jointly innovate and design additional digital solutions to expand the standard product portfolio, as well as tailor individual products for all actors of the cargo supply chain: airlines, GHAs, GSAs, and freight forwarders. Cedric Millet, ECS Group Chief Strategy & Digital Officer, explains. “Under the CargoTech umbrella, we will enhance and develop digital products both for the benefit of our existing ECS Group customers, as well as for all other airlines in the world. Our solutions are modular, and customers can subscribe to one or several products as required.” “Our intensified collaboration with Cargo Digital Factory will enable us to deliver more quickly on our vision of becoming a leading provider of end-to-end software solutions to the air cargo market,” Nathanaël de Tarade, board member at Wiremind and CEO of Wiremind Cargo, says. “Not …

With the opening of a new logistics center in Taulov, Denmark, DB Schenker is once again on the track for growth. The new facility operates with 87 gates over an area of 90,000 m2 and complies with the most stringent environmental and sustainability standards. Integrated into DB Schenker’s European network, the site connects 430 land transport locations in Europe with a state-of-the-art system that is designed to accommodate the growing demand for cross-border shipments. From here, all kind of goods are delivered to more than 38 European countries every day. All distribution trucks run on HVO 100 Biodiesel, a 100% biofuel that reduces CO2 emissions by at least 90% and NOx-emissions by approximately 30%. “It’s a big milestone for us to participate in the expansion of our DB Schenker network in Europe,” says Henrik Dam Larsen, DB Schenker CEO in Denmark. “With this important step, DB Schenker has created capacity for growth in the key distribution sector and is thus now ready to develop other aspects of the business exponentially. We are starting an exciting journey this year, with a new logistics center and more new services, and we are also welcoming new customers and colleagues.”

In view of the rising COVID concerns, Messe Muenchen India, the organizers of air cargo INDIA have announced the postponement of the biennial trade show and conference for the air cargo fraternity. The new dates for the much-awaited industry event are May 31 – June 2, 2022 and will be held at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. This decision was taken by Messe Muenchen India owing to the current COVID restrictions and was made in close consultation with all the exhibitors, sponsors, industry associations and partners. “We would like to thank all partners for their continued support & cooperation in making this difficult and time sensitive decision. We are pleased that together we could have a general consensus and arrive at the new dates without affecting the plans of all involved and intended outcomes.” said Bhupinder Singh, CEO, Messe Muenchen India Pvt. Ltd. “TIACA supports the decision of Air Cargo India to postpone until May considering the current situation in India and we look forward to participating fully at that time with many international delegates. We also look forward to welcoming delegates to the joint TIACA / Messe München event in San Francisco, scheduled for the end of March.” said Glyn Hughes, Director General, TIACA With the 2022 edition of air cargo INDIA, the focus is on future trends, sustainability, latest innovations in the air cargo industry.

On the back of rising customer demand for green transportation and technical cap, the container shipping giant A.P Moller Maersk prepone decarbonization plans by a decade. The company now plans to achieve net zero-emission in its’ business by 2040. With the sea responsible for transporting about 90% of world commerce, global shipping accounts for 3% of the world’s CO2 emissions, and the sector is underneath rising scrutiny to become greener and cleaner. “When we set the target back in 2018, it was truly a moon-shot target, where truth be told we didn’t have a lot of very specific plans,” said Henriette Hallberg Thygesen, Chief Executive of Fleet and Strategic Brands, Maersk. But since then, several technological advances on the vessel aspect in tandem with growing demand for carbon-neutral supply chains from large corporates such as Amazon and IKEA have been observed. Maersk set a 2030 interim target for a 50% reduction in emissions per transported container, and a 70% cut in absolute emissions from fully controlled terminals.

Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services, has launched a new feature that enables customers to make online reservations for their cargo. The platform enables customers check flight schedules, space availability, loadability of freight and make real-time booking of their shipment in single and convenient way on cargobooking.ethiopianairlines.com. Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services is rolling out the online booking subsequent to its introduction of the mobile application to heighten its customer’s experience. The Mobile App which is available for Android and IOS, brings convenience to customers with a real-time update through a range of self-service features. On the Mobile App, customers can check flight schedule, submit enquiry, receive notifications when the shipment is ready, book charter flights and track shipments. Ethiopian Airlines GCEO, Tewolde GebreMariam, said “We are pleased to offer our customers with convenience in their experience of air cargo booking. We are committed to start walking the long walk of taking out paper from entire air cargo process by digitalizing the logistics value chain. Taking out paper from logistics value chain is not only convenient and hassle free service for customers but also it delivers more efficient operational excellence and achieves long term sustainability goals. Our online booking platform will be crucial in empowering direct cargo customers and forwarders with reliable access to our cargo capacity inventory. Besides, our cargo division has proved to the world that it is a genuine partner in times of dire need by delivering lifesaving PPE’s (personal Protective Equipment) and hundreds of millions various vaccines to all major continents of the world.” Ethiopian provides its customers with fully automated cargo service using the latest technologies for data, information and market intelligence with 100% e-AWB from …

Supply chain visibility platform project44 received an investment totaling $420 million from a syndicate led by Thoma Bravo, TPG and Goldman Sachs Asset Management. project44 had raised $202 million equity in May 2021 (at an approximate valuation of $1.2 billion), and has an annual run rate of $100+ million, 1,000+ team members, 1,000+ customers, and 1+ billion packages tracked annually. “Today, project44 is helping companies solve supply chain challenges ranging from inflationary pressure and lockdowns to unpredictable weather and bottlenecks at ports,” says Jett McCandless, Founder & CEO, project44. “Our growth over the past year speaks to these macroeconomic tailwinds and the competitive edge we can provide to our customers. With ongoing support from our investors, we can offer even more value to our customers and solidify our position as the global network that powers the future of the supply chain.”

IT hardware firm Lenovo has signed up to use the “carbon neutral” freighter service offered by DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo. The tie up will see the computer company transport cargo, including include laptops, notebooks, and PCs, on Lufthansa Cargo’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) powered B777 freighter flight between Shanghai and Frankfurt. The partners have calculated that by using the flights, Lenovo will save around 20 tons of conventional kerosene per flight and, thus, 62 tons of greenhouse gases weekly. In addition, the around 16 tons CO2 resulting from the production and transport of the SAF are offset by compensatory measures. Ashwin Bhat, chief commercial officer, Lufthansa Cargo, said: “Our joint effort with DB Schenker to avoid CO2 emissions is continuously growing stronger. An increasing number of customers realise that we need to work together across industries to achieve our shared goal.” Gareth Davies, head of global logistics at Lenovo, added: “Sustainability is critical to our business and mission of delivering smarter technology for all. We are proud that we are further enhancing our solutions through this collaboration with DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo.”

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global air cargo markets showing slower growth in November 2021. Supply chain disruptions and capacity constraints impacted demand, despite economic conditions remaining favorable for the sector. As comparisons between 2021 and 2020 monthly results are distorted by the extraordinary impact of COVID-19, unless otherwise noted, all comparisons below are to November 2019 which followed a normal demand pattern. • Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs*), was up 3.7% compared to November 2019 (4.2% for international operations). This was significantly lower than the 8.2% growth seen in October 2021 (9.2% for international operations) and in previous months. * Capacity was 7.6% below November 2019 (-7.9% for international operations). This was relatively unchanged from October. Capacity remains constrained with bottlenecks at key hubs. • Economic conditions continue to support air cargo growth, however supply chain disruptions are slowing growth. “Air cargo growth was halved in November compared to October because of supply chain disruptions. All economic indicators pointed towards continued strong demand, but the pressures of labor shortages and constraints across the logistics system unexpectedly resulted in lost growth opportunities. Manufacturers, for example, were unable to get vital goods to where they were needed, including PPE. Governments must act quickly to relieve pressure on global supply chains before it permanently dents the shape of the economic recovery from COVID-19,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.