Category Archives: International

Qatar Airways has ordered up to 50 Boeing 777-8 freighters as the airframer adds a new model to cater for growing cargo demand. The Middle East-based airline ordered 34 of the aircraft with options for a further 16 in a deal that is valued at more than $20bn based on list prices. It is the largest freighter commitment in Boeing’s history by value. Boeing said the B777-8F, which will be part of the B777X family, offers a maximum structural payload of 118 tonnes and a range of 8,167 km. The first delivery is expected in 2027. “With payload capacity nearly identical to the B747-400 Freighter and a 25% improvement in fuel efficiency, emissions and operating costs, the B777-8 Freighter will enable a more sustainable and profitable business for operators,” Boeing said. Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: “Boeing has a long history of building market-leading freighter aircraft and Qatar Airways is honored to have the opportunity to be the launch customer for the 777-8 Freighter, an aircraft which will not only allow us to further enhance our product offering for our customers, but also help us meet our objectives to deliver a sustainable future for our business. Today marks a great day in the ever-building and strong relationship between Qatar Airways and Boeing. We certainly push Boeing hard to deliver upon our expectations, and the team at Boeing consistently strives to meet and exceed our expectations, giving the opportunity for us to be here today to launch the most significant new freighter aircraft for a generation.”

Ground handler dnata will invest over €200m investment in a fully automated cargo centre at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). The 61,000 sq m dnata Cargo City Amsterdam facility, located at Schiphol South-East, will be capable of processing over 850,000 tonnes of cargo annually. Scheduled to become operational in 2024, the facility will handle all types of cargo, including perishables, pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods, mail, live animals, aircraft engines and vehicles. dnata Cargo City Amsterdam will be developed by Schiphol Commercial Real Estate and equipped by Lödige Industries The cargo centre will be fitted with two separate automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), using technology from Lödige Industries, for import and export with twelve stacker cranes. A total of up to 2,500 pallets will be stored here. In addition, separate storage for ULDs will be serviced by four elevating transport vehicles (ETV). dnata will also make use of seven intelligent automated guided vehicles (AGV) from Lödige Industries to enable flexible and scalable ULD transport within the terminal. Smart gates will automatically record the volume and weight of all incoming consignments by scanning them in 3D, thus significantly speeding up handling and improving the quality of service. All elements will be integrated into a warehouse management system to enable dnata to further grow its operations and service at AMS.

A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) is strengthening its operations in Bangladesh, where it has served the country’s exporters connect to the global market for almost three decades. Bangladesh has been one of the most important sourcing markets for the garments and apparel industry worldwide. The garment manufacturers exporting to global markets have significantly contributed towards building the country’s economy. Despite the impressive growth of garments’ exports from Bangladesh, the number of warehouses in Chattogram have not increased since 2012 with the sole exception of ISATL that became operational in 2018. Optimizing utilization of available capacity assisted to an extent, however it did not scale enough to meet the trade’s requirements. The logistics ecosystem and the Chittagong Port get stretched, particularly during the peak seasons. In 2021, a fallout of this structural challenge was felt by all the stakeholders involved in import-export trade when the Container Freight Stations (CFS) got clogged with cargo resulting in delayed clearance, stuffing and consequently dispatch of containers to the port. Delay in offloading cargo also led to longer truck waiting time, and delay in despatch of containers to the port, consequently resulting in lack of overall productivity. These challenges have serious consequences on the overall economy of the country given the fact that the Chittagong Port handles in excess of 90% of the total containerized trade to and from Bangladesh. Recognizing these challenges, Maersk Bangladesh has partnered with ISATL to build a 200,000 sq. ft custom bonded warehouse. ISATL are pioneers in constructing and operating warehouses and CFS and operate four CFS within Chattogram and the River Terminal at Dhaka. Under the scope of this partnership, ISATL will construct a brand new custom bonded warehouse …

Geodis has awarded Menzies Aviation a cargo handling contract for its volumes at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The five-year contract includes cargo handling for the import and export of goods on the forwarder’s Amsterdam flights, operating five times a week. A team of over 20 Menzies Aviation professionals will provide these services to the carrier. Menzies already provides ramp transport services for intact ULDs to GEODIS at the airport. Miguel Gomez Sjunnesson, executive vice president Europe, Menzies Aviation, said: “We are delighted to provide cargo handling services to Geodis at Amsterdam, which is a strategic cargo hub for the carrier. This contract win signifies the high standard and secure service our team has already delivered to Geodis on the ramp. We’re looking forward to building a successful partnership with Geodis over the years to come.”

Etihad Cargo has been awarded IATA’s Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) for Live Animals. The UAE national carrier is the first airline in the Middle East and third globally to hold IATA’s CEIV Live Animals, CEIV Fresh, and CEIV Pharma certifications. The certification was awarded following an IATA-led assessment of Etihad Cargo’s dedicated LiveAnimals, for animal transportation, and SkyStables, for equine transportation, products, as well as its logistics’ audit checklist to ensure compliance with standards, requirements, and Live Animals Regulations (LAR). Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Sales & Cargo, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “The transportation of live animals requires specific conditions and the CEIV certification further underlines Etihad Cargo’s experience and committment to animal welfare and safe transportation. Etihad Cargo is proud to have secured certification for its LiveAnimals and SkyStables products. This recognition further endorses the industry-leading service we provide global customers.” The key benefits of CEIV Live Animals certification include improving animal welfare and safety through appropriate quality and risk management, and enhancing standardisation and professionalism in the handling and transportation of live animals in a multimodal environment. The certification also enforces compliance with the IATA LAR, elevating staff competency through efficient and robust training programmes, and enabling increased collaboration among stakeholders and certified trade lanes.

Environmental sustainability and decarbonisation in particular are central to Qatar Airways Cargo’s corporate strategy. In November 2021, it became the first cargo airline to join the IATA CO2NNECT platform and has since been working on developing a fully integrated carbon offsetting solution for its customers. The initial milestone was recently reached with the introduction of a cargo carbon emission calculator. Available under the eServices menu on the airline’s website: https://www.qrcargo.com/calculate-emissions, the calculator quickly determines the shipment’s total CO2 emissions in kilos or pounds, depending on customer preference. The user simply enters the shipment’s origin, destination, flight date, and weight to obtain the different flight options and their respective carbon emissions. “Following our joint Qatar Airways Cargo-IATA project pilot to launch a new voluntary carbon offsetting programme for air cargo shipments, Qatar Airways Cargo is now proud to unveil our Emission Calculator,” Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo of Qatar Airways Cargo, announces. “To improve a situation, it is important to establish the status quo. This calculation tool enables our customers to get a better overview their shipments’ carbon footprint with us. It is the first step in our plan to offer a complete offsetting capability as part of the CO2NNECT programme we have entered into with IATA.”

The CMA CGM Group,created history with the largest vessel to ever visit an Indian port. APL Raffles, a 17,000 TEU containership part of the CMA CGM Group’s fleet, made her first call at Adani – CMA Container Terminal in Mundra. APL RAFFLES is 398 meters long, 51 meters wide and boasts of 85,704 HP engine. The vessel arrived in Mundra from the Middle East Gulf for an ad hoc call. It will then proceed to Singapore before heading to China. Atit Mahajan, MD – CMA CGM India, said, “This is an important milestone for us, as India has been waiting to welcome large vessels and given the current boom in the global supply chain, the timing could not be better. This ad hoc call reaffirms our Group’s commitment to support and align with the growing market demand and needs of our customers. I would like to congratulate our operational teams for managing a vessel of this capacity with perfection and smoothness. I would also like to congratulate Adani Ports and our terminal partners Adani – CMA Container Terminal, for their efficient and capable infrastructure to complement this achievement.”

Atlas Air will expand its charter partnership with freight forwarder Flexport to add a third Boeing 747-400 freighter from September. This long-term charter agreement will broaden Flexport’s network of dedicated freighters to include service from Asia to Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA) and soon, Chicago (ORD). The additional freighter will increase Flexport’s dedicated airfreight capacity from Atlas Air by 50% and allow for “enhanced schedule flexibility” as new origins and destinations are added in 2022 and beyond. “We look forward to enhancing our long-term relationship with Flexport as we continue to support the growth and expansion of its network with dedicated freighters,” said Michael Steen, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, Atlas Air Worldwide. “Atlas Air is strategically positioned to serve Flexport with an unparalleled fleet of widebody freighters and our vast global footprint. Our team is pleased to deliver even more value to Flexport and its customers through the world-class service they can depend on from Atlas Air.” “We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Atlas Air Worldwide to bring additional capacity to Flexport clients amid a turbulent time in airfreight,” said Neel Jones Shah, executive vice president and global head of airfreight at Flexport.

Lufthansa Cargo’s handling operation at its Frankfurt hub has been “significantly” affected by Omicron infections amongst staff. “Loose freight via the Frankfurt hub from US & Canada and Europe (incl. Germany) that has not yet been delivered can unfortunately no longer be accepted by us and transported in a timely manner,” Lufthansa Cargo said. Around 15% of volumes handled at its Frankfurt facility will be affected by the embargo. However, direct deliveries as well as outbound deliveries in Frankfurt are still possible. Certain product groups may also continue to fly, this includes urgent freight (same day shipments), valuable freight, animals, organ donations, mail and temperature-controlled shipments. “Cargo that has already been accepted by us will be handled as soon as feasible,” Lufthansa Cargo added. The carrier also stressed that all shipments routed through its hubs in Munich, Vienna and Brussels are not affected and these facilities are operating normally. “Due to its high transmissibility, the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus continues to keep us on our toes and the infection figures have reached new record levels,” Lufthansa Cargo said.

Blue Dart Express Limited, declared its financial results for the quarter ended December 31st, 2021. The company posted ₹1,222 million profit after tax for the quarter ended December 31st, 2021 (previous year, profit after tax for the corresponding quarter was ₹938 million). Revenue from operations for the quarter ended December 31st, 2021 stood at ₹12,548 million with a growth of 21% over the same quarter from the previous year. EBITDA for the quarter is ₹ 2,117 million, a growth of 15% over the same quarter last year. EBITDA margin stood at 16.8%, Moreover, Blue Dart’s strong financial performance over the preceding quarters have paved the way for the Express Logistics Provider’s credit rating to be reviewed by the ICRA as well as India Ratings and Research to AA+. True to its promise of being an Investment of Choice, the company has also proposed to reward shareholders with an interim dividend of ₹25/- (Rupees Twenty Five) per share, which will be paid in February 2022.