Customers of Lufthansa Cargo will now benefit from an optimised booking process on the cargo.one platform: Shippers can now have the air waybill number required for booking assigned to them digitally and fully automatically. This eliminates the need for time-consuming manual management of air waybill inventories and numbers. Lufthansa Cargo is the exclusive launch partner for this new, digital and free feature at cargo.one, which is available for all Lufthansa Cargo capacities that can be booked there. The air cargo airline plans to offer automated air waybill number assignment for customer bookings on its own website in the second quarter as well. “We are pleased that we will be able to offer our customers a more efficient booking process and an improved customer experience in the future,” said Ashwin Bhat, Chief Commercial Officer at Lufthansa Cargo. “The fact that we are the first airfreight airline to jointly launch the process of automated air waybill number assignment with cargo.one shows once again that Lufthansa Cargo is playing a pioneering role in the digitalization of the entire industry. “Excellent customer orientation and modern digital distribution are our top priorities.” As of today, forwarders who use cargo.one to book shipments with Lufthansa Cargo can book immediately without having to enter a valid AWB number first. Using a “Book now” button, the customer selects any Lufthansa Cargo offer and is then assigned a valid AWB number with the booking confirmation. The advantages of automated AWB assignment are obvious: the booking process runs much faster, is less error-prone, and much more user-friendly. However, customers who still wish to enter an AWB number manually can continue to do so. In addition, Lufthansa Cargo is working on …

The French Minister for Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, visited Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) on Sunday to discuss and strengthen Indo-French relations and sustainable solutions for land, air, and sea transport. The French Minister also discussed the contribution of French companies in developing Indian ports and logistics value chains, along with the execution of the joint master plan on the blue economy, with Shri Unmesh Shard Wagh, IRS, Dy. Chairman, JNPA. While interacting with the French minister and delegates, Wagh said, “JNPA promotes and emphasises sustainable solutions and land and sea transport systems, enabling meaningful participation in social and economic activities. JNPA provides multi-modal facilities and several projects that enable ease of operation and give the finest experience to our customers and stakeholders.” Speaking about Indo-French relations, he added, “India and France are interested in progressive advancement in the maritime domain and port sector and are also both enthusiastic trading partners.” An exclusive presentation of projects at JNPA was also showcased at the event, followed by a port visit. The French minister appreciated JNPA’s green port initiatives and the steps taken towards sustainable development.

EV Cargo has acquired Netherlands-headquartered Fast Forward Freight in a move that will more than double the firm’s annual airfreight volumes, says the release. The company, owned by Hong Kong-based private equity firm EmergeVest, said that the acquisition is part of its previously announced corporate strategy to expand its worldwide footprint and grow its freight forwarding and supply chain services business. As part of the transaction, EV Cargo has become the sole shareholder of Fast Forward Freight (and its trading subsidiaries), with the current owners of Fast Forward Freight becoming shareholders of EV Cargo. The deal adds more than $170m of revenue to EV Cargo, resulting in pro forma combined revenue of approximately $1.7bn, and grows EV Cargo’s employees to more than 2,600 globally, tripling its European workforce to more than 400 people. In terms of airfreight, the move will more than double EV Cargo’s volumes to over 100,000 tonnes. In terms of locations, EV Cargo will “significantly” increase its presence in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, and UK, as well as expand into Greece and Switzerland. Fast Forward Freight will be rebranded as EV Cargo and operations will merge. Heath Zarin, Founder and Chief Executive of EV Cargo, said in a statement, “Fast Forward Freight shares our commitment to providing innovative technology-enabled solutions and has a strong history of providing supply chain control towers to its customer base of world-leading brands. This transaction helps us grow the EV Cargo global network by adding excellent colleagues, capabilities, and customers.” Fast Forward Freight founder and chief executive, Marc Terpstra, added, “EV Cargo is focused on providing an innovative technology platform, blending proprietary and industry leading technology based on a deep understanding …

Alaska Air Cargo is all set to expand with the addition of two Boeing 737-800 aircraft to its dedicated freighter fleet serving the state of Alaska. These additions increase the freighter fleet from three to five aircraft. “Fleet expansion positions our growing cargo business to meet increased demand that we see from industry and consumers,” said Adam Drouhard, Managing Director for Alaska Air Cargo, in an official statement. Air Cargo’s total freighter lift capacity will be essentially doubled with the introduction of the -800 aircraft. “We look forward to getting these -800s into service to support Alaska’s supply chain and connect cargo to over 100 cities we serve across North America,” he added. The two 737-800 converted aircraft will come from Alaska Airlines’ existing passenger fleet. Beginning this year, the planes will be converted from their passenger configuration to all-freight aircraft. They’re projected to re-enter service as freighters in 2023. The -800 aircraft provides a 40% capacity increase per departure over the current -700 aircraft, with a payload of nearly 50,000 pounds. With a range of 2,800 nautical miles, the -800 will be the most fuel-efficient aircraft to serve intra-Alaska. “Alaskans have always relied on Alaska Air Cargo to provide time-sensitive services to their communities,” said Marilyn Romano, Regional Vice President, Alaska Airlines. “Whether it is vaccines, medicine, household supplies or fresh food, our freighters keep rural Alaska supplied and connected. “With service to 20 communities across Alaska and only three accessible by road, adding new aircraft to the current freighter fleet allows expansion of our vital services to all Alaskans. “The additional freighter capacity also allows us to quickly move seafood and other commodities from Alaska to points throughout …

The global integrated logistics service provider, cargo-partner, plans to expand its network across Western India by opening a new office in Pune. The logistics giant opened its offices in Vadodara and Indore in the last quarter of 2021. This takes cargo-partner’s total network strength to a total of 14 offices across India. While the company has now been present for over 15 years in the Indian market, the management believes that today’s logistics landscape requires a more decentralised approach as the cargo-partner needs to be where the customers need the company to be. “We take it personally. We intend to move closer to our customers and become faster in implementing our solutions. This is important in these challenging times with freight rates continuously rising and space in carriers coming at a premium,” said Rajesh Mallah, Regional Head – West, in an official statement. cargo-partner has dedicated a budget of more than a million EUR specifically to invest in and grow its presence in the Indian market. A sizeable share will be invested in creating new jobs and further developing the teams. cargo-partner plans to grow its workforce by an additional 50%, inviting skilled talent that wants to be part of the tech-driven vision. cargo-partner’s expansion plans are driven by the management’s confidence in providing excellent services to both existing and new customers whose demand is constantly growing. In line with the company’s vision of digitalisation and being future-ready to cater to our customers’ needs, cargo-partner is currently in transition to revamp and upgrade its systems across operations, sales, and human resources. cargo-partner with around 4 decades of experience in specialised warehousing services, has been at the forefront of delivering customised …

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed by the UAE and India to simplify customs procedures, reduce logistics costs, and open new opportunities for professional services, will be operational within one month, said officials at the third edition of LOGIX India, in Dubai. The three-day-long logistics conference, organised by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), was supported by the UAE’s Federation of Freight Forwarders Association in India (FFFAI) and NAFL. Nadia Abdul Aziz, President of the UAE’s NAFL, said CEPA will boost the UAE’s logistics sector, which contributes more than 14% of Dubai’s GDP. “With CEPA in place, Indian products can penetrate the UAE market through which they can enter the GCC, Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Africa and beyond,” said Nadia. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between NAFL and FFFAI. The MoU includes the mutual understanding and cooperation of the two federations of freight forwarders, the exchange of knowledge and technology, and the exchange of students for internships. “The MoU provides for trade support, empowerment of women and youth, skill development and training, and the exchange of students,” said Nadia. Earlier, His Excellency Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director General of Dubai Customs and CEO of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, stated that the CEPA will pave the way for a new era of joint economic growth and prosperity in the two countries, improve mutual access to markets, enhance economic and investment opportunities, and pave the way for broader prospects.

Deutsche Post DHL Group closes the acquisition of J.F. Hillebrand Group AG (Hillebrand) and its subsidiaries at an equity value of €1.5 billion. After obtaining all necessary regulatory approvals from the required antitrust authorities, the takeover has been consummated. The companies had already signed the purchase agreement in August 2021. Accordingly, Hillebrand now belongs 100 percent to the DHL division Global Forwarding, Freight. “Hillebrand’s expertise in the logistics of beverages, beer, wine, and spirits is an excellent addition to our portfolio. In line with our Group Strategy 2025, we can further strengthen the core of our logistics and benefit our shareholders with profitable, long-term growth”, says Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL Group. “This bolt-on acquisition is a great opportunity for us to add a number of services to our high-quality ocean freight service portfolio, which will strengthen earnings and longstanding client relationships from the start.” Hillebrand is now part of DHL Global Forwarding, Freight under the leadership of Tim Scharwath, who will also head the combined businesses of Hillebrand and Gori as its CEO. Cees van Gent, who has successfully managed Hillebrand since 2017, has decided to step down as its CEO and Chairman of the Board and will leave the group. Hillebrand and Gori will work closely together, leveraging synergies from the extensive experience of both providers, especially in the logistics of beverages, beer, wine, and spirits. Gori, the wine and spirits sector specialist, has already been part of DHL Global Forwarding, Freight since 1998. The integrated business will operate under the new brand name “Hillebrand Gori – a DHL company”. The successful closing of the transaction will strengthen the group’s position in the dynamic ocean freight …

Ascendas Property Fund Trustee Pte. Limited., the Trustee-Manager of Ascendas India Trust (“a-iTrust”), is pleased to announce that it has entered into definitive agreements for the proposed acquisition of all of the issued share capital of Anomalous Infra Private Limited, which owns a 0.33 million square feet warehouse at the Arshiya Free Trade Warehousing Zone, Panvel, Navi Mumbai. This is a recently constructed operational warehouse and is being acquired from the Arshiya Group (“Vendor”) as part of the forward purchase agreement executed in July 2019. a-iTrust acquired six operating warehouses from the vendor with a total leasable area of 0.83 million square feet in February 2018. Like these six warehouses, the seventh warehouse will also be leased and operated by a subsidiary of the vendor for a period of six years. The acquisition of this warehouse is expected to be completed shortly. The gross acquisition consideration for this seventh warehouse is approximately Rs 2.15 billion (US $38.7 million). It comprises an upfront payment of INR1.94 billion (US $34.9 million) and additional deferred consideration of up to INR0.21 billion (S$3.8 million) to be paid over the next four years, upon achievement of certain performance milestones. Sanjeev Dasgupta, Chief Executive Officer of the Trustee-Manager, said, “The acquisition enables a-iTrust to further expand its presence in the logistics sector. Given the unique benefits offered by the FTWZ logistics segment, we are seeing growing demand in this space, and this acquisition puts us in a good position to capitalise on this growth.”

Commenting on India reaching a new milestone of US $400 billion in merchandise exports in the current financial year, Dr. A Sakthivel, President, FIEO, said that it is entirely due to the vision and belief of the Hon’ble Prime Minister and his address to exporters on August 6, 2021, which galvanised the entire exporting community and made them realise that such a stupendous target is achievable. The ecosystem provided by the government through various supportive measures contributed in no small measure. What is remarkable about this year’s exports is the growth exhibited across sectors by both the employment-intensive and sunrise sectors. These figures also reflect that exports have become more inclusive with the participation of craftsmen, artisans, farmers, fishermen, women entrepreneurs, and small businesses, added Dr. Sakthivel. We are also grateful to the Hon’ble Commerce & Industry Minister for constantly engaging with exporters and addressing challenges faced by them so that we remain on course. His 360-degree approach helped us to continue to export in a seamless manner, focussing on the target. The Hon’ble FM also helped through an infusion of liquidity through ECLGS and other schemes. Crossing US $400 billion is a remarkable achievement, particularly as we will be adding over US $110 billion in one year to get here, despite huge logistics challenges including container shortages, sky rocketing freight and liquidity constraints, observed President FIEO. Services exports will add another US $40-45 billion to the US economy this year. Over 50 per cent of the incremental growth in GDP this fiscal year will be contributed by the export sector. Exports are now set to transform the Indian economy. What is more important is to build on it as we …

The Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India (FFFAI) and the National Association of Freight & Logistics (NAFL) based in Dubai, UAE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the objective of the recording and forming the basis of understanding between the said associations to strengthen, promote, and develop co-operation on the basis of equality and mutual benefits. The agreement was formally signed by Shankar Shinde, Chairman, FFFAI, and Nadia Abdul Aziz, President, NAFL. As per the MoU, key areas of work jointly by FFFAI and NAFL are as follows: a) Trade Support, b) Technology Exchange, c) Women’s Participation, d) Youth Promotion, e) Member Support Safety, f) Skill Development and Training, g) Business Opportunities, and h) Any other areas of cooperation. The cooperation would also extend to identifying and recommending members to securely do business and safeguarding/protecting them by providing services and support pertaining to payment reliability. “In view of the fact that there is a trend of increasing trade between India and the UAE and Dubai being one of the strategic hubs of logistics operations, the MoU is very significant. Both FFFAI and NAFL are playing catalysing roles in trade facilitation in their respective countries, i.e., India and UAE. The MoU would further explore new areas for win-win benefits for the members of both the associations in terms of business expansion and enhancement of skills,” shared Shinde. With the recent signing of the India-UAE FTA, the trade between India and the UAE is expected to touch USD 100 billion in the next 5 years, with most Indian items now duty-free in the UAE. FFFAI is the apex body and the sole representative of 28 member associations from all over …