Bolloré Transport & Logistics Côte d’Ivoire successfully completed the runway pick-up, customs clearance and delivery of over 500,000 vaccine doses and syringes, as part of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign in Côte d’Ivoire, on 26 February 2021. Mandated by UNICEF, the Bolloré Transport & Logistics teams rolled out logistics solutions right from the landing of the plane at the international airport of Abidjan. The 28 parcels of AstraZeneca vaccines, weighing 1.8 tons, and the 25 parcels of syringes, weighing 3.8 tons, were then transported and delivered to the customer in full respect of the cold chain. In addition, the company has donated a mobile dispensary for tests as well as equipment to supplement the capacities of the National Public Health Institute and Institut Pasteur. The company has also distributed gel, masks and provisions to the population. “Thanks to our 1,500 Ivorian employees, we are pleased to have contributed to the provision of the first Covid-19 vaccines to our populations. We are working hand in hand with the Côte d’Ivoire authorities and UNICEF to support health-promoting operations in the country through our know-how,” said Joël Hounsinou, Managing Director of Bolloré Transport & Logistics Côte d’Ivoire.

Qatar Airways Cargo has surpassed a milestone with 10 million COVID-19 vaccines transported, including COVID-19 vaccines for UNICEF as part of the five-year MoU to support UNICEF’s Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative. The airline has played a significant role throughout the pandemic and is committed to helping people and giving back to communities, in alignment with its sustainability programme. Since December 2020, Qatar Airways Cargo has transported COVID-19 vaccines to 20 countries all over the world including Algeria, Cambodia, Denmark, Pakistan Rwanda, South Africa, the Netherlands, to name a few. Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo, Qatar Airwys, said, “I am both, proud and humbled to support the vaccines distribution and helping UNICEF to reach the maximum number of people, everywhere. We remain committed and resilient in the fight against the pandemic and together with our partners, we will ensure the safe, timely and efficient transportation of these life-saving supplies.” Qatar Airways Cargo, the freight division of Qatar Airways has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UNICEF for a five-year period to support UNICEF’s Humanitarian Airfreight Initiative. Qatar Airways Cargo will work closely with UNICEF and its freight forwarders to prioritise the transport of vaccines, medicines, medical devices and critical supplies utilising its extensive global network and capacity. Through its QR Pharma product, the ir cargo carrier offers controlled cool chain and dedicated monitoring, intervention and servicing as well as proactive re-icing at its Doha hub. With these significant investments, the cargo carrier confirms its strategy and commitment to supporting the logistics around the global COVID-19 vaccination endeavour. The transportation of vaccines will continue in the coming months to more countries around the world via the carrier’s scheduled and charter flights and …

Considering the airport’s potential for handling cargo flights, the Airport Authority of India has put forward plans for domestic cargo operations at Tirupati Airport. A full-fledged cargo terminal is all set for commissioning. Accordingly, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security recently gave clearance to the airport for cargo service operations. The airport is directly connected to various destinations. Starting air cargo services from here would result in a passenger traffic rise and provide an impetus to the airlifting of perishable goods. This will boost the earnings of the farming community in Chittoor district and ensure timely and efficient transport of their produce to other parts of the country, the official said. “Tirupati is fast developing into a base for export of many products. There’s scope to tap the agri sector in Chittoor and neighbouring districts from which perishable goods could be airlifted to other cities. This will benefit the catchment areas of Chittoor, Nellore, Kurnool and Kadapa districts of the Rayalaseema region,” noted the airport director.

Budapest Airport has introduced the CEIV Pharma pharmaceutical logistics standard in Hungary with the professional guidelines of IATA. The past year has highlighted more strongly than ever that the pharmaceutical healthcare sector relies heavily on the air freight industry. Not only during a pandemic, but in all circumstances, it is important that healthcare shipments reach the consignee as quickly as possible, under strictly regulated conditions, while maintaining their quality. Budapest Airport, led by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), is introducing a quality assurance system covering all phases of pharmaceutical transport in Hungary. Launched in conjunction with shipping, hauling and ground handling companies, the project aims to ensure that healthcare shipments reach their destination quickly and safely under strictly controlled conditions, ensuring quality throughout the delivery process. Partners of Budapest Airport for the CEIV Pharma quality assurance system in Hungary are Agility, Airmax Cargo, cargo-partner, Prevost and airport ground handling companies Celebi and Menzies also joined. In this context, the regulations also cover the development of companies’ facilities, tools and processes and the further training of employees; thus, every step of the drug logistics process can be carried out under controlled conditions. “Over the past year, healthcare shipments, medical aids and medicines have received worldwide attention. However, pharmaceutical logistics is not only of paramount importance during a pandemic; That is why we have decided to guarantee that, in the long term, medicines will arrive where they are needed in the future, even faster and safer than before, as part of a new quality assurance program, ”said Dr. Rolf Schnitzler, CEO of Budapest Airport. He emphasized: “Such a large-scale project can only be implemented through cooperation, therefore on behalf of Budapest …

CargoAi is launching a Board of Advisors formed of talented experts who represent the diverse views and perspectives of the airfreight industry. This advisory body is tasked with reflecting on the industry’s digital transformation and actively steering CargoAi in developing value-added solutions for the cargo community. The Board will meet quarterly, with the first remote meeting taking place in April. The Board of Advisors is currently formed of four members, who will soon be joined by other experts. The current members are: Markus Flacke – Reknown industry expert, former Managing Director of CHAMP Cargosystems Liana Coyne – Director at Coyne Airways Cyril Dumon – CEO Asia-Pacific at Bollore Logistics Ricardo Pilon – Chief Cargo Transformation Officer at Millennium Aviation & Vice-President, Consulting Solutions at Aviation Strategies International “CargoAi is one of the most visionary and innovative companies in the market. The team has a clear understanding of cargo, and ambitions to connect a variety of actors to more than just an e-booking platform, but one that provides actionable information and intelligence,” explained Liana Coyne. Pilon said, “With a diverse and dynamic team, I am excited to see how inclusive the CargoAi team is and how this focus on people and relationships will help further cement sustainable growth in cargo transportation and logistics, underpinned by planned offerings, future-wise services and incremental propositions around market access and commercial optimization.” “Helping to reflect on and model the future of air cargo through digital is a really exciting project, and that’s why I agreed to join the CargoAi Board of Advisors. We’re at a crossroads – at the beginning of an unprecedented transformation in air cargo’s processes,” explained Dumon. “The team is incredible – …

Ecom Express has received additional funding from CDC Group. CDC Group, the UK Government’s development finance institution and impact investor in South Asia and Africa has announced that it has closed a US$ 20 million investment round in Ecom Express. This will be CDC’s second round of investment in Ecom Express after its initial investment in December 2019. CDC’s latest commitment will support Ecom Express in advancing the company’s sustainable development and impact agenda of enhancing skills and boosting job creation in the Indian hinterlands. With the high demands for jobs in India, the country needs to create 8.1 million jobs a year to maintain its employment rate. This investment supports India’s effort as it will enable Ecom Express to create 8,000 new jobs in addition to an initial target of 15,000 roles – prioritising employing women for jobs at delivery centres, fulfilment centres and warehouses across the nation. Additionally, Ecom Express will be utilising the equity infusion by CDC Group investments for strategic initiatives such as growth driven capital expenditure, working capital requirements, new business initiatives, expansions, and potential strategic acquisitions/partnerships. Srini Nagarajan, Managing Director and Head of Asia at CDC, said, “Ecom Express is playing a vital role in enabling e-commerce growth and expanding product reach across India. CDC’s additional investment in the company reflects our support for the company’s pan-India expansion, and a commitment to channelling our patient capital toward a business that aligns with our development, impact, and sustainability goals. Moreover, we are delighted that this investment will further enhance efforts India is making to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals of achieving gender equality and empowerment, and promoting sustainable growth and decent work for all.’’ …

ESR has announced that it will develop industrial and logistics facility at Chakan near Pune. Spread over 38 acre, this facility will serve as the hub for light manufacturing and logistics operations in the western region of the country. It will be surrounded by some of the largest auto manufacturing industries of the country. Chakan is known as the ‘industrial hub of India’ and is one of the most prominent industrial clusters for engineering, automobile, electronics, FMCG and logistics corporations. This park is ESR”s second development in Chakan. As of 30 June 2020, the fair value of the properties directly held by ESR and the assets under management with respect to the funds and investment vehicles managed by ESR recorded about US$ 26.5 billion. ESR has been listed on the main board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong since November 2019.

project44 has announced that it has acquired Ocean Insights to expand its ocean solution by adding the broadest container tracking capabilities in the market, as well as one-of-a-kind sailing schedule and ocean analytics products; terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Combining Ocean Insights’ tracking and analytics with the project44 platform and ecosystem establishes project44 as the clear market leader with an unrivaled set of multi-modal solutions for end-to-end supply chain visibility. Surging global trade since the outset of the pandemic has resulted in massive disruptions in the global supply chain. Since March 2020, freight rates increased by as much as 174 per cent due to the increased global demand for electronics, PPE goods and stay-at-home consumer products. At the same time, COVID-19 and other restrictions have caused significant port congestions, and rollover percentages have never been higher. To meet these global challenges and build resilience, supply chain leaders are adopting global freight visibility and digitalisation. Headquartered in Germany and founded in 2012, Ocean Insights pioneered ocean freight visibility by combining carrier data, live vessel tracking and sailing schedule data in one data-rich platform. Tracking 350,000 containers daily, Ocean Insights provides track and trace functionality across the vast majority of shipping lines, 700 seaports, and more than 5,000 vessels as well as handling over five million sailing schedule changes per day. “Ocean freight is a linchpin for global supply chains. For organisations shipping internationally, the lack of ocean visibility can start a costly domino effect throughout the supply chain,” said Jett McCandless, Founder and CEO of project44. “Ocean Insights has dominated the container tracking space and we look forward to providing the industry not only the best ocean capabilities, but …

“Indian warehousing is going through a transformation,” says, Sandeep Chadha, Partner & Managing Director of Pragati Warehouster. He continues, “With close to 90 per cent of warehousing falling in unorganised category, there are opportunities galore. There is an unprecedented demand for superior Grade-A warehouses from across the industries led by e-commerce. With the onslaught of technology, and favourable tax regime, opportunities are there to scale the operations on a multi-location basis and provide state-of-the-art and globally compliant warehouses. The new normal essentially is incorporating the latest developments. For example, warehouse labour shortages have long been a thorn in global supply chains, but a new web application developed for innovative organisations could soon change that. A host of issues may force warehouse operations to slow down or grind to a halt, but perhaps the most disruptive of all is dealing with a shortage of warehouse employees.” “In times of higher demand, this creates logjams that are tough to break, much less recover from. For businesses, that means both time and resources are wasted. With their first-hand insights into the intricacies of warehousing logistics, we plan a four-member team set out to put an end to this age-old industry problem. Our warehouse operations personnel can easily facilitate the sharing of manpower among the company’s facilities where there are surges in demand. Today logistics cost in India accounts for 13-14 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is nearly double (7-9 per cent) the logistics cost to GDP ratio in developed countries such as the US, Hong Kong and France. So, there is an opportunity for incumbents to play a decisive role in bringing down the cost with the judicious use …

dnata has handled more than 5,000 cargo-in-cabin flights, safely moving over 50,000 tons of shipments at Dubai International airport (DXB), since March last year. In response to the strong air cargo market demand for the rapid, reliable and efficient transportation of essential commodities, several airlines have introduced additional cargo capacity during the pandemic by using passenger aircraft with seats fully or partially removed from the cabin. To adapt to changing customer needs, dnata has enhanced services, improved processes and trained more than 500 employees to safely and efficiently handle passenger planes carrying cargo only. dnata has introduced effective procedures across a range of aircraft types. With no existing industry standards to refer to, the company built the necessary procedures from scratch in collaboration with key stakeholders, including IATA and several airline customers. To ensure the procedures were safe, trials were conducted at DXB using various loading and unloading methods across both narrow and wide-body aircraft. This allowed dnata to identify the best and safest procedures to serve cargo-in-cabin flights. Paul Littlejohn, dnata’s Divisional Vice President for Airside Operations, said, “We are proud to reach this memorable milestone in such a short space of time. There was intense demand for airlines to recoup revenue through cargo-in-cabin operations and we needed to be in a position to provide safe and effective ground handling services quickly. Our teams delivered innovative, efficient solutions at great speed while never letting our safety standards drop. “We continue to work hard to consistently provide the highest level of service and safety to all of our airline customers, every day.” Although passenger flights have been significantly reduced globally during the pandemic, air cargo demand has remained stable and …