Continental Carriers has received GDP Compliance Certification as per WHO guidelines after careful study of the pharmaceuticals requirements and implemented as per the needs of the customer. The company is now GDP certified for storage and distribution for COVID-19 vaccine and first temperature control truck (up to -20 degrees) will be in operation from January 20, 2021. The certification has enhanced company’s team of specialist to handle temperature controlled shipments in the range of 2 – 8 degrees and 15 – 25 degrees. With this certification, Continental Carriers is now ready to join hands with the pharmaceutical companies and government to support the lifesaving step ‘to & for’ the country.

Witnessing a growing demand for air cargo flights between Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong (HKG), Cathay Pacific has launched a new scheduled freighter service between Hong Kong and Riyadh (RUH). These new flights will meet the strong demand for shipments of e-commerce and other general cargo such as garments, providing their customers with reliable, efficient and direct air cargo services offering the high level of quality using its Boeing B747-400 ERF aircraft. Flights will operate once per week every Tuesday with a stopover in Dubai (DWC) on the return flight to Hong Kong, It has launched a number of scheduled and charter services recently to meet the air cargo needs of its customers. Earlier, on December 16, the airline launched a seasonal cargo service between Hong Kong and Hobart in Australia, providing an important airfreight lane for the export of fresh produce from Hobart to various parts of Asia via Hong Kong. Meanwhile in September last year, the airline launched a temporary service to Pittsburgh in the US to serve the seasonal upsurge in demand. In addition to operating a full freighter flight schedule, Cathay Pacific has also been operating thousands of pairs of cargo-only passenger flights, some with cargo loaded in the passenger cabins, and chartered hundreds of pairs of flights from its all-cargo subsidiary Air Hong Kong to provide additional air freight capacity.

Thermo King, by Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), has launched its expanded portfolio of cold chain solutions in India, which can keep vaccines at temperatures from a range of +25 degrees Celsius to as low as -70 degrees Celsius. The company’s advanced cold chain technologies will help address the unique challenges of COVID-19 vaccine distribution in India, whose large population is spread across vast and varied geographies, from densely populated cities to far-flung rural communities. “Safety and reliability of the cold chain is critical to meet the urgent need for everyone to have access to vaccines,” said Allen Ge, President, Trane Technologies in Asia Pacific, in adding, “Our recently launched SuperFreezers were initially developed to flash-freeze high-end seafood. Our teams quickly adapted and developed a good solution for COVID-19 vaccines transport, which require ultra-cold temperatures to prevent degradation. We’re proud to support this historic effort in India and around the world with our technologies and cold chain expertise.” COVID-19 vaccine distribution is expected to start in India in the coming weeks, following the central government’s announcement of guidelines for states and Union territories for distribution of vaccines once they become available. The first approved COVID-19 vaccines must be kept at deep-frozen temperatures down to -70 degrees Celsius, and will be shipped in dry ice. A container using dry ice may require re-icing if it sits for an extended length of time, such as during a long haul or on the airport tarmac, or if the contents are exposed to ambient temperatures during transfers. Thermo King’s refrigerated solutions can extend the life of dry ice or even eliminate the need for it. Now, Thermo King products are being used by transport companies …

Resulting faster delivery of goods and reduced freight costs, freight trains have started to attain top speed of above 90 km/h on newly inaugurated New Khurja- New Bhaupur section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the 351 km Khurja- New Bhaupur section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor on December 29, 2020. Meeting the objectives, the new section is witnessing seamless transportation of major freight commodities at a speed above 90 kmph on this newly inaugurated section. Till January 3, 2021, a total of 53 trains were operated. Of these trains, 32 trains ran between New Khurja and New Bhaupur (down direction) at the highest total speed of 83.70 km per hour. While in the up direction, between New Bhaupur and New Khurja, as many as 21 trains were operated at a maximum speed of 85.98 km per hour. After the commissioning of this new section, coal, jute, petroleum, container, iron & steel and other minerals are primary commodities moving towards NCR and Punjab & Haryana area whereas rice, wheat and food grain products from Punjab and Haryana area, fertilizer, steel, coal loadable empty wagons etc are moving towards eastern India. In the first phase, DFCCIL is constructing the Western DFC (1504 Route km) and Eastern DFC (1856 route km including PPP section of Sonnagar-Dankuni Section. The EDFC starting from Sahnewal near Ludhiana (Punjab) will pass through the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand to terminate at Dankuni in West Bengal. The Western Corridor connecting Dadri in Uttar Pradesh to Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT) in Mumbai will traverse through the states of UP, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra of WDFC & EDFC (excluding …

With an estimated cost of Rs 3,883.80 crore, the Union Cabinet has approved construction of multi-modal logistics and transport hub at Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also approved proposals of the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) for construction of various trunk infrastructure components for Krishnapatnam Industrial Area in Andhra Pradesh and Tumakuru Industrial Area in Karnataka at estimated costs of Rs 2,139.44 crore and Rs 1,701.81 crore, respectively. The multi-modal logistics hub project will be developed as a world-class facility that will provide efficient storage/transitioning of goods to/from the Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) and offer a one-stop destination to freight companies and customers, an official statement said. The facility will not only provide standard container handling activities but also provide various value-added services to reduce logistics cost with improved efficiency of operations, it added. Envisioned on the backbone of major transportation corridors like eastern and western dedicated freight corridors, expressways and national highways, proximity to ports, and airports, it said, the objective of industrial corridor programme is creation of greenfield industrial cities with sustainable ”plug and play”, ICT enabled utilities to facilitate manufacturing investments into the country by providing quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure to industries. The developed land parcels in these cities will be ready for immediate allotment for attracting investments into manufacturing, and positioning India as a strong player in the global value chain. It said these projects have been planned on the backbone of multi modal connectivity infrastructure. “Krishnapatnam Industrial Area in Andhra Pradesh and Tumakuru Industrial Area in Karnataka under the Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC) have been approved …

To offer the latest sustainable, advanced passive equipment, Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP Cargo) has signed a new airline lease agreement with pharma container manufacturer va-Q-tec. Va-Q-tec’s advanced passive containers can maintain various temperature ranges between -80 °C and +25 °C, set at the start of the journey, for up to 10 days, without any external power supply. Christel van Dael, Business Development Manager – Pharmaceutical Logistics, AFKLMP Cargo, said, “Offering va-Q-tec’s solutions is of great importance in view of the logistical challenges we face in transporting coronavirus vaccines worldwide. Together we can deliver vaccines to the world in a secure and sustainable manner.” Dr Joachim Kuhn, Chief Executive & Founder, va-Q-tec, added, “va-Q-tec pioneered advanced passive containers which use high-tech vacuum insulation and phase change materials. With our unique and patented technology, we ensure safe, cost-efficient and green shipments around the globe without an external power supply. Our containers save valuable energy, resources and CO2 due to their optimal temperature maintenance and lightweight properties. Due to this outstanding technology, we have proved that we are a very reliable partner for our clients even during this challenging time of the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, we are now proud to partner with Air France KLM Martinair Cargo Group and ready to solve any thermal logistic challenge.”

Ethiopian Airlines-DHL and African Electronic Trade Group have partnered to transport historical parcels in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The partnership is meant to invoke the start of trading of the AfCFTA market and the operations of the African e-commerce platform in the continent. The first batch of the goods has arrived at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport on January 1 at a ceremony graced by high-level officials from the public and private sectors, AU, DHL and Ethiopian Airlines Group. Working in collaboration with African Union Commission and the business community with a vision to enhance intra-and inter-African trade, the African Electronic Trade Group transports fragile trophies to various African countries as African Continental Free Trade Area commences. The smooth and reliable connection between the source and the final destination is possible because of the partnership between Ethiopian Airlines and the African Electronic Trade Group. This partnership joins the pre-existing continental partnership between Ethiopian Airlines and DHL that has strengthened the multimodal logistics systems established by Ethiopian at its hub in Addis Ababa. Commissioner General of the Eswatini Revenue Authority remarks, “Tremendous opportunities exist digitally enabled cross border trade through the implementation of ASYCUDA world, customs to customs data exchange, coordinated border management, single windows and other similar mechanisms pursued under the regional economic communities, which need to be the norm rather than the exception in Africa. The African Continental Free Trade Area brings momentum behind our commitment for enhanced ease of doing business that we are addressing in partnership with the business community, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade and all members of the National Trade Facilitation Committee.” The fragile goods have passed through Eswatini, South …

In a bid to build an exclusive Vaccine Air Freight Corridor Product called ‘HYDXB-VAXCOR’ (‘Hyderabad to Dubai global Vaccine Corridor), GMR Hyderabad International Airport & GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GMR-HYD) and Dubai Airports are coming together, and the MoU for the same was signed by Pradeep Panicker, CEO-GMR Hyderabad International Airport, Saurabh Kumar, CEO-GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo and Eugene Barry, EVP-Commercial, Dubai Airports Corporation in a virtual ceremony. As per the MoU, GMR-HYD and Dubai Airports will be according priority to the temperature sensitive Vaccine shipments moving between GMR Hyderabad and Dubai Airports for further connections to various Continents as part of the “HYDXB-VAXCOR” and build this service offering as a key differentiator and value proposition for the Vaccine Customers and Logistics Stakeholders. This agreement will lead to the roll out of customised and simplified processes and infrastructural support to streamline the journey of Covid-19 Vaccine right from the manufacturing unit to the airport and hub logistics to delivery to end-customers. As part of this joint initiative, Dubai Airports has identified GMR-HYD as a key strategic air cargo partner to leverage its global distribution eco-system, while GMR-HYD will leverage Dubai Airport as a key Strategic Collaborator towards facilitating the Global Vaccine Supply Chain with provision of Value Added Services for Vaccine Exporters and Imported from both the countries. The Partnership also entails Technology Collaboration, under which both the entities will explore and work together on an Integrated IT Solution that will provide End-to-End Visibility including Shipment Temperature and Status Tracking for the Customers while Cargo is in Transit between HYD and DXB and during its onwards journey to various global destinations. Commenting on this development, Pradeep Panicker, CEO, GMR Hyderabad …

Qatar Airways Cargo took delivery of three brand new Boeing 777 freighters on January 1, bringing its total freighter fleet count to 30 freighters, consisting of two Boeing 747 freighters, 24 Boeing 777 Freighters and four Airbus A330 freighters. It will introduce these freighters on its long haul scheduled routes and will also operate them as cargo charters, supporting global trade and the movement of time and temperature sensitive goods. Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive, Qatar Airways Group, says, “With the arrival of these new freighters, we are injecting much needed capacity in the market helping support global supply chains at a critical time during the pandemic. The added capacity will enable us to support the logistics around the Covid-19 vaccination which is projected to be one of the greatest logistical challenges for the industry. The 777F’s fuel-efficiency, long range and high capacity will support our airline to be more sustainable and operate additional non-stop flights to further destinations around the world, facilitating the movement of time and temperature sensitive goods. With our investments in innovation and fleet, we are able to fulfil our customers’ logistical requirements and support the continuity of global trade.” Ihssane Mounir, Senior Vice President, Commercial Sales and Marketing, The Boeing Company, says, “During these challenging times, Qatar Airways Cargo has been transporting humanitarian relief and medical goods to those in need and we are proud that their growing fleet of 777 freighters is supporting such a commendable effort. We deeply appreciate our long-standing partnership with Qatar Airways and their confidence in the 777 freighters as the backbone of their expansive global air cargo operations.” The Boeing 777 freighter is an efficient, long-range, and high-capacity freighter, …

The Indian warehousing sector is largely dependent on various sub-sectors for its development. Retail, e-commerce, logistics and technology are the major driving force for the growth in warehousing. In 2020, however, the pandemic became another reason that catalysed this transformation and allowed businesses to explore more opportunities in the domain. The growing demand for online shopping is encouraging ecommerce players to set up their warehouses at locations which could fast track the delivery process for their consumers. Moreover, the government is also promoting local businesses and manufacturing with a digital support that is directly proportional to the growth of warehousing in the country. The warehousing and logistics market in India has been mainly concentrated in top eight cities namely Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Pune. This is primarily due to the majority of demand being witnessed from these cities. In 2021, these locations will remain the crucial, however, the industry will witness a shift in demand from the customers. Transportation routes/last mile capabilities to support ecommerce orders is a key differentiator in this industry. Companies have begun to integrate last mile capabilities into existing warehouses and fulfilment infrastructure and thereby benefiting from high speed and good customer experience. The companies seeking warehousing facilities, will be willing to work with the trusted players who could offer them customised properties with Grade A services at perfect locations. Tier 2 and 3 cities will gain momentum and will see more traction owing to the ecommerce and 3PL players which are capitalizing on consumption driven demand in these micro markets. The cities like Coimbatore, Vapi, Guwahati, Ludhiana, Surat, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Siliguri and Lucknow have and will continue to witness increase …