Kenya Airways has appointed Rainbow Aviation as the carrier’s General Sales Agent (GSA) for India. “Kenya Airways with its extensive network and upgraded capacity for cargo will enable us to enhance the service offering in the region,” says, Feroz Qureshi, General Manager, Business Development, Rainbow Aviation in his LinkedIn post. He further informs, “We shall be sharing Kenya Airways flight schedule and market rates shortly.” Kenya Airways is the national carrier of the Republic of Kenya and an important industry player for Africa market from India. The airline will soon be commencing its online operations from India and shall be sharing destination, schedule and tariff shortly.

Alitalia Airlines, who have been operating their weekly P2C flights from India since June 2020, have reached a milestone figure of successfully uplifting 53,375 kgs on a single flight from Mumbai (BOM) – Rome (FCO). An optimum mix of high density cargo along with pharmaceuticals, auto parts, spares, chemicals, garments & courier helped achieve the desired result. The ULD planning was carefully monitored for maximum utilisation of space on the newly cargo only reconfigured aircraft. Commenting on the achievement, Sakshi Gupta, Country Manager – India, Air Logistics Group, says “Alitalia enters the book of records once again with a consecutive birdie in a row, uplifting yet another milestone figure of 53 tonnes on its BOM-FCO route which comes just a day after the successful flight ex DEL which ferried 54T to Rome.” Deepak Kumar, Cargo Manager – Western India, Air Logistics Group, states, “Air cargo is a constitutive part of logistics business. We could only attain this crest through arduous dedication and commitment towards the air cargo industry. This would have not been possible without our stake holders who have underpinned and braced us through thick and thin.” Alitalia has been expanding its Cargo capacity to transport vital supplies across the globe & looks forward to increasing the import & export trade between Italy & India in times ahead.

With its commitment to help improve the supply chain and ensure timely medical provisions, Blue Dart is ramping up its infrastructure with its pre-existing specialised Temperature Controlled Logistics (TCL) to combat the pandemic. The company will further offer complete supply chain solution for the Life Sciences and Clinical Trials Sector and reefer vehicles (cold chain) services to the vaccine sector to ensure seamless transport of shipments. As the development of the COVID-19 vaccine leapfrogs across development phases, stringent temperature requirements (up to – 80°C) will be a critical factor for its transportation and warehousing at every stage. An efficient and specialised logistics network will be a prerequisite, to ensure safe and rapid delivery of billions of Covid-19 vaccine doses for mass immunisation, and other temperature sensitive pharma products on a national & global scale. Blue Dart has successfully tailored its existing Temperature Controlled Logistics solution to transport critical shipments such as vaccines, medical samples and more. The TCL teams work with three industry specific segments: Clinical Research Organization (CRO), Vaccine/Testing Kit manufactures and Active Pharma Ingredient for swift and safe delivery of shipments. As per research on Blue Dart’s consumer feedback, conducted through Net Promoter Approach methodology, Blue Dart successfully scored a Net Promoter Score(NPS) of 100% for its TCL solutions, even higher than its other services which has an enviable NPS of 99.6%. Ketan Kulkarni, CMO & Head – Business Development, Blue Dart, said “The right partnerships are vital to secure critical medical supplies during health emergencies. We are actively working with various pharmaceutical organizations that are conducting clinical trials to produce a Covid-19 vaccine in India in their pre and post production journey. As a part of the …

Alitalia Airlines has successfully uplifted 53626 kilos on a single flight from Delhi (DEL) to Rome (FCO). The airline has been operating its weekly all-cargo flights (P2C) from India since June 2020.The aircraft had an optimum mix of high density cargo along with pharmaceuticals, DG cargo, auto parts & garments which helped in achieving the desired result. The ULD planning was carefully monitored for maximum utilisation of space on the newly cargo only reconfigured aircraft. Commenting on the achievement, Antonio Temporini, VP – Cargo, Alitalia, says “The milestone reflects our commitment towards customers during these challenging times. With reduced flight schedules due to COVID-19, it’s now of paramount importance to maximize every cargo space. India is a very important market for Alitalia Cargo-worldwide network and having Air Logistics Group as our partners in India, we are sure to enhance our services from all key ports in the country.” Sakshi Gupta, Country Manager, Air Logistics Group (ALG), says “The pandemic has created and set new goals and benchmarks for all stakeholders. As the supply and demand soars, air cargo has come forth to become a robust saviour for the aviation industry and finally everyone has realised that cargo is not just a filler but a very strategic and core part of the industry.” “During these pandemic times when airlines are struggling to stabilise flight operations, Alitalia Cargo with scheduled p2c weekly flights from Delhi and Mumbai are strongly supporting the cargo demand for the EU & USA with great efficiency and dedication. We shall continue to do so with all support from our business partners,” comments Annu Rai, Manager Key Accounts, Alitalia Cargo. The airline has been expanding its cargo capacity …

Maintaining the negative outlook on domestic road transportation sector, ICRA says, “The restrictions on cross-border movement, shortage in availability of drivers and manpower due to large-scale migration and lack of availability of return load, significantly impacted the road logistics sector during the first quarter.” According to Shamsher Dewan, Vice President, ICRA Ratings, “The aggregate revenues of ICRA’s sample of logistics companies contracted sharply by 35 per cent during the quarter. The impact was more visible on players operating on an asset-heavy model, due to high fixed costs for owned assets, while asset-light players fared relatively better. This decline was also corroborated by the generation of E-way bills, which contracted by 49% during the quarter. In addition to the impact on the road logistics sector, the macroeconomic slowdown and lockdown also had a bearing on the rail and seaways freight traffic that primarily comprises of bulk commodities like coal, cement, iron ore and crude oil with volumes contracting by 21.3 per cent and 19.7 per cent Y-o-Y, respectively.” With the economy gradually opening up during unlock phases and industrial, manufacturing and construction activities resuming, freight activity too has also been gradually reviving. The latest E-way bill and Fastag data indicates that freight volumes have recovered sequentially and improved to 87 per cent of pre-COVID levels (for E-way bills) and 95 per cent of pre-COVID levels (for Fastag) by August 2020. This has potential to increase further going forward as the country gears up for the upcoming festive season.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) handled 3,80,384 TEUs in September 2020 which is 95 per cent of cargo handled in September 2019 (400,365 TEUs). There has been increase of 7.8 per cent in throughput as compared to August 2020 (352,735 TEUs), this steady surge in cargo handling month on month indicates early signs of recovery which is very significant during the ongoing pandemic that has affected business across India. JNPT handled 1,925,302 TEUs (1.92 million TEUs) and 797 vessels during the half year ending September 30, 2020, as against 2,572,810 TEUs (2.57 million TEUs) handled in the same period during the previous year. The overall traffic handled in current financial year (April-Sep) was 26.93 Million Tonnes as compared to 34.41 Million Tonnes handled in the same period during previous year. At the Liquid Cargo Terminal, the port has been handling essential commodities like LPG, High speed diesel, Motorspirit and Edible oil which is further supplied to the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. In September 2020, JNPT handled discharge of 92786 MT of LPG in six vessels, by giving priority and timely berthing to the LPG vessels for fulfillment of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojna. Total LPG handled in the current financial year till September is 4, 59,283 MT as compared to 4, 19,562 MT handled in previous year which is an increase of 9.5 %. “The international maritime sector is evolving rapidly and the business demands are constantly changing and hence it is imperative that we also develop our capabilities to stay ahead in the competitive market. At JNPT, various initiatives like Direct Port Delivery, Direct Port Entry, ITRHO, ITT have helped in reducing the dwell …

Spoton Logistics has expanded its logistics network by scaling up logistics hubs in Nagpur, Bengaluru, and Chennai respectively. The hubs offer comprehensive facilities to expand the horizon of deliveries during the festive season and support future growth in the regions. With its comprehensive delivery network, Spoton Logistics will continue to enable timely deliveries for eCommerce and retail giants in India. Currently enabling the delivery of 17,500 consignment notes (around 1,40,000 pieces) each day, the company is expecting a significant surge this festive season with Retail, eCommerce, and FMCG sectors driving this spike. “2020 has been an uphill battle for mankind. Months into the pandemic, businesses and consumers have found their way through to the new normal. With an increased adoption of e-commerce in the country, companies are betting big on online sales this festive season. The just-in-time expansion will help us significantly increase scalability for our customers while our web portal for them would ensure paperless and quick transactions. Moreover, Spoton Logistics is uniquely positioned as one of the most agile, innovative, and forward-thinking companies that can cater to the logistics needs of businesses in the current challenging business environment,” says, Abhik Mitra, MD & CEO, Spoton Logistics. “We ended the month of June and July with a recovery of greater than 90 per cent of pre-lockdown figures, and have surpassed our pre-COVID revenues during September. With the onset of the festive season, we are poised to further build on this momentum and have designed an effective roadmap for the same,” he adds.

To have a controlling stake of 75 per cent in KPCL from the CVR Group and other investors, Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) has completed the acquisition of Krishnapatnam Port Company (KPCL) for an enterprise value of Rs. 12,000 crore. In FY21, the port is expected to generate an EBITDA of approximately Rs.1,200 crore, resulting in an acquisition EV/ EBITDA multiple of 10x. This acquisition will accelerate APSEZ’s stride towards 500 MMT by 2025 and is another step in implementing APSEZ’s stated strategy of cargo parity between west and east coasts of India. Karan Adani, Chief Executive Officer and Whole Time Director, APSEZ said, “I am happy that KPCL the second largest private port in India has now become part of APSEZ portfolio. This transformational acquisition enables us to roll out world class customer service to an increased customer base and provide pan India solution to them. Our experience of turning around acquisitions like Dhamra and Kattupalli ports will enable us in harnessing the potential of KPCL. We will target to enhance throughput at KPCL to 100 MMT by FY25 and double its EBIDTA by FY23. With a vast waterfront and land availability of over 6,700 acres, KPCL is capable of replicating Mundra and would be future ready to handle 500 MMT. We will replicate our operations and maintenance philosophy at KPCL, continue to focus on environment, reduce emission levels and have zero tolerance for fatalities and thus improve returns to stakeholders.”

Pronk Multiservice India has successfully delivered 19,500 boxes of ventilators and accessories to Bharat Electronics Limited, Bengaluru (BEL) and has received appreciation from BEL regarding the same. When the entire nation went on lockdown from March 26th 2020, BEL got the order of manufacturing and supplies of ventilator from the Government of India. BEL had to manufacture a total 30,000 ventilators for India. After getting qualified for the L1 category for compressor boxes and accessories, Pronk Multiservice India delivered a total 19,500 boxes with 39,000 bottom and top covers, 39000 EPE Foam, 19,500 polybags and 19,500 wooden pallets. The 30000 boxes quantity was shared between L1 & L2 categories. Pronk Multiservice was given 19500 boxes and accessories supplies with the BEL logo and quality specifications. The company was told to submit the sample boxes immediately for approval. After various tests and scrutiny, the sample box was approved on May 7, 2020. The company started the supplies on May 20, 2020 and completed the supplies on August 14, 2020. Commenting on the successful packaging and supply of the boxes of ventilators and accessories, Shailender Anand, Managing Director-INDIA & Director-DUBAI, Pronk Multiservice India, says, “It was difficult to procure the raw materials and movement of the employees as everything was in standstill in India. Hence, BEL issued us an employee essential service pass issued as per the notification of the Ministry of Home Affairs so that we could execute the job. This helped our employees and vehicle movement across Bengaluru so we could support the BEL during this pandemic situation.”

In response to the rapidly growing demand for cargo charters National Airlines would add three more B747-400Fs to its existing fleet of two of the aircraft. The airline had acquired three B-747-400Fs two years back and because of the declining demand for airfreight all of them had been parked in Arizona. Following maintenance checks, the first of the three aircraft was put into service in September, with another due to join in October and the third in November. Chris Alf, Chairman, National Airline, said, “We always had a plan of bringing out the parked airplanes into service right at the beginning of the year but then the Covid-19 pandemic hit. We felt the urgency to bring on these aircraft to support the demand for moving the urgent relief supplies in support of governments and global aid agencies. It was strategically important for us to bring in additional cargo capacity since there is a huge constraint because of the pandemic taking away the belly capacity on passenger operations. We are happy to offer our global customers with an additional three B747-400Fs.” Rates certainly remain higher than this time last year with prices from Hong Kong to North America up by more than 50% year on year to an average of $5.26 per kg in September, according to TAC Index data.