Budapest Airport and the Chinese-Hungarian business and logistics development company CECZ/Utlink signed a cooperation agreement, aimed at establishing the aerial Silk Road between Hungary and China and creating dedicated logistics centers at the two airports, to handle freight traffic. The newly signed cooperation agreement is expected to bring important economic opportunities and foster a significant expansion of air freight between Hungary and China, by connecting Budapest Airport (BUD) and Zhengzhou Airport (CGO), while also providing significant logistics advantages for Hungary, the ECE countries and China. Within the framework of the agreement, the partners – BUD, CGO and the logistics development company CECZ/Utlink Central European Trading and Logistic Cooperation Zone – jointly establish what the press release calls the “aerial Slik Road” between the two countries. László Mosóczi, Minister of State for Transport Policy said, “According to the government’s plans, Hungary could become the cargo, logistics and distribution hub for Central Europe. This strategic objective can be achieved if the largest possible proportion of the goods transported between Europe and the Far East reach their destination via Hungary. In harmony with the policy of opening to the east, we are therefore continuing to work to connect continents and regions with modern and safe logistics solutions. We are also looking for ways to deepen and expand cooperation with our Chinese partners, in line with our joint goals.”

In order to expand its fleet to meet growing demand for cargo transportation, Silk Way West Airlines has signed a purchase agreement with Boeing. According to the agreement, Silk Way West Airlines will purchase five state-of-the-art Boeing 777 Freighter aircraft, with delivery planned over 2023-2027. The agreement was signed at a ceremony in Baku on April 28, 2021 attended by Rashad Nabiyev, Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Zaur Akhundov, President of Silk Way Group, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Azerbaijan Earle D. Litzenberger, Stan Deal, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. This is the first order for Boeing 777 Freighters in the Central Asia and Caspian region. The Boeing 777F is the largest twin-engine freighter on the market, with a range of 9,200 km and a maximum payload of 102,000 kg. As the world’s most efficient and environmentally friendly freighter, the latest additions to the Silk Way West fleet will contribute to the airline’s sustainability goals, as well as being a particularly cost-effective option in terms of maintenance and operating expenses. “We envision an integrated transport network in Azerbaijan, and airline transportation plays a critical role in this. I believe this contract will help solidify Azerbaijan’s position as a regional transportation hub and a reliable airline partner in international trade and commerce,” said Nabiyev. “The signing of this agreement is a new milestone in the growth of our company. I am confident that the acquisition of these new aircraft and the start of this project will further strengthen the company’s leading position in the global air freight market for the next …

APM Terminals Pipavav has announced that the terminal has secured CI1 (China-India Express) service, operated by Cosco/OOCL. The weekly service to the Port Pipavav will carry freights of all kind for import and export to the Far East region that has a significant share in the world trade. The first vessel, MV Beijing with the capacity of 9,500 TEUs will start sailing from Shanghai in April end and will call the port by end of May. This service will connect the hinterlands of west & north India with Far Eastern countries and provide an important connectivity to the importers and exporters, thereby helping them expanding their presence in the far eastern countries. The service links Port Pipavav through port calls in Chinese ports of Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Nansha as well as port of Singapore, Port Klang of Malaysia and Nhavasheva in Mumbai, India.

Switch Mobility (Switch or the company), the UK-based developer of electrified buses and light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, the Indian commercial vehicle manufacturer, have joined hands with TVS Supply Chain Solutions (TVS SCS) for establishing a sustainable logistics network. Under the arrangement, TVS SCS will operate 1000 eLCVs through their partners for its logistics operations provided by Switch. TVS Supply Chain Solutions (TVS SCS) has over two decades of experience in providing supply chain solutions across the globe through their fully integrated service offerings. Commenting on the announcement, Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman, Switch Mobility, said, “TVS SCS are always forward looking in their initiatives and discerning in their choice of products and solutions. We are happy that they have given an opportunity to Switch Mobility to provide their need for emission free transport solutions that are efficient, cost effective and reliable. Switch will play a big role in faster adoption of sustainable mobility both in India and overseas.” Sharing his comments, Nitin Seth, Director Switch Mobility, said, “Partnerships like these are testament to the trust our customers have reposed in us. While we have just begun our journey, we are already seeing tremendous response for our products and technologies. Switch provides an energy efficient and zero-emission solution in a segment, where customers have been waiting for the right offering. We are proud that we are leading the change and steadily marching towards a sustainable and carbon-free electric mobility.” R Dinesh, Managing Director, TVS Supply Chain Solutions, said, “We are glad to partner with Switch Mobility who are pioneers in bringing future-ready technology into transportation. TVS SCS has always been an early adopter of emerging technology and it’s …

As the country is reeling under acute oxygen shortage amid rising number of Covid-19 cases, Stellar Value Chain Solutions has set aside 1.5 million square feet of warehousing space and transportation services to beef up the supply of the life-saving element to hospitals on cost-free basis. The lion’s share of the warehousing space will come up in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata, Indore and in other metro/mini metro cities. Stellar Value Chain Solutions will also provide its fleet of refrigerated trucks for transporting Covid-19 vaccines besides facilitating storage of oxygen cylinders, oxygen equipment and oxygen concentrators forgoing the entire cost. The company has warehousing space across the country and robust express, less-than-truckload and temperature-controlled transportation infrastructure, which the company has decided to press into service for the nation. “In this moment of crisis, we stand by the country and volunteer our warehouses and transportation services for the fight against Covid-19. Saving the lives of our fellow citizens is the utmost priority for us at the moment. Even as the healthcare system is doing its best to fight the pandemic, corporates like us have to do our bit for the nation in such an unprecedented crisis. A number of large corporates are coming forward to reconfigure their manufacturing processes to produce more medical oxygen. We are coming forward to provide free of cost storage and transportation of all Covid related requirements such as Vaccines, Oxygen Cylinders, Oxygen concentrators, Mattresses, Beds and Other Medical Equipments” said Anshuman Singh, Chairman and MD, Stellar Value Chain Solutions.

Cathay Pacific Cargo has taken a significant step towards the end-to-end digitisation of the global supply chain by taking the lead in its third pilot of IATA’s ONE Record initiative in Hong Kong. The success of this pilot marks a major milestone for Cathay Pacific Cargo, which has pioneered the implementation of this initiative. Tom Owen, Director – Cargo, Cathay Pacific, says, “ONE Record is a very important programme, which is going to set the future standard for air cargo.” IATA ONE Record creates a ‘virtual shipment record’ for all shipments; a single-record view of a shipment that will enable data to be shared by all stakeholders across the air cargo industry. The programme builds on paperless operations of the e-AWB (Electronic Air Waybill). Cathay Pacific Cargo was the first airline to implement 100 per cent e-AWB operations in its home market and the airline has been the leader in its implementation around the world for the past 10 years, contributing to Hong Kong’s reputation as the leading international air cargo hub. IATA’s ONE Record initiative enables end-to-end transparency of consignments as they pass through multiple links in the chain from shipper to agent, airline, warehouse and statutory authorities such as customs, all following IATA’s protocols for APIs – the interface that enables users to connect to the system – security and data sharing. Henk Mulder, Head of Digital Cargo, IATA, adds, “The ultimate aim of the ONE Record programme is to enable a data-led digitisation of the global supply chain in order to improve service, speed and reliability, through the standardisation of competing or overlapping systems of the different stakeholders in the air cargo industry into one of shared …

DB Schenker proclaims the ambitious goal of zero-emission deliveries for its city distribution operations in all major Norwegian cities by the end of 2021. This objective has already been achieved for Oslo with the establishment of the Oslo City Hub. It is the world’s first green distribution center of its kind, and 100 % of the local delivery vehicles have been changed from Diesel- to Electric drive. The company has invested in a new electric vehicle fleet and is rolling out 25 new additional electric trucks and vans throughout the country this spring. The electric fleet will then consist of a total of 42 electric trucks and five electric bicycles that will contribute to a significant Co2 reduction of 1,500 tons per year in Norway. The investment in sustainable urban distribution will continue throughout 2021 until DB Schenker reaches its target of 100 per cent electric distribution in all major Norwegian cities. The electric vehicle fleet is part of the DB Schenker Group’s global target of 100 per cent emission-free city distribution operations by 2030. DB Schenker is also following its own example from Norway by rolling out an increasing number of electric vehicles in many European cities.

Gateway Distriparks has announced its audited financial results for the quarter and Financial Year ended March 31, 2021. In March’21, rail container business recorded highest ever monthly throughput of 26,426 TEUs. Q4 consolidated EBITDA up 41 per cent YoY from Rs69.5 crore to Rs 98.1 crore and Q4 consolidated PAT up 299 per cent from 11.7 crore to 46.6 crore. The net debt reduced by Rs237 crore in FY21 to Rs 444 crore. The revival in the EXIM trade has been much faster than anticipated. In Q3FY21, the company witnessed a sharp recovery in its overall volumes for both our CFS and Rail Container business. The CFS business recorded peak throughput of 33,793 TEUs in month of March 2021 for the year whereas the Rail container business recorded highest ever monthly throughput of 26,426 TEUs in the month of March 2021, thus surpassing previous all-time high throughput of 25,676 TEUs recorded in December 2020. Commenting on the performance, Prem Kishan Dass Gupta, Chairman & Managing Director, comments, “The growth momentum we had gathered in Q3 has continued in Q4 as well. H1FY21 was impacted by COVID-19-linked disruptions, however as the year went on, we could see volumes bounce back month over month and reach a new all-time high. The 306-km long Rewari-Madar section of the WDFC (Western Dedicated Freight Corridor) was inaugurated in the first week of January 2021. The WDFC will bring in a lot of operating efficiency at our 4 owned ICDs in the North-West corridor leading to further improvement in service quality for our customers. The trials on the next section of Madar to Palanpur which will connect Mundra and Pipavav have already started and is expected …

Sharing his comments on the works LogiNext is doing to give oxygen supply a boost, Dhruvil Sanghvi, CEO, LogiNext, says, “While there is a fair supply of oxygen that exists, there is a disconnect when it comes to distribution chains. That said, there are proactive steps being taken to mobilise delivery partners for this purpose. The startup community in Mumbai has reached out to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to offer logistics support for oxygen delivery. LogiNext is in the process of launching a service in collaboration with over 50 delivery platforms in the country to help deliver oxygen cylinders, which should be ready to go live by early next week. The service will integrate an oxygen delivery option in addition to the regular delivery requirements that the platforms address.”

Amid the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic which has resulted in an acute shortage of oxygen in the country, SpiceXpress has airlifted 800 oxygen concentrators from Hong Kong to Delhi via Kolkata for emergency use and distribution across the country. Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director, SpiceJet, said, “SpiceJet is firmly committed to the service of our fellow Indians in these most trying and difficult times. Along with SpiceHealth, we have airlifted 800 oxygen concentrators from Hong Kong for emergency use in India and we are looking at bringing more than 10,000 oxygen concentrators in the coming days from across the globe.” “We carried medicines and medical equipment and fruits and vegetables to all corners of India and the world when the pandemic hit us last year helping our country and our fellow citizens when they needed it the most and we will continue to serve with the same vigour. We have transported a record 88,802 kg of Covid vaccine shipment with a total dosage of 34 million Covid vaccines between January 12-April 12, 2021 and our efforts will only grow stronger from here.” SpiceHealth, a healthcare company launched by the promoters of SpiceJet, has been actively involved in the country’s fight against Covid-19. Since its launch in November 2020, SpiceHealth has conducted more than two million RT-PCR tests and has spread its operations across fives states – Delhi, Haryana, Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttarakhand.