Air cargo digital marketplaces have added new features making it possible for logistics companies managing imports to instantly book export shipments from agents in another country without the hassle and time-zone delays of shopping quotes by phone and email. It’s another level of connectivity for online booking portals that enable freight forwarders to search, compare and book cargo space across multiple airlines in real time. The simplified booking process is valued by logistics professionals, but some worry they could lose business if multilateral distribution channels open their systems to non-accredited intermediaries or directly to cargo owners themselves, said reports. Cargo.one announced an upgrade designed to streamline freight forwarders’ overseas bookings that require a partner to execute. WebCargo, a Freightos company, last week said that airfreight wholesalers in China for the first time can now sell space to freight agents just like 33 airline partners. The third-party platforms, along with rival CargoAI, allow airlines to market their capacity in one place. Forwarders can quickly compare live rates and availability and then electronically book shipments — much like travelers shop for airline seats, hotels and rental cars on Kayak or Priceline. The advantage of automatically connecting forwarders’ transportation management systems with airline reservation systems is more predictable, transparent pricing and capacity information that can be confirmed instantly compared to shopping static rates, added various reports.

Coldman Logistics announces the commencement of its new all purpose warehouse of 9,000 Pallets capacity near JNPT Port, with this launch Coldman logistics is now available at 14 cities with 1,00,000+ Pallets position across the country, said company’s official Linkedin Post. “Our new facility is equipped with the latest technology, providing us with the capacity to store more products and streamline our operations. This expansion is a result of our dedication to providing exceptional service to our customers and our commitment to meeting your evolving needs. The warehouse is strategically located just 11 KM away from JNPT Port, making it easier for us to access major transportation routes, EXIM cargos ultimately resulting in faster and more reliable deliveries. Our new facility is an environmentally conscious facility, with sustainable practices implemented throughout our operations. This includes energy-efficient lighting, recycling programs, and an efficient use of resources, which aligns with our company’s commitment to sustainability. We continue to offer our customers, the same high-quality products and services that is synonymous with our name, but with improved efficiency and speed. We are grateful for your continued trust in our brand, and we look forward to serving you from our new facility,” the post added.

India’s ecommerce logistics industry is set to exceed 10 billion parcels by FY28, according to a report by Redseer Strategy Consultants. The industry recorded over 4 billion parcels in FY23, with new categories, direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands, and continued growth in Tier II and beyond cities driving the growth. The report also noted that while the e-logistics market saw increased competition and pressure on yields from ecommerce players, the long-term outlook for the industry remained positive. The overall ecommerce logistics opportunity is projected to grow at a minimum compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 20%, with the D2C segment emerging as a strong growth area. D2C brands, including online-first new-age brands from Indian players, are expected to grow overall GMV at 35% in the next few years. A total of $33 billion of GMV is expected to be generated from D2C brands across all channels by CY27, the report noted, opening up an opportunity for logistics players with relevant and customised offerings for D2C brands. The report identified Delhivery as the largest player in the e-logistics industry, offering a wide range of services for D2C brands and a fast-growing non-ecommerce business that makes it more resilient in the face of recent macro trends in the ecommerce space.

Cathay Cargo has enhanced its integrated mail platform with Cathay Mail, a refined digital solution that re-envisages the mail-shipment process, generating greater transparency for post offices and providing the track-and-trace visibility their customers expect. With Cathay Mail, Cathay Cargo is able to provide a superior customer experience that better caters to the requirements of post offices for shipment visibility, reliability and speed. Director Cargo Tom Owen said: “Cathay Mail highlights how we have adapted technology and digitalisation to offer real benefits to our customers. By fully integrating mail-handling functions with our cargo operations and expertise, our innovative new mail solution provides a sophisticated suite of tools and facilities to support our postal partners.” Cathay Cargo’s refreshed “mail as cargo” solution integrates mail-handling data with air cargo systems using the PAWB – the postal air waybill. This use of electronic data interchange (EDI) technology removes much of the previous shipment paperwork and gives both origin and destination post offices, and designated operators, more visibility of shipments down to mail bag (or “receptacle”) level, allowing them to offer package-level track-and-trace visibility to e-commerce shippers. The information also enables Cathay Cargo to manage capacity against actual volumes of mail on flights, so it can make allowances for surges in ad hoc demand or make unused space available for other cargo. There is an additional benefit for mail heading to Europe where, by making the information available in advance, mail shipments will be compliant with the European Union’s new ICS2 customs requirements, which are being introduced this year. Thanks to the digital data available from the PAWB, it is now easier not only to reconcile shipments for billing, but also to measure performance. Cathay …

The Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) is gearing up to be transformed into a major cargo destination in South India with the construction of its dedicated international cargo terminal nearing completion, said reports. The terminal will be inaugurated in September, and it will augment the airport’s international cargo handling capacity by minimum 100 tonnes, said reports. Currently the airport handles 150 tonnes of cargo of international sector, the new terminal is expected to expand the capacity to 250 tonnes. The terminal will have modern facilities and technologies in terms of packaging, warehousing, cargo handling and storage.

Skyways Group is now the first Indian forwarder to be one of the ‘Global Partners’ of Saudia Cargo, Skyways Group announced in an official Linkedin post. “Our longstanding relationship with Saudia Cargo goes back three decades. Over these years, this leading business partner has been one of our strongest associates and played a pivotal role in our success story. I would like to extend my gratitude to the entire team of Saudia Cargo and their GSA in India ECS Group for their support over years to us and the trust they have shown in brand Skyways. We look forward to accomplishing great milestones together,” the post added. Commenting on the development, Yashpal Sharma MD, Skyways Group said, “Skyways Group is delighted to sign their 1st Global partnership agreement with an airline – Saudia Cargo. Ever since we were formed in 1983, we have been focusing on our carrier relationships. We have built great partnerships over the last 3 decades with few major international airlines. Our partnerships have helped us to be a market leader in India and also expand our footprint in 42 cities in 6 countries. We moved over 60,000 tons with our airline partners around the world in the year gone by. Skyways Group has a longstanding and fabulous business relationship with Saudia Cargo. We have been working closely for the last 3 decades in the Indian airfreight market. With this agreement Skyways will get a preferred pricing and capacity access across the globe on Saudia network. This will enable us to offer more comprehensive solutions to our customers ranging from any city-pair across the globe. We do look to further add value to Saudia by being their …

Celebi Airport Services India Pvt. Ltd. has been appointed by Saudi Airlines as its Ground Handling Agent at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Hyderabad. The flight was welcomed by Çelebi team in presence of the carrier’s station management. “Thank you Saudi Airlines for trusting Çelebi and expanding our business partnership to this new station. We look forward to a successful collaboration,” said Celebi’s official Linkedin Post. Celebi India also recently bagged ground-handling contract at The Chennai International Airport and has started fulfilling the requirements to start the services. Celebi will provide complete ground handling support to scheduled and non-scheduled airlines at domestic and international terminals.

Global air cargo demand has surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the first time in eight months, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). IATA released data for February 2023, which showed that air cargo demand rose above pre-pandemic levels by 2.9 per cent. Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs), fell 7.5 per cent compared to February 2022, which was half the rate of decline seen in the previous two months. However, international operations saw an 8.3 per cent decline in demand. Available cargo tonne-kilometres (ACTK) in February 2023 increased by 8.6 per cent compared to February 2022, reflecting the addition of belly capacity. International belly-capacity grew by 57 per cent in February year-over-year (YoY), reaching 75.1 per cent of the 2019 (pre-pandemic) capacity, as per the data by IATA. The operating environment had several factors to note, including the global new export orders component of the manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI), which continued to increase in February, indicating that demand for manufactured goods is growing. Although global goods trade decreased by 1.5 per cent in January, it was a slower rate of decline than the previous month of -3.3 per cent. Additionally, the Consumer Price Index for G7 countries decreased from 6.7 per cent in January to 6.4 per cent in February, while inflation in producer (input) prices reduced by 2.2 percentage points to 9.6 per cent in December. In terms of regional performance, Asia-Pacific airlines saw their air cargo volumes decrease by 6.0 per cent in February 2023 compared to the same month in 2022. However, this was a significant improvement compared to January (-19.0 per cent). North American carriers posted a 3.2 per cent decrease in cargo …

Green Planet Logistics, India’s first LNG-fueled heavy trucking logistics company, has announced the deployment of its trucks at UltraTech Cement’s bulk terminal in Pune. UltraTech is making strides in its commitment to sustainability and decarbonisation of its operations with this second deployment of GreenLine’s LNG-powered fleet of trucks, after the first deployment at its Awarpur Cement Works near Nagpur. The use of LNG trucks is a significant step towards achieving the company’s sustainability targets. This development underscores UltraTech’s commitment to scaling up its LNG fleet at its plants across the country in the coming months. “At UltraTech, we are dedicated to creating a sustainable future, and we are fully committed to collaborating with our partners and stakeholders to achieve our goal of a cleaner environment. Our association with GreenLine is a step forward on our ongoing efforts to decrease emissions, enhance energy efficiency,” Tanmay Pradhan, AVP Logistics at UltraTech Cement, said. Greeline said besides reducing carbon dioxide emission by 28 per cent LNG trucks significantly reduce other dangerous emissions- SOx emissions by upto 100 percent. NOx emissions by upto 59% and particular matter by upto 91%. Anand Mimani CEO, Greenline said, “We are proud to be again be the chosen green mobility partners for UltraTech Cement in their endeavor to reduce carbon emissions from their heavy trucking.

Celcius Logistics has successfully completed its Series A funding by raising the total amount of INR 100 Cr, led by IvyCap Ventures. As part of its Series A funding, the company earlier raised INR 35 Cr, from their existing investors – Mumbai Angels, Supply Chain Labs, Endurance Capital, VCats, Huddle, Eaglewings Ventures (EVAN), and others. This marks Celcius Logistics as the first start-up in the cold supply chain sector to achieve such rapid growth and establish a niche in the cold chain industry within a short period of time. The company aims to utilize the funds for tech innovations to solve the fragmented nature of the cold supply chain and reduce the wastage in perishables thereby building towards a sustainable future. Speaking about the journey and plans for the company, Founder and CEO, Mr. Swarup Bose, said, “We are grateful to our investors for their unwavering support and belief in the vision and mission of Celcius. From our humble beginnings with just 5 employees during the COVID pandemic, we have become a leading player in the cold supply chain industry, with a team of 125 dedicated employees and an operational presence in 350+ cities across the country. We have recently launched smart solutions catering to the specific needs of last-mile deliveries and hyperlocal cold-chain transportation. Having raised more funds, we aim to further expand our operations and build a seamless, and truly unbroken cold supply chain, ensuring food security for all. We are also working towards introducing smart tech innovations to address challenges in the pharma sector. Our goal is to work towards a sustainable future, by taking steps to reduce wastage of perishables through innovative tech solutions and creating …