Transport Corporation of India Ltd. (TCI Group), in collaboration with Indian Institute of Management Bangalore has launched new sustainability lab at IIMB campus with a focus on supply chain management. This will be a one-of-its-kind centre of excellence in sustainable supply chain practices, dissemination, and advocacy. TCI-IIMB Supply Chain Sustainability Lab plans to conduct research in areas such as decarbonization, circular economy and sustainable procurement, and publish white papers on sustainable supply chain management topics. It will also offer consulting services on carbon-related mapping, measurement, mitigation and management. Moreover, it targets to provide certification and assessment services, such as supplier sustainability assessment. It has already initiated research projects, white papers and case studies, and is partnering with other organizations such as WRI India, Herbal Life, etc. Vineet Agarwal, MD – TCI said, “We are pleased to announce our partnership with Indian Institute of Management at Bangalore for creation of one-of-its-kind Supply Chain Sustainability Lab. As a group that believes in knowledge-sharing and uplifting the industry, this is yet another addition to our initiatives that facilitates a culture of collaborative growth and thought leadership. With a continued commitment towards delivering excellence, we believe that this lab will build a community of solvers, by combining research with industry expertise.”

DHL Global Forwarding will leverage SMARTIST, Turkish Cargo’s mega cargo facility at Istanbul Airport, as one of its global hubs. The two companies signed an MoU at the World Cargo Symposium to strengthen their cooperation, which will increase significantly the air cargo traffic handled via Istanbul, enhancing the airport’s potential to become a leading global logistics hub. Thomas Mack, Global Head of Air Freight, DHL Global Forwarding said, “Spanning the European and Asian continents, Türkiye is geographically well-positioned to act as a logistics hub for Europe, Asia as well as the MEA region and the US. We are happy to intensify our long-lasting partnership with Turkish Cargo, that not only provides us with reliable air cargo capacity, but also state-of-the-art logistics infrastructure to handling air freight.” Turkish Airlines Chief Cargo Officer Turhan Özen said, “Integration of SMARTIST, our mega cargo hub, with the global network of DHL Global Forwarding will enhance our service quality and strengthen the hub position of Istanbul further. This cooperation will also enable us to offer more effective, productive and uninterrupted air cargo service to our customers and add value to the industry upon the establishment of a powerful partnership by and between Turkish Cargo and DHL. We hereby wish that this MoU, which stands out as a great source of pride and excitement to us, be beneficial to both parties thereto.”

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) highlighted three priorities – Sustainability, Digitalization, and Safety to enable the air cargo industry to maintain momentum against the backdrop of a challenging operating environment. The priorities were outlined at the 16th World Cargo Symposium (WCS). Brendan Sullivan, IATA’s Global Head of Cargo said, “Air cargo is a different industry than the one that entered the pandemic. Revenues are greater than they were pre-pandemic. Yields are higher. The world learned how critical supply chains are. And the contribution of air cargo to the bottom line of airlines is more evident than ever. Yet, we are still linked to the business cycle and global events. So, the war in Ukraine, uncertainty over where critical economic factors like interest rates, exchange rates and jobs growth are concerns that are real to the industry today. As we navigate the current situation, air cargo’s priorities have not changed, we need to continue to focus on sustainability, digitalization, and safety.”

Marking its entry in the State of Telangana, IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd. (IRB) has been awarded 158 Kms (1,264 Lane Kms) Hyderabad Outer Ring Road (ORR) highway development project under Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) model with revenue linked Concession Period of 30 Years for upfront consideration of Rs. 7,380 Crores. Virendra D. Mhaiskar, Chairman & Managing Director, IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd., said, “Proud to add this prestigious project to our portfolio, taking our asset base to over Rs.70,000 Crores and share in TOT space to 37%, the largest by any private player in India.” He added, “We express our sincere gratitude towards all authorities and stakeholders. We endeavor to execute this project through our Pvt InvIT platform.” The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) had invited global competitive bids for the project; in which the Company had participated and emerged as the selected bidder. After signing the concession agreement, the project SPV will be making the payment of Rs. 7,380 Crores within a span of 120 days. About Hyderabad Outer Ring Road (ORR) Project: The Hyderabad Outer Ring Road (ORR) is a 158 Kilometers, 8 lanes ring road expressway encircling Hyderabad, Capital City of Telangana State. Opened up in December 2012, the large part of around 124 Kms of ORR covers urban nodes like Hi-Tech City, Nanakramguda Financial District, International Airport, IKP Knowledge Park, Hardware Park, Telangana State Police Academy, Singapore Financial District and Game Village. The ORR has well established connectivity with other important National Highways and State Highways.

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) announced that Kenya Airports will host the “TIACA Event – Africa”. The event will be held in June 19-21, 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya. TIACA is very pleased to work with Kenya Airports Authority to organize a first-class event, which will bring together members, partners and those that want to do business or those that are already doing business in Africa. The aim of this event is to bring the air cargo community together to identify and discuss specific issues that affect the industry at the regional level. “We are excited to organize the TIACA Event – Africa in Nairobi. The support we will receive from Kenya Airports Authority as host will be invaluable to the attendees, the association and the industry.” Steven Polmans, TIACA Chair. Kenya Airports Authority will welcome international delegates along with their local air cargo community to Emara Hotel Ole Sereni, June 19th for an evening of networking at the Welcome Reception. The next two days, TIACA will organize a conference program that will be focused on all of Africa and will include keynote addresses, panel sessions and presentations that will cover topical issues that affect air cargo operations into, out of and within Africa. “We are honored to host the first “TIACA Event” in Africa, a testament to our commitment to developing and enhancing the air cargo industry on the continent.” KAA MD Alex Gitari said. “At Kenya Airports Authority, we recognize the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing in driving innovation and growth in the air cargo industry. This TIACA event will provide a valuable platform for industry stakeholders to come together and address the challenges and opportunities facing the …

To brainstorm on world-class cold chain infrastructure to store and transport Pharma in India, CargoTalk Digital Conclave in association with Cargo Service Center (CSC) invites trade to join an exclusive webinar on 5th May, 2023 at 11.00 a.m. The panelists include Satish Lakkaraju, Senior VP, Global Head-Air Freight and Pharma, WIZ Freight, Radar Ventures, Tushar Jani, Group Chairman, Cargo Service Center, Rashmi Karnad Gurung, Manager Climate Control Product, Qatar Airways. The session will be moderated by Mr. SanJeet, CEO, DDP Group. CargoTalk has collaborated with Cargo Service Center for Pharma Talkathon – A series of knowledge-sharing sessions on everything about pharma. The topic for the webinar is ‘Need for Cold Chain Infrastructure to store and transport Pharma.’ Register now! https://lnkd.in/dwHm_Cui

KSH Distriparks has announced the acquisition of 40 new trailers to upgrade its existing fleet of 80 trailers. With the addition of new vehicles, the company’s total fleet strength now stands at 120 trailers. Acquisition of new trailers is a strategic move by KSH Distriparks to penetrate the lighter vehicle segment and focus on increasing its trailer transportation share in the Pune region. The company caters to the trailer transportation needs of several OEMs, Shipping Lines, CHAs, and Forwarders. The new vehicles will enhance serviceability across hinterland locations in Ahmednagar, Supa, Aurangabad, Kolhapur, and more. “Addition of 40 trailers is a significant investment for us, and we believe it will help us serve our customers better and also expand our reach in the region. The new trailers are GPS-enabled to provide real-time visibility into container movements and are equipped with the latest safety features to continuously deliver reliable, efficient, and secure transportation services,” said Mr. Malcolm Dsouza, Chief Commercial Officer, KSH Distriparks. He further adds, “India’s container market is on a growth trajectory and we are inclined towards increasing our efficiencies and capabilities to tap a major market share and grow our business in and around Pune in Maharashtra in the ICD segment.” With this acquisition, KSH Distriparks reiterates its commitment to providing the best possible trailer transportation services to its customers. The company is confident that the new trailers will help enhance its capabilities, expand its service area, and increase its market share in the region.

The outlook for air cargo in 2023-2024 remains mixed with several factors set to impact performance. Speaking at IATA’s World Cargo Symposium in Istanbul, IATA economist Bojun Wang predicted that air cargo demand was set to decline by 4% this year compared with 2022 levels. He said that this reflected the ongoing challenging economic environment. Wang pointed out that the International Monetary Fund had recently downgraded its GDP growth outlook for the year to 2.8% from a previous forecast of 2.9%. This figure also lags behind the 3.4% recorded in 2022 and the historical average of around 3.8%. “We had a challenging year in 2022 with the war in Ukraine, a high inflation rate, high oil prices and the Covid-19 pandemic – these headwinds haven’t really gone away in the new year of 2023,” Wang said. On the other hand, inflation is expected to have peaked in 2022, he said. Wang added that yields are expected to decline by around 23% this year, following on from a 7% increase last year, a 24% increase in 2021 and a 50% increase in 2020. “23% seems like a big shift but if you look at the growth in 2021, 2022 and 2023, it is just returning from a high level,” he said. This yield and demand decline will in turn put pressure on air cargo revenues, although they are expected to remain more than 50% above pre-Covid levels. Looking at IATA’s latest supply and demand figures compared with pre-Covid levels, Wang said that in February demand in cargo tonne km terms had increased by 2.9% against the same month in 2019. Meanwhile, capacity in February was up by 1.3% compared with the …

Blue Dart Express Limited announced that it has equipped its platforms with what3words location technology through which Blue Dart stakeholders can add their what3words address in the address section of the ‘My Blue Dart’ App, Blue Dart website and On the Move (OTM) platform for enabling them to specify a very precise delivery location—be it the front door of their home/ office, a specific apartment complex entrance, or a tucked-away side passage. For example, swimmer.kindness.habits is the what3words location for Blue Dart Head Office in Andheri, Mumbai. By typing these three words on the what3words portal or website, one can easily find, share and navigate to the location from anywhere in the world. The technology is also available offline and in 54 languages including 12 South Asian languages: Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, Nepali, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Punjabi, and Odia. Ketan Kulkarni, Chief Commercial Officer, Blue Dart says, ” Given the customer centricity values that Blue Dart carries, we partnered with what3words to stand true to our brand commitment of Customer Convenience and Delight. The three-word addressing will not only provide a seamless last mile delivery but will also increase delivery efficacy by reaching the precise location (within 3m of space) as specified by the customer. We believe that as the use of what3words grows, it will provide a unique way for us to deliver to specific locations, particularly in areas with informal addresses.”

Ahead of its Annual Conclave 2023 on May 3rd at Le Meridian in New Delhi, Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI) organized a power packed curtain raiser cum press conference at Udaan Bhavan, DIAL on 25th April 2023 to update the media partners about the key highlights of the event, with the theme Cargo Udaan – Connecting and Empowering Indian Skies. Mr. Satish Lakkaraju, Chairman, ACFI will be moderating the insightful panel discussions on the importance of Air Cargo in today’s world, Mr. Sanjiv Edward, VP ACFI will moderate session on Opportunities and Challenges in International Air Cargo, while, Mr. Keku Bomi Gazder, Member ACFI will be moderating panel discussion on potential of Domestic Air Cargo. Mr. Yashpal Sharma, President informed that they have very interesting line-up of speakers this year, who are air cargo experts. Sharma also stressed that since its inception, ACFI has been striving hard to take up the key issues and challenges with the respective ministries and seeking solutions for the same. The ultimate goal of ACFI is to collaborate and move forward for growth, he said. The event was hosted by Sakshi Gupta, Country Manager, Air Logistics Group. Mr. K S Kunwar, DG ACFI briefed about ACFI’s initiatives. Vote of Thanks was given by Mr. Munish Davessar, Head-Cargo Business Development, Delhi International Airport Limited.