The Cooperative Logistics Network’s 6th Annual Meeting which was held from 11th to 13th March at Le Meridien Beach Resort in Phuket, Thailand, has been an out-and-out success. The event has brought together 230 members of more than 60 different countries for three days of networking and entertainment, a 25% increase in attendance comparing to the previous one. Attendees have also had the opportunity to learn about the latest trends and innovations in the freight industry and connect with other professionals in the field. The primary objective of this conference was the interchange of projects among members with the help of scheduled one-to-one business discussions. Moreover, this year, The Cooperative Logistics Network has created a new web app that has allowed delegates to constantly stay updated with the meeting agenda. On logging into this application, the members could access every meeting information and check all the required information about the everyday agenda of the meeting which greatly helped the agents. “We are thrilled about the huge turnout we have had at The Cooperative’s Annual Meeting this year, which is the largest attendance ever. This year’s conference was all the more significant since it took place after a three years’ hiatus because of the pandemic when the network had to organize virtual conferences. We were delighted to see that everyone was looking forward to meeting each other once again” says Antonio Torres, the President and Founder of The Cooperative Logistics Network. The conference started with a Corporate Day Trip to the Phi Phi Islands, that not just allowed the delegates to explore the marvels around Phuket but also made way for lasting bonds and friendships among the members. During the second …

The day 3 of the recently concluded TIACA Regional Summit in New Delhi focused on ongoing developments at the airports in terms of infrastructure and technology for cargo movement. Experts also discussed upon the growing e-commerce segment focusing on the last mile delivery challenges and air cargo reaching out to tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Cross border e-commerce from India was also highlighted. There were discussions on growing perishables market and opportunities in India, evolution of GSSAs – how today’s GSSAs are much more than just a sales agent, and how they can help India achieve its air cargo objectives. Issues related to ground handling were also discussed extensively and emphasis were laid on sustainable cargo operations. A panel of airport experts also discussed the recipe for success and what is needed for even greater collaboration going forward.

In a bid to promote logistics sector in a big way, the Tamil Nadu government will facilitate projects with more than Rs 500 crore with customised incentives. To attract and enable financing for large scale logistics infrastructure development, the government will coordinate with financial institution such as National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Fund (TNIF) or any other suitable sources for leveraging funds, says reports. According to the latest logistic policy, the government will encourage phase wise preparation of logistics master plan for major cities and metropolitan regions in the state to promote city logistics. It will identify and earmark land parcels, minimum 50 acres, at strategic locations in the state for development of multi-modal logistics parks, warehousing clusters and private freight terminals (PFT) which will be developed through private participation. The government, through housing and urban development department, will reclassify the warehouse segment to industries category to facilitate ease of doing business in the state. It will also mandate existing warehouse developers to update their developments for streamlining registration process under the new sub-category under industries category within a defined period of time, reports adds.

Alaska Airlines has partnered with Shell Aviation with the aim of expanding the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market beyond a standard fuel supply agreement. As well as procurement and use of SAF, the companies will work together to define and tackle what it will take to advance SAF technology, development, infrastructure and investment. The agreement includes commitments to deepen understanding of the technology, infrastructure, carbon accounting systems and public policy support needed to bring SAF to more markets, in greater quantities and at a more sustainable long-term cost. The companies will put particular focus on enabling supply to the West Coast and alleviating fuelling infrastructure challenges in the Pacific Northwest. Shell Aviation will also supply up to 10m gallons of neat SAF to Alaska Airlines at their hub in Los Angeles. Alaska Airlines said it shares an ambition with Shell Aviation to help scale the SAF market by concurrently addressing cost and volume through multiple strategies to grow availability and commercial viability of SAF. “Alaska Airlines has set our course to net zero by 2040 and sustainable aviation fuels represent the greatest near-term opportunity to make a step-level change on that journey,” said Diana Birkett Rakow, senior vice president for public affairs and sustainability at Alaska. “That’s why we’ve pioneered SAF technologies for more than a decade. But we can’t scale the market alone. We’re excited to take this next step in the journey with Shell, to leverage their deep knowledge of the energy industry, its infrastructure requirements and supply chain to make lower lifecycle carbon SAF more widely available for the future.” Jan Toschka, president of Shell Aviation, commented: “We’re excited to expand our strong relationship with Alaska and …

Yusen Logistics Hong Kong will establish and start operating its own container freight station (CFS) for air export cargo in the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA)-operated Dongguan Humen Bonded Logistics Park (BLP), known as the “Airport City” project. The company said it is the only logistics solution provider to operate its own CFS in the Airport City project, which was developed to promote economic development. Yusen Logistics has been involved in the project since its inception. In October last year, it began providing a new solution that transports cargo directly from the BLP in China to the island-based HKIA directly by feeder vessel and loading it on aircraft. Promoted by the Hong Kong Airport Authority (AAHK), the BLP is positioned as a logistics base station for air cargo in the Greater Bay Area, and is expected to play a role as a base of intersection connecting the Greater Bay Area to all of the world, making it easy to access not only from Guangdong Province but also from inside and outside China. “By opening our own CFS in Dongguan Humen BLP, we will manage our customers’ important cargo safely, securely, and provide optimal supply chain logistics services connecting the Greater Bay Area with the world, said Yusen Logistics. Last month, Cathay Pacific Cargo and the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal become the first carrier and first cargo terminal operator to have cargo shipments accepted in Dongguan and transported to HKIA by ship for outbound airfreight, enabling full upstream sea-air intermodal export cargo handling between the Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong.

Logistics is a sunrise industry, I urge the stakeholders to invest in the logistics sector. It is growing tremendously, but yes, there’s lot that needs to be done, we need people, infrastructure, processes, and investments,” says Tushar Jani, Group Chairman, Cargo Service Center India at the ongoing TIACA Regional Summit in New Delhi. “I would also like to focus upon the e-commerce sector which is growing exponentially and driving air cargo growth. India has 7,89,000 villages, out of which 200,000 villages have more than 10,000 population, so for even delivery for 10 people per village you would need 20 billion people to serve the trade. We need to work on manpower, multimodal connectivity, first mile and last mile logistics, production capacity and transportation capabilities. We need to merge our domestic and international processes to bring the cost down. And doing that with the help of technology will be beneficial. The future is fantastic. He also adds that, Multimodal transportation is going to be a game changer for Indian logistics. The government is improving inland waterways, coastal shipping, roadways, and rail. There is this new freight corridor, which will link the northeast to Myanmar to Thailand to Cambodia to Vietnam and up to Philippines and down south we are going to be cooperating with Sri Lanka in the times to come so we are on the threshold of a new journey. If you have money put in logistics, it is time to invest in the supply chain. It is a sunrise industry,” he adds.

At the ongoing TIACA Regional Symposium in New Delhi, Vipul Bhalla, Chief Business Officer, Pradhaan Air Express informed, “We are very very bullish on the air cargo market. We are also looking forward to adding our second A320 shortly. We will be launching Four A320s and A321s in 2024. By the end of 2023 or by the Q1 2024, we will add more A321s to our fleet.. We will also look forward to adding four A330s over 2024-2025. When people were talking about freighters, we invested in freighters, we invested in growth and we are very positive about the growth in the coming years.” In an exclusive interview, previously Bhalla told, “We are very proud of the fact that this is the first conversion of the A320 into a freighter aircraft which has made its world debut on an Indian AOP. Currently it is the World’s only A320 Freighter. We are grateful for the support that the regulators and Authorities have provided in making this dream come true. The A320 offers an available payload of nearly 21 tons and has a better range than other aircrafts in its category, including the A321. The A-320 is a tried and tested aircraft with fly by wire technology that is currently ruling the Indian Skies. We have got the approvals to carry all kinds of cargo, be it pharmaceuticals, Mobile phones, Lithium batteries, AVI etc., Point to point services at the appropriate time helps shipments to arrive with the fastest possible transit. The main deck can accept cargo up to a height of 80 on all 11 PAJ (125”x88”) pallets. The aircraft is also flexible enough to carry 10 PMC’s (125”x96”) in an …

The air cargo industry is seeing increasing pressure to up its environmental performance, according to air cargo group TIACA’s latest sustainability report. The association’s third annual survey found that 64% of respondents believe that sustainability pressure has increased compared to last year, mainly driven by customers and regulators. The report also highlights a clear link between environmental, social and governance (ESG) action and reputation, as reported by 85% of respondents. Meanwhile, the report also found that sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) commitments are making slow progress and are led by large companies. “Sustainability is clearly on the minds of our industry colleagues and while ‘Sustainability’ is a broad concept, through our work we are able to bring awareness to the industry that it is more than just the environment. Sustainability is doing good for the planet, people and business and at TIACA we like to do this through partnerships and innovation,” said Glyn Hughes, TIACA director general. The association recently called on the industry to make sure that Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) decarbonisation targets are met. The report also found that 75% of respondents felt that sustainability is more important than last year, and 76% of companies confirmed they have a sustainability strategy in place. More companies have dedicated teams and budgets to drive sustainability, with 52% of companies producing sustainability reports. Additionally, 9% of companies indicated a reduction in energy consumption in their operations, while 50% of companies have upgraded their fleets to cleaner aerial and ground vehicles. Compared to the first assessment in 2020, this year’s survey saw a 28% increase in respondents. TIACA said that the report’s findings will continue to drive its sustainability positions and strategy and …

Cathay Cargo has launched a new mail service that integrates mail handling data with its cargo systems to improve visibility. The new Cathay Mail service integrates mail-handling data with air cargo systems using the the postal air waybill (PAWB) through electronic data interchange (EDI) technology. This removes much of the previous shipment paperwork and improves “visibility of shipments down to mailbag (or receptacle) level, allowing them to offer package-level track-and-trace visibility to e-commerce shippers”. Cathay Cargo said the information also allows it to manage capacity against actual mail volumes on flights, so it can make allowances for surges in ad hoc demand, or make unused space available for other cargo. European mail shipments will also be compliant with the European Union’s new ICS2 customs requirements, which are being introduced this year. 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. “This new investment in our mail-handling capability increases the attractiveness of Hong Kong as a global mail hub, giving post offices the confidence to move mail more seamlessly to, from and through Hong Kong,” The system will also help with performance monitoring through the EzyPost platform. Indices such as on-time delivery and visibility performance will be accessible and updated from live data. “Cathay Cargo will aim to outperform the 95% industry ‘visibility performance’ standard, and will set its own stretch targets to ensure it exceeds contractual standards,” the carrier said. “The EzyPost platform will also produce monthly reports …

At the ongoing TIACA Regional Symposium in New Delhi, we will be focusing on training and up-skilling the workforce as it is one of the major challenges that the Industry is facing today, says Glyn Hughes, Director General, TIACA in an exclusive interview. We have a dedicated session on digital innovation in which we will also discuss about how we going to attract and retain and develop the next generation workforce which is very crucial at this point of time, he adds. Talking about India as a growing trade and investment destination, Hughes adds, India is starting to create this incredibly robust production capabilities. India has got educated workforce, labour and willingness to take the industry to the next level. India has government support with National Logistics Policy and other initiatives to support the expansion of the sector globally and the ability to move high-tech products globally like automotive, aerospace, pharma – India has got a world class infra – India has been producer and supplier of pharma and vaccines since many years. There are tremendous opportunities which India can tap on, especially in high tech segment – like India has started manufacturing I phones here even,” he adds.