ESR India has inked a memorandum of understanding with the Karnataka government to invest ₹2,500 crore in the state. As a part of the MoU, the company will build industrial and logistics parks, urban distribution centres, and data centres in the state. Abhijit Malkani, CEO ESR India said, “Karnataka is a significant market for us due to its mature industrial ecosystem. We aim to bring world-class development expertise in industrial and logistics parks, urban distribution centres and data centres to enrich the state’s industrial, logistics and data infrastructure.” “The MoU will accelerate development and attract more investments from multinational and national companies. ESR has committed to a significant investment of Rs 2500 crores over a period of 3 years. Our vision is aligned with the government of Karnataka to champion industrial progress and socio-economic growth in the region,” Malkani added.

FedEx Express has opened new cargo facility for seamless cross-border trade, e-commerce growth and pharma logistics at Incheon International Airport in South Korea. The FedEx Gateway spans 23,395 sq. mt, more than double the size of the previous facility, and is equipped with 78 conveyor belts and an advanced automated sortation system that can sort up to 12,000 packages per hour, doubling the previous sorting capacity. It also includes a 15,207 sq m warehouse that can store up to 40,000 packages, said release. With 31 weekly flights, the new cold store facility connects Korea to over 220 countries and territories through the FedEx global network. Kawal Preet, president of the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa (AMEA) region at FedEx Express said, “With South Korea tracking as the fourth biggest exporter in Asia last year and the world’s fifth-largest e-commerce market, the new Incheon Gateway will further boost our already extensive network to create possibilities for customers across the region. As trade lanes continue to diversify, businesses particularly across the North Pacific region will benefit from this newly opened facility as they continue to harness the full potential of global trade opportunities.” The new gateway’s cold storage area is now five times larger, to facilitate the transport of cold-chain shipments, including samples for clinical trials and healthcare products such as vaccines as well as perishable or temperature-sensitive items.

V-Xpress, a division of V-Trans (India) Ltd launched its new state-of-art hub in Ahmedabad. Built over one lakh sq. ft. area, the new hub will be creating about 80-100 direct employment and around 400-500 indirect employment. The facility is strategically located right on the National Highway-08 which is also known as Sarkhej-Bavla Highway, well connected to nearby cities. With this new hub, V Xpress now has over 65 branches and 4 Hub centers across the state of Gujarat, said an official release. Being in the industry for the past 20 years, today V-Xpress is one of the fastest-growing express cargo companies in India and currently growing at a pace of over 40% YoY. The company is catering to one of the largest gamut of industry segments with a strong and agile management team. The facility carries safety compliances in construction and fire. The warehouse is completely secured with CCTV monitoring covering all parts of the facility, both inside and outside. The facility includes multiple bays to load and unload shipments for easier and faster turnarounds. Commenting on this, Aditya Shah, Executive Director, V-Trans (India) Ltd & CEO, V-Xpress, said, “We are delighted to announce another state-of-art hub facility in Gujarat. Ahmedabad is considered as one of the key market areas in our growth journey. We are expanding our network and infrastructure across India, and the western region plays a significant part in our overall strategy. We further plan to strengthen our air business with focused strategic efforts enabling fast-paced growth. And our growth plans are well supported by a best-in-class network, advanced technology, and a committed team to serve the express logistics needs of the clients.” Mahendra Shah, Group Chairman, …

CargoAi and Finland-based oil refining company Neste have entered into a partnership to offer freight forwarders options to reduce their carbon emissions from air cargo transportation. As of November, CargoAi is offering freight forwarders the option to purchase Neste’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) when booking cargo transport, the companies said. This can be done either after a booking is confirmed or when the cargo is being tracked, they said. The offering will “further encourage forwarders to enter into discussions with their own clients about what is needed for the industry to move forward towards reaching the industry’s net zero targets together”, said Matthieu Petot, chief executive of CargoAi. “We are also enabling access for smaller freight forwarding companies in 110 countries to purchase SAF in smaller quantities,” he added. SAF is a key element in helping to reach aviation industry’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. While air cargo has historically been considered less environmentally friendly than other transport methods, it is taking steps to develop more sustainable solutions by investing in fleet modernisation, fuel efficiency, SAF and carbon compensation initiatives. The partnership between Neste and CargoAi will allow the companies “to accelerate and broaden the utilisation of sustainable aviation fuel into new markets”, said Neste’s Jason Reichow.

A.P. Moller – Maersk is all set to expand its warehousing footprint in Bangladesh with a brand new 100,000 sq. ft. facility being built in Chattogram. The upcoming facility is strategically located close to the Chattogram Port and easily connected to the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway through the Outer Ring Road and Karnaphuly Tunnel, giving easy access to Bangladesh’s garment exporters based out of the nearby manufacturing hubs. Bangladesh is witnessing impressive growth in garments exports. However, the warehousing footprint in Chattogram has not increased proportionally. “The pandemic presented us with the opportunity to have meaningful dialogues with our customers and look into the future. We realised that the demand for warehousing space was rising and decided to undertake measures that could address this requirement proactively,” said an official statement. Maersk Bangladesh has partnered with Vertex Off-Dock Logistics Services Limited to commission the new three-storied facility. The lift, conveyor belt and slider-operated warehouse will ensure higher productivity. Internal and external parking facilities will allow for a higher number of trucks and vans to be accommodated within the warehouse. While the current facility will be 1000,000 sq. ft., Maersk has access to more space in case of expansion in the future.

Airbus freighter conversions unit EFW and Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Corp (Ameco) have announced a new collaboration on Airbus passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions. Under the collaboration, Ameco will carry out P2F conversions as a third-party service provider for EFW’s A330P2F programme. Conversions will be carried out at Ameco’s facilities in Chengdu, China, with the first induction of an A330 aircraft scheduled in 2023. Ameco, the largest provider of MRO services for aircraft in China, and EFW announced the partnership at Airshow China 2022. Jordi Boto, CEO of EFW said, “We are very pleased to gain a renowned partner in China through our latest collaboration with Ameco, which is well experienced in freighter conversions. The partnership will support the strategy in positioning our freighter conversion programmes as a solution of choice as well as cementing our strong presence in China, which is one of the largest and fastest growing aviation markets in the world.” Said Lun Chen, CEO of Ameco: “We look forward to cooperating with EFW to support the market demand and to promote the air cargo industry development. Conversions have always been a strategic product of Ameco. This cooperation will expand the P2F market and provide better service to our customers.” EFW’s family of Airbus P2F programmes: A320P2F, A321P2F and A330P2F, is developed in collaboration with ST Engineering and Airbus, with EFW holding the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) and leading in the overall programmes as well as the marketing and sales efforts.

IndiGo is all set to introduce its second freighter in December, the airline recently said at its post-earnings conference call. The carrier is in the process of converting four A321CEO to freighters with a capacity of 25-27 tonnes. The first freighter was inducted by the airline in late September. “On our Cargo operations, volumes have been increasing owing to our sheer network presence and we remain optimistic. CarGo belly capacity will be further augmented with the introduction of the first Airbus 321 freighter and we are also expecting second such aircraft to be operational by December,” said Pieter Elbers, CEO. The freighter will be operational in December. “These aircraft are on operating leases and are similar to our existing Airbus A320 family. This not only gives an added advantage on costs but also enables us uniquely to service markets like China, Vietnam, Middle East and certain CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries,” Elbers added.

Qatar Airways has launched a scheduled once a week freighter service calling at Vienna airport from Doha, in addition to the Middle East carrier’s passenger flights to the European hub. Julian Jäger, joint CEO and COO of Vienna Airport, said, “Air cargo is an important market segment for Vienna Airport, and we are continually investing in a modern and high-performance infrastructure. “In addition to high-quality cargo services, Vienna Airport also offers extensive know-how in this area. We are very pleased with the fact that airlines recognise our competence and with the decision of Qatar Airways Cargo to now offer a regular cargo flight connection to Vienna.” Vienna Airport has positioned itself as an important global cargo hub for Central and Eastern Europe and to Asia. The most important consumer and economic centres in Central and Eastern Europe are reached within 24 to 48 hours. A modern pharmaceutical handling centre for sensitive medical cargo and a separate road feeder terminal are available alongside aircraft parking bays in close proximity to terminal buildings.

Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs*), fell 10.6% compared with September 2021 (-10.6% also for international operations), but continued to track at near pre-pandemic levels (-3.6%). Capacity was 2.4% above September 2021 (+5.0% for international operations) but still 7.4% below September 2019 levels (-8.1% for international operations), said IATA’s latest reports. Following contractions across major economies, the global Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for new export orders also contracted (for a third month in a row) to its lowest level in two years. Latest global goods trade figures showed a 5.2% expansion in August, a positive sign for the global economy. This is expected to primarily benefit maritime cargo, with a slight boost to air cargo as well. Oil prices remained stable in September and the jet fuel crack spread fell from a peak in June, the reports added. The Consumer Price Index stabilized in G7 countries in September, but at a decades high level of 7.7%. Inflation in producer (input) prices slowed to 13.7% in August. “While air cargo’s activity continues to track near to 2019 levels, volumes remain below 2021’s exceptional performance as the industry faces some headwinds. At the consumer level, with travel restrictions lifting post-pandemic, people are likely to spend more on vacation travel and less on e-commerce. And at the macro-level, increasing recession warnings are likely to have a negative impact on the global flows of goods and services, balanced slightly by a stabilization of oil prices. Against this backdrop, air cargo is bearing up well. And a strategic slow-down in capacity growth from 6.3% in August to 2.4% in September demonstrates the flexibility the industry has in adjusting to economic developments,” said Willie Walsh, …

Air Canada Cargo launched a specialized freighter service for equine transportation utilizing its Boeing 767-300 freighters. Air Canada Cargo will use stalls that are specifically designed to transport prized horses, with up to three animals per unit, Air Canada Cargo officials posted on Linkedin. “Equine attendants accompanying horses will be accommodated on the same flights in special upper-deck passenger seating. The Air Canada Cargo freighter network provides many opportunities to facilitate convenient equine transportation globally throughout North America, Europe, and Latin America seamlessly via its Toronto hub. The facilities in Toronto include a state-of-the-art barn (comfort stop facility) that can hold horses in care and comfort at any point during their journey,” added post. Matthieu Casey, Managing Director, Commercial, for Air Canada Cargo, said in a statement, “This new highly specialized service is another sign of our continued investment in our facilities and international network to better serve our customers. Air Canada Cargo takes great pride in the safe and humane transport of animals, and our new equine product we offer to our customers, from the facilities and stalls that provide the highest standard of safety and care for these magnificent animals to our ability to accommodate attendants onboard is state of the art from end to end.”