Air India SATS Airport Services (AISATS), has been selected by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to Design, Build, Finance, Operate & Maintain a Greenfield Logistics Park at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport / KIAB) for a period of 15 years. The upcoming Logistics Park to be developed on 8.2 acres will be a world-class warehousing facility comprising of a General Warehouse, Bonded Warehouse, Consolidation Centre, Cold-Storage Facility, Office Spaces and other amenities such as Bank / ATM Facility, Business Centre, Cafeteria etc. AISATS will also provide value-added services including manpower and equipment rentals on an hourly or pay-per-use basis for Loading/Offloading, Labelling, Packaging, Bulk-Breaking etc.

T. A. Krishnan, CEO and Co-founder, Ecom Express Limited, “The logistics industry is one of the foundations of the Indian economy which has experienced immense growth over the past couple of years. With the improvement in logistics infrastructure, industry is witnessing a significant growth in demand generation leading to job creation. The expectations from the budget for the financial year 2023-24 are introduction of more supporting initiatives from the government such as further infrastructure projects along with focus in completion of ongoing road/highway projects, digital transformation and to create skilled workforce and related platforms for the logistics and transportation segments. We can expect Budget 2023-24 to be taxpayer friendly with focus on maximum disposable benefits. There is a dire need to consider reduction of excise/VAT on energy and fuel products such as motor spirit, high speed diesel, natural gas, crude oil along with enhancement of tax deduction limit to help lower income group. This will help to cut down logistics and transportation cost to a great extent. For a growing economy like India, it is important to reduce logistics costs to boost export competitiveness at a time when global firms are moving their manufacturing facilities to India to de-risk global supply chains. The gig workers can also expect the announcement on implementation of social security cover, however, keeping this workforce away from taxation ambit will help build higher disposable income in the hands of a fairly large alternate employment pool in the country. Another much awaited ask from the government, given the global slowdown trends, is to consider Fuel and CNG subsidy or further tax reduction for 2023-24 to provide a trickle-down effect to the consumerism in the country. The …

Aviation data firm Cirium is expecting the world’s freighter fleet to grow at 2.3% per year over the next 20 years. The data provider predicted that in total the world’s freighter fleet will reach over 4,100 aircraft by 2041 on the back of a 3.7% per year increase in cargo demand. The forecast predicts the supply of some 3,560 freighter aircraft over the next 20-year period, including 1,060 newbuilds (30%) and 2,480 conversions from passenger aircraft (70%). This figure reflects the near-term boom in conversions due to air cargo market dynamics of the Covid-19 pandemic including e-commerce growth and rising feedstock availability. “The freighter fleet benefitted during the Covid-19 crisis from the short-term reduction in passenger aircraft belly capacity and the rise of e-commerce will drive longer-term freighter fleet growth. “Conversion demand is being driven by the rise of e-commerce which gained momentum during lockdowns as well as increasing volumes of feedstock in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis,” Cirium said. “Focus is increasingly on newer generation conversion programmes, including the A321ceo, 737-800, A330ceo and 777-300ER.”

Air Canada Cargo is continuing to expand its freighter operation with the addition of two new destinations. The carrier will add flights using its B767 freighters to Liege next month and to Basel in April. Air Canada Cargo will operate flights twice per week to Liege, with service increasing to three flights per week later in the year. Basel will see two flights per week. They will originate in Toronto and have a stop in Halifax. Liege has become one of Europe’s largest cargo airports in recent years by targeting freighter operations, while Basel is a major centre for pharmaceuticals. Matthieu Casey, managing director, commercial at Air Canada Cargo, said: “Air Canada Cargo continues to expand its freighter network to provide customers with reliable, year-round service that connects key European markets with Air Canada and Air Canada Cargo’s global network through its Toronto hub.”

Autonomous cargo aircraft company MightyFly will begin last and middle mile test flights with its hybrid, electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft following Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification. The FAA has granted the California company’s MightyFly Cento eVTOL aircraft a Special Airworthiness Certificate and a Certificate of Authorisation (COA) for long-range flights. This means that MightyFly can start demonstrating the long-range flight capabilities of Cento. Demonstrating autonomous eVTOL flights up to 600 miles of range with 100 pounds of cargo is unprecedented in the industry, said MightyFly. With this COA in place, the company will be able to accelerate development of its autonomous aircraft, with a larger airspace (230 square miles) in which to test the transition from hover to forward flight at medium and high altitudes (up to 5000 ft). The MightyFly Cento has a cargo capacity of 45 kg, a range of 600 miles and a max speed of 150 mph. Measuring 4m by 5m, the aircraft features eight electric vertical lift fans, one forward propulsion propeller, and a high wing carbon fibre airframe. Fully loaded, the Cento weighs 161 kg, said MightyFly.

Varun Gada, Director, LP Logiscience – A Liladhar Pasoo Company says, “In the post COVID era, the Indian logistics and supply chain sector has emerged as a significant backbone for the Indian economy and continues to be the important step to strengthening India’s position as a global economic power. While disruption through geopolitical stressors, further threatened international trade, India has emerged as a stable trade and business economy, thanks to positive government policies. As the Indian government enhances its focus on infrastructure development and bolstering Indian exports through various schemes, I would like to draw attention to the warehousing and contract logistic sector that has become vital in terms of building global supply chains. Currently, the warehousing sector is looking to accelerate digital adoption, embrace greener practices that match international standards, and drive value added collaborations with the manufacturing sector. In the upcoming budget, a focus on the following aspects will be beneficial for the sector: 1.​Reduction in Steel duty/ prices for industrial warehouse construction would be beneficial as up to 50% of the cost of construction of a warehouse is attributed to steel as a major component. 2.​Enhanced focus on improving the road transport infrastructure which can help decongest the existing warehousing hubs, reduce rentals and unlock better value for land available for warehousing. 3.​The government can additionally consider capital subsidies for the construction of grade-A warehouses in smaller towns. 4.​Better Public-Private Partnerships to setup of multi-modal logistics parks with better connectivity to new expressways. 5.​Reduction in solar panel import duties to help reduce capex investments and a re-look at the tax structure and subsidies for environmentally responsible practices 6.​Easier and attractive loans/ access to funds for tech adoption …

Citing his expectations from the budget, Mahendra Shah, Chairman, and Group Managing Director, V-Trans (India) Ltd said, “In the impending budget, The finance minister can address the challenges faced by the logistics sector in several ways and provide a steadiness between the economic growth priorities and inflation concerns, in an all-encompassing manner. Investments in infrastructure and technology can be given some motivation by offering tax benefits, it will on hand make the operations more effective and bring down the cost, on the other, it will also create employment opportunities. Also, to motivate the logistics players, the government can enhance or introduce rewards for building green infrastructure and practicing sustainable initiative”. Further he added, “The momentum of growth that our country has come to a way post the global pandemic cannot be undermined, the strengthening of the digital ecosystem with various initiatives under NLP, for faster communication and work, enhanced visibility, and transparency is very promising. To catalyze the master plan announced in the previous financial budget, NLP was much awaited by the industry and heard quite applause. We expect this budget to focus on lowering the costs of the logistics industry, especially by implementing the NLP that was launched in 2022, and look forward to seeing some tangible benefits to the industry being passed.”

Gati Ltd. An Allcargo Group company has launched state-of-the-art and tech-enabled surface transhipment centres(STC) in Nagpur, Maharashtra and Guwahati, Assam. The launch of Nagpur and Guwahati STCs is in line with Gati’s plan to set up 12 modern, automated and environmentally friendly STC. The company has plans to launch more STCs in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, as it aims to further strengthen its supply chain and warehousing competencies and networks. Strategically located at Nagpur-Amravati Road, the Nagpur STC is spread over a 50,000 sq. ft. area and has the capacity to efficiently manage short-haul deliveries in west India and long-haul deliveries across the country. Equipped with advanced technologies, the STC offers its customers optimized supply chains, reduced dwell times and on-time deliveries. Designed in compliance with green norms, Nagpur STC is equipped with built-to-suit technology-enabled warehouses of global standards, shop floor automation, an advanced Warehouse Management System, world-class material handling facilities, integrated warehousing and distribution mechanisms and superior safety features. The facility has adequate docks to turn around over 100 trucks a day and has a throughput capacity of over 1800 tonnes per day. With customised solutions, the Nagpur STC will cater to multiple industries including automotive, electrical equipment, apparel, heavy engineering, pharmaceutical, etc. The Nagpur STC adheres to the highest levels of performance and precision for sorting and loading and unloading cargo. Centrally located with congestion-free access to Nagpur-Amravati Highway, other key arterial highways and seamless connectivity into the hinterlands, the Nagpur STC has establishments of major corporates located within the periphery of 10 km. Located at the geographical centre-point of the country, Nagpur has emerged as a busy logistics hub in India. The combined advantage of its geographic …

Amazon India has launched Amazon Air, making it the first e-commerce company in the country to have a dedicated air cargo network . Amazon Air will utilise the complete cargo capacity of a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operated by Quikjet Cargo Airlines, a joint venture between AFL and the Ireland-based ASL Aviation Group. The Amazon-branded aircraft will transport customer shipments to cities such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai. “We’re thrilled to launch Amazon Air in India to ensure we can provide our growing customer base with great selection, low prices, and faster deliveries,” said Sarah Rhoads, Vice President, Amazon Global Air. The announcement reinforces Amazon India’s commitment to continue building capacity and will further enhance its transportation network.

Continental Carriers Pvt Ltd (CCPL) was felicitated as the “Best Freight Forwarder” for the 2nd consecutive year at ASSOCHAM’s 14th International Aviation Conference and Awards held recently on 18th January, 2023 at Hotel Leela, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. Managing Director, Vaibhav Vohra and Director, Viraj Vohra received the award from P K Thakur, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Civil Aviation and K Narayan Rao, Chairman, ASSOCHAM National Council on Civil Aviation and Deputy MD, GMR Group; in the presence of Vipin Vohra, Chairman, Continental Carriers Pvt Ltd.