IndiGo (InterGlobe Aviation Ltd) newest aircraft an Airbus A321-211 (P2F), a first in India, ex-Avion Express, leased from Castlelake, is all set to touch the Indian skies soon, according to an official post on Linkedin. Mahesh Malik, Chief Commercial Officer-CarGo, IndiGo said: “We are pleased to receive our first A321 freighter aircraft in 6E fleet. CarGo has always been a success story for us especially highlighted during the pandemic. The CarGo business brought in revenues when the scheduled commercial flights were at a standstill. Our partnership with the Airbus for Freighter programme will further help strengthen our business in the CarGo segment, and act as a strong engine of economic growth for the country. We remain optimistic on the future of Indian aviation, clearly, and the place of CarGo within it – and the expansion into a true freighter fleet is a testament of this confidence.” The A321P2F (Passenger-to-Freighter conversion) is the most efficient narrow-bodied freighter available, offering 24 container positions and supporting a payload of up to 27 tonnes. These are being converted through a programme involving ST Engineering and Airbus with their joint venture, Elbe FlugzeugWerke (EFW). The aircraft is uniquely capable for IndiGo, using our current vast pool of A320 family pilots, and able to service markets between China in the east and the Gulf in the west, not forgetting the CIS countries to the north.

Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport) continues to be the No.1 airport for handling perishable shipments from India. BLR Airport recorded 52,366 Metric Tonnes (MT) of perishable shipments in FY 2021-22, compared to the previous year’s 48,130 MT. 41% of South India’s air-cargo perishable tonnage is currently handled by BLR Airport making it the leading airport for perishables in India. Fruits and vegetables along with the export of poultry and flower have been major segments driving this growth. 36,493 MT of poultry and 1,952 MT of flowers were exported from BLR Airport in FY’22. Doha emerged as the leading destination followed by Singapore, London, and Male. A total of 33 cargo freighter airlines transported perishable shipments from BLR Airport to 85 international destinations in FY’22. “BLR Airport has the advantage of dedicated cold zones enabling processing of perishable goods for export, which is the highest in India. The infrastructure that we provide ensures cold-chain integrity and seamless movement of perishables, without any change in the optimum storage temperature. Our recent partnerships with multiple cargo partners for infrastructure and technology will only make the Airport’s cargo capacity stronger and even better”, stated Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy and Development Officer at Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL).

Singapore-based cargo handler SATS has signed an agreement to buy Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) from an affiliate of asset investor Cerberus Capital Management with an enterprise value worth €2.25bn, stated a release. The transaction will bring together WFS, the world’s largest air cargo handler, and SATS, a provider of aviation services in Asia. The combination will create a first of its kind global air cargo platform with scale and a network of stations across Asia, the Americas, and Europe. The customers will benefit from the combined platform’s “broader suite of services, operational best practices, and integrated technology”, the release added.

CEVA Logistics has expanded its owned and controlled SKYCAPACITY program and added five more stations to its network, certified under IATA’s CEIV Lithium Battery program. In an announcement in London, CEVA stated it has purchased additional air capacity on key routes. The company now controls 1,300 tons per week thanks to 50 flights serving 20 airports. “The program offers consistent pricing and guaranteed capacity despite market peaks and lows. The CEVA network currently offers a variety of destinations to and from North and South America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. The network has multiple carriers and includes freighter, pax freighter and passenger capacity. The network is available as a spot cargo solution for customers,” stated the statement. Peter Penseel, COO, air freight, CEVA Logistics said, “We are continuing to expand our global network and quality and safety of our air transport services. With the improved SKYCAPACITY program and our newly CEIV-certified air stations, we will co-create value with our clients across a wide range of industries.”

To allow customers to have real-time access to schedules and booking, Air Canada Cargo has become the first North American carrier to join the CargoWise e-booking platform. With this development, the carrier is digitizing its operations that saw the opening of a new cold chain facility at its Toronto Hub and introduction of Releye live monitored, temperature-controlled certified containers. It has grown its freighter fleet with the addition of two new B767Fs and the order of two B777Fs. Matthieu Casey, MD, commercial, cargo at Air Canada, in a release, stated, “We are pleased to be linking to CargoWise’s booking platform as another step in our continued digital transformation. We believe that digitalisation is key to success of air cargo, and we continue to stay ahead of the curve. This platform will provide additional value to our customers and continue to enhance efficiencies.”

Boeing has delivered its 100th contracted B737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) to serve the fast-growing e-commerce market. AerCap Cargo took delivery of the aircraft converted at Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services Co (BSAS), home to the first B737-800BCF conversion line. As per a release, the aircraft has been leased to GOL Linhas Aéreas, which will operate the freighter for a Latin American e-commerce company. Rich Greener, Head, AerCap Cargo said, “We are delighted to be a part of this milestone. Since launching the 737-800BCF project in 2016, the e-commerce market has grown with increased demand from e-commerce businesses. Thanks to its versatility, the aircraft is becoming the workhorse for express air cargo and e-commerce networks.”

According to the latest figures from WorldACD Market Data.Global, air cargo rates have continued to soften in September. WorldACD said that air cargo prices continued their gradual decline in the first two full weeks of September, while volumes increased slightly in the second week after a drop in the first full week followed by a drop in worldwide cargo volumes in chargeable weight in August. From September 11 to 18 (week 37), worldwide chargeable weight increased +1% compared with the previous week, based on the more than 350,000 weekly transactions covered by WorldACD’s data. But comparing weeks 36 and 37 with the preceding two weeks (2Wo2W), volumes in the last two weeks combined dropped -3% on a 2Wo2W basis, while average worldwide rates declined -1%, with a decrease in capacity of -2%. Across that two-week period, tonnages showed a declining trend from the main air cargo origin regions, except for flows ex-Europe, which showed an increase of +2%. Notably, volumes ex-North America displayed a -10% drop that can also be seen on a lane-by-lane basis, with significant decreases from North America to Asia Pacific (-17%), to Europe (-10%) and to Central & South America (-9%), said report.

The Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) has urged Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to restore freighter services of Lufthansa Cargo and Cathay Pacific at Hyderabad which were removed post-COVID from the ambit of Open Skies policy and cargo operations were instead brought under the Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASAs), said reports. The trade and industry body also highlighted how significant international direct freight connectivity was for Hyderabad, particularly with the region accounting for 40% of total bulk drug production and 50% bulk drug exports from the country. “Hyderabad region accounts for over 30% of all vaccines produced globally. Telangana has high dependency on air cargo for exports of finished goods and imports of raw materials. A consequence of the shift to BASAs was the curtailment of two-port landings by foreign carriers flying a multi-stop circuit route within India, dropping off/picking up international cargo from multiple Indian cities before heading back to overseas base,” said FTCCI president Anil Agarwal. “Under the new rules, Cathay Pacific flight previously operating Hong Kong – Delhi – Hyderabad – Hong Kong or the Lufthansa flight operating Frankfurt-Mumbai-Hyderabad-Frankfurt on a single journey is no longer being permitted. These were crucial trade links for local industries in Telangana and these two carriers combined had carried a total of around 15,000 tonnes of cargo in 2019-20, accounting for around 17% of the total international air cargo volumes handled at Hyderabad airport during the period,” he added.

Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) announced that it has signed an agreement with Atlas Air for four new 777-200 freighters on a lease for a long-term deal. The first freighter is likely to be delivered in 2023. MSC Air Cargo has been under development for several months, said the shipping line, and will begin operations in early 2023. A company statement said, MSC’s entry into airfreight was in response to customer demand and as a complementary service to its container shipping solutions. Soren Toft, MSC chief executive officer said, “We are delighted to announce the development of MSC Air Cargo and to welcome Jannie Davel to spearhead this exciting new offering for MSC clients. This is our first step into this market and we plan to continue exploring various avenues to develop air cargo in a way that complements our core business of container shipping.”

Mahindra Logistics Ltd (MLL) has acquired the B2B express business of logistics unicorn Rivigo for a consideration of Rs 225 crore. In a communication to the stock exchanges, Mahindra Logistics said the acquisition of the B2B express business of Rivigo was on a ‘slump sale’ basis. This B2B express business of Rivigo had registered a revenue of Rs 371.3 crore for FY 2021-22. The acquisition will include customers, the team, assets, the technology platform, and the Rivigo brand. According to Rivigo, it will continue to own its truck fleet and the rights to the full truck load (FTL) operations, said official release. According to Mahindra Logistics, the acquisition will augment its existing B2B express business leveraging Rivigo’s network of over 250 processing centres and branches, spanning an area of more than 1.5 million sq ft, technology and process capabilities and will drive synergies in network, team and customer service.