With an aim to serve customers better and more efficiently, S.A. Consultants & Forwarders has expanded its business and moved to a 13,500 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility. The new facility offers the opportunity to better serve customers and work with our valuable business partners. “We look forward to continuing to serve our customers’ needs and work with them at our new location. The phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same,” said an official release.

Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) has introduced an autonomous electric tractor developed by Teksbotics and partners to meet expected cargo demand growth. AAHK and Teksbotics have officially launched a project to utilise autonomous tractors to perform routine driving works between West Cargo Apron and Cargo Apron Staging Area at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). Currently, there are 20 units of autonomous electric tractors working around the clock at the airport for both cargo and baggage operations. The autonomous electric tractors work in conjunction with human-driven tractors, which are freed up to perform more complicated tasks, said reports. “In this project, autonomous electric tractors are deployed to release pressure of human drivers from the daily routine and simple driving tasks. Human drivers can focus on more skilled tasks in the Cargo Apron Operation,” said an official from Teksbotics.

Alaska Airlines has plans to buy 52 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for delivery between 2024 and 2027, said reports. With this purchase, the carrier will have confirmed 737 MAX fleet from 94 to 146. According to the reports, to boost growth, the carrier has also secured rights for 105 more planes through 2030. This agreement represents the largest commitment for future aircraft in the airline’s history, says an official release. “This investment secures aircraft to optimize our growth through the next decade, which we know will be a formidable competitive advantage,” said Ben Minicucci, CEO, Alaska Airlines. “We’re proud of the strong financial foundation that uniquely positions Alaska to make this commitment to our future, and of the fantastic partnership we share with our hometown aircraft manufacturer at Boeing,” he added.

Air Canada has expanded its fleet and ordered conversion of 15 Airbus A220-300 aircraft into firm orders, taking the total order to 60 aircraft. “The expanded order for the A220 is an important development in the modernization of our fleet and a clear indication that we are emerging from the pandemic solidly positioned for the future. The A220 has become a mainstay of our narrow body fleet, and its performance and passenger comfort are enabling us to compete effectively in the North American market. We are also proud to support the Canadian aerospace industry. This increased order will support jobs at Airbus’ Mirabel factory and affirms Air Canada’s positive economic impact in Montreal, Quebec and throughout Canada,” said Air Canada official.

DP World has plans to expand its multimodal cargo services and infrastructure footprint in India as the country shrugs off Covid-19 woes and gears up for growth, said Rizwan Soomar, CEO – Indian subcontinent, in official reports. The Dubai-based container terminal company is searching for more locations to set up more free trade zones, expand its coast shipping footprint and also looking at opportunities to expand its private rail segment, said reports.

Industry body, The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has urged the government to lower freight and power costs for exporters and set up a shipping regulator, to promote outbound shipments, said reports. CII also suggested to fast-track establishment of an export promotion body. “There is also a need to do an internal export promotion and marketing exercise to get more businesses on the export markets,” said CII. “Can we consider lower freight and power costs for exporters? It is not required to have subsidies but calibrated rates so that exporters are not cross subsidizing other consumers. In this regard, including electricity costs under GST could be a way out to lower tax incidence. The government can consider a carve-out under the national logistics policy for investments in trade-related infrastructure. States should be encouraged to work on industrial park infrastructure, connectivity modes and faster clearances. Last year, Indian exporters faced huge issues due to shortage of containers and high freights charges. With situation stable now, we should have our own shipping regulator and shipping line, which can protect Indian exporters during such turbulent times,” said CII spokesperson.

IAG Cargo is trialing new sustainable film for wrapping transported goods at its London Heathrow hub in a bid to save up to 15 tonnes of virgin polyethylene a year. 100% recyclable and biodegradable by landfill, the film has been developed by German disposal company and film manufacturer Verpa Folie alongside US-based BioNatur Plastics. The film has a 15 micron thickness and is designed to have an indefinite shelf life, prohibiting unnecessary waste. It can also be used for food and temperature-controlled items – which are popular services for IAG Cargo. The receiving country of the goods will be able to sustainably dispose of the film, said IAG Cargo. David Rose, chief transformation officer at IAG Cargo, said, “We are continuously looking at ways in which we can reduce our impact on the environment in line with our commitment to sustainability. This solution provided by Verpa Folie, which we plan to roll out across our operation, will reduce our plastic consumption and is another step forward for IAG Cargo as we become fit for future.” Peter Griebel, managing director of Verpa Folie Weidhausen GmbH (exclusive producer of BioNatur foil for M&G packaging in Europe) said, “We are really happy that our long-term partner, IAG Cargo, has started using our product, which is one of the most sustainable and thinnest solutions for air cargo operations worldwide.”

Xerxes Master, President, Association Of Multimodal Transport Operators of India (AMTOI) said, “We at AMTOI categorically and unambiguously, disapprove this move to levy GST on Export Freight and will make the required representation to the government against it. We are hopeful that wisdom will prevail and the government which we believe is respective to the voice of the trade, will reconsider this decision and exempt this levy which hurts the EXIM trade as well.” He added, “The exporters who are already struggling with inflated Ocean and Air Freight triggered by the pandemic will now have to provision for additional working capital on account of GST which has to be deposited with the Government. The cost of money in India is between 8-12%, whereas in the most developed world which imports from India it is between 1-5%. This additional capital is likely to be blocked anywhere between 60-90 days. Logistics costs for export freight will go up anywhere between 1-2% points. The Exporters are likely to avoid this undue cost, by changing the incoterms from CIF to FOB, leaving the freight decision to the overseas buyer. This move will most certainly eliminate the Freight Forwarding community majority of who are small entrepreneurs belonging to MSME segment. In absence of these forwarders, there will be no competition in the market, and larger players, particularly multinationals are likely to exploit this lack of competition, resulting in a higher cost to the Indian Exporter.”

Healthcare firm Novo Nordisk has partnered with Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) to use 12m litres of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for its air cargo shipments. The agreement comes as the healthcare firm has the ambition to reach zero CO2 emissions from operations and transport by 2030. “With the deployment of 12m litres of SAF, Novo Nordisk will be able to replace fossil fuel for all K+N airfreight shipments in 2022,” the forwarder said. It claimed the deal would reduce direct emissions of around 30,000 tonnes of CO2. Dorethe Nielsen, vice president of corporate environmental strategy at Novo Nordisk, said, “This is yet another step in Novo Nordisk’s continuous support of the development of sustainable aviation fuel. Our airfreight accounts for most of our product distribution emissions as we provide life-saving medicines to patients around the world. We want to drive change in this area to help pave the way for other companies to also transition and cut emissions.”

Amazon Air has plans to expand its fleet with the addition of 10 A330-300 converted freighters from lessor Altavair. The aircraft will be operated for Amazon by Hawaiian Airlines and will be converted by Germany-headquartered Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), a joint venture between Singapore-based ST Engineering and France-headquartered Airbus. The first of the A330-300P2F aircraft is expected to join the Amazon Air fleet in late 2023. The deal with Hawaiian will last for eight years with options to extend for a further two and three years. Hawaiian will supply flight crews, perform maintenance and certain administrative functions, and procure aircraft insurance. Amazon will pay a fixed monthly fee per aircraft, a per-flight hour fee, and a per-flight cycle fee for each flight cycle operated.