The much-awaited national logistics policy is likely to be launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 17 September to promote seamless movement of goods across the country, said industry officials. The policy is being brought in tandem with GatiShakti National Master Plan that was launched to build robust infrastructure, fill the missing gaps in logistics and draw more investments into the country. It is expected to draw focus on broader policy issues of warehousing, and giving thrust to digitisation, officials said. The policy has been in the works for the last few years. However, it never saw the light of the day due to lack of consensus among other government departments.

To attract international and domestic cargo, Chennault International Airport in Louisiana, US has built a new air cargo facility. Now available for lease, the facility on the I-10 corridor between Houston and New Orleans includes a 1,000 sq ft office area and an expandable 9,000 sq ft warehouse. The adjacent aircraft parking apron is 127,000 sq ft, able to accommodate all sizes of cargo aircraft. The airport will work with industry partners to help certify the building, first announced in July 2021, for international cargo clearance. “We have worked tirelessly to remove entry barriers for the air cargo industry,” said Kevin Melton, executive director in a statement. “We have made investments in facilities, established a rich incentive program, and we will invest in ground equipment to support the industry. We are committed to share the risk associated with new markets.”

The Asia Pacific air cargo market is expected to grow from US$ 38,355.21 million in 2022 to US$ 59,298.21 million by 2028; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.3% from 2022 to 2028. Online retailing attracts more prospective customers than brick-and-mortar-based competitors as the internet has a global reach. In addition, e-commerce market players choose from various logistics options, such as surface transport and air transport, to deliver packages to their customers. Therefore, as the e-commerce market is growing, varying buying patterns and trends have been observed in multiple countries across the Asia Pacific region. The majority of people’s purchases are influenced by the country’s demographics, such as the percentage of youth indulging in e-commerce activity, the economy of the country, the age group interested in e-commerce, and the level of awareness among the citizens in the Asia Pacific countries.

Mahindra Logistics has unveiled 1 lakh sq. ft. of warehouse today designed with a sustainable warehousing architecture including multi-client capabilities, renewable energy, resource conservation and green cover. This state-of-art warehouse will be an important part of MLL’s pan-India network of multi-user facilities that support customers inbound to manufacturing and fulfilment operations. The facility will support e-commerce, consumer, and manufacturing & engineering industries. The built-to-suit (BTS) facility is designed in line with MLL’s sustainability standards, including usage of recycled construction material, liquid discharge management, renewable energy and waste management requirements and state-of-the-art automation. The facility has onsite solar power generation capabilities to cater to the entire energy requirements and is equipped for solar charging for cargo vehicles and personal mobility.

SF Airlines continues with its fleet expansion with the addition of freighter number 75. The carrier this week took delivery of B767-300 freighter ahead of the air cargo peak season, said official reports. The airline has added seven freighters to its fleet so far this year, following on from the addition of seven aircraft in 2021. The airline has been expanding its transport capacity and air-route network to provide efficient and stable transport services for diverse products, especially fresh agricultural products. SF Airlines is also jointly developing a huge 2.4m tonne capacity cargo airport in Ezhou, which will connect its regional and international services covering Asia Pacific, Europe and the US.

American Airlines Cargo adds flights from 28 more countries on booking portal, WebCargo. The carrier said the extra countries are spread across Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada. “Following Europe and the USA, this regional rollout onto WebCargo now includes a significant portion of the carrier’s global network, with plans to continue expanding on the platform in the coming months,” the carrier stated. Currently, the carrier operates more than 5,000 monthly flights out of these regions, including widebody flights out of Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago and São Paulo to USA hubs.

A policy for long-term leasing of railway land to implement the PM Gati Shakti, has been approved by the Union Cabinet. The government said it will help set up 300 cargo terminals and generate 125,000 jobs. The policy, Union minister Anurag Thakur said, will help provide land lease for a period of up to 35 years as against five years presently. It will be implemented in the next 90-days, he told reporters after the Cabinet meeting. In a statement, the Centre stated the 300 cargo terminals have a potential to generate about 125,000 jobs, which will be developed in five years. “Liberalising the land leasing policy would open avenues for all stakeholders /service providers /operators to establish more cargo related facilities and render their participation assisting in generation of additional cargo traffic and freight revenues to the railways. The policy will help bring in more revenue to the railways,” it stated.

Cool Chain Association (CCA) has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB) to collaborate and research into perishables transportation via air. The pact will enable CCA and PPECB to analyse on research initiatives into perishable exports by air from South Africa. “CCA is in a unique position to act as a neutral platform for all sectors in the temperature-controlled supply chain to collaborate on tangible initiatives,” said Stavros Evangelakakis, Chairman, CCA, and Head of Global Healthcare, Cargolux Airlines. “We are proud that our members continue to do just that and are driving new ideas that will have a lasting legacy.”

As per IATA’s latest statistics, air cargo traffic in July fell by 9.7 per cent year-on-year in cargo tonne kilometres terms – the fifth month in a row to register a drop compared with a year earlier. The association said several factors should be noted when considering the figures, “new export orders, a leading indicator of cargo demand, decreased in all markets, except China which began a sharp upward trend in June. The statement read, “The Russia-Ukraine war continues to impair cargo capacity as several airlines based in Russia and Ukraine were key cargo players. However, there were some positives. IATA pointed out that cargo traffic is not that far off 2019 levels—it was 3.5 per cent down on two years ago in July—and that global goods trade continued to recover in the second quarter.

IAG Cargo is trialling the use of an electric terminal tractor at its London Heathrow facility as part of efforts to reduce its emissions output. The cargo division is trialling the electric Terberg YT203EV for 12 months, with the ambition to transition its current diesel fleet to more sustainable alternatives, including electric. By replacing an existing terminal tractor with an electric Terberg vehicle IAG Cargo expects to save approximately 30 tonnes of CO2 per year. The vehicle is also the first electric Terberg operating airside worldwide, IAG said.