Airbus, in its latest report, expects sustained demand for freighters over the next 20 years with nearly 70 per cent of the current fleet to be replaced. The air framer’s 2022 Global Market Forecast for the 2022-2041 shows that the world freighter fleet will reach 3,070 aircraft by 2041. The new report anticipates there will be demand for 2,440 new converted freighters over the next 20 years, with 900 new build freighters expected. Of this freighter demand over 2022-2041, 990 will be 10 to 40 tonne single-aisle aircraft, 890 will be 40 to 80 tonne mid-sized wide-bodied aircraft and 560 will be over 80 tonnes large wide-bodied aircraft. About 2,030 aircraft were in service at the beginning of 2020 and 31 per cent will stay in-service, including 2020 & 2021 deliveries, while 69 per cent will be replaced, the report suggest. Airbus expects world air cargo traffic growth of 3.2% CAGR from 2019-2041.

Continental Carriers Group of Companies is set to open one of India’s first Greenfield air freight stations, where Customs Clearance, Cargo Consolidation, and Palletization will all take place at the AFS facility, and goods will be delivered in pallets ready to load on planes at Delhi International Airport, said Vipin Vohra, Chairman. Vohra, who is also the Advisor, Cargo Division, Union Ministry of Civil Aviation said they are constantly working to reduce costs through innovative solutions and provide the best possible service to customers. “We have strived for accurate and real-time visibility of forecasts, orders, shipments, inventory, and locations to improve business performance, and we have invested heavily in technology, digitization, and skilled workforce to that end.”

FedEx Express and ecommerce marketplace eBay have teamed up to enable sellers from the APAC region to sign up for a FedEx account and access all the services the delivery company has to offer. According to FedEx Express official statement, marketplace sales count for 67% of ecommerce globally, with APAC’s ecommerce market expected to reach USD 352.68 trillion by 2030. The partnership between the companies will help propel merchants, especially small business owners, amidst the booming of ecommerce in the region driven by consumers’ changing behaviours towards online shopping. Through the collaboration, eBay sellers will be able to provide its clients a premium delivery experience at competitive prices, as well as a full suite of custom-made shipping and logistics services provided by FedEx.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) has placed an order for two of Boeing’s recently launched B777-8 freighter aircraft. The airline has converted two of its previous commitments for 20 B777-9 passenger aircraft dating back to 2014 into the new freighter model. The aircraft are expected to enter service during or after ANA’s 2028 financial year. “The announcement reflects ANA Holding’s plan to further expand its cargo business through securing large freighters,” the company statement said. “The Boeing 777-8F is a world class freighter that has the largest cargo capacity of any twin-engine aircraft and has reduced CO2 emissions and operational costs that uses less fuel per ton,” the statement added.

IAG Cargo and CHAMP Cargosystems have extended their partnership for access to the largest air cargo community platform, Traxon cargoHUB. The carrier will continue to work with CHAMP on services for access to its vast global network of freight forwarders. IAG Cargo has been using CHAMP’s solution for over seven years. “The connectivity enables seamless and efficient communication with all of our supply chain partners worldwide,” said Angel Cabeza, Head, Technology Change, IAG Cargo. “We look forward to more years of service with CHAMP,” she added. Nicholas Xenocostas, VP Commercial & Customer Engagement, CHAMP Cargosystems said, “CHAMP looks forward to expanding our services and connect the airline to our community. We will continue to endeavour to provide the best services to connect all players throughout the air cargo supply chain.”

To broaden its reach and visibility, online booking portal CargoAi has joined digital air cargo project CargoTech. With CargoTech, CargoAi will combine forces with ECS Group’s Cargo Digital Factory and Wiremind Cargo. Cedric Millet, president, CargoTech said in a release, “What CargoTech was missing in its portfolio until now was an online distribution platform. CargoAi not only fills that gap as the world’s only cloud-native based, neutral, SaaS marketplace, but also brings the benefit of an expanded customer base.” The partners said that Cargo Digital Factory and Wiremind Cargo serve their customers’ internal processes, whereas CargoAi digitises the interface processes between freight forwarders and airlines or GSAs. “Given our cross-sectional reach, we see it as our responsibility to advocate sustainability within the industry, both by developing products that promote a greener future and by positioning ourselves as the sustainability experts within CargoTech,” Matthieu Petot, Chief Executive, CargoAi said.

To support growing cargo throughput, Kale Info Solutions, the US subsidiary of Kale Logistics Solutions, is all set to implement its Airport Cargo Community System at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), Canada. The tech solution will be implemented to improve efficiency for all stakeholders, streamlining cargo flows, and addressing airport truck congestion challenges, which continue to affect many North American airports as cargo volumes swell. YVR is investing in its cargo ops to ensure it can continue to meet growing demand, while identifying new solutions that will increase efficiencies with trucking and transportation, especially during peak hours. “This project is a testament to the efficacy of our solutions, and we look forward to helping the Vancouver Airport Authority and other airports in North America to overcome the challenge of truck congestion in the region,” said Amar More, President, Kale Info Solutions. “Our ACCS brings tremendous benefits in meeting environmental sustainability objectives with a major reduction of paperwork, carbon emissions and pollution, and creates a vibrant stakeholder digital eco-system around the airport,” he added.

Ministry of Civil Aviation in collaboration with FICCI held a stakeholder workshop for evaluation of Krishi UDAN 2.0 recently. The conference brought together experts from the air cargo sector for highlighting the benefits of Krishi UDAN and how the players can create a seamless transaction across the value chain. The workshop was chaired by Rajiv Bansal, Secretary, MoCA, and was moderated by Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, MoCA. The workshop was attended by Piyush Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor, MoCA, Saurabh Endley, Joint Secretary, MoD North-eastern Region, Ashutosh Dey, Joint Secretary, DONER, Ajay Kumar, CEO, AAICLAS, senior dignitaries from MoCA, AAICLAS, FICCI, MoA & FW, Department of Fisheries, 26 Airport Directors across the country and various other stakeholders. Bansal said, “The air cargo industry realized the importance of sustainable air cargo ops in the past two years. Indian airlines and the airports should facilitate the transportation of agricultural products to create a sufficient demand for local producers in domestic and global market. We (MoCA) are willing to work on some pilot projects with the help of agricultural department and state governments regarding a transport subsidy scheme, which will help in faster transportation.”

To boost fleet capacity, Emirates SkyCargo took delivery of its latest Boeing 777F. As per an announcement, Emirates’ freight division has witnessed growth in cargo loads across its products, including pharma and perishables. In 2021-22, annual tonnage crossed 2.1 million, an increase of 15 per cent, with transport of perishables crossing 260,000 tonne, and both pharma and valuable goods each grew by 17 per cent. Nabil Sultan, Divisional Senior VP, Emirates SkyCargo, said, “The new freighter will help increase our capacity, boost our ability to deliver vital goods and facilitate trade globally. Despite the challenging headwinds this year, the air cargo industry is booming and we have been flat out since the pandemic began. Emirates SkyCargo will continue its journey as one of the world’s largest and best air cargo airlines by investing in our fleet, our global network, technology, and world-class logistics infrastructure at our Dubai hub and beyond.”

Over 90 per cent of warehouse operators across APAC, including India, are investing in NextGen technologies to automate operations, as per a study conducted by Zebra Technologies Corporation to explore the trends. According to the findings, warehouse operators are making significant investments to better fulfil the needs of both customers and workers and make it easier to fill open jobs. Conducted in January and February 2022, the survey collected feedback from over 1,500 warehouse decision-makers and associates around the world. In APAC, the markets surveyed for the study are India, Australia, China, Japan, and Singapore. As per the survey, nine in 10 warehouse operators agree they must implement the new technology to be competitive in the on-demand economy, with 80 per cent confirming the ongoing pandemic has prompted them to modernize quickly. They feel the pressure to modernize as much as the others around the world, with about three-quarters of APAC decision-makers, including India, saying the pandemic has prompted them to make the changes.