According to the latest figures from WorldACD Market Data, “Worldwide air cargo flown tonnages have further declined in August with a 5 per cent drop last week alone and a total 10 per cent decline in the first three weeks of the month.” This decline is believed to be steeper than last year when the industry saw a 6 per cent decline in the same three weeks, added report. The report stated, “In the Week 3 (August 15-21), worldwide chargeable weight decreased 5% compared with the previous week, and the average worldwide rate decreased slightly, based on the more than 350,000 weekly transactions covered by WorldACD’s data and analysis of the main international air cargo lanes. And comparing the last two weeks with the preceding two weeks (2Wo2W), average worldwide rates decreased -1%, while chargeable weight decreased by -6%, despite a capacity increase of +1%.”

Vietnam’s first cargo airline, IPP Air Cargo, is looking forward to commencing operations in November this year. According to the airline officials, the carrier is awaiting approval for different licenses from six various government organizations. “The airline has received its Air Transport License, but is awaiting several other permits, including the Aircraft Operator Certificate. It has officially begun the rental process for four Boeing 737-800BCF aircraft. One has been delivered, the other three are scheduled to be delivered in December and April 2023,” said release. As per the reports, the airline has also purchased 10 Boeing 777 aircraft. The airline intends to launch its inaugural flight from the Cat Bi Airport in Hai Phong.

Kamesh Peri, CEO, Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India said, “Domestic air cargo carriers are all set to launch new freighters in the coming months, which would be able to transport outsized or heavyweight cargo. Once this is done, then the terminal operators will get their act together. We are in that sense, planning to look at the opportunities. We have recently signed up with one of the new freighter airlines who are entering the Indian market soon. We are going to be looking at handling its cargo operations. We are modifying our processes, improving our infrastructure to meet their requirements. We cannot disclose it now but we will be announcing it soon. We have got the manpower, the trainings, the infrastructure, the equipment, special handling equipment, and the coordination that is required with the ramp ground handler. We have taken all those elements into account.” The demand is on the rise, and we have the belly capacity, which is not completely utilized yet, he added.

Abhishek Chaudhary, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) said, “We have integrated air cargo under our Unified Logistics Interface Platform developed with an aim to removing and breaking the silos of different systems of different ministries which were not aligned or integrated with each other. Under the ULIP platform, we have integrated different systems of various ministries. Close to 30 systems of seven ministries have been integrated by way of developing over 100 APIs and that cover close to 1,600 fields. “Air cargo has come as first time start point for us because under LDB we were not looking after the air cargo initially. But, under air cargo category, our systems are integrated with three different systems which are Air Cargo Community System, Hans Infomatic and ACMES used by Delhi airport, Hyderabad airport and AAICLASS operate 26 airports across India.”

Cargo facility at the Chandigarh International Airport is likely to be completed in a month’s time. As per reports, all the approvals have been okayed by CHIAL and Airport Authority of India Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited (AAICLAS) and both are closing the agreement. Decks have been cleared to fully operationalise the cargo facility. The decision to sign a pact with the AAICLAS was finalised at the CHIAL Board meeting recently, said reports. Rakesh Ranjan Sahay, CEO, CHIAL said, “The three-acre facility will be handed over to the AAICLAS and it will be ready in a month’s time. Once operationalised, the cargo facility will add a new dimension to the airport. We will provide the covered structure and install the set-up and operationalise it.” He added, “With this, the current capacity of 20 tonne is set to jump up to 80 tonne in the coming days. A full-fledged cargo facility operational at the airport will give a fillip to the businesses from Punjab. Vegetables, fruits, and pharma houses in Himachal Pradesh will also gain.”

Keku Bomi Gazder, MD and CEO, Aviapro Logistics Services said, “The trajectory for growth in domestic air cargo sector will continue to be strong for the next few years to come. So, moving from about 1.8 million tonnes to close to 4 million metric tonnes in the next five years is not an impossible target, it can be achieved with the collaboration of all the stakeholders. I feel the use of military aircraft for transportation of perishables is long needed. If you want to move fruits and vegetables in huge quantities, it is important that we use all other available capacity apart from what the commercial capacities. The other important thing is National Gati Shakti which is focused on empowering each one of us, all departments, commercial, non-commercial, and make it a single mission to achieve a common goal. Our industry wants transportation for movement of cargo. If that is implemented perfectly, we will leapfrog in the next couple of years.”

To eradicate duplication and simplify procedural requirements, Nitin Gadkari, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister said the central government is working on bringing a single logistic law for all modes of freight transportation. The PPP model should be encouraged for the development of air cargo infrastructure in India, the minister added. Addressing the 12th DACAAI Convention, the minister said, “The Centre is working on bringing a single logistic law for all modes of freight transportation to eradicate duplication of processes and simplify procedural needs. This system will facilitate multimodal transportation in the truest sense.” Gadkari added that the government is working towards reducing logistics cost to 8 per cent, citing India’s logistics cost is around 14 per cent of GDP currently.

Mahindra Logistics announced the launch of its latest fulfilment centre, its eleventh in the country and third in the city of Hyderabad. The new fulfilment centre will specifically enable quick commerce in the grocery segment with technology at its backbone in driving efficiency, said an official release. Within a short period, MLL has established its operational capability across India with its end-to-end services of fulfilment centres, milk-run transportation, micro-fulfilment centres (dark stores) and last mile delivery. The network which the company built for this segment is the best in class and is equipped to fulfil large volumes. These fulfilment centres are spread across 5 cities (Bangalore, Vizag, Vijayawada, Hyderabad, and Kolkata) and are currently serving more than 6 lakh units and 15000+ stores per day. Commenting on this expansion, Rampraveen Swaminathan, Managing Director and CEO of Mahindra Logistics, said, “With changing consumer demand patterns, we are expanding our network to continually enhance our reach. Essential service is a rapidly growing category, and we are looking at bringing our facilities to cities where these services are not accessible. We believe in delivering a consistent customer experience in the B2C space through customized, technology-driven solutions. These operations also synergise last mile operations through “Whizzard”, our last-mile logistics brand we acquired in April this year.

Bakkafrost subsidiary, FarCargo has closed a deal to purchase a Boeing 757-200 aircraft ahead of its planned operational launch as a salmon transportation airline. FarCargo’s maiden trip is planned to take place in two to three months. Initially, the cargo plane will fly between Vágar, the Faroe Islands and New York, US, stated a release. The aircraft has a flight range of 7,000 km and can carry some 35 tonnes of cargo. For the last 12 months, preparations have been made for the launch of the airline, and finding the right aircraft has been challenging as well as getting all the necessary permits and generally sorting out practicalities.

Hungary’s Budapest Airport (BUD) is investing around 30 million euros (US $29.8 million) in the extension of its Cargo City complex. BUD will develop an additional 6,500 square meters of cargo handling capacity and double its aircraft parking space, enabling the apron to handle up to four code-F aircraft such as 747Fs, said Josef Kossuth, Head of Cargo.