The Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport) recorded the highest-ever cargo tonnage in financial year 2021-2022, despite challenging circumstances due to multiple COVID-19 waves. The BLR Airport processed an all-time high tonnage for a fiscal year since Airport Opening Day (AOD) of 411,513 metric tonnes (MT) of cargo, recording a growth of 26 per cent as against 326,643 MT in 2020-2021. International cargo recorded a 31 per cent growth, 271,988MT processed, as compared to 207,518 MT in 2020-2021. Domestic cargo grew at 17 per cent, with 139,525MT versus 119,125MT in 2020-2021.

Leading Indian freight forwarder, Continental Carriers was honoured with the prestigious ‘Most Dynamic Freight Forwarder During Pandemic’ Award at the recently concluded India Cargo Awards, India’s topmost supply chain awards which helps create a platform to recognise those behind the success of the cargo and logistics industry. Continental Carriers received the accolade for its outstanding performance, proficiency in handling air cargo during COVID-19 and its contribution towards the global logistics and air cargo industry. The award was conferred to Vipin Vohra, Chairman, Continental Carriers Group of Companies by Amrit Lal Meena, Special Secretary (Logistics), Union Dept of Commerce and Piyush Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor, MoCa at Crowne Plaza, New Delhi.

Embassy of France in India is delighted to announce that India has been chosen as the country of honour for the upcoming Sea Tech Week® 2022, a global maritime event organised in France from 26-30 September 2022. Speakers from India have been invited to focus on greener and smarter shipping. The event will provide an opportunity to the two nations to work closely on their shipping, port management, logistics, and shipbreaking companies, shipyards, equipment manufacturers, and other maritime manufacturing industries. The event will give impetus to the bilateral roadmap on blue economy and ocean governance adopted by India and France and reinforce the scientific and academic programme Goa Atlantic Cooperation in Marine Science and Technology (GoAT) promoting mobility of students and researchers from Indian Institute of Technology in Goa.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport in Ahmedabad gets a new cargo terminal which will boost import and export trade from the airport. The terminal has the capacity to handle 100 metric tonnes of cargo per day and 3,500 MT on average over a month when operated 24×7. “The cargo handling capacity at the airport, in addition to adding incremental cargo handling capacity to the airport’s cargo infrastructure, provides additional choice of service for the trade at the airport,” according to a statement issued by the airport operator Adani Airports Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of Adani Enterprises Ltd. Limited. The statement added, “The infrastructure and proximity of the new terminal to both domestic and international passenger terminals may improve the service levels of cargo handling at the airport.” The terminal provides end-to-end terminal handling services encompassing cityside handling, security functions, storage, terminal processing, and airside handling, under supervision to ensure the safety of cargo.

In November 2021, Wiremind launched Wiremind Cargo, a dedicated air cargo business unit, headed by Nathanaël de Tarade, CEO and Etienne Corbillé, CTO. Created in 2014, Wiremind is a leading French company providing revenue optimisation and inventory management software solutions for transport, logistics and events sectors. “Over the past months, we have structured Wiremind Cargo as a separate business entity, and established a team of experts dedicated to the needs of the air freight industry. Our engineers have a background in transport and logistics, and are well-versed in how airlines, GSAs, GHAs and freight forwarders operate,” said Tarade. Wiremind’s flagship air cargo product, SkyPallet, a ULD and Flight Optimisation system launched in 2017, is now wholly managed by Wiremind Cargo.

Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India was presented with the prestigious ‘Best Air Cargo Terminal Operator’ Award at the recent India Cargo Awards, India’s topmost supply chain awards which helps create a platform to recognise those behind the success of the cargo and logistics industry. The award was conferred to the team by Amrit Lal Meena, Special Secretary (Logistics), Union Dept of Commerce and Piyush Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor, MoCa at Crowne Plaza, New Delhi. Celebi Delhi Cargo received the accolade for its outstanding performance in air cargo services, and to acknowledge its significant contribution to the industry as well as its proficiency in handling air cargo during COVID-19.

Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, senior officials from DPIIT and NICDC and PHDCCI members attended the ‘Investors Round Table Conference’ organised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and National Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (NICDC) on 21 April 2022 to discuss the new and ongoing infrastructure and trade initiatives. The event saw the presence of various experts such as Vipin Vohra, Chair, Civil Aviation Committee, PHDCCI; Sandeep Aggarwal, Chair, Industry Affairs Committee, PHDCCI; Mukul Bagla, Chair, Direct Tax Committee, PHDCCI and Bimal Jain, Chair, Indirect Tax Committee, PHDCCI. Vohra appreciated the integrated industrial township in the industrial corridors initiative and suggested solutions for reducing logistic cost in the country.

Safexpress has launched its ultra-modern Logistics Park in Bhayla of Gujarat. This state of the art facility is strategically located on Ahmedabad-Rajkot NH-47. The facility is enabled with ultra-modern transshipment and 3PL facilities which will boost storage and warehousing needs of this region while providing for faster connectivity. It is spread over an area of 2 lakh square feet. The logistics park is cross-dock, equipped with loading and unloading of 30 vehicles simultaneously. It has a column-less span of 80 feet facilitating uninterrupted movement of goods within the facility. To enable all-weather loading and unloading of goods, the facility is equipped with 16 feet wide Cantilever Shed.

To strengthen the India-Australia relations and discuss new opportunities on the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, India-Australia Business and Community Alliance (IABCA) is organising an event in Sydney, New South Wales on April 29. Supported by the Investment NSW, the global event and awards ceremony will have prominent guests from different walks of life such as the government, academia, private sector, and civil society participating. From January 2023 onwards, the IABCA will be hosted biennially in India across Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai, marking the beginning of an ongoing rotational campaign between the two nations, marking its 10-year anniversary. Tushar Jani, Group Chairman, Cargo Service Centre and SCA Group of Companies said, “Australia-India relationships are at a positive peak and we are going to become partners under Quad, apart from that there will be a strong bilateral partnership with Australia and we will have a business tie-up with Australian businesses.”

dnata continues to invest in infrastructure and equipment to further improve resource efficiency globally. The company has installed a 3.5 megawatt-peak rooftop solar power system across its operations, including cargo and catering facilities, at Changi Airport. The rooftop power plant comprises more than 6,500 individual solar panels and generate more than 4,300 megawatt hours of green power a year, enabling dnata to reduce its electricity-related carbon emissions by 20 per cent annually in Singapore.