To expand freighter network, new terminal building at Visakhapatnam International Airport is ready to become fully operational. It was being constructed by the AAI at Rs 60 crore. With the expansion of the terminal building, 10,000 sq.m. of space will be added to the existing 20,000 sq.m. Total footfalls in Vizag in 2021-22 were 16,10,483 against 11,13,516 in 2020-21. Aircraft movements were 14,878 up 39.5 per cent over last year, says reports. YSRCP MP MVV Satyanarayana, airport Director Srinivas along with Airport Advisory Committee members’ K Kumar Raja, DS Varma and O Naresh Kumar reviewed the progress of the new building recently. Shifting of the Customs/Immigration computers to new terminal is pending. The spacious building can now facilitate smooth cargo and passenger operations.

Turkish Cargo has built air cargo bridges for cross-border e-commerce shipments. The brand strengthened its strategic partnership with Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform based in Singapore, says a release. “We are pleased and excited in taking our strong partnership with Shopee to a new level. We will continue to support Shopee’s growth with our global network and first-class service. Our partnership with Shopee fuels the expansion of Turkish Cargo’s e-commerce business, by further leveraging Turkish Cargo`s unrivalled global network,” Tarik Parlak, Turkish Cargo sales vice president (Asia Pacific), said the release.

To encourage, facilitate, and accelerate the digital transformation of the air cargo industry, CargoTech is ready to bring together cargo and technology experts specialized in specific areas of air cargo, under one roof, thereby helping in providing digital solutions for every air cargo business process, and to offer best in class consultancy services to advise the various stakeholders on their digital transformation. “Our core belief is that whatever can be digitized should not remain manual. With CargoTech, we are bringing together cargo business experts with technology experts specialized in specific areas of air cargo,” said Cedric Millet, President, CargoTech. “With ECS Group’s Cargo Digital Factory alongside Wiremind Cargo, CargoTech has started to offer a variety of products that cover some very relevant transactions. Each company has its specific area of expertise; thus, they complement each other,” he added.

First test shipment from Russia comprising two 40-foot containers of wooden laminate sheets is all set to reach Mumbai via Iran by freight train. The shipment is currently underway from St. Petersburg via Iran. “The intermodal shipment is sent via the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), the mega project that has been under development for many years,” said official reports. The Russian cargo departed St. Petersburg for the Caspian Sea port city of Astrakhan. In Astrakhan, the cargo will be reloaded to cross the Caspian Sea to Iran’s Anzali Port, where they will be ferried by road through Iran to port city of Bandar Abbas. The goods will again be loaded onto ships at the Iranian port to be delivered to India’s largest container port in Navi Mumbai. The total transit time may be 25 days, the reports added.

Delhivery has announced plans to expand its infrastructure in Bhiwandi (Greater Mumbai) and Bengaluru. Delhivery is collaborating with Welspun One on a 7 lakh sq ft mega-gateway in Greater Mumbai and with GMR for a one million sq ft facility in Bengaluru. The Bengaluru facility also includes a warehouse for multi-channel order fulfilment for Delhivery’s customers. These fully automated large integrated trucking terminals will be operational by 2023 and increase Delhivery’s processing capacity to meet customer demand from the South and West. Ajith Pai, COO, Delhivery, said, “Since our inception, we have created a robust pan-India network supported by quality infrastructure, automation, proprietary technology, and data capabilities. Aligned to our objective, we will continue to drive speed, reliability, and cost-efficiency for all our customers through these on-going investments.”

SF Airlines has expanded the size of its freighter fleet to 72, said cargo carrier in a statement. The airline was recently in news for putting a 767-300BCF cargo plane into operation, which is the second freighter joining the fleet in June, serving efficient and high-quality transport for the fruit season and the mid-year “618” shopping festival, said the statement. In the beginning of 2022, the cargo airline added four freighters into its fleet, including three 767-300BCFs and one 757-200F.

American Airlines Cargo has deployed IBS Software’s latest iPartner Customer (iPC) solution to allow seamless, fast integration with leading digital marketplace WebCargo, a Freightos Group company, said release. IBS Software’s iPartner Customer platform is equipped with APIs that allow faster integration of airline cargo sales and distribution offerings. The deployment allows carrier to take advantage of the business opportunities provided by WebCargo, ultimately delivering enhanced reach to a wider customer base. Roger Samways, Vice President Commercial for American Airlines Cargo said, “We are 100 per cent committed to driving operational excellence through digital technology. Working with IBS Software on our integration with WebCargo enables us to provide our customers with an enhanced digital booking experience and access to the real-time rates and capacity that WebCargo offers, as well as expand our reach to new customer.”

According to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) latest projections, cargo revenue is expected to account for $191 billion of industry revenue in 2022 – slightly down from the estimated $204 billion in 2021 but nearly double the $100 billion achieved in 2019. “Overall, the industry is expected to carry over 68 million tonnes of cargo in 2022, which is a record high. As the trading environment softens slightly, cargo yields are expected to fall 10.4 percent compared with 2021. That only partially reverses the yield increases of 52.5 per cent in 2020 and 24.2 per cent in 2021, IATA said in its latest report. “Air cargo stood out as a lifeline for vaccines, supply chains, and airline revenues throughout the Covid-19 crisis. It has grown to be an even more vital contributor to revenues,” said Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA.

To meet the 2024 deadline, Adani group-led Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd has commenced construction work on terminal 1 and runway of greenfield Navi Mumbai Airport. Recently, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) evicted all structures in the project area and handed over the cleared land to the airport’s concession, said a statement. The Navi Mumbai International Airport is coming up on 1,160 hectares of land. “Work on Terminal 1 and the runway started last week after the entire airport land was cleared of human habitation. There were 224 structures in existence when we took over the job in 2020, and now they have been cleared. Work is in full swing,” statement added.

Saudi Ports Authority and DP World have signed an agreement to build a logistics park at the Jeddah Islamic Port. The 30-year agreement with an investment value of more than SAR500m ($133.33m), aims to establish a logistics park which spans over 415,000 square metres, with an in-land container depot capacity of approximately 250,000 TEU and warehousing storage space of 100,000 square metres, said an official statement. Potential future expansions could increase the storage space to 200,000 square metres, the statement added. The port-centric logistics park is expected to boost Jeddah Islamic Port’s re-export activities, reducing the time and cost of logistics for both importers and exporters. It will also provide an integrated platform of services that will link port-operations with last-mile activities, providing temperature-controlled storage for cargo, in addition to its processing, labelling, fulfilment, consolidation and de-consolidation.