A large size Beluga Airbus cargo plane landed at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport in Ahmedabad for the first time. The impressive aircraft landed for fuel filling and took off later. Beluga aircraft is a version of the standard A300-600 wide-body airliner is modified to carry aircraft parts and outsized cargo. The Beluga which has received the sobriquet of ‘The Super Tranporter’ is because it resembles a giant whale.

Japan is an ‘indispensable partner’ in India’s continuing transformation. New Delhi’s speed and scale, combined with ease of doing business, attractive incentives, bold reforms, and ambitious plans create unmatched opportunities for Japanese businesses, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. The PM was invited by his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida for a bilateral meeting at a two-day Quad Leaders’ summit. Both discussed the vibrant ties between India and Japan. Modi said, “We have fostered a dynamic start-up ecosystem in India, with over 100 unicorns. Japanese capital is already playing a vital role in this effort. And there is potential for a great deal.” He added, “India and Japan have collaborations in several developmental projects, including Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.”

Leading warehouse facility provider, FWS has commenced the construction of its first multi-level in city warehousing project. FWS plans to develop three to four more in city projects with an investment of over 300 crores in developing these projects, said an official company statement. Incorporated in 2008, FWS is at the forefront of nation’s development in catering the sustainable business need of warehousing. The company has so far leased 3 million sq. feet of warehouse space across 3 states of India. FWS has presence in all major entry points from the Western and Eastern periphery expressway crossings across the NCR region.

Enabling an easy access to the key markets between Southern Africa and the Middle East via Maputo, DP World’s Unifeeder, part of DP World’s Marine Services, launched a new fortnightly direct service at the Mundra terminal. It will establish a direct connectivity from Mundra to Maputo and Jebel Ali. According to an official release, “This new service will help reduce the congestion and challenges faced by the supply chain sectors in Southern Africa by providing lower transit time, easy access and enhanced connectivity with major Middle East, and Indian Subcontinent ports via Jebel Ali thereby improving lead time and reducing cost.” The new fortnightly interconnected service commenced on 7 May 2022, with the maiden call of vessel ‘OCEANA’ at DP World Mundra.

Freight Logistics was conferred with the Best Logistics Service Provider – Air, award at the recently held India Cargo Awards, the country’s topmost supply chain awards which helps create a platform to recognise those behind the success of the cargo and logistics industry. Amrit Lal Meena, Special Secretary (Logistics), Union Department of Commerce and Piyush Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor, Union Ministry of Civil Aviation presented the award. Manish Sharma, MD, said, “I am optimistic that the stage is now prepared for the air freight industry to rise to prominence in India’s globalized future. We have observed rapid improvements in airport cargo infrastructure and digital infrastructure for cargo handling. The Indian air cargo industry is currently concentrated around metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, but this situation is rapidly changing; 2nd and 3rd tier cities are rapidly developing and will add a significant volume of air cargo logistics business in the future.”

Amritsar-Jamnagar Greenfield corridor will be completed by September 2023, said Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways. According to the reports, “Out of the 1,224 km long Amritsar-Jamnagar corridor, the Bikaner to Jodhpur section of 277 km is targeted to be completed and opened to the public by the end of this year. The greenfield corridor project is being developed as a part of Bharatmala Pariyojana.” “The flagship 1,224 km long Amritsar, Bhatinda and Jamnagar Corridor is being developed at a total capital cost of Rs 26,000 crore. It will connect the economic towns of Amritsar, Sangaria, Bhatinda, Bikaner, Samakhiyali, Sanchore, and Jamnagar across the four states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. The corridor will connect the northern industrial and agricultural centres of the country with the key ports of western India like Jamnagar and Kandla. This will boost the industrial revolution by connecting the industrial belt of Baddi, Bathinda and Ludhiana and UT of Jammu and Kashmir through Delhi, Amritsar and Katra Expressway,” said the minister recently.

With an aim to connect 27 more ports to rail for faster cargo transportation, Indian Railways is planning to add approximately 3,000 km of train lines. The project is likely to cost around US$13 billion. At present, 29 ports, including 12 major ones, are connected to a rail network for facilitating smoother and cost-effective cargo transportation. All the 12 major ports that have rail links are Chidambaram, Chennai, Kolkata/Haldia, Cochin, Paradip, Kamrajar, Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Mumbai, New Mangalore, JNPT and Deen Dayal Port Kandla. “The central government has been putting ample importance on the expansion of rail coverage across the country and covering all ports and terminals. Indian Railway carried 1.418 billion tonnes of cargo in 2020-21, reflecting a growth of 15 per cent,” read a media release.

To boost drone usage in the logistics industry, Aster DM Healthcare has partnered with drone delivery tech firm, Skye Air Mobility to deliver diagnostic samples and pharmaceuticals in Bengaluru. According to the official press statement, the project has been taken up on pilot basis for seven days, to ferry pharmaceuticals, and lab samples from Aster RV in JP Nagar to Aster clinics located within Bengaluru city. “In first four days of trials, the firm caried out 40 flights and is looking forward to finish 80 test flights by the end of the seven-day trial. Skye Air Mobility also recently partnered with Swiggy, the online food delivery set-up. The company is operating in seven cities with a fleet of six drones and is planning to have 100 drones in the next nine months,” said the release.

Softlink Global was conferred with Best Technology Service Provider-Cargo & Logistics Industry Award at the recently held India Cargo Awards, the country’s topmost supply chain awards, which helps create a platform to recognise those behind the success of the cargo and logistics industry. Amrit Lal Meena, Special Secretary (Logistics), Union Department of Commerce and Piyush Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor, Union Ministry of Civil Aviation presented the award. Softlink Global is one of the leading software providers for Freight Forwarding, Logistics, and Supply Chain industry. The company’s portfolio includes superior technology solutions for the strategic and operational aspects of the logistics and freight forwarding business.

Tap Air Cargo has chosen Airbridge International Agencies (AIA) as its new GSSA, with services starting yesterday. In the new partnership, TAP Air Cargo will offer 93 weekly flights from London Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, and Dublin, with weekly air capacity at 160,000kg. Additionally, 30 countries will be served with high weekly capacity per week. “The AIA team is dedicated to serve their airline partners with a dedicated focus on their unique brands and strengths,” said an official release. “We are delighted to welcome TAP Air Cargo further into the AIA family,” said Mark Andrew, CEO, Airbridge International Agencies group. “Having worked with TAP recently in South America we are delighted to have the chance to prove ourselves within the UK and Ireland. TAP Cargo offers our forwarding clients important gateways via its Lisbon hub into Africa, North and South America plus strategic European hubs,” added Andrew.