Pune international airport authority is all set to commence a cargo facility on the 1.75-acre land which will be handed over by the defence ministry in the next week, says reports. The 1.75-acre land is part of 13-acre land which the Ministry of Defence will be handing over to the airport authority. To discuss on the same, the airport authority recently held a meeting with Girish Bapat, MP, Bharatiya Janata Party at Pune international airport premises. “As of now, we will set up a makeshift cargo facility on that vacant land. The defence ministry had approved to transfer land in March, the hand over process is remaining,” said Santosh Dhoke, Pune airport director in an official statement. The defence department already has its establishments on the remaining 11.25 acres of land. The department will be relocating all its assets before handing land to the airport authority, said reports. “The ministry is yet to submit its plans. Once we receive the plans the procedure for land allocation will start,” said the official from the airport authority.

Lessor Merx Aviation is all set to add its first B737-800SF converted freighter to its fleet with work being carried out by Aeronautical Engineers, Inc (AEI). The aircraft bearing manufacturer’s serial number 35131 has just commenced modification and is scheduled to be redelivered in August, says an official release. Gary Rothschild, Chief Executive of Merx, said, “We are pleased to have entered into this transaction with AEI and to add the 737-800SF, a mainstay of the global cargo fleet, to our portfolio. The type’s capacity, performance and versatility are well suited to a wide variety of operators around the world. We are pleased to be able to offer this aircraft to customers and look forward to continuing our relationship with AEI.”

To strengthens digital strategy and move towards cloud-based software for small and medium-sized customers, DB Schenker has acquired logistics software provider, Bitergo. The Germany-based companies worked closely together for three years prior to the takeover on May 31, said a release. Bitergo will continue to serve external customers as an independent entity. The partnership with DB Schenker is expected to help push Bitergo’s solutions to the market, develop new solutions more quickly and open international markets. Christa Koenen, Chief Information Officer/Chief Development Officer at Schenker AG, said, “For us, Bitergo is an ideal partner that we are happy to integrate into our vision of managing the supply chain digitally and end-to-end in the future. The European market for software-as-a-service providers in logistics is highly fragmented and does not meet the requirements of all players. Furthermore, competitors have very different backgrounds, core competencies, and value propositions. This cooperation creates great synergies: DB Schenker brings the global network as well as the long-standing competence in logistics and technology. Bitergo brings experience, expertise, and a great vision.”

Air New Zealand cargo is all set to launch new services in North America. Between June and November, Houston, Honolulu, New York, and Chicago will all see resumptions of service or in the case of New York, a totally new destination for the airline, said a company statement. Alex Larsen, manager of global cargo sales at Air New Zealand said the robust resumption of passenger services is enabling the quick launch of these key gateways. “We’re seeing demand for our ports bounce back faster than anticipated. To free up capacity, our teams are working hard to get more 777s back in service, with the first 777 that was reanimated earlier in the year set to return to passenger flying from 1 July, the rest following shortly after. By July, we expect to be at 65 per cent of 2019 international capacity, with 27 of our 29 ports operating. The ramp up is well and truly underway,” he added.

Following the delivery of its first Boeing 777F, CMA CGM Air Cargo received its air carrier certificate from the French Civil Aviation Authority. Confirming this latest development for the airline launched in March 2021, the CMA CGM Group said in a statement that it is supporting the growth of CMA CGM Air Cargo with a fleet of 12 aircraft by 2026. These aircraft include four Airbus 330-200Fs, currently in operation; two new Boeing 777Fs, one of which was delivered on May 31, while the second is in the process of being delivered; an additional two new B777Fs that have been ordered and are scheduled to enter the fleet in 2024; and four new A350Fs which will join the fleet between 2025 and 2026. Last month it was announced that CMA CGM is planning to purchase a 9 per cent stake in Air France-KLM Group as part of a new 10-year partnership that will see the airline and shipping group combine their fleets.

To operate its first cargo handling operation in India at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport), Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has entered into a partnership with BIAL. WFS has been awarded a 15-year license. From May 2023, WFS will be responsible for the development, operation, management and maintenance of one of the cargo terminals at BIAL. WFS will also operate and invest in the expansion of the airport’s dedicated Cold Chain Facility. The cargo terminal awarded to WFS at BLR Airport, has the capacity to handle 210,000 Metric Tonnes (MT) of cargo a year. The cargo terminal will be used exclusively by WFS to handle international cargo. WFS will use its design, build, finance, process reengineering and development experience to reorganise and refurbish the facility to increase its throughput capacity potential to serve cargo volumes in excess of 250,000 MT annually. As operators of the dedicated Cold Chain Facility at the Airport, WFS and BIAL will begin a two-phase expansion of the dedicated operation, initially doubling its capacity to 80,000 MT per annum before increasing to a throughput capacity in excess of 150,000 MT per annum, post completion of phase 2. These investments are timed to support the next stage of India’s economic growth.

RightShip announced a new tie-up for its recently launched Maritime Emissions Portal (MEP) with port data-sharing platform, NxtPort International (NxtPort Int’l), a marketplace for port communities, that originated in the Port of Antwerp, and deploys to 3000+ public and private entities, says an official release. With the new arrangement, port communities around the world will be introduced to RightShip’s MEP. It’s the first in a suite of products designed to support ports and terminals to better understand and manage ship-based emissions within set zones around their local geography. Gurpreet Singh, CCO for RightShip, said in a statement, “Nxtport Int’l brings wonderful experience and understanding of the port business, curating products with high impact potential for ports and terminals. We are pleased to see them place their trust in MEP for emissions reduction, by highlighting this product to their customers. We’re confident that we’ll support many new customers to embark on a journey to zero harm in the maritime industry.” Alexander Dorhout Mees, CCO for NxtPort Int’l, said, “We hope that this partnership with RightShip will not only attract organisations who want to use the Maritime Emissions Portal in its current form, but also lead to new partners coming forward who might be able to offer data and collaborate with MEP.”

The National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir authorities for building proposed ropeway projects which were announced under Parvatmala Yojana in the 2022-23 Union Budget in February. The Centre has received at least 150 proposals from states to build ropeways under its flagship Parvatmala Yojana (National Ropeway Development Programme). They include those for about 30 priority points or stretches connecting Leh Palace (Ladakh), Auli-Gorson (Uttarakhand), Nandi Hills (Karnataka), Harihar Fort (Maharashtra), Mahakaleshwar Temple (Madhya Pradesh), Amarnath Cave, etc, and will be taken up under phase one of the project, Union Road transport and highways ministry officials said in a statement. Since then, the government has floated tenders for work on ropeway project for Sonprayag to Kedarnath Temple via Gaurikund and Govind Ghat to Hemkund Sahib in Uttarakhand.

IAG Cargo launched two new routes to Dallas and Washington DC from Madrid Barajas airport. The new routes will be utilising the belly capacity of an Iberia Airbus A332 aircraft, four times a week from Madrid Barajas airport. These two new routes add to over 120 weekly connections between Spain and the USA, with flights already departing twice a day to New York and Miami from Madrid. The additional routes act as a gateway to other American destinations by truck. “It is always exciting to see IAG Cargo launch a new route, so two new routes between Madrid and the USA is even better and provides our customers with further opportunities to move their cargo between the regions.” said Pravin Singh, Vice President Commercial. “The launch of the new routes between Madrid and Dallas and Madrid and Washington DC highlights IAG Cargo’s commitment to offering our customers accessibility into new markets and expanding our wide-body network across the globe,” he added.

Enhancing its Life Science and Healthcare logistics capabilities, Dachser has been successfully recertified with the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma) certification from IATA for its Hyderabad and Mumbai branches. “With the recertification, we confirm our capabilities in Life Science and Healthcare in India,” said Timo Stroh, Global Head of Airfreight and Life Science and Healthcare Logistics. CEIV Pharma certification requires internal and external training, a review of procedures for handling temperature-controlled life science and healthcare shipments, and a comprehensive evaluation of these complex processes by an independent auditor. “We strive to adhere to the highest international standards in global transportation of sensitive products. We are proud of this recertification and once more confirm our strong presence in the Indian market despite worldwide COVID-19 impacts,” Stroh added.