Kerry Logistics Network announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Business By Air SAS (‘BBA’), a leading French international freight forwarding company, to strengthen KLN’s position in the EMEA region and international freight forwarding (‘IFF’) capabilities across the globe. An upstream supply chain specialist in air freight services for diverse industrial clients in verticals including automotive, aerospace and pharmaceutical, as well as an established player in the African market, BBA has been acting as KLN’s agent in France since 2016. In addition to multimodal freight forwarding, customs clearance and nationwide trucking, BBA also offers a complete suite of supply chain solutions covering express, on board couriers, project cargo, as well as logistics for fine arts, perishables and personal effects. Vic Cheung, Group Managing Director of Kerry Logistics Network, said, “We are pleased to welcome BBA to KLN’s global network. The acquisition is a natural progression in our strategic pursuit of enhancing our IFF service offerings in the EMEA region. With France’s position as one of the world’s top exporting countries, the addition of BBA will significantly strengthen our foothold in the country. We are looking forward to the synergies created between KLN’s ocean freight capabilities and BBA’s air freight expertise, and the extension of our service into the niche verticals of fine arts and perishables, which will further boost our global coverage and competency to offer comprehensive and flexible solutions to customers.”

Citing Andhra Pradesh as one of the largest food producers,A.P. Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation said that Vijayawada International Airport must get a customs-notified cargo centre to facilitate exports of goods to other countries. In a letter addressed to Airports Authority of India Chairman Sanjeev Kumar, members of the Chambers said the State occupies a premier position in the country’s agri-business industry and that the food processing sector has made enormous progress in the State. However, due to the absence of a customs-notified cargo centre, the exporters are having to ship these from Hyderabad airport. This will only incur more expenses and lead to wastage of time, the letter said. On an average, it is estimated that approximately 800 tonnes of cargo being shipped from Hyderabad airport daily belongs to Vijayawada and neighbouring places, they said, in an official statement to AAI.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for January 2024 global air cargo markets indicating a strong start to 2024. Total demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs*), increased by 18.4% compared to January 2023 levels (19.8% for international operations). This significant upturn marks the highest annual growth in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs) since the summer season of 2021. Capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres (ACTKs), was up 14.6% compared to January 2023 (18.2% for international operations). This was largely related to the growth in belly capacity. International belly capacity rose 25.8% year-on-year (YoY) on the strength of passenger markets. “Air cargo demand was up 18.4% year-on-year in January. This is a strong start to the year. In particular, the booming e-commerce sector is continuing to help air cargo demand to trend above growth in both trade and production since the last quarter of 2023. The counterweight to this good news is uncertainty over how China’s economic slowdown will unfold. This will be on the minds of air cargo executives meeting in Hong Kong next week for the IATA World Cargo Symposium with an agenda focused on digitalization, efficiency and sustainability,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

FIATA International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations announced its partnership with World Logistics Passport (WLP), a global initiative aimed at promoting seamless trade flow among traders, freight forwarders and key supply chain players through its logistics loyalty programme. The partnership announcement coincides with the commencement of the 2024 FIATA-RAME Field Meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates where the WLP is headquartered, and at which these key themes in the region and on the global logistics playing field will be discussed, says an official release from FIATA. “The collaboration between FIATA and WLP marks a significant milestone in advancing international trade facilitation. Through this partnership, with FIATA’s vast global network comprising over 40,000 freight forwarding and logistics companies across 150 countries, the two aim to support their respective members in easing trade processes. The WLP overcomes non-tariff trade barriers through the offering of financial and non-financial benefits such as fast-tracking of cargo movement, reducing administrative costs, advancing cargo information and facilitating trade across borders, all of which can benefit FIATA members.” Stéphane Graber, Director General, FIATA says: “This collaboration aligns with FIATA’s mission to promote global standards and overcome geographical barriers to ease trade. WLP and FIATA can synergistically work together on the common goal of facilitating trade through networks and collaboration. The world is getting more and more complex due to environmental and political crises, disrupting supply chains. Trade facilitation is key to ensuring the seamless movement of goods around the world. To achieve a resilient and efficient supply chain, we must bring people together, which is the common objective of FIATA and WLP. Members will benefit from best practices and practical inputs of trade facilitation resulting in better connectivity …

FarCargo launched its first transatlantic air cargo route for salmon shipments on March 5. The planned outbound route will be Billund – Faroe Islands – Newark, with a fuel stop in Keflavik (BLL-FAE-KEF-EWR), and inbound Newark – Billund (EWR-BLL). A subsidiary of salmon farming business Bakkafrost, FarCargo will use a Boeing 757-200 converted freighter, which it took delivery of at the end of last year. The aircraft has a total capacity of 34 tons and 240 cubic meters and includes a cool cabin on the maindeck for perishables and pharmaceuticals. Initially, the aircraft will carry out two rotations per week, increasing to five times per week later this year.

Boeing and AI Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) have agreed to work together to enhance aircraft maintenance training in India. Boeing will provide training materials, aids, and instructor support to help ensure standardization of AIESL training programs. AIESL will provide infrastructure and instructors, while securing Civil Aviation Regulation (CAR)147 approval from the Indian regulatory authority to conduct maintenance training for customers. “The collaboration with AIESL strengthens and supports the development of Boeing’s customer-focused capability in the region,” said Chris Broom, vice president, Commercial Training Solutions, Boeing Global Services. “Through working together, we anticipate Boeing and AIESL will be well positioned to provide high-quality maintenance training while contributing to the overall safety and efficiency of aviation in India.” “By partnering with AIESL, we are investing in the future of aircraft maintenance capability in India. This collaboration demonstrates our commitment to nurturing local talent to support the growth of the indigenous MRO industry,” said Salil Gupte, president, Boeing India and South Asia. Expanding in-country expertise of maintenance employees is critical to meeting strong industry demand for trained maintenance technicians in India. The country will require almost 33,000 pilots and 34,000 maintenance technicians through 2042, according to Boeing’s 2023 Pilot and Technician Outlook. This collaboration will expand local capacity to deliver comprehensive training programs required for compliance with Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) CAR-66 regulations. “The tie up with Boeing on maintenance training in the fastest growing aviation market will go a long way in supporting industry requirements. AIESL would be able to support training requirements for at least 100 engineers each year going forward,” added Sharad Agarwal, CEO, AIESL. “Collaboration between OEM expertise such as Boeing’s and local capability such as that …

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has launched a platform supporting Investment in Climate Action, as part of an ongoing program to accelerate the air cargo industry’s sustainability transformation. In addition to their established BlueSky program and ongoing initiatives to share best practice around emissions tracking and reduction, TIACA seeks to unite and support the industry in addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and bring real benefits for local communities. The platform enables individuals and companies to support a number of leading standards-certified projects around the world, which contributes to global carbon avoidance and the UN’s SDGs. Each investment generates a verified carbon contribution. The platform, powered by TIACA member South Pole, is funding critical climate projects across key areas of sustainability; ● Nature-based solutions ● Renewable energy ● Improved community and living condition Each project has undergone vigorous assessment and is subject to ongoing monitoring to ensure they deliver measurable benefits to create healthy ecosystems, thriving communities, and prosperous economies. “We are proud to offer this new service to the air cargo industry as it allows individual companies to take action today and invest in climate projects without having to go through the lengthy process of identifying and selecting high-quality, verified, and impactful climate projects themselves. This is consistent with our objective to facilitate all sizes of companies having access to sustainability improvement tools.” Steven Polmans, TIACA Chair The platform is open access and will give users access to detailed project information about different technologies and certification standards, help educate the air cargo industry on funding climate action, and reduce barriers to carbon credit procurement. Investment levels are determined by the user, starting from very low increments. …

Hactl has opened a new cool chain facility as it continues to target the pharma market in Asia Pacific region and globally. Hactl said the new Cool Chain Complex (CCC) is the largest cool facility at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). It allows import shipments to be unloaded from aircraft, broken down, and either stored or handed to waiting customers within an “entirely temperature-controlled environment”. “Exports enjoy a similar seamless temperature-controlled transit from warehouse to aircraft,” the company said. “All additional processes, such as check-weighing and X-ray screening, also take place within the CCC’s controlled environment.” The CCC has been designed to minimise the total time and distance between aircraft and storage, with direct airside access and its own landside truck docks. It has three temperature zones (15°C, 2-8°C, and -25 to -15°C) and all CCC zones have real-time temperature monitoring and CCTV coverage. In addition, the CCC features a dedicated area for dangerous substances, also with three separate temperature zones.

Saudia Cargo, Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) and Alibaba’s logistics arm Cainiao have officially launched their collaboration at Cainiao’s Liege eHub in Liege Airport, Belgium, and aims to create a business model for future e-commerce logistics gateways at global airports. The new collaboration that was first announced in November 2023 aims at optimizing logistics processes through operational streamlining and the adoption of logistics innovations. Teddy Zebitz, CEO of Saudia Cargo, remarked: “Our collaboration marks a strategic milestone, addressing the burgeoning significance of e-commerce in the air cargo sector. Our aim is clear-to introduce a business model that enhances efficiency, reliability, and innovation on a global scale, reshaping the landscape of international trade. With the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia serving as a pivotal market, our operations into Liege solidify its status as a crucial hub for efficient connections to Europe, while also strengthening our position in the KSA market.” “Central to this endeavour is our partnership with Cainiao, leveraging their unparalleled capacity and global network. Our meticulous process, from pre-built ULDs in Hong Kong to seamless handover in Liege via Riyadh, ensures an uninterrupted flow of e-commerce materials. In parallel, as we expand our capacity and cargo flights worldwide, the collaboration with WFS/SATS underscores our commitment to innovation and efficiency, revolutionizing e-commerce handling with cutting-edge technologies.”

DP World announced its multimodal service ‘SARAL-2’, connecting Chennai to the National Capital Region under the ‘SARAL’ initiative. This service is the first multi-modal daily rail freight service with a capacity of 500 TEUs per week. DP World launched the first-of-its-kind dedicated scheduled Rail Freight Service, ‘SARAL’ – ‘Sustainable, Assured, Reliable, and Agile Logistics’, connecting customers from South Gujarat to the markets in and around the National Capital Region (NCR) in November 2023. SARAL-2 leverages DP World’s multimodal services by integrating coastal, rail, and truck operations to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and enhance supply chain efficiencies. With a remarkable reduction of~70% in CO2 emissions compared to road transportation, this dedicated service assures efficient cargo transport for customers in Delhi NCR and Chennai. This innovative second service is a joint initiative by Avana Logistek (part of Unifeeder, a DP World company) and DP World’s rail freight services, to offer customized, reliable, and cost- effective logistics solutions to the trade and businesses with weekly frequency bringing India’s northern markets closer to the southern region. Aligned with PM Gati Shakti National Master plan, SARAL-2 multimodal service will provide seamless multimodal connectivity to various industry clusters in and around the region. Speaking on the launch of the SARAL-2 service for the south, Adhendru Jain, Vice President, Rail and Inland Terminals, DP World Subcontinent, said, “This second service under the SARAL initiative is part of our continuous pursuit of enhancing and streamlining logistics for our valued customers. Our end-to-end multimodal daily service connects businesses based in Chennai with the NCR region, establishing a two-way connection for efficient, reliable, and sustainable operations. This service will surely benefit solar industries, commodity, FMCG, and domestic retail businesses …