Airbus reported a nine percent increase in consolidated revenues at €12.8 billion for the first quarter of 2024 on higher deliveries. A total of 142 commercial aircraft were delivered compared to 127 aircraft in Q1 2023, an increase of 12 percent, says an official release. The deliveries included 12 A220s, 116 A320 Family, seven A330s and seven A350s. Revenues generated by Airbus’ commercial aircraft activities increased 13 percent to €9.2 billion. Consolidated adjusted EBIT declined 25 percent to €577 million (Q12023: €773 million) “due to the increased Airbus Employee Share Ownership Plan, which saw record participation among employees and resulted in a year-on-year expense increase of slightly above €0.1 billion.” Net income was up 28 percent to €595 million. Gross commercial aircraft orders totalled 170 (Q12023: 156 aircraft) with the same number of net orders due to no cancellations (Q12023 net orders: 142 aircraft). The order backlog amounted to 8,626 commercial aircraft at the end of March 2024, the release added.

In a significant development in the Indian aviation industry, IndiGo, India’s largest airline by market share, has placed an order for 30 Airbus A350 wide-body aircraft. These aircraft are the Airbus A350-900 variant. IndiGo’s A350 fleet will be powered by the Rolls Royce Trent XWB engine, as the company has also made agreements with Rolls Royce for 60 Trent XWB engines. In addition to the 30 Firm A350-900 order, IndiGo has Purchase Rights for an additional 70 Airbus A350 Family aircraft, based on its choice, according to the official release by the airline. After placing the order for the A350 aircraft, IndiGo has now become the second operator of the Airbus A350 in the Indian market, following the national flag carrier Air India. Last year, Air India initially ordered 34 Airbus A350-1000 variants and 6 Airbus A350-900 variants. However, the airline later adjusted its order, evenly distributing the number of orders between the A350 variants. Consequently, the flag carrier now has 20 Airbus A350-900 and 20 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft on order. Out of the 20 Airbus A350-900 aircraft, 4 have already been delivered.

In a stellar display of innovation and skill, Softlink Global’s LogiTHON 2024 brought together the brightest young minds in the logistics and technology space, facilitating an interaction with cutting-edge logistics technologies under the mentorship of seasoned industry experts. Over 1500 students from more than 250 colleges registered for the event, showcasing the growing interest and commitment to propelling the logistics industry forward. LogiTHON served as a competitive arena for 560+ teams, which were meticulously whittled down to 47 top teams for the final showdown on April 19-20. The challenges were carefully designed to test and enhance the participants’ skills in key areas critical to the logistics industry: developing intelligent warehouse management systems, optimizing routes for global trade, and leveraging artificial intelligence for efficient data conversion and analysis. These are not just academic exercises but are aimed at solving some of the long-standing problems faced by the logistics sector, which is the backbone of our economy. Motivating Talent Through Prizes and Mentorship The grand event concluded with 4 winning teams, each receiving a cash prize of 1 Lakh rupees. The 4 runner-up teams were also awarded 50,000 rupees each, acknowledging their exceptional talent and potential. Moreover, participants received guidance from mentors who are well-established in their logistics career paths, ensuring that students’ learning and development continued beyond the competition. Mr. Pratapsinh Kakasaheb Desai, President, Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE), graced the occasion as the Chief Guest, lauding Softlink’s efforts and on-ground execution. The jury panel composed of industry veterans and academic leaders in Mr. Shankar P. Shinde, Dr. Pramod Sant, Dr. Joshua Ebenezer, Mr. T.N Seetharaman, Mr. Hrushikesh Joshi and Mr. Amit Maheshwari. The combined expertise of these industry luminaries, …

SGL Group ApS yesterday announced that the company has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares in Foppiani Shipping & Logistics, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Scan Global Logistics A/S. The transaction is subject to anti-trust approval from Italian authorities, and closing is expected during Q2 2024. Foppiani Shipping & Logistics is an Italian freight forwarder headquartered in Prato, specialising in air and ocean freight services for fashion, furniture, high-end Italian products and automotive sectors. Foppiani Shipping & Logistics generates yearly revenue of EUR 115m. The acquisition of Foppiani Shipping & Logistics provides SGL Group with an operational platform in Italy which enables SGL Group to establish its strategic presence in Italy and gives SGL Group a strategic platform to scale the business and expand its global presence to the benefit of customers. Most importantly, Foppiani Shipping & Logistics will bring additional human capital with comprehensive industry knowledge and niche experience; people with a perfect match to SGL Group’s DNA and culture.

Exploring the potential of AEO benefits, to leverage technology and industrial collaboration, The Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACAAI) President C K Govil and Vice President Samir J Shah participated in FIATA HQ meeting in Geneva. ACAAI will now host FIATA RAP Meeting in India in 2025, said its official LinkedIn Post. The FIATA HQ Meeting 2024 provided a platform for industry leaders to converge and chart the course for the future of air cargo. “Our deliberations delved into the intricacies of enhancing security measures while facilitating smoother trade processes, a balance crucial for the efficiency of global supply chains,” shared Shah. “Exploring the potential of AEO benefits and PLACI, we sought to leverage technology and collaboration to streamline customs procedures and mitigate risks in the air cargo ecosystem. These initiatives not only ensure compliance with regulatory requirements but also foster greater transparency and accountability across the supply chain. The insights gained from our discussions at FIATA HQ Meeting 2024 will undoubtedly shape the future of air cargo operations, paving the way for greater efficiency, security, and reliability in global trade.”

Qatar Airways Cargo has opened the world’s largest air cargo animal facility at its Doha hub to meet the rising volumes of animals being transported through the airport. The new facility measures 5,260 sq m compared with 4,000 sq m at the previous animal operation. It offers 140 dog kennels, 40 cat kennels, 24 horse stables in four separate zones and special areas for day-old chicks, birds, fish, reptiles and exotic animals. It differs from most airport animal facilities in that it mainly caters for transit shipments and therefore has dedicated rooms for transit and import/export shipments, which have different customs formalities to complete. The facility also has a large area to handle cattle with pens for vets to examine sheep if required. The cattle area is air conditioned so cattle charters can be transported during the day, rather than just in the evening as with the previous facility. There are also airside and landside docks for trucks and dollies, the capacity for the induction of 47 ULDs simultaneously, five ULD rooms for built pallets and one room for pallet build and break. The animal areas are temperature controlled and in certain rooms music is piped in to help calm the animals during their time in the facility. There are also rooms that can be used flexibly during times of high demand – for instance during the peak falcon season when more than 200 of the birds can be handled in a single day. Vets work at the facility 24 hours a day to help ensure the animals’ well being.

NDR Warehousing on Thursday inaugurated a facility in Pune at an investment of Rs 95 crore. The facility is being leased out to an Indian multinational tyre manufacturer, NDR Warehousing said in a statement. Spanning 4 lakh square feet, the new warehousing facility is a part of the company’s expansion plan, with ongoing or planned acquisitions of over 80 acre in Pune, NDR Warehousing said. Image: Official Website

KPMG India and Arkieva, a global leader in supply chain planning solutions, announced a strategic alliance to deliver successful supply chain transformation projects. The alliance will look to help businesses unlock the complete potential of their supply chains and enable smarter, resilient, and future-ready supply chain ecosystems. From planning to delivering, Arkieva’s technology and advanced analytics enabled supply chain planning solutions combined with KPMG in India’s strength in Business Consulting, the alliance will help businesses plan more proactively and enable them to have a clear single view over the entire supply chain which includes [Demand, Supply and S&OP (Sales and Operations Planning visibility)]. Also, it will help optimize assets to lower costs, enable faster decision-making and capitalize more quickly on market opportunities. In line with the above, supply chain leaders are now recognizing the increasing need for intelligent supply chain platforms which could be a game changer, with all that they bring to the table. With insights and the full power of data, intelligent supply chains enable strategic decision making, with the key being to combine resilience and agility to mitigate disruptions, while remaining customer centric. Powered by deep functional and technical knowledge, this combined offering of KPMG in India and Arkieva will enable businesses to take huge strides not just in planning, but also drive collaboration through aligned decision making with access to a wide pool of resources. Sharing his views on the announcement, Akshat Bal Dikshit, Associate Partner, Business Consulting, KPMG in India said “The supply chain landscape is on the cusp of profound transformation today. AI and other advanced technologies are quickly reshaping the very core of supply chain management. Businesses that embrace technology will be much …

“Construction of several highways and expressways have facilitated a seamless movement of cargo from towns to the airports thereby trimming total time consumed in road transportation, says Sunil Kohli, MD, Rahat Cargo. He adds, “Upgradation of domestic airports and having them equipped with essential infra apart from in-house functional process needs to be considered to achieve the desired results. The government’s initiatives have initiated several moves to ensure improvisation of multimodal transportation and connectivity. India launched PMGS to herald a new chapter in governance. PMGS brings 16 ministries, including Railways and Roadways, together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity. It will incorporate the infrastructure schemes of various ministries and state governments such as Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, dry/land ports, UDAN. Economic zones such as textile and pharma clusters, defence corridors, electronic parks, industrial corridors, fishing clusters, and agri zones will also be covered to improve connectivity and make Indian businesses competitive.”

Menzies Aviation has extended its deal with Kuala Lumpur-based Malaysia Airlines covering cargo, passenger and ramp handling for the carrier in the Australia/New Zealand region. The deal has been extended for a further five years and covers the Menzies stations at Sydney Airport (SYD), Melbourne Airport (MEL), Adelaide Airport (ADL), Perth Airport (PER) and Auckland Airport (AKL). London, UK-headquartered Menzies has supported Malaysia Airlines with a range of services at these locations since 2016. The handler has said that it expects to handle a total of 3,200 flights across the five locations each year until 2029, when the extended contract is due to expire. Menzies executive vice president – Oceania & South East Asia, Darren Masters, commented: “The renewal of this agreement is a reflection on the strong strategic partnership that has developed between Menzies and Malaysia Airlines over the course of eight years.” Aslina Ahmad Asiri, global head of operations at Malaysia Airlines, added: “The contract extension is a testament of a great partnership and the trust that MAB [Malaysia Airlines Berhad] has forged with Menzies over the last eight years. “Menzies has always been supportive of MAB operations throughout [the] ANZ [Australia and New Zealand] region despite the challenges post Covid-19. “Menzies has continuously engaged MAB to address these challenges and enforce their utmost commitment to support MAB’s plan to grow the ANZ operations. “It is comforting to work with a highly professional entity that understand the business needs and ever willing to listen to feedback from their customers.”