Astral Aviation has signed its first formal partnership agreement with disaster response nonprofit Airlink. “In the agreement, Astral Aviation promises to transport 50 tonnes of humanitarian aid over the next year. Airlink will utilise the cargo space to support the movement of humanitarian aid across Astral Aviation’s network, already leveraging this partnership in order to support a shipment of medicines and medical supplies to South Sudan, stated an oficial release. “The supplies were donated by Airlink’s NGO partner, Partners for World Health, to an additional member of Airlink’s network, IMA World Health, and will be distributed in flood-affected regions in the Greater Upper Nile region as well as in health facilities along South Sudan’s border with Uganda,” the release added. Sanjeev Gadhia, CEO, Astral Aviation says, “As Astral Aviation, we see the partnership with Airlink as an important opportunity to support some of the humanitarian efforts in the Sub-Saharan region so as to help alleviate the suffering on some of the war-ravaged and disaster stricken population.”

Etihad Cargo has launched Pharma Champions, a development programme to further build its pharmaceutical business and support teams to enhance local expertise, benefiting the carrier’s customers and partners with improved service levels. The programme comprises online and onsite training, a visit to Etihad Cargo’s dedicated pharmaceutical hub and the development of a dedicated PharmaLife action plan, giving participants the tools to identify new business opportunities and ensure Etihad Cargo’s PharmaLife product is delivered in full compliance with international standards. “Etihad Cargo has developed and launched Pharma Champions to enhance the carrier’s capabilities in transporting high-value, temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals across its global network,” said Tim Isik, vice president commercial at Etihad Cargo. “In addition to giving participants — Etihad Cargo’s Pharma Champions — a more in-depth understanding of PharmaLife’s key features, the programme facilitates the development of a tailored PharmaLife action plan that will enable the champions to provide customer service excellence, enhanced customer response times and expertise within their regions. “These Pharma Champions are an integral part of Etihad Cargo’s cool chain strategy and operations for the coming years and will act as focal contact points in the carrier’s key PharmaLife markets.

Global Crossing Airlines (GlobalX) has taken delivery of its second Airbus A321 passenger to freighter (P2F) conversion. The aircraft will support GlobalX’s growing cargo business and will operate out of Miami into Latin America and the Caribbean. Miami-based GlobalX said the aircraft was converted under ST Engineering’s Precision Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) and is leased from Greenwich Highland Aviation. The airline said it placed the freighter on the GlobalX operating certificate as of June 16. “We are very pleased to start operating our second A321 freighter. Our first freighter has been operating 6 days per week with a 99.5% dispatch reliability, and our customers are seeing first-hand the economics and operating performance of the A321 freighter, which make it the best in class narrowbody cargo aircraft,” said Ed Wegel, chair and chief executive of GlobalX. “We expect to make an announcement soon for two additional A321 freighters scheduled to be delivered this year in Q3, along with two more freighters scheduled for delivery in Q4.” GlobalX’s received its first A321P2F in December last year after conversion by ST Engineering. In May 2021, GlobalX signed a letter of intent (LOI) to lease five A321P2F aircraft with ST Engineering’s Aviation Asset Management unit. These aircraft are being converted and leased to GlobalX progressively.

CMA CGM Air Cargo selects Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) to provide engine and component support for the two Boeing 777 freighters recently added to its all-cargo fleet. “The two new aircraft were delivered to the transporter on May 31 and 7 June 7, 2022 respectively, and will be used to fly international routes out of CMA CGM Air Cargo’s base at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport. As a recognised specialist in A330 maintenance, AFI KLM E&M will also maintain the components of CMA CGM Air Cargo’s A330F fleet,” stated an official release. Capitalising on its airline-MRO experience in maintaining one of the world’s largest 777 fleet on behalf of its parent companies Air France and KLM, AFI KLM E&M will provide comprehensive component support for both aircraft as part of a long-term flight-hour contract that includes repairs and access to its spare parts pool set up at CDG, the release added.

APM Terminals Pipavav has secured a new weekly service, CIX (China India Express) connecting India to the Far East Asia, South-East Asia, Latin America, Oceania Countries and US West Coast. The weekly service is launched jointly by WAN HAI Hapag Lloyd and EVERGREEN Lines. The first vessel M.V.WAN HAI 360 V-001E of the service called at the port Pipavav. The new service connects port Pipavav to – Nhava Sheva – Port Kelang – Singapore – Kaohsiung – HONG KONG- SHEKOU. The service will transport a range of commodities like clay, ceramic tiles, handicrafts, crated stone, marble, agri commodities, dehydrated foods, potatoes, onions, rice, brass items, white goods, seafood, among others. The Service is one of the fastest services to and from Asia to West Coast India with a transit time of 9 days from Pipavav to Port Klang, 17 days to Kaohsiung and 20 days from Sekou / Hong Kong. Commenting on commencement of the new service, Girish Aggarwal, MD, APM Terminals Pipavav said, “”We are delighted to receive the first vessel of the CIX service at our port. The well-established and highly quality service provides weekly connectivity to the trade and opportunity to our customers in north-west of India to trade with the global markets. The new service reinforces our commitment to customers by enhancing the port’s connectivity to the global markets thereby supporting the growth of the region.”

The contract logistics arm of Jeena & Company has raised its warehousing capacity with the inauguration of its largest and strategically significant new warehouse in Bhiwandi, Mumbai. This facility has an area of over 1.10 Lac square feet, has a clear centre height of 50 feet and a 30 feet shoulder height. Making this stand-out is it’s infrastructure design with G+7 and G+6 heavy duty pallet racking system and the G+7 multi-tier shelving system. The warehouse is equipped with all types of necessary amenities such as forklifts, stackers, and hand pallet trolleys. The flexible design of the warehouse will allow optimized storage space and empower sellers to boost their business. This warehouse is easily accessible from major bus stops, railway stations, Nhava Sheva port and the airport. Businesses in Pharma, FMCG, apparel, e-commerce, personal care sectors will be benefitted from Jeena’s new facility. Sam Katgara, Partner, Jeena & Company said, “We are pleased to introduce our latest warehouse. This is another concrete step towards our commitment to providing high end-storage facility for all 3PL and warehousing needs supported by technology. With our investment and focus on technology, we are all set to offer world-class services at competitive pricing. The highlight of this warehouse is the ability to customize on-site storage capabilities as per the requirements of our clients and their business necessities.”

Boeing and Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) have recently signed a contract for one 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF). The conversion slot for the 737-800BCF is for a 2026 induction. NAC is increasing its footprint in the 737-800 market and this is NACs first converted freighter order with Boeing, as per a recent company release. As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures, and services commercial airplanes, defense products, and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability, and community impact. Boeing’s diverse team is committed to innovating for the future, leading with sustainability, and cultivating a culture based on the company’s core values of safety, quality, and integrity

Within domestic air cargo, e-commerce has taken a big leap and is continuing to expand from the tier 1 cities into tier 2 and tier 3 cities,” says Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL). Transshipment of air cargo through Indian Airports is another big opportunity, with India being strategically located geographically to serve as a hub for the global trade market, connecting the fast-growing economies of Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, he adds. Delhi Airport has taken the lead in transshipment by developing a dedicated facility for handling such cargo, and transshipping cargo from Bangladeshi to other countries. The Government of India plans to add 33 new domestic cargo terminals by 2024-2025. Indian carriers are increasing air cargo capacity, and adding new aircraft, whereby increasing belly capacity significant.

Nordic airline Widerøe has added its cargo capacity to online booking portal WebCargo. The airline is the largest regional carrier operating in the Nordic countries and has a fleet of more than 40 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft and three Embraer E190-E2 aircraft. It serves more than 40 domestic and international destinations with its turboprop aircraft. Widerøe said that WebCargo’s CO2 emissions calculator was important an important factor in its decision as it has a focus on emissions reduction. “We are very happy to finally be able to offer our capacity on the WebCargo-platform. The CO2-emissions calculation done by the platform is something that we in Widerøe welcomes, it enables the customers not only to take an active choice when it comes down to the price, but also the impact on the environment,” said Thomas Lone, cargo manager at Widerøe. WebCargo said that the calculator helps its freight forwarder users make an informed decision on which flight to select based on emissions. Meanwhile, booking portals in general help improve aircraft utilisation which can help improve environmental performance.

Ground handler Swissport International has opened a new temperature-controlled facility at Dublin Airport to cater to Ireland’s position as a major pharma hub. The new dedicated pharma facility, which was built in partnership with Celtic Cooling, measures 400 sq m, can hold up to 200 palettes and is the first of its size at Dublin Airport. The warehouse is operated at a temperature of between 15-25 degrees Celsius but also offers a unit that can be operated from two to eight degrees Celsius. Swissport UK and Ireland chief executive Karen Cox said: “We are delighted to open this brand-new facility which will play a vital role in the supply chain of pharmaceutical goods in Ireland. “Our customers from the pharmaceutical industry can now also rely on our professional services for temperature-controlled freight at Dublin Airport, supporting them with high-quality handling services along the cool chain.” Swissport said the facility “significantly adds handling capacity for major pharmaceutical suppliers in the region and supports Ireland’s position as one of the largest net exporters of medicinal and pharmaceutical products within the European Union”.