SmartLynx Airlines has plans to increase its fleet to 13 by the end of the year by adding four more units by the end of 2024. The charter carrier and lessor currently operates six A321Fs. It is aiming to become the largest operator of A321-200 converted freighters in Europe. SmartLynx Airlines cargo operations manager Dmitrijs Voroncovs said, “This is the first-ever narrow-body freighter to feature containerized both main and lower cargo decks, which allow for automated loading and unloading to achieve exceptional turnaround times.” The airline said the model, which can carry 27 tonnes of cargo and has a range of 2,300 nautical miles, is perfect for the express market. Chief executive of SmartLynx Airlines, Zygimantas Surintas, added, “As we reintroduce the A321-200 freighter to the world, we are confident that it is poised to lead the future of cargo operations. “To start, its exceptional fuel efficiency makes it the most sustainable choice in the cargo market today. Direct operational costs for A321F are up to 30% lower compared to the classic B757-200 and 737, making it the most cost-effective option for our clients.” Most recently, the carrier added an A321 freighter, registered as YL-LDP and freshly converted by Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW), to its fleet. The aircraft was added to its Latvian AOC and is the first of the type in the country.

Air Canada Cargo launched their first commercial trip into Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, with a Boeing 767 freighter. The service will be available once a week. “We are excited to add yet another destination to our expanding freighter network. This new service builds upon our capabilities to serve the island through Air Canada’s passenger network, providing consistent year-round cargo capacity for our key customers in the region,” said Jon Turner, Vice President, Cargo at Air Canada. We are pleased to welcome the first freighter flight from Air Canada Cargo. As winners of the Airports Council’s International Airport Service Quality Awards for seven consecutive years, we are confident that this will contribute to the excellence and diversification of our cargo operations,” affirmed Giovanni Rainieri, director of Airside Operations at Punta Cana International Airport. Air Canada Cargo’s flight to Punta Cana is the latest addition to its worldwide freighter network, following recently launched freighter services to San José, Basel, Liege, Dallas, Atlanta and Bogota.”

To support infrastructure-led growth, mere budgetary provisions will be insufficient and private participation is extremely crucial,” said Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road, Transport and Highways, Govt of India in the presence of Rajiv Bansal, IAS Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation of India, while unveiling the report on ‘Infrastructure – Key Driver of India’s Amrit Kaal March’ by CareEdge Ratings. He added, “There are four key pillars which will be regarded as the biggest capital in this century- Honesty, Credibility, Quality and Goodwill. Credit rating plays an important role at every step of infrastructure development. Be it for achieving financial closure, or at the time of bidding projects or at the time of seeking refinancing etc. The credit rating assessment is expected to incorporate performance evaluation of the contractors giving a lot of emphasis on quality parameters, transparency, technical innovation in works execution and also achieving cost efficiencies in a time-bound manner. This is the need of the hour.” Mehul Pandya, MD & CEO, CareEdge Ratings, “We are impressed by the Government’s unwavering commitment, exemplified by multiple ambitious projects such as Smart Cities Mission, Bharatmala Pariyojana, Sagarmala, Gati Shakti, UDAN and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). These initiatives aim to enhance connectivity, upgrade urban infrastructure, develop transportation networks, promote sustainable practices, and bridge the rural-urban divide. Such endeavours lay a solid foundation for inclusive growth and contribute significantly to the nation’s overall progress.”

WFS, a member of the SATS Group marked its India foray with the launch of operations at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), Bengaluru. WFS (Bengaluru) Private Limited, a 74:26 JV between WFS and airport operator Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), will operate a cargo terminal facility at India’s 3rd largest cargo hub at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (IATA: BLR), with a concession period of 15 years beginning 24th May 2023. WFS will also be the exclusive operator of BLR’s Dedicated Cold Chain Facility during the concession period. WFS will be making significant investments into upgrading and expanding the two terminal facilities at its BLR Gateway to shortly take the ultimate annual cargo handling capacity to over 250,000 MT of general cargo and over 80,000 MT of cold chain cargo in phases. Commenting on the occasion, Mr John Batten, CEO, Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia (EMEAA) WFS said “Our operation in Bengaluru represents WFS’ first foray into cargo handing in India. As the global leader in air cargo handling, WFS looks forward to adding value to the Indian air cargo industry through introduction of world class practices, ensuring better efficiency and driving productivity improvements which we believe to be well aligned with the Government of India’s National Air Cargo Policy and related ambitions. We will introduce highest international standards for safety, security, environment and operational excellence and make significant investments into improving and expanding the cargo infrastructure at our BLR Gateway. Ultimately, we believe that WFS can play an important role in aiding and facilitating the air cargo growth ambitions of BIAL, the broader Bengaluru region and India overall.”

Asia Pacific logistics real estate major LOGOS and its venture partner Ivanhoe Cambridge have acquired a 77-acre industrial land parcel in Pune’s Chakan industrial area to develop a large-scale logistics park, said online reports. The development potential of the land parcel exceeds 2.2 Million-Sqft. LOGOS India-Ivanhoe Cambridge logistics venture will invest INR 650 crore in the project. The master plan for the site will focus on sustainability-driven development, featuring Grade A industrial and logistics buildings. With its convenient location offering direct access to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and Mumbai-Bangalore NH 48, the site is ideal for warehousing, industrial, e-commerce, and third-party logistics (3PL) customers. Work on the project is set to commence in August 2023, and it is expected to be developed in two phases over a period of three years, said reports.

Airblox announced its collaboration with National Airlines to expand the capacity lanes for both companies, ensuring reliable and efficient air cargo transport worldwide. “Airblox’s innovative platform enables cargo airlines, freight forwarders and global sales agents to instantly search and secure available cargo capacity across multiple airlines via standardised and digitised capacity contracts. By collaborating with National Airlines, Airblox is now able to offer its customers even more capacity options, including access to new and hard-to-reach regions,” says a release from Airblox. While National Airlines will be able to offer its customers a wider range of options, Airblox will gain a strong partner to support its mission of providing capacity visibility, freight financing and insurance options enabling better capacity and risk management capabilities to its platform users, the release added. “Airblox is excited to collaborate with National Airlines to enhance our platform with expanded capacity options,” says Brian Kolb, Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Airblox. “With National Airlines’ global network and expertise, we are confident that this collaboration will provide our customers with even more reliable and efficient air cargo solutions.”

Shadowfax, after successful operations in 50 cities, the company is all set to scale its services to over 1200 cities, allowing more businesses and customers to access their reliable and efficient delivery services. This expansion is a testament to the commitment of Shadowfax and ONDC to advancing digital commerce in India and making logistics accessible to everyone. ONDC is enabling interoperability and unbundling in the digital commerce space in India, allowing Shadowfax to expand its services to more cities and regions through ONDC’s pan-India presence, a strong network of partners, and trusted digital infrastructure. Shadowfax is committed to providing tech-driven and customer-focused logistics solutions. With a robust delivery network and intercity and intracity capabilities, Shadowfax is a one-stop solution for businesses across categories and sizes.

The seventh edition of the Commercial Vehicle Forum (CVF) is all set to be held at JW Marriott, Pune on 25th May 2023. The show will focus on the current trends in the CV and road transport industry, disruptive innovations, mobility, sustainability and tech. CVF is one of the most awaited events for the Indian commercial vehicle and road transport sector. In fact, CVF has become the crossroads for senior level professionals from CV Manufacturers, Auto Suppliers, Associations, CV Dealers and the Government, alongside some of the worlds’ most disruptive Logistics Service Providers. The event will provide an ideal platform for all to showcase your their products and innovative solutions in the market as well as it will provide a chance to industry professionals and thought leaders to meet and greet.

Gati Limited has recorded a revenue of ₹1,469 Crores in FY23 for the express business, witnessing a growth of 18% as compared to the last year. Pirojshaw (Phil) Sarkari, Chief Executive Officer Gati said, “This performance reflects company’s focus on volume growth and operational efficiency. The year saw Gati launching its mega surface transhipment hub at Bhiwandi (Mumbai), in addition to hubs at Nagpur and Guwahati. The Mumbai hub is spread over 1.15 lac square feet with 61 bays and dock leveler. We also saw 100% implementation of digital e-dockets for retail clients and have started a pilot for MSMEs. The gross margin expansion remains on track, witnessing an improvement of 133bps over last year. In the next phase of infrastructure development, we’ll be setting up four surface transhipment hubs in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Indore and Kolkata.” The quarter gone by saw weakness in initial months followed by a very strong March. However, overall weakness in consumer durables and automobile sector, notwithstanding the unseasonal rains dampened the sentiment a bit. Despite tough economic scenario, the company has been able to maintain its performance. Our strategy for delivering such performance remains consistent and relies on our pillars of digitalization, sales acceleration, infrastructure, and operational excellence. We mandated GPS in all Linehaul & Feeder vehicles, to enhance visibility, improve performance & optimized productivity via continuous monitoring. The Company also improvised on dashboard designs to enable real time data visibility and KPI monitoring. Gati aims to enhance customer experience and operational excellence on front-end digitalization that include CRM system for managing customer relationships, sales acceleration with cluster-based approach, data science and digital payments.

To strengthen its position as a leading fulfillment solutions provider in Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) segment, Delhivery will make a strategic investment in Vinculum, a global software leader for omnichannel retailing for D2C enterprises, brands, brand distributors, and quick commerce companies. The investment is the first part of a potential 2-stage deal that provides Delhivery the option to further increase its shareholding in the company after six months. Direct-to-Consumer enterprises are a focus market for Delhivery, and the investment is expected to strengthen its position as a leading fulfillment solutions provider in the segment. Through this investment, the two companies will build a complete integrated stack to address the entire range of post-purchase needs of a D2C brand. A deeper integration with Vinculum’s industry-leading Order Management System (OMS) will be a first-of-its-kind fully-integrated E2E offering. Rajaganesh S, Head of Supply Chain Solutions at Delhivery, said, “We congratulate the leadership team of Vinculum on building a truly world-class product that enables omnichannel retailing for brands, retailers while also powering fulfillment capabilities of 3PLs and online marketplaces. A strategic partnership with Vinculum strengthens Delhivery’s fulfillment solution to brands”. Venkat Nott, Founder, and Chief Executive Officer of Vinculum Group, added, “We are delighted with the investment to be made by Delhivery in Vinculum. This lays the foundation for deep tech integration between both companies, tremendous collaboration opportunities, and immense business value for our customers.” The investment is subject to the satisfactory completion of closing conditions.