Ekart, India’s largest supply chain network and part of the Flipkart group, will now make its warehouses across the country available to brands, manufacturers, retailers, and SMEs as a part of its vision to become a fourth-party logistics (4PL) player in the country. “The initiative will enable brands of all sizes, manufacturers, and retailers from across industries to leverage Ekart’s technologically-advanced fulfilment centres for flexible, affordable, and scalable inventory storage solutions,” says an official release. The end-to-end warehousing services by Ekart will include ready-to-use best-in-class warehousing space, order management, integrated logistics and inventory management, further helping brands scale their business. “Ekart will also offer specialised facilities such as temperature-controlled storage and storage for high-value inventory for businesses in need of these requirements.” Ekart has a pan India supply chain network spread across more than 20 million sq feet. To begin with, it will offer four dedicated sites across Bilaspur in Haryana, Malur in Karnataka, Saidham in Mumbai, and Uluberia (West Bengal) as well as 17 shared sites across India to businesses of all sizes. The warehouses will ease the fulfilment process of orders for customers by helping reduce the transit time and better delivery speed. “The state-of-the-art, Grade-A fulfilment centres are equipped to facilitate the safe and speedy delivery of orders. Ekart’s capability to handle 80+ product categories will also now be available to the brands.”

Air cargo tonnages from Asia Pacific to Europe and North America bounced back strongly in the last two weeks from their Lunar New Year holiday lull with some signs of the worldwide market stabilising following months of demand and rate declines, says the latest update from WorldACD Market Data. “After having reported last week that worldwide air cargo tonnages recovered faster and more strongly this year in the initial weeks since the annual Lunar New Year holiday downturn, we see now a continuing stabilising trend for both tonnages and the global average rate, albeit significantly lower than those of early 2022,” the report said. Data for week 7 (February 13-19) show a small decrease (2 percent) in worldwide tonnages compared with the previous week. “On the pricing side, global average rates remained completely stable compared with the previous week, although underlying regional trends can differ strongly, particularly related to Asia Pacific.” Comparing weeks 6 and 7 with the preceding two weeks (2Wo2W), tonnages are up 3 percent above their combined total in weeks 4 and 5, accompanied by a 3 percent increase in capacity whereas average worldwide rates went up by 2 percent based on the more than 400,000 weekly transactions covered by WorldACD’s data.

Ethiopian Airlines has added a freighter service between China and Belgium as it looks to capitalise on growing e-commerce demand. The new service will initially operate twice a week flying between Shenzhen and Liege utilising B777F aircraft.  The carrier said that the service was its first scheduled cargo service from the Chinese airport. The service will mainly carry cross-border e-commerce and other special industrial products. The number of flights will be increased in the future according to cargo demand. The airport now has airlines offering freighter services to 57 destinations. In 2022, the cargo and mail throughput of Shenzhen Airport ranked third in China and in the top 20 globally. The airport processed a total of 1.5m tons of cargo in 2022, a dip of 3.9% on 2021 levels. However, Shenzhen handled 776,000 tons of international airfreight in 2022, a nearly 20% increase for the third year running. Meanwhile, the volume of cross-border e-commerce cargo carried by air from the airport increased by 38.2% year on year.

Baku-based freighter operator Silk Way West Airlines has expanded its scheduled network in the Middle East and Central Asia as it looks to capitalise on rising demand. The expansion sees the carrier operating two scheduled freighter flights a week between Baku Heydar Aliyev International Airport and Dammam King Fahd International Airport and Tashkent International Airport. The carrier said that the two locations were “among the most important international air cargo gateways in their respective regions”. Over the past decade, Silk Way West Airlines has served both destinations through charter services, shipping general cargo including textiles, cars, perishables and other goods. “These new routes will also enable Silk Way West Airlines to meet its strategic goals of serving increased international demand and significantly expanding its global network,” the carrier said. Silk Way West Airlines vice president CIS and Central Asia Vugar Mammadov said: “The demand for transportation to the Middle East and on the Middle Corridor route continues to rise. As a result, Azerbaijan is gaining increasing importance as a central logistics hub. “We are pleased that now we can offer our customers regular flights from Baku to Dammam and Tashkent. We will continue to increase the number of flights we operate, as well as the destinations we serve, as Silk Way West Airlines continues to expand opportunities for its customers around the world.”

Drone tech startup TSAW has announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DE Drone World Solutions to begin a new partnership between TSAW Drones and DE Drone World Solutions and outlines their commitment to working together to develop and promote innovative drone solutions for a range of industries. Under the terms of the agreement, TSAW Drones will provide DE Drone World Solutions with access to its cutting-edge drone technology, as well as its extensive expertise and experience in the field. DE Drone World Solutions, on the other hand, will contribute its in-depth knowledge of the industry, along with its established network of clients and partners, to help TSAW expand its market reach and improve overall capabilities. Kishan Tiwari, Founder & CEO, TSAW Drones said “We have built an impressive rapport with the team DE Drone at Aero India and are greatly impressed with their technical acumen and the robust client relationships that they’ve built. We are convinced that as we work together under the same framework, we will continue to discover great synergies in our respective platforms and bring novel breakthroughs to market for our potential consumers. Moreover, the MOU exemplifies our willingness to work for an Atmanirbhar Bharat as well as to promote best-in-class drones for surveillance, agriculture, logistics, and security.” “Drone utilities are one of the hottest booming technology segments, with the potential to add tremendous value to industries such as security, agriculture, manufacturing, retail, and logistics. The collaboration with TSAW Drones comes at the right time as we are gearing up to combine our extensive industry knowledge to advance drone-based solutions in India. I personally have a high regard for the business that …

On February 3, 2023, the Logistics Sector Skill Council and Cargomen agreed to a memorandum of understanding aimed at enhancing the Logistics skilling ecosystem. The MOU entails providing skill-based industrial and virtual training and education that incorporates the latest technologies and advancements in the industry. Additionally, the partnership will involve offering expert guest lectures and placement support for trained students. This initiative is a prudent step towards bolstering the Logistics industry’s skill development landscape.

DHL Express has launched GoGreen Plus, a new service that will allow customers to reduce (‘inset’) the carbon emissions associated with their shipments through the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). This is a first for global express carriers, and will initially launch in the UK, shortly followed by Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. Starting this month, customers based in these countries will have the option to select GoGreen Plus when choosing their shipping service through MyDHL+, the company’s online shipping and tracking platform. The service is designed to be fully flexible as it can be selected for individual shipments. GoGreen Plus will become available to all DHL Express customers globally over the coming months, with customers being given the chance to tailor the CO2e reduction they want to achieve and the amount of SAF they use. The new GoGreen Plus service is made possible following DHL’s recent collaborations with bp and Neste to supply SAF to DHL Express hubs around the world. The renewable part of the innovative fuel is produced from waste oils. Such SAF from wastes and residues can provide greenhouse gas emission reductions of up to 80 per cent over its lifecycle compared with the conventional jet fuel it replaces. John Pearson, CEO DHL Express, says: “We know our customers are committed to reducing their environmental impact so it’s important we’re giving them the means to do so. I’m delighted that our investment in SAF can now be fully leveraged by customers to enable them to bring down the emissions of their shipments. SAF is currently the primary route to reducing carbon emissions in aviation, so this is the …

FFFAI Chairman, Shankar Shinde has been unanimously elected as Chairman of the International Federation of Customs Brokers Associations (IFCBA) during its Board of Directors’ Annual General Meeting held recently. Shinde is currently Chairman of the Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in India (FFFAI) and earlier was holding the post of Managing Director of IFCBA. FFFAI as an Apex body of Customs Brokers in India plays a pivotal role in customs clearance on cross border, recommending best practices in International Exim trade. Other Members elected to the Board of Directors of IFCBA are Secretary General- Ms Carol West from Canada and six Managing Directors: Mr Clive Coke from Jamaica, Ms Angela Collin from Canada, Mr Paul Damkjaer from Australia, Mr Bai Fengchuan from China, Mr Seisaku Okafuji from Japan and Ms Kristiann App from the United States of America. It is pertinent to mention that IFCBA chairs the Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG) of World Customs Organisation (WCO). Commenting on his focus area as FIATA Chairman, Mr Shinde said that with the WCO theme “Nurturing the next generation: promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing and professional pride in Customs”, which was launched on International customs Day, IFCBA would be happy to carry forward the implementation of this theme to benefit and promote professionalism in the trade.

Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited (AISATS) has been selected by Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL) to Design, Build, Finance and Operate an Integrated Multi-Modal Cargo Hub (MMCH) across 87 acres at the upcoming Noida International Airport in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh. The MMCH will be equipped with unmatched connectivity options, and integrated process-driven systems to cater to the burgeoning logistic demand of the country. AISATS received the ‘Letter of Award’ (LOA) at the UP Global Investors Summit. On this occasion, Sanjay Gupta, CEO, of AISATS said, “Air cargo continues to play a pivotal role in the development of the aviation sector. India’s focus to become the manufacturing hub for the world will hugely depend on efficient logistic management to attain global competitiveness. We are aiming to develop world-class infrastructure to deliver a seamless, best-in-class cargo experience for all stakeholders. Catering to a large catchment area with a huge growth potential owing to multimodal connectivity, we are certain that MMCH will truly become the gateway to North India. MMCH, will redefine cargo warehousing in India and establish itself as a new global benchmark.”

China Eastern Airlines has extended its cargo partnership with Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) with a new contract to handle Boeing 777 cargo-only flights in Liege. “The new three-year agreement between the companies will see WFS handling a forecasted 32,000 tonnes of cargo per annum carried onboard up to nine B777 flights a week into the Belgian airport from Yantai Penglai International Airport in China’s Shandong Province,” says a release from WFS. WFS is providing ramp handling for the airline’s 777 services along with warehouse operations, the release added. The contract in Liege increases WFS’ role as one of China Eastern’s preferred cargo handling partners. WFS is also supporting the airline’s cargo operations and growth at other important airport gateways including Paris CDG, Frankfurt, Stockholm and New York JFK. “Having handled charter flights for China Eastern in Liege last summer, we are delighted to have won this opportunity to support the airline’s scheduled cargo-only services to and from Yantai,” says Nathan De Valck, Managing Director, WFS Belgium. “Liege is a very important and growing cargo hub for WFS in Europe. So, it is especially pleasing to welcome another long-term WFS partner as a customer at the airport. We see this as a sign of China Eastern’s trust in WFS and our high reputation for handling freighters and cargo-only services. This new route for the airline also shows the resilience of the LGG freighter market and the role WFS is playing in the development of it.”