Focusing on Warehousing Leasing, Investment & Development, ASSOCHAM will organise a National Conference on 21 July 2022 at Hotel Le Meridien in New Delhi. The conference will aim on the recent developments in India warehousing space. “India is one of the fastest growing economies of the world with promising business opportunities. The Government of India has taken various proactive and business conducive initiatives in the country. Backed by the expansion in the manufacturing sector and private and foreign investments, warehousing demand in India is on the rise. Investors from across the world are looking towards India as their preferred investment destination and warehousing a preferred segment of investment,” said a statement from ASSOCHAM.  

To boost efficiency for cross-border e-commerce, Alibaba logistics arm, Cainiao Network has expanded its direct flight network from China to Malaysia. A direct flight will take off from south China’s Shenzhen (to Kuala Lumpur), three times a week, adding to the five weekly freight trips from Hangzhou to Kuala Lumpur in operation, a release stated. Transit times will fall by 24 to 48 hours, according to Cainiao. “Our clients will have access to easier and faster order placement, bulk order management, and will be able to track the delivery progress with the service we offer,” said Kenny Wu, senior logistics director overseeing Cainiao’s global supply chain. Cainiao opened its smart logistics hub, dubbed “eHub”, near Kuala Lumpur Airport last November. The logistics hub comprises a warehouse, an airfreight area and a sorting centre. 

ST Engineering and Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) announced the redelivery of the head of version Airbus A320 Passenger-to-Freighter (A320P2F) aircraft to launch customer Vaayu Group (Vaayu) at ST Engineering’s airframe facility in Singapore. “The A320P2F aircraft is owned by the aviation asset management business of ST Engineering, and is the first of several converted freighter aircraft that will be leased to Vaayu,” as per a release from ST Engineering. The redelivery marks the birth of the world’s first A320P2F and completion of the Airbus P2F family developed jointly by ST Engineering, Airbus and EFW, the statement added. “It joins the already operational Airbus P2F platforms – the A330-300P2F, A330-200P2F and A321P2F, which were first redelivered in 2017, 2018 and 2020, respectively. 

DHL Aviation has officially begun operating a Bahrain-Delhi freighter flight. In a LinkedIn post, DHL Express India stated, “DHL has commenced operations for the first-ever DHL Aviation Bahrain freighter directly to Delhi. With this addition, Delhi will now have 17 freighter connections every week, linking both North and East India to more than 220 countries across DHL’s global network. “The new freighter will fly six times each week, on the Bahrain-Delhi-Bahrain route, thereby boosting the capacity for the region, and enhancing service quality for customers,” a release stated. 

Virgin Atlantic Cargo is set to expand its all-cargo network with the addition of a new service to Billund Airport. The service will operate three times per week between the Danish Airport and Heathrow using an Airbus A321F operated by Titan Airways, offering 28 tonnes of capacity per flight. The new flights are due to launch on August 3 in response to strong cargo demand and will connect with Virgin Atlantic flights to the US and other destinations. The airline said the flights would cater for cargo currently being trucked from the Scandinavian region. “The partnership will see the Danish airfreight export industry receive more direct connections to the US, as Virgin Atlantic Cargo support’s the airport’s ambition to grow its air freight business and establish the cargo industry at Billund Airport,” the airline stated in a statement. Steve Buckerfield, Head, Cargo Sales, Virgin Atlantic Cargo, said “We are excited to bring this new dedicated all-cargo service, connecting our customers in Billund and the wider Scandinavian region with Virgin Atlantic’s route network via Heathrow. “We will be targeting pharmaceutical, automotive and perishables destined for the USA, Africa, Israel and the Indian subcontinent.”

To accelerate digital transformation of global maritime industry, Kale Logistics Solutions (Kale) has become the first Indian IT firm to join the International Association of Ports & Harbors (IAPH). “Kale will add its expertise to the voices of 280 ports and port-related businesses counted among the membership of the Tokyo-based trade association, which represents the interests of port authorities and operators at regulatory level,” as per a release issued by Kale. High on Kale’s agenda, IAPH members and the global maritime industry is the standardisation and harmonisation of electronic ship-to-shore communication. “In May this year, the IMO’s Facilitation Committee announced amendments to the Facilitation Convention that will make single window for data exchange mandatory in ports around the world from January 2024, marking a crucial step in the acceleration of digitalisation in shipping,” the statement added.

Rainbow Aviation has signed up to represent Fly Baghdad, as their cargo General Sales Agent (GSA) in India. The carrier plans to transport pharmaceuticals, readymade garments, raw materials, consumer durables and electronic parts to Baghdad from India. Fly Baghdad started flying to India on 13 May 2022, and is operating two weekly passenger Boeing 737-700 flights to and from Mumbai every Tuesday and Friday, offering four to six tonnes of cargo capacity per flight. The Iraqi airline also wants to expand to other key Indian cities. The carrier in a statement, said, “The carrier focuses on passenger and cargo ops and having captured its presence in the Middle East and East Asia, Fly Baghdad has expanded its reach to India and Europe.” Rainbow Aviation noted the flights go to Baghdad and Najaf depending on the demand from passengers, while the Indian GSA group also intends to use the capacity and routes offered by Fly Baghdad to move these commodities to countries in GCC and Europe.

Air cargo movement in Coimbatore grew by 22 per cent in 2021-22, signaling revival of industrial activity in the state. As per reports, 8,062 tonnes of goods were moved in and out of Coimbatore by air to domestic and global destinations last year. Domestic cargo was 6,737 tonnes, of which 3,697 tonnes were outbound. Domestic cargo was 24.05 per cent higher than the previous year. In the case of global cargo, 1,180 tonnes were exports and 145 tonnes were imports, registering a total growth of 17.36 per cent. “This is an indication of recovery of industrial activity after COVID-19 and the potential for air cargo in this region,” an official said. With just two direct flights to global destinations from Coimbatore, most of the export products airlifted from here were perishables. In the case of domestic cargo, the products included automobile components, castings, textile machinery, samples, healthcare products, and food items. There were a few consignments that were moved through bonded trucking too.

Rating agency ICRA Ratings Ltd has in its new report highlighted a stable outlook for the Indian road logistics sector. Accelerated pace of business activities and lower lockdown-linked restrictions from Q2 FY2022 aided faster recovery in revenues for FY2022. The growth momentum is likely to continue with a growth of 7 to 9 per cent in FY2023 over FY2022. Demand may remain sensitive to any further waves or new virus variants, given the sector’s linkage to economic activity on an aggregate basis, stated the report. The ability to command pricing premiums on account of the rise in fuel prices, driven by the fallout of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, while maintaining the cost rationalisation measures shall support the industry operating profitability in FY2023.  “The margin movement shall, however, continue to depend on consumer demand sentiments, trend in diesel prices and the competitive intensity within the industry. Debt coverage metrics are expected to weaken in FY2023 compared to FY2022 levels owing to the expected debt-funded capital expenditure for vehicle replacement required prior to introduction of the scrappage policy along with the rising interest rate regime,” 

GEODIS has acquired e-commerce specialist Keppel Logistics as the forwarder expands its presence in Asia, read a release. The deal was first announced in early 2022, but GEODIS has obtained all regulatory approvals allowing completion. The statement added that the acquisition would bolster the two firms’ respective e-commerce offerings by combining Keppel Logistics’ delivery service with its own controlled airfreight network and its seafreight and road transport connections across the region. “We are pleased to welcome Keppel Logistics’ customers, employees and management to the GEODIS Group,” said Marie-Christine Lombard, chief executive, GEODIS. “The acquisition of Keppel Logistics marks a key milestone in GEODIS’ Asia Pacific ambition, increasing our contract logistics footprint and e-commerce fulfillment services in Singapore and Asia-Pacific,” she added.