Category Archives: Aviation

According to data provider WorldACD, Air cargo’s gradual demand recovery slowed in November, but there were signs that volumes were picking up again in December. The company’s data for the month of November shows that in ‘a year like no other’ volumes declined by 12.6 per cent year on year but rates experienced their strongest increase since the months of April and May. The demand decreases lags behind performance in October, with volumes down by 2 per cent. Despite this, rates were on the up. “Yields/rates in November are usually about 4 per cent above those in October; this year the increase was 11.2 per cent, from US$2.97 per kg to US$3.30,” WorldACD said. WorldACD added that overall capacity went up by 1 per cent from October to November, with freighter capacity decreasing by 1 per cent and cargo capacity on passenger aircraft increasing by 3%. “Asia Pacific was the only origin region growing its air cargo business between October and November by 3.2 per cent,” the data provider said. “Not surprisingly, given the large orders of PPE-goods, shipments above 5,000 kgs grew year on year, whilst all smaller weight breaks lost between 16 per cent and 29 per cent year on year.” It added, “Calling the air cargo market hot, would probably be the understatement of the year. The usual trends from the pre-COVID days seem to have become just faint memories.” Looking at preliminary figures for the first half of December; worldwide volume was 2 per cent higher compared with the first half of November, showing a better month-on-month trend than the trend from October to November. “Origin regions with the highest volume increase were Africa (+21 per …

Hubballi Domestic Airport is ready to house North Karnataka’s first dedicated domestic air cargo terminal, that would be expected to start functioning from February 2021. The Airports Authority of India – Cargo Logistics &Allied Services Company, has given in-principle approval for conversion of the old passenger terminal into the cargo handling section. Pramod Kumar Thakre, Hubballi Airport Director has stated that the upcoming cargo terminal shall have secured storage space for both inbound and outbound cargo, a dedicated room for valuables and dangerous goods, along with provision for commercial space that can be utilised by airlines, major freight forwarders/logistics players like postal authorities and e-commerce players. “The 700 square metre cargo terminal shall have annual cargo holding capacity 15,000 MT,” he said. Industries and progressive farmers of the region are hopeful that the commencement of the cargo terminal will boost the economy of North Karnataka.

To provide a seamless solution in transporting the temperature sensitive COVID-19 vaccine Shadowfax has partnered with SpiceXpress. Shadowfax plans to deploy a fleet of over 250 refrigerated vehicles, which will provide a speedy and reliable transportation solution for vaccine delivery through a sustainable cold chain network. For the COVID-19 vaccine movement, the company will provide logistics support to cover first mile pickups and last mile deliveries through a verified network of delivery partners operating across 500+ cities covering 7000+ pin codes in India. Commenting on this partnership, Rahul Kumar, Founding Team Member and Head of Network Partnerships, Shadowfax, says, “We are proud to partner with SpiceXpress for transporting the COVID vaccine and helping it reach people. Agility, speed, and precise handling will be essential considering the sensitive nature of the vaccine. We are geared up with our technology, people, and delivery expertise to ensure timely and safe deliveries across our extensive network. It has been a tough year and playing a role in bringing relief makes us immensely elated and energized. It is vital to have the right partnership when undertaking a task this critical. In SpiceXpress, we have found the synergies that will allow us to deliver the vaccine safely and seamlessly. We will handle ground services such as transportation to/from manufacturers, warehouses, airports and consumption points, packing, storage, and warehousing, at prescribed temperature across 500 + cities. We will deploy a fleet of refrigerated vehicles to ensure requisite temperatures are maintained throughout the delivery cycle.”

In the wake of keen interest showed by the investors and investments worth several hundred billion rupees being in the pipeline, Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh has issued directions for further strengthening of the investor-friendly industrial ecosystem and for building a robust logistics infrastructure in the state. The state government has nominated Additional Chief Secretary (Infrastructure & Industrial Development) Alok Kumar as state nodal officer for developing the integrated state logistics plan aimed at overall development of logistics sector. Kumar will head a newly created state logistics cell to function in sync with national logistics division for development of supply chains and warehousing facilities for industries. The officials of state government departments like Planning, Transport, Civil Aviation, Revenue, PWD, Export Promotion Bureau, UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) will be the key members on board, and nodal officers from Central agencies like National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Airports Authority of India (AAI), Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), etc. will be special invitees to the cell. The state government will also set up a state logistics coordination committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary to monitor the progress and implementation of the logistics plan. Uttar Pradesh is attracting sizeable investments in warehousing & logistics sector, so far, total 6 proposals worth approximately Rs 438 Crores have been received in the sector.

TIACA, together with Pharma.Aero released a special report for air cargo, pharmaceuticals and life sciences professionals detailing the requirements and airfreight preparedness for COVID-19 vaccines transportation. The Sunrays project report shows that 46 per cent of air cargo industry stakeholders, including airlines, freight forwarders, ground handlers, airport operators and IT solution providers, now feel well prepared for the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines, a significant increase compared to only 28 per cent feeling ready two months ago. Although the improvement is seen across the whole industry, ground handlers, who were the least prepared in September, reported the strongest jump in preparedness. “Industry has clearly stepped up its efforts to get ready for the largest logistics effort ever seen and with 79% feeling more prepared than 3 months ago, we applaud the readiness progress the air cargo community has made,” stated Nathan De Valck, Chairman of Pharma.Aero’s Board of Directors and member of the Sunrays project. “It is very encouraging to see that the majority of our industry has established working relationships with vaccine manufacturers, dedicated teams in place and collaborates with their supply chain partners to handle the logistics of COVID-19 vaccines.” The report also examines currently known requirements for COVID-19 vaccine logistics for the front runner manufacturers such as AstraZeneca and University of Oxford, Pfizer and BioNTech, Moderna, GSK and Sanofi, J&J, as well as the procurement and logistics strategies by individual countries and international bodies, like the EU and COVAX, and locations of vaccine trials and production. Areas of Priority “Although the air cargo industry has scaled up its capabilities, collaboration and readiness in the past couple of months, and COVID-19 vaccines are getting approved for wide distribution, we …

Shell Aviation has announced an agreement to supply DHL Express with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at Schiphol Airport. The deal sees DHL Express become the first customer to be supplied under Shell and Neste’s SAF supply agreement, announced in September 2020. The agreement will enable DHL Express to take regular flights using SAF, an important step forward in its ambition of reducing all logistics-related emissions to zero by 2050. The volume of SAF being supplied by Shell Aviation represents a full year of DHL Express’s fuel requirements from Schiphol Airport, helping to reduce its emissions from this European hub. The SAF will be used in blended form and is made from sustainably sourced, renewable waste and residue raw materials. In its neat form and over the lifecycle it reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to fossil jet fuels. This deal demonstrates the contribution that business can play in decarbonising aviation through the cargo sector. Alongside commercial airlines, cargo operators can play an important role in driving demand signals for the increased investment in and use of SAF. This has been particularly pertinent during the Covid-19 pandemic, with commercial airlines operating at a reduced capacity and cargo operators transporting vital supplies around the world. “We’re proud to be working with DHL Express and supporting them in taking the next step in their decarbonisation journey. Today’s agreement is an excellent example of how the cargo aviation sector can help accelerate aviation’s pathway to net-zero emissions by building demand as the fuel industry seeks to increase supply of SAF,” said Anna Mascolo, President, Shell Aviation. DHL have committed to achieving zero emissions by 2050 and as a pioneer of green …

Mumbai CSC Pharma Excellence Centre has become the first air cargo handler in India to receive CEIV IATA Pharma certification for its Pharma Excellence Centre. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has awarded CSC Pharma Excellence Centre with CEIV IATA Pharma Certification. The CEIV IATA Pharma standards guarantee air freight customers the highest quality and temperature control standards for the transportation of sensitive life science products. Demonstrating the organisation’s commitment to quality in every aspect of their service and to be a vital partner of the healthcare supply chain, CSC Pharma Excellence Center has also been certified as GDP Compliant. Global Distribution Practice (GDP) is the highest quality certification for the distribution practice of life science products. Internationally accepted pharmaceutical GDP regulations stipulate that distributors of pharmaceutical products must align their operations with these standards. Further Mumbai CSC Cold Chain Solution has received the prestigious CII SCALE Award 2020, consecutively in the fourth year, for the best practice and the best Infrastructure within the cold chain solution. The facility features temperature-controlled storage areas for pharmaceuticals with different temperature zones, mainly +15 to +25 and +2 to +8 degrees Celsius which are electronically monitored. To understand and pre-empt temperature fluctuations, alarm systems have been installed. The Mumbai CSC Pharma Excellence Centre has now started using Cool dolly for continuous cold chain solution for a seamless transport on the tarmac till the products are loaded on to the aircraft. Tushar Jani, Chairman, CSC group states, “These are the timely accreditation received by Mumbai CSC Cold Chain Solution for the movement of life science products and especially the need of the hour for the COVID-19 vaccine. Mumbai CSC Pharma Excellence Centre is already …

Swiss WorldCargo has prepared for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, for the past six months. Beginning in summer 2020, the company set up an internal task force to analyse the potential for shipping COVID-19 vaccines throughout the world. The task force, comprised of team members from different divisions, has closely analysed how Swiss WorldCargo’s aircraft, network and capacity to and from Switzerland, can best support these global shipments. Recently, the company has successfully carried out first shipments. These have proven that the company can handle complex regulatory and customer necessities, including temperature, cold-chain and timing requirements. As a leading carrier of pharmaceutical and care-intensive goods, Swiss WorldCargo has a rich history of successful and speedy delivery of pharmaceutical products, including vaccines. This long-standing expertise is based on its well-trained staff, as well as the strengths of its hub and ground handling partners. Swiss WorldCargo’s organization is CEIV Pharma-certified. Swiss WorldCargo’s hub in Zurich, operated by Cargologic, is IATA CEIV Pharma-certified and Swissmedic GDP-compliant, as recognized by the Swiss authorities. “The next few months present a significant challenge for the entire air cargo and logistics industry,” said Christian Wyss, Head of Quality & Services at Swiss WorldCargo, and leader of the Swiss WorldCargo Vaccine Transport task force. “However, based on our extensive experience carrying out complex pharmaceutical shipments, Swiss WorldCargo is well-positioned to help ship COVID-19 vaccines, to, from and through Switzerland to a variety of global destinations.” Swiss WorldCargo is continuing to closely monitor the regulatory approval process for all COVID-19 vaccines, and is ready to carry out shipments in the coming weeks and months.

Responding to November 2020 export figures, Sharad Kumar Saraf, President, FIEO, says that the monthly exports have shown a single-digit negative growth of 8.74 per cent with US$ 23.52 billion due to supply side disruptions including restricted container movement and declining petroleum exports due to its crashing prices. Besides, farmers agitation in some of the hinterland states have also affected exports during the month. Exports have been seeing signs of revival as order booking position has continuously improved and more new orders are in the offing. Saraf reiterated that the forecast of the arrival of the Covid-19 Pandemic vaccine along with gradual lifting of lockdown across the country and the globe has also helped in boosting the business sentiments for the sector as a whole, which can be expected to be seen from the positive figures of the upcoming months. Going by this trend, we expect to end the financial 2020-21 with an overall merchandise exports of about US$290 billion, adds FIEO President. Exporters have continuously been receiving a lot of enquiries and orders further adding to the positive sentiments with signals of further resilience in the global supply chain. However, the litmus test for the traditional sectors of our exports would be the Christmas and New year sale. If that goes well, the inventory will be liquidated, adding to further demand, observed Saraf. FIEO Chief said that the exports of other cereals along with oil meals, iron-ore, rice, ceramic products and glassware, handicrafts excluding hand-made carpet, cereal preparations and miscellaneous processed item, carpet, jute mfg. including floor covering, spices, drugs and pharmaceuticals, tobacco, cotton yarn/fabrics/made-ups, handloom products etc., fruits and vegetables, tea, gems and jewellery, mica, coal and other …

After a successful pilot phase, PrimaDollar has officially launched its operations in India. With clients already in over 30 countries, the company provides low-cost trade finance to importers and exporters around the world from its headquarters in the UK and network of offices across South and East Asia. It has now opened offices in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore. PrimaDollar is also now starting to partner with banks and logistics platforms to embed this new form of trade finance into their business models – allowing exporters to take finance as they ship their container, rather than having to make a separate call to their local bank in order to arrange separate working capital. The company solves the resulting cash flow gap for the exporter, paying the exporter upfront, taking the buyer credit risk and allowing the buyer to pay later. All of this is done at low cost, without requiring collateral and with simple and clear pricing. It’s unique trade finance products work shipment-by-shipment, without the need for complex multi-period financing agreements or IT integrations. Tim Nicolle, Founder & CEO, Prima Dollar, says, “Trade finance has traditionally been a time-consuming service, involving multiple banks and the many layers of complexity associated with letters of credit. On a global basis, the market is looking for a transactional solution that works shipment-by-shipment, without collateral and at a low cost. That’s what PrimaDollar has pioneered. For the Indian market, this is especially important as Indian exports are rising (by 7% in 2018) whilst bank finance for exports is falling (down 20% by 2018). All of this points to a major funding gap that PrimaDollar’s trade finance products exactly fit.” “After a successful pilot …