Category Archives: Aviation

ECS Group, Thai VietJet Air To Grow Thailand & Asia Cargo Ops

Low-cost carrier Thai VietJet Air has awarded the tender of its cargo operations to ECS Group. The carrier signed a Master GSSA agreement with ECS Group on February 1, 2024. It was ECS Group’s global network, proven air cargo expertise, and dynamic innovation that led Thai VietJet Air to place its cargo business into AVS GSA Thailand’s hands and overall ECS Asian network, says an official release from ECS. “Thai VietJet Air can now look forward to further increasing its cargo revenue and export volumes across Thailand and various Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.” The partnership allows Thai VietJet Air to leverage ECS Group’s in-house digital tools and expert knowledge to promote its cargo business effectively. Thai VietJet Air currently operates a fleet of 18 A320-200 and A321-200 aircraft, focusing primarily on transporting general cargo and perishables, the release added. “Thai VietJet Air has carved a solid cargo market share for itself on the Thai domestic market, and offers an impressive international network across Asia – and all that without a freighter in its fleet,” says Monchai Jirakiertivadhana, CEO, AVS GSA Indochina region. “AVS GSA therefore has an excellent base on which to further develop the airline’s cargo activities and improve its revenue performance.”

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Qatar cargo set to offload two B747-8Fs as UPS takes over

Qatar Airways Cargo looks set to offload its two Boeing 747-8 freighters with UPS adding the two jumbos. Speaking following the announcement of its quarterly results, UPS chief financial officer Brian Newman confirmed that it had acquired two 747-8Fs “through Qatar”. Newman said the aircraft additions were part of efforts to retire some of its older and less efficient MD-11Fs. Flight tracking website Planespotters.net shows that one of the aircraft (A7-BGA) was transferred to Victorville Southern California Logistics Airport at the start of February and its registration has been changed to N634UP, said reports. The second aircraft (A7-BGB) is still listed as part of the Qatar Cargo fleet and continues to operate flights out of Doha. However, Planespotters.net indicates that the freighter is in the process of being transferred over to UPS. The Doha-headquartered airline took delivery of its two 747-8Fs in 2017 and has operated them since then. However, since then, it has rapidly expanded its Beoing 777 freighter fleet and today operates 27 of the model, up from 13 when it took delivery of its 747-8Fs in 2017, reports added.

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Pratt & Whitney Expands India Operations with Opening of New India Digital Capability Center

Pratt & Whitney announced the establishment of its new India Digital Capability Center (IDCC) in Bengaluru. The new center will accelerate innovation and drive digital and business transformation for Pratt & Whitney worldwide. The facility will be co-located with Pratt & Whitney’s engineering and supply chain operations centers of excellence. The location will also facilitate close collaboration with other RTX businesses in India including Collins Aerospace and RTX Enterprise Services. “The expansion of Pratt & Whitney’s digital technology presence in Bengaluru will allow us to leverage India’s aviation and technology talent and accelerate our digital transformation,” said Rahul Dharni, vice president & global chief information officer, Pratt & Whitney. Pratt & Whitney has begun recruiting its first tranche of employees for the IDCC and is expected grow to over 300 employees by 2027. The center will be focused on delivering multiple digital technology capabilities across various priority areas of Pratt & Whitney’s digital transformation. “With $40 million already invested in engineering and supply chain operations centers in the past two years, Pratt & Whitney continues to grow its presence and contribution to India’s aerospace ecosystem with this additional multi-million-dollar investment in the IDCC,” said Ashmita Sethi, president & country head, Pratt & Whitney, India (UTCIPL).

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Maersk launches digital solution for air freight customers

A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk), as a part of its integrated logistics solutions, has launched a fully digital solution for customers willing to purchase air freight solutions. The new online solution available on Maersk.com provides customers with an option to book their air cargo requirements through a simple online tool that will provide customers with instant prices for as many as 70,000 connections between virtually all relevant airports globally. With the launch of this new solution, Maersk takes further steps towards connecting and truly simplifying its customers’ supply chains. Maersk’s air freight cargo coverage extends to 70,000 airport pairings across more than 90 countries around the world. Being a fully online solution, the platform also allows the customer to book cargo movement for any of the 70,000 airport pairings from anywhere in the world.

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Neutral Air Partner, Cargo iQ unite to enhance efficiency, quality

Neutral Air Partner has recently started a partnership with Cargo iQ, “reflecting both organizations’ commitment to quality and efficiency in the air cargo sector.” Cargo iQ is an IATA interest group formed by stakeholders of the air cargo supply chain working together to set standards and improve quality and performance in the sector. With a focus on enhancing end-to-end supply chain transparency, Cargo iQ’s main projects involve the standardization of processes and the implementation of quality benchmarks. One of Cargo iQ’s main features is its advanced visibility functions, which provide real-time insight into the movement of shipments from its planning stage using a “route map”, which is shared by the airline and the freight forwarder at all times. Cargo iQ’s route map enables forwarders to monitor air cargo movement, receive real-time replanning information as well as exception handling alerts. Cargo iQ’s visibility function is also available to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME), a program tailored to meet the unique needs of smaller businesses. This program provides access to Cargo iQ’s route map at a tailored price for their scale and with simplified onboarding.

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BBN Airlines ready to welcome third Boeing 737-400 freighter into action in March

BBN Airlines Indonesia is hoping to put its third Boeing 737-400 freighter into action in the opening weeks of March. The recently launched ACMI carrier took delivery of the converted freighter in November last year and since then it has been undergoing a maintenance check process. BBN said the aircraft, which was delivered alongside three passenger 737-800s, will be used on domestic and regional flights. The carrier has plans to expand its fleet to 40 aircraft by the end of 2027, although at this stage it is not known how many of these will be freighter aircraft.

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MNG Airlines expands fleet with A330-200F for global ops

Turkish freighter operator MNG Airlines has grown its fleet with an Airbus A330-200F. The airline said in a LinkedIn post, “We’re thrilled to announce the newest addition to the MNG Airlines family, the A330-200F, registered as TC-MCU. This aircraft strengthens our presence in the aviation industry with its modern design, high performance, and environmentally friendly features. We are grateful to everyone who has joined us on this journey and look forward to the opportunity to provide a broader and more efficient service to our valued customers and business partners. We are proud and excited to welcome the TC-MCU to our fleet and look forward to many successful flights together.”

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Airbus, DTL unite to manufacture next-gen Airbus A220 doors in India

Indian aerospace manufacturing scales new heights as Airbus and Dynamatic Technologies Limited (DTL) join hands to manufacture all door variants in the next-gen Airbus A220 family of aircraft in India. “This is one of the single-largest export contracts for an Indian aerospace manufacturing company,” said official LinkedIn Post. The step will go a long way in bringing the complete aircraft door making technology to the Indian aerospace ecosystem. This is a stellar example of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi‘s Make In India vision translating into huge growth and employment dividends for the nation. For the first time, every Airbus commercial aircraft and every Airbus helicopter has critical technologies and systems designed, manufactured and maintained in India. With this & in the near future, Airbus will double its procurement from India from UD$750 million to UD$1.5 billion.

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Afcom welcomes B737-800 BCF for global operations

Afcom, Chennai based air cargo operator is all set to operate its own aircraft as the company has got certification and possession of a freshly arrived B737-800(BCF) with another two scheduled to land before the year’s end. The identity of the aircraft has not been verified yet, said reports. “This aircraft will support Afcom’s current capacity with its airfreight partners, thus enabling a faster and more reliable delivery service,” Afcom chairman Deepak Parasuraman told Indian media last week. “The company plans to add two more freighter aircraft to its fleet by the end of the year. Air cargo is today a key enabler of flexibility and speed in global supply chains. We foresee good and rising demand for air cargo and we are fully geared up to infuse the required capacity in the market.” The company ships around 250 tonnes of cargo a month using airfreight partners but acquiring its own planes will allow Afcom to uplift around 1,250 tonnes a month. Via their partners, Afcom now serves Singapore, Indonesia, and Brunei but the cargo carrier intends to start flights to Hanoi Noi Bai International and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi once they are cleared to fly their own planes.

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MAA top 6th cargo hub for Etihad Cargo

Chennai International Airport (MAA) and Chennai is home to one of the busiest airports in India. Within our network, Chennai ranked 6th for exports in 2023, with top exported products including electronics, engineered goods, auto parts, garments and mobile phones, said Etihad’s LinkedIn Post. In fact, in 2023, we handled 442 tonnes of iPhone shipments. Our key routes for Chennai connect the bustling airport to Milan, Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam, London, New York, Chicago and Johannesburg. We operate two dedicated freighters for Chennai, offering four flights per week to connect this India hub not only to Abu Dhabi but also to Shanghai, providing additional capacity into two key global markets. We also provide additional belly capacity via 21 passenger flights per week, it added.

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