Category Archives: Aviation

Boeing and Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) have recently signed a contract for one 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF). The conversion slot for the 737-800BCF is for a 2026 induction. NAC is increasing its footprint in the 737-800 market and this is NACs first converted freighter order with Boeing, as per a recent company release. As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures, and services commercial airplanes, defense products, and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability, and community impact. Boeing’s diverse team is committed to innovating for the future, leading with sustainability, and cultivating a culture based on the company’s core values of safety, quality, and integrity

Within domestic air cargo, e-commerce has taken a big leap and is continuing to expand from the tier 1 cities into tier 2 and tier 3 cities,” says Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL). Transshipment of air cargo through Indian Airports is another big opportunity, with India being strategically located geographically to serve as a hub for the global trade market, connecting the fast-growing economies of Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, he adds. Delhi Airport has taken the lead in transshipment by developing a dedicated facility for handling such cargo, and transshipping cargo from Bangladeshi to other countries. The Government of India plans to add 33 new domestic cargo terminals by 2024-2025. Indian carriers are increasing air cargo capacity, and adding new aircraft, whereby increasing belly capacity significant.

Nordic airline Widerøe has added its cargo capacity to online booking portal WebCargo. The airline is the largest regional carrier operating in the Nordic countries and has a fleet of more than 40 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft and three Embraer E190-E2 aircraft. It serves more than 40 domestic and international destinations with its turboprop aircraft. Widerøe said that WebCargo’s CO2 emissions calculator was important an important factor in its decision as it has a focus on emissions reduction. “We are very happy to finally be able to offer our capacity on the WebCargo-platform. The CO2-emissions calculation done by the platform is something that we in Widerøe welcomes, it enables the customers not only to take an active choice when it comes down to the price, but also the impact on the environment,” said Thomas Lone, cargo manager at Widerøe. WebCargo said that the calculator helps its freight forwarder users make an informed decision on which flight to select based on emissions. Meanwhile, booking portals in general help improve aircraft utilisation which can help improve environmental performance.

Ground handler Swissport International has opened a new temperature-controlled facility at Dublin Airport to cater to Ireland’s position as a major pharma hub. The new dedicated pharma facility, which was built in partnership with Celtic Cooling, measures 400 sq m, can hold up to 200 palettes and is the first of its size at Dublin Airport. The warehouse is operated at a temperature of between 15-25 degrees Celsius but also offers a unit that can be operated from two to eight degrees Celsius. Swissport UK and Ireland chief executive Karen Cox said: “We are delighted to open this brand-new facility which will play a vital role in the supply chain of pharmaceutical goods in Ireland. “Our customers from the pharmaceutical industry can now also rely on our professional services for temperature-controlled freight at Dublin Airport, supporting them with high-quality handling services along the cool chain.” Swissport said the facility “significantly adds handling capacity for major pharmaceutical suppliers in the region and supports Ireland’s position as one of the largest net exporters of medicinal and pharmaceutical products within the European Union”.

Etihad Cargo reviews the reciprocal block space agreement with SF Airlines announced earlier this year to explore opportunities and expand it further based on Abu Dhabi’s strategic location. Etihad Airways and SF Airlines entered into an expanded Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cement their commitment to strengthening ties and further cooperating to increase cargo capacity between China and the rest of the world via Etihad Cargo’s hub in Abu Dhabi. In April 2023, Etihad Cargo and SF Airlines signed a reciprocal capacity agreement to connect their respective networks. The new partnership saw the launch of two weekly freighter services between Abu Dhabi Airport and Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in the Hubei Province of China and added a fourth Chinese gateway destination to Etihad Cargo’s expanding global network. The new flights have given Etihad Cargo’s partners and customers greater accessibility to 25 domestic Chinese destinations, including Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Nanjing. SF Airlines, via the agreement, has expanded its Middle Eastern footprint and benefits from Etihad Cargo’s global network for its express product, supporting the airline’s vision of growing its parcel delivery capabilities around the world. The new MoU, signed on 16 June 2023, expands the cooperation between the two airlines and strengthens their commitment to exploring additional opportunities to achieve mutual growth and expand their respective networks via the Abu Dhabi and Wuhan mega-hubs. Future plans include expanding cooperated flights to Ezhou Huahu Airport, China’s first cargo-focused airport. This move would make Etihad Airways the first international airline other than SF Airlines to operate flights to the airport.

Boeing announced the launch of SAF Dashboard, a tool that tracks expected sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) capacity over the next decade. “Based on data collected by BloombergNEF, the Dashboard aggregates total SAF capacity announcements by suppliers on a global scale and can filter anticipated supply by production pathway, location and other metrics. The tool is accessible on Boeing’s new Sustainable Aerospace Together hub,” says an official release. Boeing released the tool at the 2023 Paris Air Show to support discussion and action among industry stakeholders regarding the existing SAF footprint as well as future production levels required to meet the commercial aviation industry’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, the release said.

Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has signed a Letter of Agreement (LoA) with China’s Lanzhou Aviation Industry Development Group for 20 E190F and E195F E-Jet Passenger to Freighter Conversions (P2F), said reports. Embraer and Lanzhou intend to cooperate on establishing E190F and E195F conversion capability in Lanzhou, China, in a bid to appeal to the Chinese market. With the signing of this LoA at the 54th Paris Airshow, Lanzhou Group, becomes the launch customer and base for Embraer’s P2F conversions in China. Arjan Meijer, president and chief executive, Embraer Commercial Aviation, said: “The opportunity in China had a significant influence during the decision-making process of the launch of our P2F programme. “It is a market with increasing demand for cargo aircraft to accommodate the tremendous growth of E-commerce trade and the consequent evolution of the logistics industry. We’re confident in this booming market and always willing to support the sector’s further progress in cooperation with our Chinese partners.

Algerian flag carrier Air Algérie has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for two 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters (BCF) to meet increasing cargo demand. The 737-800BCF carries more payload (up to 23.9 tonnes) and offers more range (2,025 nautical miles) than previous standard body freighter. Global Boeing customers have placed more than 250 orders and commitments for the 737-800BCF. Stan Deal, president and chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said that “the highly reliable and capable 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters will enable Air Algerie to capture growing cargo opportunities, expanding beyond its passenger business”. Government-owned Air Algérie is based at Houari Boumediene Airport (Algiers International Airport) and operates scheduled international services to nearly 40 destinations in 28 countries. According to the airline’s website, it has 56 aircraft in its fleet. These include a Hercules L 100-30.

Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) has signed a contract with Air India SATS Airport Services (AISATS) to design, build, finance, operate and maintain a greenfield Logistics Park at the Airport for a period of 15 years, shares Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy and Development Officer, Bangalore International Airport (BIAL). The upcoming logistics park will be developed across ~ 8.0 acres of land. It will be a world-class warehousing facility comprising of a general warehouse, bonded warehouse, consolidation centre, cold-storage facility, office spaces and other amenities such as a Bank / ATM facility, a business centre, a cafeteria etc. AISATS will also provide value-added services including manpower and equipment rentals on an hourly or pay-per-use basis for loading/offloading, labelling, packaging, bulk-breaking. The development of the Logistics Park will support the exporters, importers, and freight forwarders by creating an efficient warehousing centre with value-added services for the air cargo community. In line with the Gati Shakti Plan, BLR Cargo will also be enhancing its cargo capacity from 715,000 MTPA to 1 Million MTPA by the end of this decade.

Bikar Aerospace GmbH is set to build an advanced Aerospace Service Centre (ASC) to boost storage and customized processing of semi-finished products made of aluminum, titanium, super alloys and other aerospace metals. The center will be build in collaboration with Belagavi Aerospace Cluster (BAC), operated by Aequs Infrastructure. To further expand Bikar’s market presence and strengthen its position as a premier international supplier of aerospace materials, the company has opted for a strategic presence at Aequs SEZ in Belagavi, North Karnataka. In future, Bikar will provide storage and customized processing of semi-finished products made of aluminum, titanium, super alloys and other aerospace metals.