Category Archives: Aviation

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.

WestJet Cargo and Wiremind have embarked on a new initiative centred on improving capacity forecasting. With WestJet Cargo’s recent renewal of its SKYPALLET contract with Wiremind, the decision to take the digital collaboration further and explore capacity forecasting improvements was made. A Proof of Concept (PoC) was initiated in April 2023 and will run for the next few months with a final enhancement expected in the second half of this year. An Artificial Intelligence-driven capacity forecasting mechanism is already part of Wiremind’s optimization solution, CARGOSTACK Optimiser. Through a combination of advanced Machine Learning models and algorithms, Wiremind’s solution provides a more accurate estimate of the remaining cargo capacity for sale, after factoring in non-cargo items such as passenger baggage, fuel and other capacity consuming items. It can provide this capacity estimate in payload, volume and positional terms depending on the profile of the flight or the aircraft type operated.

IG International announced the successful import of the first trial shipment of Australian avocados to the port of discharge in Mumbai. This landmark achievement, comprising 176 cartons of premium avocados, marks a significant step in IG International’s commitment to bringing the finest-quality fresh fruits to the Indian market. Shubha Rawal, Director, Sourcing and Marketing, IG International, stated, “We are thrilled to have successfully imported the first trial shipment of Australian avocados. This collaboration with Avolution reinforces our commitment to offering the finest produce to our valued customers. We believe that the introduction of Australian avocados will greatly enhance the culinary experiences of Indian consumers and contribute to the growth of the fresh produce industry in India.”

The absence of an open skies policy or imposing GST on export freight can slow air cargo industry growth, says Chandra Kant Govil, Vice President, ACAAI and Managing Director at Activair Airfreight. “Apart from this, the industry faces many challenges with transshipment cargo. It was easier and quicker earlier, but it takes many days now due to various reasons. It is difficult for the Indian cargo industry to compete with the airports in Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Middle East or strive to achieve the 2030 target under these circumstances. Even perishable goods from tier-two cities face challenges and delays connecting to international flights.”

An integrated domestic air cargo terminal building and the centre for perishable cargo was officially inaugurated at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport in Indore. The new terminal was developed at the cost Rs 13 cr. With the inauguration of both the facilities, now the city airport has enhanced its capacity to handle 73,000 MT annually. The area of new domestic cargo terminal is approx. 1700 square metre and the perishable cargo terminal is approx 300 square metre. With this total area of 2000 square metre for both the new terminals, it is projected that the city airport would be handling approx 25,253 MT of cargo in FY 2029-30, says reports. Looking at the increasing demand for cargo in the city, the foundation stone of the new cargo terminal was laid down at the city airport on April 2022. Indigo, Air India and Vistara airlines are carrying out movement of cargo from the city airport. At present, 40 tonnes of goods are transported daily from the city airport. Staffs of about 100 people are put on the duty in the new cargo terminal.

As air cargo continues to outpace global growth, Boeing is expecting deliveries of 925 freighters between 2023-2042. North America will see the highest deliveries (420) during the period followed by China (190) and Eurasia (150), according to Boeing’s 2023 Commercial Market Outlook released. The freighter fleet is seen increasing from 2,270 in 2022 to 3,745 by 2042. Cargo traffic (RTKs) is likely to be 630 billion in 2042, up from 260 billion in 2022 (+3.5 percent annually). With a resurgence in international traffic and domestic air travel back to pre-pandemic levels, Boeing projected global demand for 42,595 new commercial jets by 2042 valued at $8 trillion. “The aviation industry has demonstrated resilience and adaptability after unprecedented disruption, with airlines responding to challenges, simplifying their fleets, improving efficiency and capitalising on resurgent demand,” says Brad McMullen, Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing, Boeing. “Looking to the future of air travel, our 2023 CMO reflects further evolution of passenger traffic tied to global growth of the middle class, investments in sustainability, continued growth for low-cost carriers, and air cargo demand to serve evolving supply chains and express cargo delivery.”

DHL Global Forwarding and IAG Cargo have partnered on the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel as part of efforts to reduce emissions. The partnership sees the forwarder purchase 11.5m litres of SAF to reduce emissions in 2023. DHL said that SAF being purchased is certified by International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) and produced from used cooking oil and food waste and has at least 80% lower lifecycle emissions than conventional jet fuel. The move is part of the parent firm Deutsche Post DHL Group’s ambition to achieve net-zero emissions logistics by 2050.

Lufthansa Cargo is all set to expand its cargo operations in Indian market with Munich to Bangalore and Frankfurt to Hyderabad flights,” says Dr. Andre Schulz, Head of Region, Middle East, Africa, South Asia and CIS at Lufthansa Cargo. The flights will operate thrice a week from these destinations in Q4 2023. Dreamliners and Airbus will be used to carry the freight load consisting mainly of pharmaceuticals and perishables. India is a very important market for us and we have witnessed notable growth in belly capacity and revenue in Indian market in the last few years.”

According to the latest data from Airbus, freighter conversions will account for over 60% of new freighters over the next 20 years. There will be global demand for 2,510 freighter aircraft during the period 2023-2042. 920 of these will be newbuild and 1,590 will be conversions, stated Airbus, In its latest Global Market Forecast (GMF). 600 of the total freighter aircraft will be large widebody (> 80 t) aircraft, 890 will be mid-size widebody (40 t – 80 t) aircraft, and 1,020 will be single aisle (10 t-40 t) aircraft. This will see the world freighter fleet in service reach 3,230 aircraft by 2042. In its GMF, Airbus predicted demand for 40,850 new passenger & freighter aircraft during the period 2023-2042. This is 1,360 more than in the 2022 GMF. The Middle East is due to receive the most passenger and freighter aircraft, followed by Africa, and Europe & CIS. Growth of express air cargo will exceed general air cargo, said Airbus. In 2019, the express sector comprised 17% of the total air cargo market, while in 2042 it will comprise 25% of the market.

FedEx Corp. and Floship, announced a partnership designed to provide enhanced fulfillment and logistics services to e-tailers worldwide. Through investment by the FedEx Innovation Lab (FIL), the partnership will create an end-to-end digitalized fulfillment and return solution, enhancing operational efficiency through optimal inventory management and best-in-class delivery using FedEx services. This partnership will give FedEx’s e-commerce customers access to Floship’s global network of warehouses and powerful logistics platform’s capabilities to streamline their e-commerce fulfillment operations. At the same time, Floship’s customers will be able to leverage FedEx global networks as well as a full range of FedEx extensive transportation options to optimize their operations. FedEx’s and Floship’s cross-border e-commerce customers in Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, Europe, and North America will gain access to enhanced fulfillment, last-mile delivery, as well as hassle-free returns. Speaking on the collaboration, Joshua Tsui, Floship’s CEO shared, “As more consumers around the world embrace e-commerce, businesses must come together to provide customers with innovative solutions that redefine the traditional linear supply chain. By bringing this collaboration to market, our mutual goal is to provide e-commerce brands and retailers with a one-stop, all-inclusive two-way supply chain solution that enables brands to grow at an exponential rate whilst simultaneously delivering a superior customer experience.”