Category Archives: Aviation

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.

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.”