Category Archives: Aviation

Block your date for the India’s biggest virtual meet on the Need for world-class cold chain infrastructure to store and transport Pharma in India, with top industry veterans participating as panelists focusing on various crucial aspects such as Current Infrastructure for cold chain shipments handling and multimodal transportation, recent advancements, innovations and investments in improving cold chain infra, crucial Pain points and lot more. The panelists include Satish Lakkaraju, Senior VP, Global Head-Air Freight and Pharma, WIZ Freight, Radar Ventures, Tushar Jani, Group Chairman, Cargo Service Center, Rashmi Karnad Gurung, Manager Climate Control Product, Qatar Airways. The session will be moderated by Mr. SanJeet, CEO, DDP Group. Be ready to be a part of the virtual meet on 5th May, 2023 at 11.00 a.m. being organised by CargoTalk Digital Conclave in association with Cargo Service Center (CSC). Recently, CargoTalk has collaborated with Cargo Service Center for Pharma Talkathon – A series of knowledge-sharing sessions on everything about pharma. Register now! https://lnkd.in/dwHm_Cui

DHL Global Forwarding will leverage SMARTIST, Turkish Cargo’s mega cargo facility at Istanbul Airport, as one of its global hubs. The two companies signed an MoU at the World Cargo Symposium to strengthen their cooperation, which will increase significantly the air cargo traffic handled via Istanbul, enhancing the airport’s potential to become a leading global logistics hub. Thomas Mack, Global Head of Air Freight, DHL Global Forwarding said, “Spanning the European and Asian continents, Türkiye is geographically well-positioned to act as a logistics hub for Europe, Asia as well as the MEA region and the US. We are happy to intensify our long-lasting partnership with Turkish Cargo, that not only provides us with reliable air cargo capacity, but also state-of-the-art logistics infrastructure to handling air freight.” Turkish Airlines Chief Cargo Officer Turhan Özen said, “Integration of SMARTIST, our mega cargo hub, with the global network of DHL Global Forwarding will enhance our service quality and strengthen the hub position of Istanbul further. This cooperation will also enable us to offer more effective, productive and uninterrupted air cargo service to our customers and add value to the industry upon the establishment of a powerful partnership by and between Turkish Cargo and DHL. We hereby wish that this MoU, which stands out as a great source of pride and excitement to us, be beneficial to both parties thereto.”

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) highlighted three priorities – Sustainability, Digitalization, and Safety to enable the air cargo industry to maintain momentum against the backdrop of a challenging operating environment. The priorities were outlined at the 16th World Cargo Symposium (WCS). Brendan Sullivan, IATA’s Global Head of Cargo said, “Air cargo is a different industry than the one that entered the pandemic. Revenues are greater than they were pre-pandemic. Yields are higher. The world learned how critical supply chains are. And the contribution of air cargo to the bottom line of airlines is more evident than ever. Yet, we are still linked to the business cycle and global events. So, the war in Ukraine, uncertainty over where critical economic factors like interest rates, exchange rates and jobs growth are concerns that are real to the industry today. As we navigate the current situation, air cargo’s priorities have not changed, we need to continue to focus on sustainability, digitalization, and safety.”

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) announced that Kenya Airports will host the “TIACA Event – Africa”. The event will be held in June 19-21, 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya. TIACA is very pleased to work with Kenya Airports Authority to organize a first-class event, which will bring together members, partners and those that want to do business or those that are already doing business in Africa. The aim of this event is to bring the air cargo community together to identify and discuss specific issues that affect the industry at the regional level. “We are excited to organize the TIACA Event – Africa in Nairobi. The support we will receive from Kenya Airports Authority as host will be invaluable to the attendees, the association and the industry.” Steven Polmans, TIACA Chair. Kenya Airports Authority will welcome international delegates along with their local air cargo community to Emara Hotel Ole Sereni, June 19th for an evening of networking at the Welcome Reception. The next two days, TIACA will organize a conference program that will be focused on all of Africa and will include keynote addresses, panel sessions and presentations that will cover topical issues that affect air cargo operations into, out of and within Africa. “We are honored to host the first “TIACA Event” in Africa, a testament to our commitment to developing and enhancing the air cargo industry on the continent.” KAA MD Alex Gitari said. “At Kenya Airports Authority, we recognize the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing in driving innovation and growth in the air cargo industry. This TIACA event will provide a valuable platform for industry stakeholders to come together and address the challenges and opportunities facing the …

The outlook for air cargo in 2023-2024 remains mixed with several factors set to impact performance. Speaking at IATA’s World Cargo Symposium in Istanbul, IATA economist Bojun Wang predicted that air cargo demand was set to decline by 4% this year compared with 2022 levels. He said that this reflected the ongoing challenging economic environment. Wang pointed out that the International Monetary Fund had recently downgraded its GDP growth outlook for the year to 2.8% from a previous forecast of 2.9%. This figure also lags behind the 3.4% recorded in 2022 and the historical average of around 3.8%. “We had a challenging year in 2022 with the war in Ukraine, a high inflation rate, high oil prices and the Covid-19 pandemic – these headwinds haven’t really gone away in the new year of 2023,” Wang said. On the other hand, inflation is expected to have peaked in 2022, he said. Wang added that yields are expected to decline by around 23% this year, following on from a 7% increase last year, a 24% increase in 2021 and a 50% increase in 2020. “23% seems like a big shift but if you look at the growth in 2021, 2022 and 2023, it is just returning from a high level,” he said. This yield and demand decline will in turn put pressure on air cargo revenues, although they are expected to remain more than 50% above pre-Covid levels. Looking at IATA’s latest supply and demand figures compared with pre-Covid levels, Wang said that in February demand in cargo tonne km terms had increased by 2.9% against the same month in 2019. Meanwhile, capacity in February was up by 1.3% compared with the …

Blue Dart Express Limited announced that it has equipped its platforms with what3words location technology through which Blue Dart stakeholders can add their what3words address in the address section of the ‘My Blue Dart’ App, Blue Dart website and On the Move (OTM) platform for enabling them to specify a very precise delivery location—be it the front door of their home/ office, a specific apartment complex entrance, or a tucked-away side passage. For example, swimmer.kindness.habits is the what3words location for Blue Dart Head Office in Andheri, Mumbai. By typing these three words on the what3words portal or website, one can easily find, share and navigate to the location from anywhere in the world. The technology is also available offline and in 54 languages including 12 South Asian languages: Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, Nepali, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Punjabi, and Odia. Ketan Kulkarni, Chief Commercial Officer, Blue Dart says, ” Given the customer centricity values that Blue Dart carries, we partnered with what3words to stand true to our brand commitment of Customer Convenience and Delight. The three-word addressing will not only provide a seamless last mile delivery but will also increase delivery efficacy by reaching the precise location (within 3m of space) as specified by the customer. We believe that as the use of what3words grows, it will provide a unique way for us to deliver to specific locations, particularly in areas with informal addresses.”

Ahead of its Annual Conclave 2023 on May 3rd at Le Meridian in New Delhi, Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI) organized a power packed curtain raiser cum press conference at Udaan Bhavan, DIAL on 25th April 2023 to update the media partners about the key highlights of the event, with the theme Cargo Udaan – Connecting and Empowering Indian Skies. Mr. Satish Lakkaraju, Chairman, ACFI will be moderating the insightful panel discussions on the importance of Air Cargo in today’s world, Mr. Sanjiv Edward, VP ACFI will moderate session on Opportunities and Challenges in International Air Cargo, while, Mr. Keku Bomi Gazder, Member ACFI will be moderating panel discussion on potential of Domestic Air Cargo. Mr. Yashpal Sharma, President informed that they have very interesting line-up of speakers this year, who are air cargo experts. Sharma also stressed that since its inception, ACFI has been striving hard to take up the key issues and challenges with the respective ministries and seeking solutions for the same. The ultimate goal of ACFI is to collaborate and move forward for growth, he said. The event was hosted by Sakshi Gupta, Country Manager, Air Logistics Group. Mr. K S Kunwar, DG ACFI briefed about ACFI’s initiatives. Vote of Thanks was given by Mr. Munish Davessar, Head-Cargo Business Development, Delhi International Airport Limited.

WestJet Cargo together with the GTA Group launched three 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters in Toronto and in Halifax. The event marks the start of a dedicated cargo service designed to fulfill the large-scale needs of businesses, freight forwarders, shippers and individual customers across an expanding network. WestJet Cargo and the GTA Group’s dedicated freighters will now begin operating between six stations in Halifax, Calgary, Los Angeles, Miami, Toronto and Vancouver. Integrating into WestJet Group’s existing network, WestJet Cargo and the GTA group’s dedicated freighters will work in tandem with the cargo carrying bellies of WestJet’s existing fleet of over a hundred 737 aircraft and use the group’s highly skilled 737 pilots. With a payload of 23 tons, the three freighters will have a weekly capacity of over 1500 tons. Their operation will create global connectivity and open trade lanes between Canada and the Caribbean, Europe, Japan and the United States. In addition to the broad range of commodities already carried by WestJet Cargo such as perishables, e-commerce and live animals, the dedicated freighters have enabled a broad expansion of the carrier’s service offerings, including the capacity to carry oversized items and unitized e-commerce containers.

The United Kingdom has launched new British cargo airline, One Air. The new airline has been awarded its Air Operators’ Certificate by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). One Air has dry leased its first B747 freighter and is now the only UK operator of the B747. After successfully completing its proving flight in July 2022 and following a rigorous application process for an Operating License, the new airline is now fully approved to commence operations. One Air expects initial demand for flights from the UK to Europe, the Middle East and Asia regions. It will also ultimately offer freighter services to China and the US. Its business model calls for the addition of a second B747-400 during 2023. Headquartered in Kingston, close to London Heathrow, One Air has recruited a team of 90 air cargo and aviation professionals for its launch, including ground operations, engineering and maintenance, crew training, crew management, finance and HR specialists, and a 40-strong air crew with pilots recruited from Cathay Pacific, Emirates Airline, Norwegian Airlines, and other major carriers. One Air is majority-owned by CEO, Paul Bennett, who stated: “The important role freighter services played in supporting the UK economy and the public throughout the pandemic demonstrated the level of demand which exists for a British cargo airline. We are proud to be meeting this need and to have the opportunity to leverage longstanding business relationships with freight forwarders, logistics providers, and charter brokers serving the UK market. We expect to add our second 747F later this year and have the financial resources to grow in line with the level of demand we see.” The airline will review its fleet plans, including the potential …

Qatar Airways Cargo announced the re-launch of its Pharma product in line with its Next Generation and VISION 2027 strategy. The re-launch includes several enhancements that benefit its customers and streamlines the handling of different categories of pharmaceuticals and healthcare products, including animal healthcare items that fall under the umbrella of Pharma. “In less than a decade, Qatar Airways Cargo has grown to become an acknowledged carrier of choice when it comes to pharmaceutical products,” says Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways. “Since we first launched our pharma service in 2014, we have invested heavily to bring on board the best industry experts, equipment, and training. We have also proactively involved ourselves in leading industry working groups* to keep a finger on the pulse of this ever-evolving market.” From the current offering of two sub-categories, the cargo carrier now offers five product sub-categories – Pharma Critical Advanced, Pharma Critical Passive, Pharma Advanced, Pharma Passive and Pharma Care. These new enhanced categories enable Qatar Airways Cargo to offer customers a diverse range of solutions to transport their healthcare shipments and ensure optimal handling of all cool-chain pharma products transported on its flights. The airline has also introduced a two-tier system for its 90 approved pharma stations to provide more information and transparency to its customers. This enhancement helps in differentiating between the distinct capabilities available at various stations. Tier 1 stations offer both +2°C to +8°C & +15°C to +25°C temperature-controlled storage, while having the ability to service electronic containers and dry-ice containers. Tier 2 stations offer only one of the two categories of temperature-controlled storage, handle certain temperature-controlled containers or have limited storage capacity. Active container milestone updates …