Category Archives: Aviation

WestJet Cargo has recently announced that it has received Transport Canada’s approval and official certification of its four 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters (BCF). Following the certification, WestJet Cargo and the GTA Group will expeditiously implement three freighters into service, as dedicated aircraft that will fulfill the large-scale needs of businesses, freight forwarders, shippers and individual customers across North America. The fourth of WestJet Cargo’s dedicated freighters is expected to join the accompanying fleet later this year, following the completion of its conversion. “Today is a long-awaited milestone for WestJet Cargo and the GTA Group, that will now enable us to disrupt the air cargo industry in Canada by providing our customers with more choice, competitive prices and the exemplary customer service synonymous with the WestJet brand, but unique to the air cargo industry,” said Kirsten de Bruijn, WestJet Executive Vice-President, Cargo. “We thank Transport Canada for its dedication to certifying these aircraft, which will serve to better support Canada’s national transportation supply chain through increased competition and capacity within Canada’s air cargo market.”

Freighter operator Aeronaves TSM has ordered an additional B737 conversion from Aeronautical Engineers, Inc as it continues to expand its cargo fleet. The additional B737-400SF freighter conversion (MSN 26308) will commence modification in May with work carried out by authorised AEI Conversion Center, Commercial Jet, Alabama. The additional conversion bring the total number of AEI B737-400Fs ordered by Aeronaves to eight. The carrier has plans to operate 20 of the type and is currently in the process of purchasing more freighters to reach its expansion target. AEI said that since its B737-400 conversion programme had been launched, it has re-delivered more than 132 freighter conversions. AEI’s 11 pallet position B737-400SF provides up 21 tonnes of payload and an Ancra cargo loading system capable of carrying multiple ULDs.

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) is all set to organise its regional symposium in New Delhi at ITC Maurya from March 27-29. The Regional Events aim to bring together local members and the air cargo community to identify and discuss specific issues that affect the industry at the regional level. The event will focus on key important topics like increasing freighter capacity, drones, pharma, digital innovation, perishable growth, sustainability, ground handling, GSAs and e-commerce. Many important people from the global air cargo fraternity will be participating in the event.

IATA’s latest figures for Jan-2023, point out a continuing soft underbelly in the cargo business, with demand continuing to fall in most regions and capacity also falling in half of them. No region has anything to shout about, except perhaps Latin America, where both demand and supply have increased – but that amounts to little in the overall scheme of things. The underlying issue globally is the uncertainty brought about by an amalgam of negative factors that rarely occur at the same time, like a flock of black swans landing on the global runway and refusing to move. Accordingly, we have entered an era where forecasting the future is subject to so many variables that guesswork carries the same degree of credibility, said CAPA.

DP World and Grupo Puntacana have announced a joint effort to develop a new air cargo logistics hub in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The new facility is being created through an agreement between DP World and the Punta Cana Free Trade Zone (PCFTZ), a company of Grupo Puntacana. It will include a new logistics centre and infrastructure platforms capable of supporting multimodal air, land, and sea cargo. Operations are expected to commence in Q2 2023. The logistics centre will reportedly harness DP World’s extensive Dominican Republic multimodal cargo management experience and its experience in handling logistics operations globally. The centre will also apply the high connectivity of the Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) to global distribution centres, according to DP World. The agreement will additionally launch the deployment of a robust regional commerce strategy to attract a greater volume of re-export and import cargo to and from major global commercial, industrial, technology, and agricultural markets. The project aims to generate greater investments in logistics services, increasing demand for logistics-related labour, and triggering growth and diversification in the economy of the Dominican Republic. “This new air cargo logistics centre with Punta Cana Free Trade Zone allows us to expand the range of services we can provide to our increasingly diverse customer base and help boost the country’s competitiveness,” said Morten Johansen, CEO of DP World’s operation in the Dominican Republic. This announcement comes less than two weeks after Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) reached an agreement to sell its air cargo

Maersk Air Cargo has begun scheduled flights to Hangzhou, China from its hub at Billund Airport in Denmark. The inaugural flight on March 20 marks the start of three weekly flights introducing the “first of three newly converted Boeing B767-300 freighters” that have recently been added to Maersk Air Cargo’s fleet, said shipping giant Maersk in a press release. The inaugural flight also marks the first scheduled air cargo operation between Denmark and Asia. “With the introduction of our new service between Europe and China, we have taken another leap with our customers in providing true integrated logistics,” said Michel Pozas Lucic, global head of Air in A.P. Moller – Maersk “We want to ensure that our customers have the visibility, reliability, and resilience in their supply chains. In this, airfreight with scheduled flights and controlled capacity represents a crucial part of our customers´ end-to-end logistics needs.” The corridor from Billund Airport is expected to significantly increase access for high value and time sensitive cargo between Scandinavia, Northern Europe, and the entire Asia-Pacific. Maersk said its newly opened airfreight hub at Billund Airport enables customers to avoid congestion and delays that are usually seen in larger airports. The company added that the proximity of aircraft parking apron to Maersk’s airport warehouse facility, allows better control and faster cargo clearance.

To strengthen its footprint, TVS Industrial and Logistics Park (ILP) have set plans to further expand in 30 more cities by 2027. The company currently has presence in 11 locations across the country, said reports. The TVS Industrial and Logistics Park is expected to be investing about Rs 1,500 crore under its expansion drive, As part of expansion plans, five of the warehouses would be in Tamil Nadu including one in Coimbatore. The plan is to have a warehousing solution in every 400 km across the country, added reports. The company was working on various projects in Vijayawada, Vishakapatnam, Guwahati, Siliguri, Ranchi and Raipur among others. Tamil Nadu being the major market for the company with 50 per cent share, the company was eyeing eastern parts of the country to establish warehousing facilities, the reports further stated.

Icelandic cargo airline Bluebird Nordic has taken delivery of its fifth B737-800 converted freighter as it continues to expand its fleet. The carrier said that the addition of the new converted aircraft would help strengthen its position in the cargo market. “We are thrilled to further strengthen our fleet with the addition of converted B737-800s,” said Audrone Keinyte, chief executive of Bluebird Nordic. “These new aircraft have already proven to be excellent assets, providing reliable and efficient operations with impressive range and payload capabilities for an aircraft of this size. “We trust that by extending the fleet we will be able to further strengthen our position in the cargo market, especially in Next Generation (NG) segment.” Bluebird Nordic now operates a fleet of one B737-300, six B737-400 and five B737-800 full freighter aircraft. The airline plans to continue growing its fleet in the next couple of years. Only last week, the company announced plans to add an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) in Slovakia as it looks to expand operations in Europe. The Icelandic ACMI leasing and cargo airline said that the additional AOC was a “strategic move” that would allow it to enter “new and prominent markets”. The carrier, which is a member of the Avia Solutions Group, has plans to grow the fleet to 25 aircraft in the next couple of years with a focus on the Boeing Next Generation (NG) segment.

Pradhaan Air Express is all set to welcome its second Airbus 320 in Q2 of this year. “We will be the only airline to operate the A320 Freighter for some more months, it does get lonely when you are the only operator of a particular aircraft type,” shares Vipul Bhalla – Chief Business Officer – Pradhaan Air Express, adding, “We have concentrated on a few routes in the beginning as we were getting to know the aircraft and its capabilities. With nearly six months of operations behind us, we are now getting ready to explore new markets and routes. We want to expand our bases and enhance collaboration. It was a very proud moment for our team when we crossed 100 international commercial operations in February. We continue to gather speed since.” ********************************************************************************

LATAM Cargo Group announced the addition of a new Boeing 767 BCF to its fleet, which now totals 17 cargo aircraft, allowing for a six percent increase in capacity offered to customers. “With this arrival, the company is moving forward with its announced growth plan, which would see it reach a total of up to 20 Boeing 767 cargo aircraft by 2024, coming close to doubling its pre- pandemic capacity offering, and thus reaffirming its position as one of the leading cargo airlines groups in the region,” says an official release. Andrés Bianchi, CEO, LATAM Cargo Group says: “We welcome this new freighter during another challenging period for the air freight industry. When we designed our capacity plan in 2019, we had these periods in mind. Therefore, we seeked to build a freighter fleet that could sustain high levels of service while continuing to add value to our shareholders during a downturn like this one. Complementing our broad belly network with an efficient, mid-size aircraft like the Boeing 763F does that. Moreover, we can do so better as we continue capitalising on the productivity gains of recent years. As a consequence, we are confident this new addition will further contribute to strengthening our value proposition and expand our network.” The new aircraft, converted in Singapore, will focus on increasing capacity currently offered from Europe, generating greater connectivity to Central and South America via New York and Miami with two new weekly frequencies. “It will also provide support on new routes such as the recently announced one operating on the Quito (Ecuador) – Los Angeles (United States) – Houston (United States) – Manaus (Brazil) – Viracopos, São Paulo (Brazil) routes.”