Category Archives: Aviation

India plans to build new airports with integrated metro rail connectivity to allow smoother passenger transport and rail tracks to the closest seaports for faster cargo movement, said a government official. The new multimodal airports will boost trade and mobility. The announcement has been made following the bounce in air travel, and airlines capacity utilization has crossed 80 per cent at all major airlines.

The construction work for Mumbai’s satellite airport in Palghar district has begun as the Maharashtra government has selected Kelva-Mahim and Dapchari as two places for the airport. At Kelva-Mahim the district collectorate has begun work on the project by identifying three plots and has started data collection process which includes identifying government and private land at each of the sites. The alternative site is that is being looked at is at Dapchari, about 70 kilometers from Kelva-Mahim, said a senior official. According to the reports, three sites of 400 hectares each at Kelva-Mahim have been identified for the airport. The details will be soon submitted to the Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation (MADC). The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and MADC are believed to be jointly working on the airport plan.

LATAM Cargo adopts WebCargo by Freightos to offer real-time booking to over 3,500 forwarders, says official release. It is the first South American airline to adopt the tech platform. “Real-time bookings with LATAM Cargo are available for WebCargo customers on 27 lanes with the possibility of connecting in South America,” says release. “With LATAM Cargo, carriers representing over 36 percent of global air cargo capacity are available for booking on WebCargo, unlocking additional customer value and improving efficiency,” the release added. Carlos Cheeseman, Owner of Airgroup Miami, a Radiant Logistics Company, said in a statement, “Having LATAM on WebCargo and 7LFreight for real-time booking is an excellent addition to facilitate our moves to Latin and South America.”

To boost D2C brands last mile delivery, e-commerce logistics giant, Delhivery has launched its guaranteed same-day delivery (SDD) services in India across 15 cities. According to reports, Delhivery’s new solution will enable the D2C brands’ growth along two fronts. Firstly, the faster delivery – in a few hours – will improve the consumer experience and, thereby, brand loyalty. Secondly, the faster delivery time will reduce the return rates, improving the brands’ margins. “The logistics service provider will partner with brands and identify fast-moving SKUs, which will be stocked in warehouses within the city, close to the end consumer. When a consumer places an order on the brand’s webstore, Delhivery’s technology will show the fast-moving SKUs available for the ‘guaranteed same-day delivery. Once the order is placed, Delhivery’s technology will allocate the consumers’ orders to the nearest in-city warehouse. The platform will deliver orders received as late as 3 pm on the same day,” says an official statement.

According to the Housing and Infrastructure Minister, V. Somanna, the Mysore Airport at Mandakalli will be developed into an International Airport in the next two years. Both the Centre and State Governments will fulfil the task, said the minister. “There are grand plans to develop various airports in Karnataka and the Mysore Airport will get a particular focus. The upgraded Airports will boost those places as Industrial and Agricultural Hubs. In addition, new airports will be developed in Raichur, Davanagere and Koppal,” said press statement. The construction work has already begun with an estimated cost of Rs. 1,820 crore and the State Government has released Rs. 319.13 crore for land acquisition to increase the Airport runway length, the minister added.

The Tata owned airline, Air India has reportedly decided to procure the wide-bodied Airbus A350 aircraft. The first plane is likely to be delivered by March 2023, as per official reports. This will be Air India’s first wide-bodied plane from Airbus as the company only has Boeing wide body planes in its fleet. “Air India has deployed smaller single aisle Airbus A320 on domestic routes. The Airbus A350 has a bigger fuel tank that allows it to travel longer distances such as India-US routes. Also an Airbus is cheaper to own than the counterpart Boeing 777 and 787,” says reports. This will be first plane procurement for Air India since Tata took over the airline.

The brand-new jet, the Airbus A321XLR successfully departed on its first flight recently from its production site at Hamburg Finkenwerder. The A321XLR with registration F-WXLR performs a five-hour test flight over Northern Germany before returning to Hamburg. According to the European aircraft manufacturer, the Airbus A321XLR (Extra Long Range) is a further extended range version of the A321neo family aircraft. The new variant of the type can fly up to 4,700 nm / 8,700 km.

Qatar Airways Cargo has transported over 3 million tonne of air freight globally, accounting for 7.99 per cent share in the global market in fiscal 2021/22. The national airline said in its annual report for 2021/22, “This represents a tonnage growth of 272,975 tonnes in chargeable weight, up 10% on the same period in the previous year.” Serving over 65 dedicated freighter destinations and more than 140 belly-hold passenger destinations worldwide, the carrier mirrored its strong performance from 2020/2021, operating a maximum of 155 flights per day at its peak in June 2021, said report. The report noted Qatar Airways Cargo maintained its position as the world’s leading air cargo carrier throughout the financial year, forging ahead with a strategic focus on growth, sustainability and digitalisation, and supporting the continuity of global trade, despite the ongoing market challenges.

Akasa Air, backed by billionaire investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, took delivery of the first 737 Max aircraft from Boeing. “Congratulations #AkasaAir on the delivery of your first 737-8. We are excited for you and your passengers,” Boeing India tweeted. The airline had released the photographs of its first Boeing 737 Max plane from the production facility in Portland, US, last month, as it got ready for delivery. A statement issued by the airline read, “The Max aircraft will be powered by the fuel-efficient CFM LEAP B engine. Providing the lowest seat-mile costs for a single-aisle airplane as well as high dispatch reliability and an enhanced passenger experience, the 737 Max is one of the strategic factors that will give Akasa Air a competitive edge in its dynamic home market.”

To develop and grow its cargo operations in the Asia-Pacific, Vietnamese leisure airline, Bamboo Airways, has selected integrated GSSA, Globe Air Cargo by ECS Group. Jilin Chiam, Country Manager, Singapore, Globe Air Cargo by ECS Group, said in a statement, “We are excited to represent Bamboo Airways, which is expanding its services in the APAC region. With cargo services to destinations such as Saigon, Narita, and Melbourne, the partnership with the carrier helps bridge the network across APAC and offer more solutions to our customers.” Bamboo Airways is currently focusing on cargo operations within its network and appointed Globe Air Cargo as its GSA representative in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.