Category Archives: Aviation

International air cargo demand declined considerably in October, said the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA). The association said October’s preliminary traffic figures for Asia Pacific airlines show international air cargo demand declined by 13.9% year on year in freight tonne km (FTK) terms, amid a downturn in export markets for intermediate goods. Offered freight capacity fell marginally, by 1.2% year on year, leading to a 9.6 percentage point fall in the average international freight load factor to 64.7%. Meanwhile, Asia Pacific airlines carried a combined total of 12.1m international passengers in October, an eight-fold increase compared to the 1.4m in the same month last years. Overall, passenger traffic volumes reached 38.6% of pre-pandemic levels. AAPA director general Subhas Menon said air cargo faced “multiple headwinds”. He said, “Declining business confidence, against a backdrop of rising risks to the global economy, led to a slowing in orders for manufactured goods, in turn driving a 5.5% year-on-year decline in air cargo demand for the first ten months of the year.” He added that “the region’s airlines are facing a challenging operating environment, as a result of high fuel prices, weak local currencies and manpower shortages”.

Government is open to ease rules to help Indian airlines boost capacity amid supply chain disruptions that have delayed deliveries of aircraft, engines, and other parts, said Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, at an event recently. The government is now open to approve a wet lease on an aircraft for a year from the current six months, the minister added saying the measures are being implemented as an exception and will be approved on a case-by-case basis. Scindia also said he expects the relaunch of Jet Airways next year. The airline is due for an important NCLT hearing on 29 November, said reports.

DSV has become the first company to purchase Etihad Cargo sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to offset the carbon emissions of a flight. Etihad Cargo transported DSV’s cargo shipment from Washington Dulles to Abu Dhabi on Etihad’s first transatlantic NetZero flight on November 13. The B787 flight also utilised contrail prevention technology from Satavia to manage carbon emissions and non-CO2 climate effects from contrails which cause surface warming and are responsible for up to two-thirds of aviation’s climate impact. Martin Drew, senior vice president – global sales & cargo at Etihad Aviation Group, said: “Etihad Cargo is witnessing more focus on sustainable air cargo from customers who are seeking to establish partnerships that provide SAF utilisation, carbon offset initiatives and management of non-CO2 climate impact. “Etihad Cargo’s partnership with DSV to transport cargo utilising the SAF book and claim system has showcased the power of collaboration and demonstrated the future of net-zero aviation. “The successful delivery of DSV’s shipment has proved net-zero air cargo operations are possible and is the first step in transforming the possible into the routine.” Etihad said its investment in SAF is part of efforts to improve its sustainability profile. The airline is also the first Middle Eastern carrier to join TIACA’s BlueSky verification programme and has pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Saudi Arabia has announced plans to transform Riyadh Airport into a six-runway airport and logistics hub that will have capacity to handle 3.5m tons of cargo by 2050. It will include 12 sq km of airport support facilities, residential and recreational facilities, retail outlets, and other logistics real estate. The development aims to boost Riyadh’s position as a global logistics hub, stimulate transport, trade and tourism, and act as a bridge linking the east with the west. The project is in line with Saudi Arabia’s vision to transform Riyadh to be among the top ten city economies in the world and to support the growth of the city’s population to 15–20m people by 2030. “The airport aims to accommodate up to 120 million travellers by 2030 and 185 million travellers, with the capacity to process 3.5 million tons of cargo, by 2050,” a press release stated. The airport will be built by the country’s sovereign wealth fund, The Public Investment Fund (PIF). The announcement comes as part of PIF’s target of investing in the capabilities of promising sectors to enhance Saudi Arabia’s efforts in diversifying the economy. “The new airport is expected to contribute SR27bn annually to non-oil GDP and to create 103,000 direct and indirect jobs, in line with Vision 2030 objectives,” the press release said.

MSC Mediterranean Shipping (MSC) has launched its air cargo operations with first Boeing 777 freighter with Atlas Air as its operating partner. Atlas Air will operate the freighter on behalf of MSC. “We are delighted to see the first of our MSC-branded aircraft take to the skies and we are looking forward to start serving the market with our new air cargo solution,” said Jannie Davel, vice-president of air cargo at MSC in an official statement. “We believe that MSC Air Cargo is developing from a solid foundation thanks to the reliable ongoing support of our operating partner Atlas.” The aircraft was delivered as part of a long-term aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance agreement between the Purchase, New York-based Atlas and MSC, which is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It is the first of four new 777-200Fs that Atlas will operate for MSC, which is eyeing an expansion into the booming post-pandemic air cargo market driven largely by high ocean shipping rates and the broad shift to online shopping,” Davel added.

LATAM Cargo and DSV will increase the frequency of their freighter partnership operating out of Huntsville as they look to capitalise on demand to South America. The partners started the service five months ago with a once-a-week flight on Mondays between the US airport and Viracopos in Brazil utilising a B767-300F, said release. The operation will now be expanded to three times per week with the addition of flights on Wednesdays and Fridays. LATAM said that Huntsville is an “optimal origin and destination point, given its great connectivity both within the US and to international markets in Asia, Europe and South America”. Mads Ravn, Executive vice president of DSV, said, “With the addition of two additional frequencies to the DSV Charter Network, we will now be able to offer unmatched transit times from the US south east as well as in-transit cargo from Asia and Europe. LATAM Cargo’s agile approach, to adapt to our customer’s needs in a challenging market has been instrumental. With the option to connect to LATAM’s network in South America, we offer our customers faster transit time and savings on trucking to Miami by stopping at the DSV Hub in Huntsville, Alabama for direct uplift to all of Latin America.”

The cargo division of Etihad Aviation Group achieved IATA CEIV Pharma recertification following an audit by independent validators that assessed the carrier’s capacity to control and enhance its processes through a checklist that focused on Etihad Cargo’s Quality Management System incorporating supplier management, training programmes, processes and procedures, audit programmes, and quality enhancement, among others, said official release. Achieving recertification demonstrates Etihad Cargo’s and its dedicated pharmaceutical transportation product PharmaLife’s full compliance with specific pharmaceutical regulations, including IATA Temperature Control Regulations (TCR), Good Distribution Practices (GDP), a quality system for warehouses and distribution centres dedicated to medications and life sciences products, added release.

China’s Ezhou Huahu Airport has launched its first all-cargo air route, linking Ezhou with Shenzhen in south China’s Guangdong Province. It is being claimed to be the first “professional cargo hub” airport in Asia and the fourth of its kind in the world, said official reports. Since the airport was put into operation in July, it has opened multiple passenger routes linking Ezhou with cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Xiamen. According to the airport, said Xinhua, the all-cargo air route is operated by Boeing 737 aircraft, carrying express mail. The range of the route covers places such as Wuhan, Ezhou, Huangshi, and Huanggang in Hubei Province. The airport said it will also open an all-cargo air route linking Ezhou and Shanghai soon. The annual cargo and mail throughput of the airport is expected to reach 3.3m tonnes by 2030, with the annual passenger throughput reaching 1.5m.

RwandAir has taken delivery of its first dedicated cargo aircraft as it looks to expand its cargo operation in Africa and the Middle East. The Boeing 737-800SF, which is painted in RwandAir’s first cargo livery, will be based at the carrier’s Kigali hub in Rwanda. The carrier said that the freighter would be utilised on flights to destinations in Africa and the Middle East, including Johannesburg, Nairobi, and the UAE. Yvonne Makolo, RwandAir chief executive, said, “The delivery of our dedicated cargo aircraft is a huge milestone in RwandAir’s fleet expansion plans. “Cargo is of ever-increasing importance for the aviation industry, and as a landlocked country, we recognise the importance and value of good cargo connections. We want to ensure that Africa is seamlessly connected to the world, driving economic growth and valuable trade deals.” Air Cargo News first reported that the carrier, which is 49% owned by Qatar Airways, was looking to acquire a freighter in September 2020.

Ramesh Mamidala, CEO, Adani Airports in an exclusive conversation said, “Air cargo industry globally has suffered a lot especially during the pandemic. The crisis had a huge impact on the cargo volumes. But now the industry is moving towards growth. We should focus on the MoCA’s vision to achieve 10 million tons of cargo by 2030. Also, some policy changes are required and there are various air cargo associations that have been lobbying for these policy changes. Indian carriers have been witnessing recovery now in the post pandemic times and working on bringing back capacity. Freight rates are adjusting now. Airport infrastructure also needs to be developed, especially in the remote areas. Tech integration is happening with ULIP and Kale’s Air Cargo Community System (ACCS) at a fast pace so that’s a good sign. The two biggest risks for the growth of the air cargo in India at present will be, — constraints related to the open skies policy and levy of GST on export freight. GST will unnecessarily put pressure on the exporters, impact EODB and will increase cash flows.”