Category Archives: Aviation

Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs*), fell 10.6% compared with September 2021 (-10.6% also for international operations), but continued to track at near pre-pandemic levels (-3.6%). Capacity was 2.4% above September 2021 (+5.0% for international operations) but still 7.4% below September 2019 levels (-8.1% for international operations), said IATA’s latest reports. Following contractions across major economies, the global Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for new export orders also contracted (for a third month in a row) to its lowest level in two years. Latest global goods trade figures showed a 5.2% expansion in August, a positive sign for the global economy. This is expected to primarily benefit maritime cargo, with a slight boost to air cargo as well. Oil prices remained stable in September and the jet fuel crack spread fell from a peak in June, the reports added. The Consumer Price Index stabilized in G7 countries in September, but at a decades high level of 7.7%. Inflation in producer (input) prices slowed to 13.7% in August. “While air cargo’s activity continues to track near to 2019 levels, volumes remain below 2021’s exceptional performance as the industry faces some headwinds. At the consumer level, with travel restrictions lifting post-pandemic, people are likely to spend more on vacation travel and less on e-commerce. And at the macro-level, increasing recession warnings are likely to have a negative impact on the global flows of goods and services, balanced slightly by a stabilization of oil prices. Against this backdrop, air cargo is bearing up well. And a strategic slow-down in capacity growth from 6.3% in August to 2.4% in September demonstrates the flexibility the industry has in adjusting to economic developments,” said Willie Walsh, …

Air Canada Cargo launched a specialized freighter service for equine transportation utilizing its Boeing 767-300 freighters. Air Canada Cargo will use stalls that are specifically designed to transport prized horses, with up to three animals per unit, Air Canada Cargo officials posted on Linkedin. “Equine attendants accompanying horses will be accommodated on the same flights in special upper-deck passenger seating. The Air Canada Cargo freighter network provides many opportunities to facilitate convenient equine transportation globally throughout North America, Europe, and Latin America seamlessly via its Toronto hub. The facilities in Toronto include a state-of-the-art barn (comfort stop facility) that can hold horses in care and comfort at any point during their journey,” added post. Matthieu Casey, Managing Director, Commercial, for Air Canada Cargo, said in a statement, “This new highly specialized service is another sign of our continued investment in our facilities and international network to better serve our customers. Air Canada Cargo takes great pride in the safe and humane transport of animals, and our new equine product we offer to our customers, from the facilities and stalls that provide the highest standard of safety and care for these magnificent animals to our ability to accommodate attendants onboard is state of the art from end to end.”

Emirates is officially expanding its all-Boeing dedicated freighter fleet with an order for five 777 freighters, valued at more than $1.7 billion at list prices, said Boeing’s official release. The freighters will be operated by Emirates SkyCargo, adding to its fleet of 11 777Fs. At last November’s Dubai Airshow, Emirates announced a $1 billion investment to expand its air cargo capacity including two new 777 freighters that joined Emirates’ fleet this year. While two freighters will be delivered in 2024, and the remaining three units in 2025, the release added. “Emirates is investing in new freighters so that we can continue to serve customer demand with the latest fuel-efficient aircraft. This order reflects Emirates’ confidence in air freight demand and overall aviation sector growth. It lays the ground for our continued growth, which is driven by the reach of our diverse global network, the advanced handling infrastructure at our Dubai hub, and the tailored transport solutions that Emirates has developed to serve our varied customers’ needs,” the officials added.

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has opened its latest and third cargo handling facility at Copenhagen Airport. The new Terminal 3 cargo building adds a further 3,700m² warehouse facility to WFS’ handling infrastructure in Copenhagen, where it handles over 100,000 tonnes of cargo a year, carried onboard passenger and freighter services. Since opening its first Scandinavian handling operation in Copenhagen in 2008, WFS has become the largest cargo handler at the airport, serving over 30 airline clients with flights to the Danish capital. It also provides cargo handling services for more than 125 offline carriers. The original 4,600m² cargo warehouse terminal was added to with a new 3,000m² Terminal 2 facility in 2010, and, in 2019, WFS also invested in a new GDP-certified Pharma facility, increasing its footprint by a further 1,500m², to support the cluster of life science companies in the Greater Copenhagen area. “Copenhagen is a very progressive airport with a strong commitment to supporting its cargo customers. Since 2008, WFS has also demonstrated its confidence in the Danish and regional air cargo market through our continued investment and expansion, and we will continue to play a lead role in the growth of the airport and the airlines who fly here. We see a great future,” said WFS’ Managing Director Scandinavia, Thomas Egeland.

Unipart Logistics has won a multi-year contract to provide in-plant logistics services to Airbus. The contract will become effective as of early 2023 and will see Unipart Logistics be responsible for the receipt of products brought in from around the world to Airbus’ onsite wing assembly lines in both Broughton in north Wales and Bristol in the southwest of England. It will also entail responsibility for warehousing, kitting and line feed logistics. Simon Wheelton, aerospace & defence sector director for Unipart Logistics, said: “We are very pleased to enter into a long-term partnership with Airbus, committing to supply chain transformation and driving best practices across these production logistics operations. “Our foundation of process excellence, engagement and sustainability closely aligns with Airbus’ and, when combined with our world class health and safety standards and the application of digital solutions, enables us to deliver Airbus’ vision for logistics which has sustainability, safety, quality and innovation at its heart,” he said.

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. 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”. Executive vice president of DSV, Mads Ravn, 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 additional flights come as DSV yesterday reported a “reduced growth rate” for airfreight business in the third quarter of 2022 as rates declined and consumer demand dropped amid economic uncertainty.

Online cargo booking portal CargoAi and Logistics management platform Magaya have entered into partnership to connect and use APIs, allowing Magaya customers to retrieve and compare airfreight schedules, availability, pricing, information on aircraft types and a CO2 calculator. “We are excited to now offer the ability for our Rate Management customers to discover the best air shipment schedules and rates in a matter of seconds with our CargoAi partnership,” said Mark Buman, chief revenue officer at Magaya. Matt Petot, founder and chief executive of CargoAi, added, “Our integration with Magaya Rate Management will allow freight forwarders to benefit from operational efficiencies while our airline partners gain access a greater network of buyers.” CargoAi recently agreed a strategic partnership Chain.io, a cloud-based integration platform linking players across the global supply chain.

Qatar Airways Cargo has launched a new freighter service to Saudi Arabia as it looks to capitalise on demand to and from the country. The new twice-weekly freighter service to Riyadh started on November 1 and will utilise a B777F offering around 100 tonnes of capacity per flight. The service is in addition to bellyhold operations in the country covering 96 flights per week to the cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Qassim and Medina. In total, the carrier will now offer around 900 tonnes of cargo capacity to/from Saudi Arabia per week. The addition of the freighter service increases the weekly cargo capacity to 900 tonnes from Saudi Arabia. “Riyadh is the capital and largest city in Saudi Arabia. The majority of the imports and exports consist of general cargo, followed by valuable/vulnerable cargo and live animals,” said the airline. Qatar Airways chief officer cargo Guillaume Halleux said, “We have had a very successful 2022 so far and I am pleased to announce the freighter services to Riyadh. The launch of these services will not only provide a consistent and reliable freighter service but also contribute to the economic and trade growth between Qatar and Saudi Arabia.”

A.P. Moller, Maersk continues to invest in its airfreight operations following the introduction of Maersk Air Cargo in April. The company, which uses Billund Airport (BLL) in Denmark as its main air cargo hub, has been looking to expand its reach. “We want to create more routing options and flexibility for customers looking to improve their air cargo supply chains,” Mike Meierkort, regional head of Maersk North America Logistics and Services, said in a statement. “Our new Chicago Air Freight Gateway offers an integrated supply chain solution to time critical shipments and order fulfillment deadlines,” he added. Earlier this month Maersk began operating its second airfreight hub in Chicago at O’Hare International Airport (ORD). The hub, which offers direct planeside recovery with immediate transfers for time-critical shipments, serves Maersk’s air cargo hub at Rockford International Airport (RFD) as an import and export consolidation center.

WestJet Cargo has signed a deal to use the SmartKargo cargo management platform as it prepares to ramp up operations with the addition of its first freighters. The SmartKargo platform is cloud-based and links with the carrier’s existing systems through API connections. It offers business intelligence, real-time information and machine learning, said release. The carrier has four B737-800 converted freighters ready to start operations on intra-Canada services. The start date of operations will be announced soon, the carrier said. “The innovative SmartKargo platform empowers us to develop a very reliable and flexible air cargo business,” said Kirstin de Bruijn, WestJet, executive vice president, cargo. “As we enter a pivotal new chapter for WestJet Cargo, SmartKargo’s cutting-edge cloud platform will propel WestJet Cargo forward by providing a complete solution that includes innovative technology and expertise that will assist us in growing our business to its full potential,” she added.