Category Archives: Aviation

I have been addressing the issue of developing and building Air Freight Stations (AFS) at various conventions in the last few years, but unfortunately, nothing has been done to resolve the issues,” said Vipin Vohra, Chairman, Continental Carriers. At the ongoing 46th edition of ACAAI convention in Bangkok Thailand, he spoke exclusively to CargoTalk and said, “The government had launched the policy for AFS in 2014 and mine was the first approved greenfield AFS in India in 2016, but unfortunately the terminal operators in India, they don’t want to create competitions, they want to create monopoly, also as we know that logistics cost is very high in India, they want to charge full TSP while not doing even 15 % of their job. 85% job will be done by AFS, even customs cost recovery will be done by the AFS operator, their job is only to take the cargo in ULD out from the trucks to the flights. why customers should pay twice? I have approached all the government bodies, but this issue is not being resolved. It was my father’s dream to build a greenfield AFS in India and I will continue to fight for this.”

Kuehne+Nagel has put into operation its first Boeing 747-8 Freighter as part of the long-term charter agreement with Atlas Air, Inc., a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: AAWW). As the global market leader in air freight, Kuehne+Nagel expands its air freight network by chartering the entire capacity of the very last two 747-8F aircraft from their delivery by Boeing. During the official ceremony at the Boeing Everett Delivery Center in Everett, WA, the Boeing 747-8F under the name “Inspire.” was handed over to Kuehne+Nagel. The most capable freighter aircraft in the world will support Kuehne+Nagel customers with highly reliable service, reduced transit times and minimised risks. In addition to the Transpacific routings, the new service will be linked with Kuehne+Nagel Intra-Asia network to provide customers with better connectivity within the growing region of Asia Pacific. Yngve Ruud, Member of the Management Board of Kuehne+Nagel, responsible for Air Logistics, comments: “It is a very special moment for us to see Kuehne+Nagel 747-8F “Inspire.” taking off. Together with the very last 747-8F that we named “Empower.”, the aircraft will support our customers with reliable and flexible solutions globally, continuing the legacy of the most incredible aviation programs in history. We are delighted to celebrate this day with our partners Atlas Air and Boeing and looking forward to see our aircraft connecting the world.” The Boeing 747-8F serves an incredibly important role in global air freight, with advanced technology that allows for lower fuel consumption, higher capacity and unique nose-loading capability. “This 747-8 delivery underscores the importance of our long-term strategic partnership with Kuehne+Nagel and our commitment to support their continued growth and expansion,” said John Dietrich, President and Chief …

The second day of the ongoing 46th annual convention of ACAAI concluded with a panel discussion featuring Women in the Logistics sector. The panelists included Sakshi Gupta, Pacific Air Log, Latha Prakash, Broekman Log, Kavita Iyer, Aahana Solutions, Phoram Sampat, EKF Global, Reena Plakal, Aerosail Services, and Anupama Kachhap, WFS, while the Session Chairperson was Chaitaly Mehta, Member, Managing Committee, ACAAI. The ladies who are experts in their professions not only shared their stories and experiences of surviving the pandemic while balancing home and work but also urged the industry stakeholders to give more chances and opportunities to women professionals. “Gender diversity in logistics is the need of the hour. Logistics is no more a Man’s world. We need equal opportunities as there’s nothing we can’t do,” they stressed. Women are playing crucial roles in the industry by undertaking various initiatives to foster growth and create sustainable environment while being at the helm. Women participation at the ACAAI convention is quite visible and laudable.

FIATA Paperless bill of lading was launched by the FFFAI in India recently to integrate all modes of transportation, enhance efficiency and provide seamless and uninterrupted digitized supply chain solutions to the customers. Shankar Shinde, Chairman, FFFAI, while speaking at the ongoing ACAAI convention said, “Digitalization and Paperless transactions are the future of the business. Government of India has shown interest and is supportive to activate eBL to ensure active supply chain at any stage and with the support of the government aggressively working towards looking into regulation (Banking and electronic documentation)to align for implementation and acceptance across the stakeholders and Government Agencies on Legal grounds which is expected shortly. We have already experienced the success of eBL execution in some of the countries and shortly there will be are confident that there will be high acceptance and adoption at all levels. One should look forward to be first to onboard to grab the opportunity.” This will also reduce fraud with transparency on real time basis visibility as there would be no physical movement of documents and systems will based on messages exchange with traceability and delivery to right title holder discharging /defacing online through systems, he added. Shinde further added that in a market like India, having own bill of lading is a challenge as presently the logistics sector has to be registered to issue MTO Bill of lading for which more than one mode of transport in addition to sea would be required. “The first step towards this would be to empower the logistics service providers in capacity of issuing the Bill of lading as carrier and take the ownership which comes with responsibility to build trade confidence, …

Huned Gandhi, Managing Director, Dachser while addressing the panel at the ongoing ACAAI annual convention said, a lot has been done to improve the multimodal infrastructure and connectivity but there’s a lot more that needs to be done. It is a continuous process. Upskilling manpower is another important area of concern, he highlighted. Gandhi said, “There’s a need for getting skilling and training done for the new workforce because the industry is going to need people and at this stage, I see a major shortage in terms of new talent that we could hire in the company.” “The logistics industry is getting more complex, the world is getting more complex and we need skilled people, highly trained people, and that’s something that we need to work towards,” he added.

While addressing the gathering at the ongoing 46th edition of the Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACAAI) conference in Bangkok, Thailand, Tushar Jani, Group Chairman, Cargo Service Centre said that the industrial collaboration, unity and cooperation are vital to achieve growth in the future. He also stressed upon investing heavily in the supply chain business, training manpower and bringing more dedicated narrow body freighters in the coming years to transport cargo across the world. “Ten years from now, we should have more Indian air cargo airlines moving around the world and that’s the future. Let’s do it together. Let’s do it in appropriate ways. The stakeholders need to understand that the world will collapse if there is no supply chain and if you are a smart investor, you should invest in the supply chain. I have come across many foreign investors ready to invest in the Indian logistics market, considering the potential it has. Also, there is an urgent need to train manpower and bring in fresh talent. I want to urge you to bring young people into this system and take this industry forward.” Jani said, it’s the right time to invest in the Indian market.  “India is going to build a dedicated freight corridor from North East via Myanmar to Thailand to Cambodia, Vietnam and connecting Phillipines. This is going to be an alternative route to the other trade establishments in this part of the world. So the North East is going to be the gateway for cargo conversion and the North East is going to be the logistic gateway for India,” he shared. He further added, “The next e-commerce gateway of India would be the North East. …

Air cargo is having growth in a slow pace which will continue. Even today major shipping lines are investing heavily in aircraft which is a proof that the Air cargo industry is progressing, said M Afzal Malbarwala, President, ACAAI. “As in every developing economy, we run the risk of losing the story while building up the plot. Our fast paced growth needs equal focus on the nuances of growth to ensure we build it on well laid foundation pillars of strength, long term sustainment and a forward progressive focus. Growth checklists should mandatorily include development at all stages and not just on the cosmetic buildup. Our forward march should also ensure we do not leave anyone behind. We have been addressing the requirements in a mix of immediate focus as well as long term focus. Some points need to be resolved as early as tomorrow morning while some need discussions and probably include more stakeholders. We are happy with progresses being achieved and are looking to speed up without compromising on the integrity of the issue and the required solution. The issues in question involve our legacy approach, being receptive to change as well as accepting modern methods of technology,” he added.

  “The lifeline during the Pandemic was the Air cargo sector. This sector showed it’s resilience; adaptability and strength throughout the crisis. Many new routes and commodities were added to the existing network. With passage of time, the initiatives and lessons learnt may get diluted and forgotten. The theme shall be a continuous reminder to all stakeholders,” says Samir J Shah, Honorary Secretary, ACAAI, while justifying the theme. He adds, “Many airports are expected to become functional in the near future. This coupled with new airlines will increase the penetration of this across the length and breadth of the country. Many exporters; traders; commodities will have the added option of using Air as a mode of transport. Newer entrepreneurs and new commodities will get added. The time is ripe for the sector to take a leadership role here. The issue is not only cost effective – it is also available; usable. As more users use these facilities the other benefits will fall in place.” Talking about the crucial areas of concern which will be addressed at the convention, he highlights, “Private sector partnership with the Government; removal of many redundant regulations and an all round trust regime, will be the core focus areas. The industry needs to attract a large number of young persons for all levels and a new thinking which will emerge from engaging all stake holders.”

While addressing the gathering at the ongoing 46th edition of ACAAI convention, C K Govil, Vice President, ACAAI applauded the industry for surpassing all the obstacles during the COVID and the ongoing Ukraine-Russia crises and achieving growth. He applauded the industry stakeholders for adopting efficient strategies to move forward for growth. He also remembered the late veteran, Bharat Thakkar who was the co-founder and managing director Zeus Air Services and former president ACCAI, who passed away in May this year. “The 46th ACAAI Convention being held in Bangkok Thailand has been a great success with an overwhelming attendance / response where people from all parts of India have converged at Marriott Marquis Queens Park. Resilient Air Cargo – post Pandemic the theme of this year’s convention has seen a growth of cargo in e-commerce, time sensitive cargo – high value and pharmaceutical shipments has seen tremendous leap. To make the event more attentive and interactive, mind reader and magician showed tricks and enthralled the delegates. Also there were tickets and iPhone given out as lucky dip.”

The biggest gathering of the air cargo industry, the 46th edition of the ACAAI Annual Convention which started yesterday will continue till 27th Nov 2022 in Bangkok, Thailand.. With the gathering of senior leaders of the industry, the lightening of the lamp ceremony took place in the presence of ACAAI President Mr Afzal Malbarwala, ACAAI Vice President Mr CK Govil, Hony. Secretary General Mr Samir Shah, Hony. Treasurer Mr Praveen Menon, ACAAI Convention 2022 Chairman Mr Anil Vazirani along with the Chief Guest Mr S Burak Omeroglu, VP – Cargo Sales (Middle East and South Asia), Turkish Cargo, Dubai and Keynote address by Mr Sudipta Ghosh, Partner, PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PWC). It was followed by live music, dance and dinner.