Category Archives: Aviation

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.

The global Air Cargo market size is projected to reach USD 111810 Million by 2027, from USD 82570 Million in 2020, at a CAGR of 4.0% during 2021-2027. Key drivers of the air cargo market include the growing demand for faster delivery of cargo, stated Global Air Cargo Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022, “Increasing cross-border eCommerce and low costs related to insurance premiums will drive the growth of the air cargo market during the forecast period. Further, the rapid expansion of the pharmaceutical industry and the need to transport temperature-sensitive goods such as drugs, medicines will aid in market growth. Trends Influencing the Global Air Cargo Market includes consumer demand for faster delivery of cargo. The demand for air cargo is growing as transportation of goods by air takes much less time in comparison to other modes of transportation such as railways, roads, and shipping. There is a fixed arrival and departure time with minimal or no scope for delays. The warehouse requirement is less and clearance is fast. The shipment of goods always arrives on time. Thus the above factors are creating consumer demand for air cargo thereby driving the growth of the air cargo market during the forecast period, Expansion of cross-border eCommerce and low insurance premiums and Growth of pharmaceutical industry and need for transporting temperature-sensitive goods,” he added.

“Our partnership with Airbus for Freighter programme will help strengthen our CarGo business and act as a strong engine of economic growth for the country. We have received our first A321 Freighter aircraft, converted from passenger jet to a full freighter configuration,” informed Mahesh Malik, Chief Commercial Officer- CarGo, IndiGo. The A321P2F (Passenger-to-Freighter conversion) is the most efficient narrow-bodied freighter available, offering 24 container positions and supporting a payload of up to 27 tonnes.” “These have been converted through a programme involving ST Engineering and Airbus with their joint venture, Elbe FlugzeugWerke (EFW). The aircraft is uniquely capable for IndiGo, using our current vast pool of A320 family pilots, and able to service markets between China in the east and the Gulf in the west. IndiGo leased the aircraft from funds serviced by Castlelake Aviation Holdings (Ireland) Limited, part of a global alternative investment firm with 17 years of tenure investing in, financing, and managing aviation assets. IndiGo inducted its first dedicated cargo aircraft in September and will induct the next two by October 2022 and another two in 2023. We have now initiated a proper freighter programme after using our passenger aircraft for cargo operations during covid. We are in the process of converting 4 A321CEO to freighters with a capacity of 25-27 tonnes by 2023. Indian airlines are increasing their cargo capacity, with the segment emerging as a critical and promising revenue stream in the last two years. India’s dedicated freighter fleet has seen a dramatic rise in numbers—from just five to 28 aircraft. The number is set to rise further as airlines are looking to add aircraft only for cargo operations, as it fared better than the …

“We certainly recognise the importance and potential of India as a key trading nation and major air cargo market. We are continually reviewing our programme to provide the services that our customers require, and this includes giving them the best service and experience,” said Alex McEwan, Country Manager- South Asia, Virgin Atlantic. “We have operated service to India, for 22 years, serving both Mumbai and Delhi with daily and double daily frequencies respectively.There is a broad range of commodities flying to India including consumer goods, hi tech, e-commerce and machinery. Exports from India include pharmaceuticals, garments, machinery and perishables.” Earlier this year in June we launched the second daily flight on London-Delhi route. This is our largest ever flying programme in India. We are always exploring partnership opportunities across the globe and it is an inherent pillar of our growth strategy.“Sustainability will be a key driver for the air cargo sector. At Virgin Atlantic Cargo, sustainability, digital distribution and new product development will be key initiatives for us. “Delivering these initiatives, combined with our reputation for high service standards and strong customer relationships will ensure our continued growth in 2023 and beyond.”

According to DHL Global Forwarding’s latest Airfreight State of the Industry report, (October), currently global air cargo market is very unstable. The report found airfreight volumes as suppressed, with demand continuing to remain low on most trade lanes, although transatlantic volumes are comparatively strong. Global demand has softened since April this year and this year’s peak season is expected to see less of a surge than last year. Reduced purchasing power caused by economic lows will not help the sector, found the report, which uses data from various reliable sources including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Seabury, WorldACD, IHS Markit Group and DGF Desk Research. Lower sales and high inventory levels caused by reduced export orders will also not offer the industry any succour, nor will high inflation rates around the world that are causing uncertainty now and are likely to remain in force into 2023. The ongoing war in Ukraine is of course having an impact on the airfreight sector, both in terms of cargo movements and capacity, indicates report. The report also pointed to a trend of air shipments being converted into ocean freight, with shippers likely to shift away from air cargo as ocean-going vessel schedule reliability continues to improve. Overall airfreight capacity was up by 18% in October compared to the same month of 2021, with month-on-month increases continuing (although global airfreight capacity in October was down 5% compared to the same month of 2019). The report described the greater capacity being made available as “encouraging”, but also pointed out that high jet fuel prices remain a challenge, with there having been only small signs of late of fuel prices …