Category Archives: Aviation

To address the requirements of the global semiconductor supply chains, Kuehne+Nagel Logistics has launched a new offering for air freight shipments. With a robust air freight capacity, security solutions and the new quality standard, ‘SemiconChain’ will enable industry stakeholders to establish reliable and agile supply chains, said an official release. The increasing need for semiconductors and growing pressure on manufacturing require resilient supply chain to support continuous operations, the release added. “An outcome of Kuehne+Nagel’s close collaboration with customers and in-depth air cargo and semicon industry expertise, the new air logistics service supports customers with improved visibility, security, reduced risks and automated processes.” The offering is based on the SemiconChain quality standard that guarantees process standardisation, continuous improvement, and service excellence across the dedicated Semicon network. “SemiconChain is built on a quality foundation tailored explicitly to the Semicon industry and integrates ISO 9001-2015 and IATF 16949, ensuring that shipments are always transported in a standardised, robust manner providing complete tracking visibility. SemiconChain locations are staffed with industry experts that regularly undergo a comprehensive and continuous training programme,” the release added.

With an intent to bridge the gap of unemployment and employ more logistics professionals in India, Awign has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Logistics Sector Skill Council (LSSC), an organization set up by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) through National Skill Development Corporation of India. The collaboration aims to fulfill the demand-supply gap in the logistics sector and create a conducive ecosystem which aids employment for jobseekers, said reports. As part of the MOU, Logistics Sector Skill Council will facilitate sourcing of skilled candidates pan-India through its existing database, by organizing job fairs with the support of District Skill Committees, ASEEM job portal of NSDC and placement portal of Logistics Sector Skill Council. Awign will share the requirement of workforce across locations with Logistics Sector Skill Council and fulfill the gig workforce requirement for the fast-growing logistics sector in India. According to a report by NITI Ayog, India’s gig economy might witness $250 billion in transactions by the end of the next decade, or 1.25 percent of the GDP. In the future, opportunities in the gig economy are most likely to arise in the following four industry sectors: construction, manufacturing, retail, and transportation & logistics.

IAG Cargo is now directly integrated with WiseTech Global’s logistics platform CargoWise to enable freight forwarders to efficiently choose, book, confirm and change shipments, in real time. Direct data connection with IAG Cargo’s operational data allows CargoWise customers direct access to schedules, dynamic rates, capacity and allotment bookings. The integration is designed to allow CargoWise users to easily change digital bookings without leaving the application, supporting IAG Cargo’s Destination Digital strategy. John Cheetham, chief commercial officer at IAG Cargo, said, “Connecting through CargoWise is another exciting partnership strengthening the digital development of IAG Cargo. This partnership is the latest step in our journey to transform the way we do business, making it easier than ever for CargoWise customers to book their freight directly with IAG Cargo.” Jorre Cobelens, vice president – logistics data and connectivity, WiseTech Global, said “We are pleased that IAG Cargo has joined the growing group of leading cargo carriers that integrate with CargoWise, supporting our industry digitalisation and integration strategy. “This direct digital data exchange helps increase data security, data quality and simplifies the eBooking process between parties. CargoWise customers, including ten of the top 25 global freight forwarders who have either completed, or are in progress of, global rollouts of the CargoWise platform, will have access to IAG’s dynamic rates, schedules and services for key routes between Europe, Asia Pacific, and North- and South-America fulfilling an important part of our global network needs.”

Celebi India announced its appointment as the official ground handling partner at Chennai airport. The company will provide complete ground handling support to scheduled and non-scheduled airlines at domestic and international terminals. Its appointment has been accepted by the Airport Director at the Airports Authority of India, Chennai. Murali Ramachandran, CEO of Celebi India, said, “We understand the needs of the airlines and the growing aviation industry in India and are well equipped to meet current and future airline and passenger traffic. We will provide the much awaited quality ground handling services at Chennai airport and develop a sustainable ecosystem to meet the larger goal of the aviation industry to become carbon neutral in the very near future.” Chennai is the 9th airport in India for Celebi after Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Ahmedabad, Goa (Manohar International airport, Mopa), and Kannur. Recently, Celebi won the bridge-mounted equipment services contract for Bengaluru airport and introduced 100% electric, air-conditioned tarmac coaches for passenger transportation at the Delhi International Airport.

Lufthansa Cargo will begin using lightweight nets to secure cargo pallets to save weight on flights and reduce CO2 emissions from January onwards. The “Pallet Net Zero” nets made by AmSafe Bridport, which Lufthansa Cargo will be using through its subsidiary Jettainer, weigh between nine and eleven kilograms, which is less than half the weight of a conventional net made of polyester fibres. Pallet Net Zero is made out of a bio-based fibre – a pioneering material extracted from renewable bio-based raw materials. The weight reduction of the new nets is largely achieved by the high tensile strength of the special fibre. The reduced weight of the transport nets saves Lufthansa Cargo around 140 tons of fuel and therefore around 440 tons of CO2 per year, said the airline. Lufthansa Cargo will be Jettainer’s first customer to use the new, lighter Pallet Net Zero solution. The ULD expert will make around 2,000 nets available to the airline, which will be used for aluminum pallets. The net will be fixed to one side of the pallet to minimise the loss rate for these nets, said Jettainer.

Aimed at boosting air connectivity in the coastal Indian state of Goa, the newly-inaugurated Mopa International Airport, or Manohar International Airport, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is ready to start operations on January 5th next year. According to several reports, the new airport has the potential to serve as a significant logistics hub. It could directly connect several domestic and international destinations. Efficient multimodal connectivity is also planned for the airport. The first phase includes the construction of a single three-and-a-half kilometer runway (09/27) alongside integrated passenger terminal buildings and a cargo terminal. The airport may officially announce about the cargo carriers which will operate at the new airport and its dedicated cargo facility soon. “The New Goa International Airport shall be starting operations from January and will begin with domestic cargo operations by February followed by International Cargo operations by March. There is great potential for Air Cargo Agents in the coming months and would warrant having a Goa and Pune Region team,” said the minister. “This airport shall cater and increase the exports of perishable items and also the pharma products which had to be transported to Mumbai and other international airports,” the minister added.

Customs Broker License Management System (CBLMS), an e-application making interaction with Customs Brokers Paperless, Faceless and Contactless was launched recently by Vivek Johri, Chairman, CBIC. It is the first ever CB license that has been issued through the CBLMS portal. The members of Brihanmumbai Custom Brokers’ Association (BCBA) congratulated CBIC on the landmark initiative launched and implemented across India which marks a major step towards paperless processes of Customs Broker’s Licensing & registration formalities. The members also focused on increasing trade facilitation in India with Johri. BCBA also addressed the matters relating to improvising trade measures in line with the newly implemented National Logistics Policy for promoting fast track clearance and safeguarding the interest of the Customs Brokers. BCBA pledged full support to the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making India a 5 trillion dollar economy by year 2025. They suggested measures for improvising the Faceless assessment, Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Scheme, as well as simplifying the processes for Exports from India to support the Make in India Initiative. The trade body meet was organized on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Customs Act, at Mumbai Customs House.

To strengthen its sustainable logistics initiative, Bolloré Logistics India is deploying a fleet of trucks running on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) at its facilities in Mumbai, Bangalore & Chennai. Several studies conducted on CNG claim that the use of this alternative fuel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5% to 16%. Investing in CNG is essential for Bolloré Logistics India to reduce air pollution as CNG produces far fewer particulate emissions than diesel trucks, said an official release. “Developing low carbon impact transportation plans has become essential for road transportation. Bolloré Logistics India is actively investing in more sustainable transport solutions.” said Pranay Meshram, Road Transport Manager, India. For now, there are four CNG trucks which are carrying out intra-urban distribution operations in India. To date, the trucks have covered more than 35,000 km, reducing CO2 emissions by 6.5 tons. The company aims to gradually increase its CNG truck fleet to connect more locations by 2023. The CNG trucks have a total capacity of 9.5 metric tons & 42 cubic metres, allowing the distribution of high-tech & luxury products throughout India. To further reduce the environmental impact of the logistics sector, Bolloré Logistics has improved its processes by using an algorithm that allows the grouping of transported products. More than 270 orders have been grouped in this way, which has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 9 tons in the western Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. This program will be extended across all subsidiaries by Q1 of 2023 & is expected to reduce emissions by 20 tons per year.

Freight forwarders are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach before making long-term air cargo capacity commitments as airlines saw demand drop 2% month-over-month in November as general airfreight volumes dipped for a ninth consecutive month, dashing hopes of a late peak season boost, according to the latest weekly market by CLIVE Data Services, part of Xeneta. Chargeable weight in November was -8% versus the same month of 2021, although the 1% reduction in global air cargo capacity, as airlines adapted to winter schedules, contributed to a stable ‘dynamic load factor’ of 61%, on a par with the previous month, based on the volume and weight perspectives of cargo flown and capacity available. Load factor, however, continued to sit well below last year’s extraordinary peak season. For instance, Europe to North America load factor in the week leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday sat at 74% this year, down 12% from the same week last year. Amidst so much market uncertainty, industry parties are increasingly choosing shorter-term deals as they wait to see how business trends unfold in the coming months. Distribution of contract rates for shippers shows commitments of over three-month contracts hardly exist in Q4 this year.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $250 million policy-based loan to support Indian government’s wide-ranging reforms that aim to improve and modernise the country’s logistics infrastructure, increase efficiency, and reduce the cost. The loan will fund the first sub-programme of the Strengthening Multimodal and Integrated Logistics Ecosystem Program, said an official press release. The sub-programme supports the government’s efforts to create a comprehensive policy, planning, and institutional framework at the federal, state, and city levels. This will rationalise India’s high cost of logistics and reduce greenhouse gas emission, the release added. To facilitate multimodal logistics, the sub-programme promotes reforms that reduce cumbersome processes that businesses face to obtain approvals for cargo clearance as well as the creation of digital systems that integrate regulations, processes, and logistics data. The programme promotes the facilitation of cargo movement through coastal shipping and inland waterways to strengthen multimodal transport. The programme also supports the ministry of commerce and industry’s initiatives to issue standards for warehousing, which would encourage operational efficiency and private sector investment.