Category Archives: Aviation

Air cargo has been a “diamond in the rough” for AirAsia during the Covid-19 pandemic and is likely to retain a high importance to the business in the longer term, according to group chief executive Tony Fernandes. “What was a ‘nice to have’ has become something that could be as powerful as our passenger services,” Fernandes said during a CAPA Live event on 14 July. “Covid has driven e-commerce to another level, and hence air cargo has become much more valuable.” Amid that change, AirAsia is expecting to receive its first dedicated freighter in the third quarter of this year and is currently removing the seats from two of its Airbus A320s before deploying them as temporary freight-only aircraft. Air cargo is “no more a step child” in AirAsia’s business, Fernandes said. “I never thought we’d have freighters, I never thought we’d be taking seats off the planes to do cargo.”

Business-class airline La Compagnie has appointed Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) as its cargo handler as it enters the air cargo market. The airline has awarded WFS a three-year contract to handle cargo onboard its Airbus A321LR services from Paris Orly to New York’s Newark International Airport, which will increase from the current four flights a week to seven in September. WFS already provides ground handling services to La Compagnie in Newark for its passenger and ramp services to Paris Orly and Nice. Depending on the number of passengers, each flight is expected to carry up to 3.5 tonnes. Damien Paries, vice president ground operations, La Compagnie-Dreamjet, said: “WFS is the perfect partner to support the launch of our first-ever freight service. We are confident they will provide the same high-quality experience for our cargo customers as our passengers enjoy when they choose La Compagnie.”

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) had launched the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) scheme in 2016 as a Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) to enhance regional connectivity through fiscal support and infrastructure development. However, as on May 31, 2021, only 47% of total routes and 39% of airports (unserved and underserved) have been operationalised[1] under UDAN. The number of new RCS routes which started operations increased at a healthy pace and stood at 102 and 120 routes in FY2019 and FY2020 respectively, but have declined to 77 new routes in FY2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During FY2018 – FY2021, a total of Rs. 3,350 crores have been incurred by the Central Government towards the UDAN scheme and the budgeted outlay for FY2022 is Rs. 1,130 crores. Giving more insights, Shubham Jain, SVP & Group Head, Corporate Ratings, ICRA, says, “The slow progress of UDAN implementation is attributable to delayed upgradation of infrastructure and readiness of airports, due to lack of adequate right of way (including insufficient runway lengths) at some of the RCS airports and delays in securing necessary regulatory approvals. Low demand on few routes awarded, adverse and unpredictable weather conditions leads to inconsistent operations and have also resulted in closure of operations by some airlines in a few cases. The second wave of the pandemic, which started from mid of March 2021 would further impact the UDAN scheme going forward with aviation being one of the worst-hit infrastructure sectors.”

Cathay Pacific Cargo is introducing Ultra Track, its multi-dimensional tracking product, to its network, with a phased introduction at 29 ports across the globe. Cathay Pacific Cargo’s Ultra Track uses the Descartes Core Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)TM Network, Tags and Readers. These data-loggers and transmitters offer visibility to Cathay Pacific Cargo customers who can now monitor shipments in near real-time through the airport-to-airport leg of the air-cargo journey. This is the first Cathay Pacific IoT (internet of things) application that enables remote connection to shipments. Ultra Track is suitable for pharmaceutical, perishable and other vulnerable shipments. The loggers record and transmit data to Bluetooth readers in the cargo terminal and on the airside ramp area. Data includes GPS location and temperature – and depending on the type of shipment, this can be extended to include light, humidity (for example, for cut-flower shipments) and vibration, which is important for sensitive specialist cargo such as stepper machines, the printing presses for microchips.

Russian freighter operator Volga-Dnepr Airlines, in partnership with logistics provider Geodis, has transported a large custom-built compressor from Zurich, Switzerland to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.The carrier said that the special, one-of-a-kind cargo — measuring 15.65 m x 4.40 m x 3.85 m and weighing 100 tonnes — was one of the largest out-of-gauge shipments ever carried on one of its An-124-150 aircraft. Volga-Dnepr’s operational base in Dubai coordinated each step of the process, supported by load planners and a commercial team. Artemiy Ivanovskiy, regional manager, India, Middle East and Africa, at Volga-Dnepr Airlines, commented: “With strict delivery deadlines from the onset we were battling with many challenges from production, assembly, operations handling and other facets. Thanks to clear and straightforward communication with all the stakeholders, we were able to resolve them and come up with a comprehensive action plan to accomplish this complex transportation, meeting [our] customer’s requirements and getting positive feedback in the end.”

UK-based start-up carrier Hans Airways has selected Air Logistics Group as its general sales and service agent (GSSA) for cargo sales across its network. The exclusive GSSA agreement, effective from August 1, will see the GSSA providing the carrier with full cargo sales, marketing, online booking and customer service support across its network. Stephen Dawkins, chief executive at Air Logistics Group, commented: “Hans Airways is an exciting new face in the airline industry and will be operating on a vital trade route between the UK and India. We are confident that their new service from the UK to India is just the start, and that we can build the cargo business across the Hans Airways network as it expands.” Ian Davies, chief operating officer at Hans Airways, added: “In Air Logistics Group, we are confident that we have chosen a partner capable of providing the selling expertise, fast response times and service levels and that the freight community will expect from [us]. With experienced staff, and the network to provide effective coverage of our planned routes, Air Logistics Group is well-positioned to be the face of the Hans Airways cargo team.”

Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB/ BLR Airport/ www.bengaluruairport.com ) has processed 483,460 kgs of mangoes in four months from March to June, 2021. The month of June witnessed highest movement of mangoes with 169,882 kgs. A total of 158,936 kgs were processed in May, 110,886 kgs in April and 43,776 in March. This year, Doha emerged as the leading destination for mangoes from Bengaluru, with 140,000 kgs, followed by London (68,000 kgs) and Singapore (55,000 kgs). Backed by two reputed cargo terminal operators – Air India SATS and Menzies Aviation Bobba Bangalore- BLR Airport has the infrastructure required to ensure the fruits reach their destinations maintaining their quality as well as freshness. To ensure quality and freshness, mangoes are stored and moved to the aircraft within the required temperature range, reducing waiting time at terminals.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has extended the exemption allowing airlines to carry cargo in the cabin of aircraft. The exemption had been due to expire on July 10, but Airlines for America and others petitioned the administration to extend the exemption for another year. They argued that cargo capacity was still constrained due to fewer passenger flights and that allowing flight to carry cargo in the cabin would help alleviate supply chain constraints. In the end, the FAA agreed the exemption until the end of the year. “The agency determined that airfreight capacity has not yet been fully restored to all communities, especially those which are dependent on passenger airplanes for such service,” the FAA said. “The FAA therefore finds that a short-term extension of this exemption will be in the public interest by supporting the continuity of the carriage of airfreight.”

High ocean freight rates caused by service disruption is helping push forwarders and shippers to use airfreight. In its latest market summary, airline association IATA said that air cargo is benefitting from “exceptionally congested” container shipping supply chains. It pointed out that the cost-competitiveness of air cargo relative to that of container shipping has improved over recent months, with the average cost of air cargo in May six times more expensive than seafreight, compared with 12 times more expensive pre-crisis. “Improved competitiveness compared to sea shipping should continue to make air cargo a bright spot for airlines while passenger demand struggles with continued border closures and travel restrictions,” said Willie Walsh, IATA director general.

Qatar Airways Cargo announces the further roll out of third-party eBooking platform WebCargo by Freightos across the United States of America*, effective 19 July 2021. Forwarders in the USA will be able to conduct eBookings with access to live rates and available capacity on the WebCargo platform. This will further improve their booking experience with the airline, resulting in higher efficiencies and instant responses for confirmation. The cargo carrier has an extensive network in the United States spanning 12 cities with 145 weekly flights, thus offering customers more than 4,700 tonnes of cargo capacity every week. Qatar Airways Chief Officer Cargo, Guillaume Halleux said: “Following our successful launch across Europe, we are glad to introduce WebCargo throughout the United States of America, steadily extending digitalisation across our organisation. We are actively pushing for digitalisation in air freight as it brings in efficiencies and provides multiple benefits for our customers such as 24/7 visibility of price and capacity as well as real time confirmation to name a few.”