Category Archives: Aviation

For the first time, Silk Way West Airlines has moved away from an exclusive Boeing fleet and has placed an order with Airbus for two A350 wide-bodied freighters. Airbus plans to deliver the freighters to Silk Way West during the 2027-28. The airline also has rights to increase its orders by two aircraft. With this deal, Airbus now has 33 preliminary orders and commitments for the A350 freighter program it launched late last year. The decision is another win for Airbus as it makes it challenges Boeing’s dominance in the production freighter market.

India is one of the top perishable markets for Etihad Cargo and the carrier has the plans to add capacity to key destinations in India, including daily flights to and from Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Kerala. “The trade lanes, originating from North and South Asia, go to the Middle East and Europe. The Middle East and Asia have demand for goods originating from Europe and Africa,” said Tim Isik, Vice President, Etihad Cargo. The carrier’s tonnage in and out of Ahmedabad increased by 254 per cent in 2021 as against 2020. The carrier recorded 65 per cent for Thiruvananthapuram, 40 per cent for Hyderabad, 30 per cent for Bengaluru, 10 per cent for Mumbai and 7 per cent for Delhi. “We are also adding features to our online booking portal,” he added.

Agility announced the opening of a new fulfilment center at the Agility Logistics Park (ALP) in Doha by Lulu Hypermarket, a major retailer in Kuwait. The new 7,400 sq. m. logistics center will act as an exclusive e-fulfillment center and as the logistics hub for the company’s growing e-commerce activity in Kuwait. The new facility includes the latest in smart warehousing technologies such as automated sorting and storage, which organizes all products based on their categories, from fresh and frozen foods to other non-grocery products.

Lufthansa is reactivating the Airbus A380 in response to rise in consumer demand and delayed delivery of ordered aircraft. The carrier will relaunch some of its super jumbo jets such as the Boeing 787 and 777-9 from Summer 2023. The German flag carrier said it is likely to use the long-haul aircraft beginning in the 2023 summer travel season. The company is assessing how many A380s to get back into service and, which destinations the Airbus will fly to. Lufthansa (OTCUS: DKLAY) has 14 of the double-deck aircraft, which are currently parked in warehouses in Spain and France. Six of the aircraft have been sold and eight remain part of Lufthansa’s fleet.

Menzies Aviation has signed three contracts in Southeast Asia and China with Rimbun Air, My Indo and Raya Air. According to an official statement, “A new three-year contract with fast-growing Indonesian cargo and regional passenger airline Rimbun Air will see Menzies handle up to six daily cargo flights for the airline’s two 737-300F aircraft at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK). The win will add an additional 40 flights per week to Menzies’ Jakarta ground services operations thereby increasing the volume handled by the team.” Malaysian cargo carrier Raya Air has selected Menzies to support its operations, starting with four weekly flights, at CGK. Raya Air is a new customer for Menzies, a statement read. Menzies has also won new business with My Indo Airlines, providing freighter, ramp, and cargo services to the airline at Macau International Airport.

Digital freight forwarder, Wiz Freight joined Pharma.Aero as its full-time member. Pharma.Aero is IATA CEIV certified cargo community for airport operators and other air cargo industry stakeholders. Satish Lakkaraju, Senior Vice President, Wiz Freight said, “We are excited to be joining Pharma. Aero as a full-time member. We are working towards maintaining a cold chain, which is unbroken to ensure patient safety till the last mile of delivery. Pharma.Aero is a platform to collaborate with different stakeholders in the pharma supply chain, and allows us to contribute to the overall development of a safe and reliable cold chain for pharma products.’’ Jeremy Mitchell, Vice-Chair, Pharma.Aero said, “We are pleased to welcome Wiz Freight as a full-time member of Pharma.Aero. The role of a freight forwarder is vital in the supply chain of temperature-sensitive pharma logistics, and we hail the addition of freight forwarders to Pharma.Aero. We look forward to working with Wiz Freight.”

FedEx in its latest reports noted its financial year results and outlined expectations of ongoing supply chain disruption, expressing a slow return of air bellyhold capacity and lower growth levels for the coming fiscal year. According to the reports, in the fiscal year ending May 31, the express giant saw revenues increase by 11.3 per cent year on year to $93.5bn and operating income increased by 6.6 per cent to $3.8bn on the back of higher yields across its express, ground and freight businesses. Looking ahead, the coming 12 months are expected to see freight demand reduce with volumes expected to grow by a low single digit. Brie Carere, CCO, FedEx said, “We anticipate consumers will keep spending and their spending will continue tilting towards services from goods. We expect more consumers to return to stores. With this backdrop, we do expect pressure on B2C volumes.” She added that the latest Purchasing Managers Index showed a sharp decline and that inventory restocking is slowing after a build up last year and earlier this year. “This will dampen freight demand,” she said on a positive note.

Korean Air has been recertified by IATA’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators Pharma (CEIV Pharma) for air transport of pharmaceuticals. Korean Air provides customised cold chain services for a wide array of products that call for dynamic requirements and conditions. The airline transports pharmaceuticals such as vaccines, lab reagents and serums, and fresh products including flowers, fruits, seafood, through its “Specialised-Pharma” and “Specialised-Fresh” services. Through a joint investment with Incheon International Airport Corporation, the airline operates a “Cool Cargo Center” at the airport’s Terminal 2.

Qatar Airways Cargo announces Chapter 4 of its WeQare sustainability initiative which is dedicated to the 2,873 diverse individuals who are the face and heart of the airline, and the main reason for its success. “Strength in numbers is one thing – whether this is revenue figures or number of employees,” said Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways. “Yet, the true strength, the core, and the success of a company is made up by the individual attitudes and aptitudes of its people. Naturally, since air cargo is an international business, Qatar Airways Cargo is blessed with a highly international family of employees. Our staff come from close to 100 different countries, and altogether speak more than 40 languages. We are also very diverse in age range, from 18 to 65,” he added. “Every one of us at Qatar Airways Cargo comes with their individual strengths, life experiences, cultural background, and job responsibilities, yet we are all united in one goal: ensuring the success and satisfaction of our customers. That goal is achieved precisely because of our different skills and approaches. Diversity is a proven driver for positive performance, and Qatar Airways Cargo is living proof of this. WeQare’s Chapter 4 is a celebration of our diversity,” Halleux further added.

To expand network in Asia, Indonesia headquartered MY Indo Airlines has added a Boeing B737-800F freighter to its fleet. The scheduled and charter cargo airline is based in Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta and focuses on the domestic and international cargo sector. MY Indo Airlines stated in a post, “MY Indo Airlines become the first freighter operator in Indonesia to operate the B737-800F series. It will provide more cargo capacity for our customer and at the same time offer the opportunity to expand our network within Asia.” Also the airline has B737-200F, B737-300F and B737-400F aircraft. The airline aims to expand its network beyond Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei to other parts of Asia, including China and Japan, said the post.