Category Archives: Aviation

Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport), the third busiest Airport in India, is making significant contributions to India’s aviation growth story by facilitating robust connectivity to non-metro cities, providing opportunities to people to fly as well as drive regional economic growth. In the process, BLR Airport has emerged as the preferred transfer hub for South India. Currently, BLR Airport serves 74 domestic destinations (in CY 2021)—the highest ever since airport opening date, as compared to 54 routes during pre-COVID and is also the highest amongst South Indian Airports. These additions have mainly been to non-metro destinations, and as a result, flights to non-metro routes have shown a considerable increase from 58% (pre-COVID) to 63% in CY 2021. Moreover, between Q1 and Q4 of 2021, traffic on non-metro routes increased by 27%, reinforcing strong demand on these city-pairs. During the CY 2021, nearly 19% of traffic at BLR Airport comprised of transfer passengers as against ~10% pre-COVID. The major airports contributing to high volumes of transfer passengers at BLR Airport were Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad and Goa. Apart from the increase in non-metro connectivity, the geographical location of Bengaluru and the growing economy of the State of Karnataka has helped in positioning BLR as the major aviation gateway of South and Central India. BLR Airport offers a wide catchment area of 23 cities within a convenient flying time of 75 mins. This, coupled with growth in non-metro connectivity, has helped in building the transfer traffic market at BLR Airport.

Miami International Airport (MIA) has broken its record for cargo volumes handled for the second year in a row. The Florida hub handled 2.7m tons of freight in 2021, “shattering” its previous record of 2.3m tons achieved in 2020. International freight grew by 17% to 2.2m tons, while domestic freight rose 15% to 500,000 tons. MIA ranks as the busiest airport in the US and ninth busiest in the world for international freight. Los Angeles International is the busiest overall – domestic and international – cargo airport in the US. Last year it handled 3m tons of cargo – a 20.6% increase. The increases come as reduced passenger operations have resulted in cargo volumes consolidating at fewer airports – typically those with a larger cargo community and plenty of freighter operations. Consumer demand in the US also continues to boom. MIA said the growth experienced over the few years has two major facility expansions that were completed in 2021.

Qatar Airways announced a new order for GE9X engines as part of its global launch order of up to 50 Boeing 777-8 Freighters. The commitment, which includes 34 firm 777-8 orders and an additional 16 purchase right options, also includes GE90 engines for an additional order of two Boeing 777 Freighters. The total value of the order with GE is more than U.S.$6.8 billion list price, including spare engines, a new order for GE90-115B engines, and a TrueChoice™ services agreement to cover the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of the engines. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “With our status as the world’s largest air freight carrier, Qatar Airways has ambitious plans for the future of its cargo operations. As operators of the Boeing 777 family, including the global launch customer of Boeing’s 777-8 Freighter aircraft, we are delighted to have GE as our partners and these contracts for GE engines further cement the strong relationship between Qatar Airways and GE. We are confident that Qatar Airways’ focus to drive towards a sustainable future will be very much supported by the efficiency of the GE9X engines.” The GE90 engine family is the exclusive powerplant on Boeing’s 777-300ER, 777-200LR, and 777 Freighter aircraft. Since its entry into service in 1995, the GE90 engine has accumulated more than 108 million flight hours and has been among the most reliable in the industry with a world class dispatch reliability rate of 99.98 percent.

GEODIS, a global leading transport and logistics services provider, will provide airfreight, ocean freight, contract logistics and customs brokerage solutions for its customers in a wide range of market sectors, including automotive and FMCG from it’s new site strategically located at Brisbane Airport. The new site will have easy access to key locations, being only 14km from the central business district, and 22km from the Port of Brisbane. It will serve the growing logistical needs of GEODIS’ customers. The planned 4,500m2 warehouse facility, which is due to be operational by second half of 2022, will feature 4,000 pallet locations, 1,500m2 of bulk space, and a cool room for perishable goods supply to marine and hospitality logistics customers, especially cruise lines. Stuart Asplet, GEODIS’ Sub-Regional Managing Director, Pacific Regional Director Sea Freight, Asia Pacific said: “At this new facility, GEODIS will showcase its expertise in import and export services including customs brokerage to ensure complete supply chain transparency. GEODIS in Brisbane already has a strong package of solutions for our customers. This new, strategically positioned facility will not only enable us to meet the fast-changing needs of our customers today but will give us ample room to grow our offerings in the market.” BNE Property is delivering the purpose-built warehouse at Brisbane Airport’s Export Park, a precinct home to large-scale warehousing, freight handling, and distribution centres, as well as catering, wholesaling, and storage facilities.

Qatar Airways has ordered up to 50 Boeing 777-8 freighters as the airframer adds a new model to cater for growing cargo demand. The Middle East-based airline ordered 34 of the aircraft with options for a further 16 in a deal that is valued at more than $20bn based on list prices. It is the largest freighter commitment in Boeing’s history by value. Boeing said the B777-8F, which will be part of the B777X family, offers a maximum structural payload of 118 tonnes and a range of 8,167 km. The first delivery is expected in 2027. “With payload capacity nearly identical to the B747-400 Freighter and a 25% improvement in fuel efficiency, emissions and operating costs, the B777-8 Freighter will enable a more sustainable and profitable business for operators,” Boeing said. Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: “Boeing has a long history of building market-leading freighter aircraft and Qatar Airways is honored to have the opportunity to be the launch customer for the 777-8 Freighter, an aircraft which will not only allow us to further enhance our product offering for our customers, but also help us meet our objectives to deliver a sustainable future for our business. Today marks a great day in the ever-building and strong relationship between Qatar Airways and Boeing. We certainly push Boeing hard to deliver upon our expectations, and the team at Boeing consistently strives to meet and exceed our expectations, giving the opportunity for us to be here today to launch the most significant new freighter aircraft for a generation.”

Ground handler dnata will invest over €200m investment in a fully automated cargo centre at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). The 61,000 sq m dnata Cargo City Amsterdam facility, located at Schiphol South-East, will be capable of processing over 850,000 tonnes of cargo annually. Scheduled to become operational in 2024, the facility will handle all types of cargo, including perishables, pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods, mail, live animals, aircraft engines and vehicles. dnata Cargo City Amsterdam will be developed by Schiphol Commercial Real Estate and equipped by Lödige Industries The cargo centre will be fitted with two separate automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), using technology from Lödige Industries, for import and export with twelve stacker cranes. A total of up to 2,500 pallets will be stored here. In addition, separate storage for ULDs will be serviced by four elevating transport vehicles (ETV). dnata will also make use of seven intelligent automated guided vehicles (AGV) from Lödige Industries to enable flexible and scalable ULD transport within the terminal. Smart gates will automatically record the volume and weight of all incoming consignments by scanning them in 3D, thus significantly speeding up handling and improving the quality of service. All elements will be integrated into a warehouse management system to enable dnata to further grow its operations and service at AMS.

Geodis has awarded Menzies Aviation a cargo handling contract for its volumes at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The five-year contract includes cargo handling for the import and export of goods on the forwarder’s Amsterdam flights, operating five times a week. A team of over 20 Menzies Aviation professionals will provide these services to the carrier. Menzies already provides ramp transport services for intact ULDs to GEODIS at the airport. Miguel Gomez Sjunnesson, executive vice president Europe, Menzies Aviation, said: “We are delighted to provide cargo handling services to Geodis at Amsterdam, which is a strategic cargo hub for the carrier. This contract win signifies the high standard and secure service our team has already delivered to Geodis on the ramp. We’re looking forward to building a successful partnership with Geodis over the years to come.”

Etihad Cargo has been awarded IATA’s Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) for Live Animals. The UAE national carrier is the first airline in the Middle East and third globally to hold IATA’s CEIV Live Animals, CEIV Fresh, and CEIV Pharma certifications. The certification was awarded following an IATA-led assessment of Etihad Cargo’s dedicated LiveAnimals, for animal transportation, and SkyStables, for equine transportation, products, as well as its logistics’ audit checklist to ensure compliance with standards, requirements, and Live Animals Regulations (LAR). Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Sales & Cargo, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “The transportation of live animals requires specific conditions and the CEIV certification further underlines Etihad Cargo’s experience and committment to animal welfare and safe transportation. Etihad Cargo is proud to have secured certification for its LiveAnimals and SkyStables products. This recognition further endorses the industry-leading service we provide global customers.” The key benefits of CEIV Live Animals certification include improving animal welfare and safety through appropriate quality and risk management, and enhancing standardisation and professionalism in the handling and transportation of live animals in a multimodal environment. The certification also enforces compliance with the IATA LAR, elevating staff competency through efficient and robust training programmes, and enabling increased collaboration among stakeholders and certified trade lanes.

Environmental sustainability and decarbonisation in particular are central to Qatar Airways Cargo’s corporate strategy. In November 2021, it became the first cargo airline to join the IATA CO2NNECT platform and has since been working on developing a fully integrated carbon offsetting solution for its customers. The initial milestone was recently reached with the introduction of a cargo carbon emission calculator. Available under the eServices menu on the airline’s website: https://www.qrcargo.com/calculate-emissions, the calculator quickly determines the shipment’s total CO2 emissions in kilos or pounds, depending on customer preference. The user simply enters the shipment’s origin, destination, flight date, and weight to obtain the different flight options and their respective carbon emissions. “Following our joint Qatar Airways Cargo-IATA project pilot to launch a new voluntary carbon offsetting programme for air cargo shipments, Qatar Airways Cargo is now proud to unveil our Emission Calculator,” Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo of Qatar Airways Cargo, announces. “To improve a situation, it is important to establish the status quo. This calculation tool enables our customers to get a better overview their shipments’ carbon footprint with us. It is the first step in our plan to offer a complete offsetting capability as part of the CO2NNECT programme we have entered into with IATA.”

Atlas Air will expand its charter partnership with freight forwarder Flexport to add a third Boeing 747-400 freighter from September. This long-term charter agreement will broaden Flexport’s network of dedicated freighters to include service from Asia to Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA) and soon, Chicago (ORD). The additional freighter will increase Flexport’s dedicated airfreight capacity from Atlas Air by 50% and allow for “enhanced schedule flexibility” as new origins and destinations are added in 2022 and beyond. “We look forward to enhancing our long-term relationship with Flexport as we continue to support the growth and expansion of its network with dedicated freighters,” said Michael Steen, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, Atlas Air Worldwide. “Atlas Air is strategically positioned to serve Flexport with an unparalleled fleet of widebody freighters and our vast global footprint. Our team is pleased to deliver even more value to Flexport and its customers through the world-class service they can depend on from Atlas Air.” “We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Atlas Air Worldwide to bring additional capacity to Flexport clients amid a turbulent time in airfreight,” said Neel Jones Shah, executive vice president and global head of airfreight at Flexport.