Category Archives: Aviation

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global air cargo markets showing slower growth in November 2021. Supply chain disruptions and capacity constraints impacted demand, despite economic conditions remaining favorable for the sector. As comparisons between 2021 and 2020 monthly results are distorted by the extraordinary impact of COVID-19, unless otherwise noted, all comparisons below are to November 2019 which followed a normal demand pattern. • Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs*), was up 3.7% compared to November 2019 (4.2% for international operations). This was significantly lower than the 8.2% growth seen in October 2021 (9.2% for international operations) and in previous months. * Capacity was 7.6% below November 2019 (-7.9% for international operations). This was relatively unchanged from October. Capacity remains constrained with bottlenecks at key hubs. • Economic conditions continue to support air cargo growth, however supply chain disruptions are slowing growth. “Air cargo growth was halved in November compared to October because of supply chain disruptions. All economic indicators pointed towards continued strong demand, but the pressures of labor shortages and constraints across the logistics system unexpectedly resulted in lost growth opportunities. Manufacturers, for example, were unable to get vital goods to where they were needed, including PPE. Governments must act quickly to relieve pressure on global supply chains before it permanently dents the shape of the economic recovery from COVID-19,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

Envirotainer, the global market leader in secure cold chain solutions for air transportation of pharmaceuticals, announced that Delta Cargo has approved the Envirotainer Releye® RLP for usage on their fleet of aircrafts. With this approval, Delta Cargo can now transport the Releye® RLP on their wide-reaching global network, increasing the capacity to meet the ever-growing need for temperature-controlled, high-quality, connected ULD solutions. The Releye provides outstanding environmental performance, delivering up to 90% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to available passive solutions, based on life-cycle analysis. The Releye® RLP uses rechargeable batteries to power its electric heating and compressor cooling system and can power its system for over 170 hours on a single charge. With its unique feature set, the Releye® RLP sets a new standard for secure cold chain solutions bringing a temperature-controlled air freight container to market with a new footprint, industry-leading autonomy and fully integrated live monitoring. “The introduction of the Releye® RLP, in combination with our CEIV certified pharma network, provides our customers with more choice when looking for reliable container options to support the growing demand for pharma and vaccine shipments” said Jannie Davel, Managing Director Cargo Commercial at Delta Cargo.

The bureau of civil aviation security (BCAS) has granted Kolhapur airport permission to carry out belly cargo transportation. In the case of the belly cargo system, passenger flights can also carry goods. The demand for transportation of light goods was being made from the associations of commerce and industries from Kolhapur and nearby districts. “We have around 916-meter airstrip, which will be expanded in coming months. In a few months, night landing will also be allowed at the Airport. The approval for belly cargo is just a start. The airport will now connect with more destinations where the cargo shipment will take place. Grapes from Sangli, industrial goods from Kolhapur, fruits from Konkan will be taken to long-distance places.” said Guardian minister Satej Patil.

DB Schenker extended its one-of-a-kind Flight Operations in the Indian logistics industry, providing a direct flight connecting Bengaluru to Munich and Chicago Rockford (wheels up-wheels down in less than 24 hours). The weekly flight operations initiative is a part of the Global Flight Operations Program which further marks the company’s leadership in Air Freight services in India. Along with providing a world class land transport network to EU and US, DB Schenker also specialises in handling of temperature-controlled shipments within ‘thermal blankets’ and ULD movement. DB Schenker has efficiently deployed weekly flight operations for both Imports & Exports between India & United States & Europe. The new B777 “flight operations” initiative is aimed at simplifying the logistics services of the fast-growing industries in India, offering seamless capacity to support customers’ requirements. The cargo will be secured from departure to arrival with no extra handling requirement during the transit. The temperature sensitive cargo in the ULD’s will be covered with protective material to maintain temperature in transit from Bengaluru (BLR). Door to Door transit time via DB Schenker in India flight operations would remain 5 days approximately for Europe & US bound shipments.

Qatar Airways Cargo has long been committed to ensuring that all animals entrusted to the airline for transportation, receive the best care both on the ground and in the air. Now, following six months of intense process and product audits, Qatar Airways Cargo is proud to announce that its strict adherence to the highest standards and relevant regulations has been accredited CEIV Live Animals certification by IATA. “We are the fourth airline worldwide to become CEIV Live Animals certified, and the first in the Middle East. This certification is testament to the dedication and detail that we put into transporting the many different live animals that are placed in our custody. Whether they are horses, household pets, livestock, or exotic animals transported on our scheduled and charter flights or wild animals being flown under our WeQare Rewild the Planet initiative, we go beyond the required regulatory standards, to ensure that the animals are given the utmost care and comfort for the entire duration of the journey.” Miguel Rodriguez Moreno, Senior Manager Cargo Climate Control Products, explains. “The CEIV Live Animals certification depicts that our handling, infrastructure, quality management, and training framework are in line with industry standards. It highlights our compliance with the IATA Live Animal Regulations alongside the Transportation of Wildlife and Animal Welfare (TWAW) Group Policy, and it shows that we have a robust supplier management system in place, allowing our principles to be implemented globally. Further, it illustrates our commitment to continuously improving industry standards when it comes to the transportation of live animals, and we thank the IATA auditors for their constructive contribution in this regard.”

The Hong Kong Government will tighten the quarantine measures for air cargo crew as part of its efforts to minimise the spread of Covid-19. Air cargo crew members will be required to undergo compulsory quarantine at a quarantine hotel for three days upon arrival in Hong Kong. This move is in view of the rising trend of imported Covid-19 cases with the Omicron variant. On December 28, Centre for Health Protection Controller Dr Edwin Tsui told a press briefing that the number of Covid-19 infections involving Omicron accounted for 35% of the imported cases two weeks ago and that figure rose to 95% from December 26-28. Given that Omicron is highly transmissable, Dr Tsui warned that the risk of a community outbreak is very high. He said, “We have to balance between the risk of an infectious disease outbreak and the cargo operation. At present, we try our best to work with the airlines and also the Transport & Housing Bureau. And, we implement this measure of the three-day quarantine at a hotel, trying to intercept the cases once (airlines’ cargo crew) arrive (in) Hong Kong in the first three days”.

SpiceXpress has confirmed acquiring electric cargo airplanes developed by US-based Bye Aerospace, in collaboration with India’s Pifore Group. The total investment is being estimated to be INR 300 to INR 500 million. The alliance is a pilot project to promote zero-emission freighters and also a closed airfield as emission free airport with an electric plane fleet and other zero-emission products. Pifore Group is engaged in provision of engineering, construction and technical services for private as well as public & government agencies/companies in India. They have signed an MoU with Bye Aerospace to deliver five electric cargo airplanes, which will be leased by SpiceXpress by 2024 and an additional five airplanes to be leased by 2026. Earlier this year, Spice Jet had transferred its logistics business to its subsidiary SpiceXpress and Logistics. SpiceXpress is a cargo specialist and is currently in the process of being hived off its parent company.

US Federal Government funding will help Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) roll out its $1.2bn cargo expansion programme. PHL’s cargo expansion programme, which was announced in June, will see the airport increase its air cargo facility footprint by 136 acres and almost triple its cargo building square footage from 600,000 to 1.4m. Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) said, “PHL’s vision for the use of these funds through a robust cargo expansion means new opportunities for individuals across our region.” The cargo development programme will not only help PHL obtain a bigger portion of air cargo that comes into the Greater Philadelphia area, it could also have an annual economic impact of $870 million for the region and create as many as 6,000 permanent jobs and approximately 5,000 construction jobs annually over the course of the project.

Cathay Pacific has suspended all long-haul freighter and cargo-only passenger flights to and from Hong Kong until January 6. The Hong Kong carrier said the move was in response to recently announced more stringent quarantine requirements for Hong Kong-based cargo crews. The suspension applies to all long-haul cargo flights covering the transpacific, Europe, South West Pacific, Riyadh, and Dubai. “We sincerely apologise for the disruption caused. We will be working with customers to mitigate the disruption as much as possible,” the airline’s cargo division stated. “In addition, we are working with the relevant stakeholders on plans beyond 6 January and will communicate further on these as soon as possible.” On December 28, the carrier had warned that the new crew restrictions could affect operations through the first quarter.

Hong Kong International Airport’s (HKIA) cargo volumes in November saw a year-on-year increase of 10.1% to 478,000 tonnes as monthly passenger numbers also increased. The increase in cargo throughput was mainly attributed to the 16.1% growth in transshipments, continuing the traditional peak period for air cargo. Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) said that overall cargo to and from North America, Europe and Southeast Asia experienced the most significant increases during November. Meanwhile, the airport handled 120,000 passengers in the month, a 48.1% rise. In the first 11 months of the year, HKIA handled 4.6m tonnes of cargo, an increase of 12.9% compared to the same month last year. On a 12-month rolling basis, HKIA handled 5m tonnes of cargo, an 11.6% year-on-year increase.