Category Archives: Aviation

LATAM Cargo Group had a positive performance during the 2021 Valentine’s Day season, which, together with Mother’s Day (April and May) represents the peak of the fresh flower export activity. In 2021, the company carried 7 per cent more flowers than in 2020, totaling more than 13,200 tonne. The good figures are due to LATAM Group’s uninterrupted operations in Colombia and Ecuador, despite the big challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of capacity. In fact, the Group has increased its online offering to satisfy the needs of its customers –in this case flower producers– who depend on connectivity and exports to sustain their businesses. For example, during the season that began three weeks before Valentine’s Day –January 18 through February 09– LATAM Group took off some 225 times from Bogota, Medellin and Quito with their loads of roses, spray roses, alstroemeria and gerberas from Colombia, and roses, gypsophila and alstroemeria from Ecuador to the United States. Miami is the main transit destination for fresh flowers and is also one of the world’s largest distribution hubs and home to the cargo operations of LATAM Airlines Group. From here, flowers are distributed primarily towards North America and Europe. Compared to a regular period, in Colombia the company carried 7 per cent more tonne per week during the Valentine’s Day season, successfully serving the demand from the flower sector. In Quito, Ecuador, capacity was added to transport the flower production to Miami, increasing the number of tons carried each week by 7 per cent, and raising capacity to Amsterdam (The Netherlands), the second destination for Ecuadorian flowers. “It is in times of difficulty like the current pandemic that our commitment to …

SpiceJet has launched its first dedicated freight service connecting Vijayawada with other parts of the country. The airline operated its first freight flight SpiceXpress from Vijayawada to Kolkata carrying 15 tonnes of cargo. Speaking on the occasion, G Madhusudana Rao, Vijayawada International Airport Director said that a domestic cargo facility was launched at the old terminal building in June, 2018 and the services commenced in August. About 40 tonnes of cargo is handled per day through Airbus-320 and Boeing 707 in a 200 square metres area. In the last seven months, the terminal has handled a cargo capacity of 400 to 450 tonnes of aqua products like shrimp and fish to other parts of the country. The newly-launched freight service will be operated between Vijayawada and Kolkata thrice a week to transport aqua products from the fish ponds and sea within 200 km radius of Vijayawada. “We are requesting the aqua farmers and traders to make use of the cargo facilities launched from the terminal to export perishable goods from Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and twin Godavari districts to Kolkata, Mumbai and Surat at affordable prices,” the Airport Director said. He further said that steps are being taken to develop a designated building in an extent of 2,500 square metres for handling exclusive cargo operations along with a cold storage facility. Vijayawada International Airport Director G Madhusudana Rao, along with SpiceJet Regional Manager Ravi Kumar and Shreepa Logistics CEO Rama Rao, launched the facility on the Gannavaram airport terminal premises on Saturday.

Frankfurt Airport (FRA) cargo throughput (comprising airfreight and airmail) rose by 18.1 per cent to 176,266 metric tonnes in January. Despite the ongoing lack of capacity for belly freight (transported on passenger planes), Frankfurt Airport recorded its second-highest January cargo month ever. Factors contributing to the growth in cargo tonnage included the later timing of the Chinese New Year, which is being celebrated in February2021. Last year, this typically low-traffic holiday occurred in January. Aircraft movements at FRA contracted by 63.7 per cent to 13,196 take offs and landings. Accumulated maximum take-off weights (MTOWs) decreased by 54.5 percent to some 1.1 million metric tonnes. The airports in Fraport’s international portfolio reported mixed results for January 2021, but all of them experienced traffic reductions compared to the same month last year. The pandemic situation in the respective airport regions or countries was the primary factor impacting passenger traffic during the reporting month.

The CMA CGM Group is stepping up its strategic development in logistics by creating a specialised air freight division CMA CGM Air Cargo. This move into airfreight strengthens the Group’s transport and logistics business, allowing it to offer its customers a new range of comprehensive, agile and customised solutions. To support its expansion into air freight, the CMA CGM Group is buying four 60-tonne-payload Airbus A330-200F freighter aircraft, which came into service between 2014 and 2016. With a range of 4,000 nautical miles, they will connect Europe with the rest of the world. The CMA CGM Group will entrust the operation of its freighter fleet to a European airline. CMA CGM Air Cargo represents a major new component of the CMA CGM Group in both operational and commercial terms. This expansion into air freight is a new milestone in the Group’s strategic development, with the aim of providing Group customers with a complementary range of services covering both shipping and logistics. Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO, CMA CGM Group, says, “In response to the growing demand from our customers for agile logistics solutions, we are creating a new division within the CMA CGM Group dedicated to air transport: CMA CGM Air Cargo. This division will launch with four Airbus A330-200F aircraft and will leverage commercial partnerships with airlines in order to deliver global coverage. This is a major milestone in the development of our logistics services.”

While noting airport’s significant role in shipping COVID-19 vaccine around the globe, Brussels Airport has highlighted continued growth in its airfreight volumes since last summer. The air cargo volumes have again recorded significant growth, up 21% on January 2020. Brussels Airport continues to do better than the average growth seen in Europa and worldwide which is negatively impacted by the strong decrease in the number of passenger flights operated by wide bodies. In January, air cargo volumes in the full-freighter segment grew sharply by 73% compared to the same month in 2020. Integrator services too recorded strong growth compared to last year (+37%). These strong growth figures largely compensate for the limited volumes of belly cargo carried on passenger flights. And for once, trucked air cargo also records an increase (+10%), after several months of negative growth. The total volume of goods handled by the logistics platform at Brussels Airport grew significantly (+ 18%) in January, totalling to 58,311 tonnes. The transport of COVID vaccines, which is sure to continue all through the year, has found in Brussels Airport a top-notch logistics hub, specialised in temperature-sensitive goods, particularly pharmaceuticals. Imports from Asia and North America are recording strong growth compared to the same month last year. On the exports side, we find that the volumes towards Asia in particular are doing well. We also note a positive impact on air cargo volumes related to Brexit.

Cargo Service Center (CSC) Group has launched the industry’s first real-time temperature monitoring and cargo tracking app, named Turant, which provides real-time temperature tracking of pharmaceutical shipments inside the terminal that departs from Mumbai International Airport (MIAL) offering end-to-end visibility. End-to-end supply chain visibility has always been a concern for pharma shippers and the COVID-19 crisis magnified this need. Addressing this key concern, the TURANT app will provide customers all critical real-time information including temperature of the shipment during transit, all accessible on a mobile phone screen. “This is the first time in history that a cargo terminal is providing its customers with real time temperature tracking and status of shipments. CSC is the first in the world to provide you with this level of transparency. And this is just the beginning; going forward, you can expect a lot more innovation from our team,” said, Tushar Jani, Chairman, CSC. The Pharma Excellence Centre in Mumbai has been temperature-mapped and the temperature of the terminal is being monitored electronically. The TURANT app provides this information right into the palm of your hands. All you need to do is to download the app. Once installed on your phone, you need to select the airport, enter the Air-Way-bill number and the shipment becomes visible through the app. “At CSC, we have used the latest technology and innovation to bring transparency of our operations to our customers. Therefore, we have launched TURANT, which is CSC’s real-time temperature mapping and tracking app. This app will be an absolute blessing for all the quality heads in the various pharma industries,” said Pramod Pereira, AGM-Quality, Training & Procedures, CSC. Applauding CSC for its pathbreaking initiative, Manoj Singh, …

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) has seen a 16% increase in 2020 over the record setting volumes in 2019, more than 3.48 million tons of air cargo landed at the airport. “The tremendous surge in cargo volumes through ANC has been fueled by an increase in e-commerce, PPE, and displaced belly cargo,” said Jim Szczesniak, Airport Director, in adding, “The pandemic has left an indelible mark on the e-commerce landscape, accelerating market growth—reaching numbers not forecast to be seen in the U.S. for another two years. We expect our cargo numbers to remain strong into 2021; as the air cargo industry continues to recognize the benefits and efficiencies of ANC; as e-commerce shopping becomes routine; as international travel restrictions continue to displace belly cargo.” ANC is cementing its place as The Center of the Air Cargo World, just 9.5 hours from 90% of the industrialized world, more than 200 widebody freighter operations take place every day. At least 28 wide-body cargo carriers connect ANC to more than 50 destinations across the globe—30 of them daily and another 20 destinations with a frequency of weekly or better. “We continue to grow the benefits of utilizing ANC for our existing cargo customers, and to attract new customers. We have more than $1-billion of private air cargo development proposed for ANC, Alaska Cargo and Cold Storage recently executed a lease for their new 700,000 square foot facility,” adds Szczesniak. “These developments will provide the infrastructure to streamline the global supply chain and make ANC a staple in the cold chain. These warehouse facilities will provide cargo carriers, freight forwarders, pharmaceutical, and other industry partner’s infrastructure required to leverage ANC’s strategic location and …

Unilode Aviation Solutions and MdG Group has signed a long-term agreement for the repair of La Couverture, a unique product developed and manufactured by MdG for the protection of temperature-sensitive products in the aviation supply chain. La Couverture is a hybrid solution between a thermal cover and a temperature-controlled dolly that offers the ease of use of a cover and almost the same protection as a thermal dolly at a much lower cost and without CO2 emission. The innovative material protects temperature-sensitive cargo on a lower deck pallet during the handling phase on the tarmac between a cargo warehouse and the apron, and the product is fitted with a GPS device for location tracking. Unilode will provide extensive services for La Couverture that includes inspection, repair, storage, transport, handling and reporting within Unilode’s global repair network, initially at 17 key airports across Europe, the Middle East, North America and Asia. Marco Del Giudice, Managing Director, MdG Group, said, “As we gain market share with La Couverture, our innovative and sustainable protective solution for temperature-sensitive products, the need for extending its useful life through professional maintenance and repair services and continuing to meet IATA Pharma CEIV certification requirements has increased. Unilode’s expertise gives us confidence that La Couverture will be serviced at the highest standards at the busiest airports across the globe and our product’s three-year lifespan can be significantly increased. We look forward to a successful partnership that will further enhance the value of La Couverture and also make our expansion much easier as we can count on the services of a truly global repair network.” Marc Groenewegen, Chief Commercial Officer, Unilode, adds, “Our new agreement with MdG Group for …

With an aim to continue the delivery of real-time shipment data and innovative air cargo technology that powers key operations for the carrier’s air cargo business arm, Spice Xpress, SpiceJet has renewed its contract with SmartKargo. Since 2015, SpiceJet has utilized the SmartKargo platform to support and grow its domestic and international cargo business, including its Pharma Pro cold-chain services. The airline has operated more than 12,906 cargo flights since the lockdown began and carried around 1,04,800 tonnes of cargo. Most recently, the airline has partnered with a variety of airports and logistics entitles to safely and efficiently transport Covid-19 vaccines. Sanjiv Gupta, CEO of Spice Xpress, said, “For the past 5 years, SmartKargo technology has provided Spice Xpress with the advanced digital tools needed to quickly and effectively transform our cargo business. As a result, we have been able to further digitise our processes to support highly efficient air cargo operations, growth and improved experience for our customers. We are very pleased to extend the partnership and we look forward to continuing our growth and service to our communities; especially in the critical transport and delivery of medical supplies, pharmaceuticals and vaccines due to Covid-19.” Milind Tavshikar, Chief Executive Officer of QuantumID Technologies and SmartKargo said, “SmartKargo provides airlines with real-time shipment data and tracking, paperless e-AWBs; ease of booking for Cargo agents and customers with single- screen data entries; powerful pricing and rate-making via simplification; real-time capacity management: user-configurable real-time business intelligence and reporting; integrated Cargo Revenue accounting and more.”

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released the data for global airfreight markets showing that demand for air cargo decreased by 10.6% in 2020, compared to 2019. This was the largest drop in year-on-year demand since IATA started to monitor cargo performance in 1990, outpacing the 6% fall in global trade in goods. Global demand in 2020, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs*), was 10.6% below 2019 levels (-11.8% for international operations). Global capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTKs), shrank by 23.3% in 2020 ( 24.1% for international operations) compared to 2019. This was more than double the contraction in demand. Due to the lack of available capacity, cargo load factors rose 7.7% in 2020. This contributed to increased yields and revenues, providing support to airlines and some long-haul passenger services in the face of collapsed passenger revenues. Improvements towards yearend were demonstrated in December when global demand was 0.5% below previous-year levels (-2.3% for international operations). Global capacity was 17.7% below previous-year levels ( 20.6% for international operations). That is much deeper than the contraction in demand, indicating the continuing and severe capacity crunch. With the stalling of the recovery in passenger markets, there is no end in sight for the capacity crunch. “Air cargo is surviving the crisis in better shape than the passenger side of the business. For many airlines, 2020 saw air cargo become a vital source of revenues, despite weakened demand. But with much of the passenger fleet grounded, meeting demand without belly capacity continues to be an enormous challenge. And, as countries strengthen travel restrictions in the face of new coronavirus variants, it is difficult to see improvements in passenger demand or the …