Category Archives: Aviation

In a bid to provide the seamless solutions in transporting temperature sensitive COVID-19 vaccine, SpiceXpress has joined hands with Om Logistics. This strategic partnership is envisioned to not only provide a speedy and reliable solution for vaccine delivery but to also create a sustainable cold chain network both, domestically and internationally. The cargo carrier has its cargo network spread over 54 domestic and 40 international destinations, and with a current fleet of 15 dedicated freighter aircraft in addition to its passenger aircraft Fleet; it has the ability to carry over 500 tonnes of cargo per day. Om Logistics has an extensive international and domestic presence, with its 1,200 offices worldwide and the ability to cater to more than 19,000 pin codes in India. In the COVID-19 vaccine movement, the company will provide the refrigerated trucks to cover the first-mile pickups and the last-mile deliveries on pan India basis, while SpiceXpress with the introduction of the ‘Spice Pharma Pro’ solution and robust ground handling infrastructure will provide the secure and safe line haul for the extremely sensitive vaccines in controlled temperatures ranging from -40°c to +25°c.

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has announced the launch of SamrtAir! for the real-time tracking of air cargo shipment. Together with the Bonn-based start-up BlueBox Systems, Hellmann developed a web-based platform, which aims to provide customers with information about their air freight shipments, regardless of airline, route or type of shipment. Based on GPS coordinates, SmartAir! will be providing information on all stopovers and loading times for live tracking of shipments. The system offers numerous analysis options for the performance of individual airlines, routes and airports, aiming towards the optimisation of supply chain management. The company also offers tracking for sea freight and the generally applicable smart visibility tracker. These can record, in addition to tracking data, information on humidity, temperature, incidence of light, vibration and door opening, thus enabling detailed transport control of shipments. “SmartAir! is a real game-changer in the tracking of airfreight shipments, which has not been available in the market in this way before. In times of digitalisation and ever smaller time windows for decisions, quickly available real-time data within global supply chains are becoming increasingly important. This will also be of particular relevance in the upcoming distribution of COVID-19 vaccines,” says Henning Pottharst, Product Manager – Smart Visibility, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.

SpiceJet has announced that the airline will be giving logistical support for delivery of COVID-19 vaccine. The airline’s dedicated cargo arm, SpiceXpress, will be transporting the vaccine through a specialised service called Spice Pharma Pro. The temperature sensitivity to maintain efficacy of the vaccine calls for reliable, fast and secure logistics partners who understand the importance of cold chains. Speaking about the development, Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet, says, “Since the lockdown began SpiceJet and SpiceXpress have worked relentlessly to ensure the transport of vital goods and medical supplies across the country and the world. We have constantly innovated — be it converting passenger planes into freighters or carrying cargo on seat. We have been preparing for the humungous task of transporting medicines, vaccines, blood samples and temperature-sensitive cargo by developing end-to-end cold chain logistics solutions.” “We have now tied up with global leaders in cold chain solutions offering active and passive packaging with dedicated equipment to perform seamless cold chain operations and I am happy to share that today SpiceXpress has the capability to transport extremely sensitive drugs and vaccines in controlled temperatures ranging from -40°c to +25°c,” informs Singh. “SpiceXpress is ready for the enormous task of distributing sensitive goods both domestically and internationally including COVID-19 vaccines that require stringent transportation conditions,” he adds.

GEODIS has structured its internal network of women and its mission is to give GEODIS employees opportunities to express themselves, to propose, initiate or relay actions that positively contribute to gender parity and to the assumption of responsibilities of women. The network also intends to act on the reputation of the logistics and transport industry, a traditionally male sector, in order to change its image and attract more women. The company has held its annual summit of the ‘GEODIS Women Network’ (GWN). “We want to continue the action taken and give women the means to access key positions. Our goal is to increase the number of women in managerial positions”, indicates, Mario Ceccon, Human Resources Director of the GEODIS group. “13% in 2017, they are now 18% women in management positions. We have set ourselves the objective of reaching 25% by 2023.” The GWN works for inclusion, reduction of professional disparities between men and women, improved work-life balance and equal career prospects. “With a President at its head, GEODIS is already sending a strong signal showing the access by women to positions of responsibility” indicates Mario Ceccon. Over the next 3 years, the GWN will focus its actions on the following various objectives: • Study and harmonization of possible pay gaps, • The establishment of a leadership program aimed at empowering women, • The development of the recruitment and representation of women in the transport and logistics industry. Attract more women to the Logistics & Transport sector The other objective of the network is to deconstruct the image of the sector by acting in favour of actions aimed at encouraging women to join the logistics and transport professions. “We encourage …

Freight forwarder cargo-partner has commenced the rollout of the CargoWise platform, owned by WiseTech Global, across the global network in 40 countries. CargoWise will enable cargo-partner’s logistics providers to carry out transactions for freight forwarding, customs clearance, warehousing, shipping, tracking, land transport, e-commerce and cross-border compliance, using a single platform. The software is being rolled out in stages across Asia, Oceania, Europe and the US and is expected to be completed by March 2023. Stefan Krauter, CEO, cargo-partner, sees great potential in the new software solution. He says, “CargoWise will be a revolutionary step in our next stage of growth. The ability to manage our global freight forwarding operations from a single platform that provides real-time visibility across our supply chain will enable cargo-partner to increase operational efficiency and focus on driving customer experience. We also expect to significantly improve cost efficiencies and productivity across our teams. The implementation of CargoWise is perfectly in line with our high-tech approach and commitment to providing end-to-end solutions that help us stay ahead of our competitors. Complementing our own visibility and collaboration platform SPOT, CargoWise was the clear leader in being able to provide us with the extensive functionality, configurability and flexibility that will support and drive our future growth initiatives.” He adds, “We see our future role in the digitalization of the global supply chain not in developing own standard software, but in developing individual client solutions, deep integration and ultimately in building clusters of artificial intelligence together with our customers. Of course many of these clusters will be connected and communicating with each other.” Richard White, Founder and CEO, WiseTech Global, says, “This is a fantastic result for cargo-partner and WiseTech …

ECS Group has announced the launch of a unique entity, GSA Mail Solutions, for airlines and postal operators. The structure is entirely dedicated to outsourcing airlines mail and e-commerce activities, as well as offering multiple transport solutions to postal operators by bridging the gap using the world largest GSA Network and proven technical expertise. With GSA Mail Solutions, ECS Group reacts efficiently to the rise in postal flows, particularly linked to the growth of E-commerce boosted by BtoC & CtoC online platforms. ‘Helping airlines to tap into this postal traffic on their destinations and accompanying them on new routes, offers them new sources of revenue. Our expertise in managing these flows along with the digital solutions we offer (customised EDI solutions in particular) also makes it possible to maximise capacities and guarantee parcel traceability’, says Adrien Thominet, CEO, ECS Group. This high-potential market should experience very considerable growth in the coming months and years, with an increased need for air freight solutions for postal operators. ‘We speak the airlines’ and postal operators’ language, so we are the perfect intermediary. With GSA Mail Solutions, postal operators have access to our entire network of airlines without having to go through endless steps. We therefore offer them an unprecedented increase in efficiency, because via a single point of contact – GSA Mail Solutions – they have access to a multitude of air freight solutions to route their postal flows wherever they need them’, says Adrien Thominet. Regulation, technicalities, and business intelligence are key success factors within this sector. Managing postal and E-commerce flows requires cutting edge expertise. GSA Mail Solutions will pair with ECS Group network (140 airlines represented, 155 offices in 50 …

IBS Software has partnered with CargoAi, to extend their presence in new and existing markets by leveraging on digital sales and distribution services. IBS Software is offering its iCargo customers the opportunity to increase their reach to the market and thereby scale their cargo revenues through a new partnership with CargoAi. IBS Software has been working with CargoAi since July 2020 to build a rich integration between iCargo and CargoAi using a scalable, API-based architecture. “Through this partnership, CargoAi and IBS Software have invested in creating platform-level integration to give our customers more choices on channels to digitally connect with their clients, faster time-to-market for such capabilities, and to do so with very little effort,” said Ashok Rajan, SVP & Head of Cargo & Logistics, IBS Software. “We believe that innovation can be fast-tracked by partnering with companies like CargoAi bringing in new and improved ways of doing business like in sales and distribution, which is still very antiquated and legacy-based in the air cargo industry,” he adds. Keen to offer a ‘digital ecosystem’ to its customers, IBS Software is making its motto of ‘Partnering for Innovation” a reality. With this API-based integration between platforms, airlines only have to turn on the switch for e-bookings from all over the world to reach their system. The process could not be easier for airlines – only a few days of tests are required between the platforms to get on board with CargoAi and no expensive bespoke IT development or complex system integration projects is required to deliver this capability. All the work has been done ahead of time by the two partners. “The integration currently covers real-time e-booking and e-quoting, flight availability …

AirBridgeCargo Airlines has accomplished its first COVID-19 vaccine transportation from Beijing (China). The delivery of COVID-19 vaccine has been orchestrated in partnership with UPS/Marken onboard one of the carrier’s Boeing 747 freighter. A total of 6,000 doses of vaccines, weighing almost 400 kg, were safely packed into CRĒDO™ XTREME passive temperature-controlled shipping container, stacked and loaded into standard AKE container and delivered under 2-8C temperature regime. As expected, the vaccines will be part of the clinical trials the manufacturer conducts in various countries across the globe. Casper Pan, Head of healthcare APAC (ABC) and a dedicated Vaccine Task Force within Volga-Dnepr Group, highlights: “After months of preparations, we are actually stepping into the COVID-19 vaccine transportation phase to deliver these sophisticated pharmaceutical products the whole world relies on as a source which will help all of us to get back to normal. Thanks to the dedication and commitment of our APAC and Global Healthcare Team the first transportation went smoothly and we are ready to leverage the stable flows”. Yulia Celetaria, Healthcare Director, Volga-Dnepr Group comments, “We would like to thank our customer, UPS, who has been masterminding the transportation with us, going step by step to guarantee that the vaccine efficacy is 100% maintained. We hope for further cooperation through our joint shipments, workshops and follow-up online meetings”. Together with other carriers within Volga-Dnepr Group ABC, which has successfully reconfirmed its CEIV IATA certification last year, has been strengthening its capabilities in the healthcare sector and vaccine transportations, including through regular shipments of other vaccines, as well as vaccine-related shipments (equipment, vials, injections, etc) which are essential for vaccine production. The company has also aligned regular communications with all …

Lufthansa Cargo and DB Schenker have joined hands to fly first CO2-neutral freight flight, whose fuel requirements will be completely covered by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Lufthansa Cargo’s Boeing 777F took off from Frankfurt to Shanghai at 8:10 a.m. local time under flight number LH8406. The logistics service provider and the air freight company will transport goods from Siemens Healthineers AG, among others, on this flight. DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo are committed to sustainable air transport and agreed in November 2020 to exchange views on environmental issues and to jointly promote them – including the move away from fossil fuels in air freight transport. “Even in the most severe crisis that has ever hit aviation, Lufthansa Cargo and DB Schenker are facing up to their responsibility for climate protection and are operating their first freight flight from Frankfurt to Shanghai entirely with sustainable alternative fuel. This is an important signal right now that the companies are looking to the future despite all the concerns and are taking important steps to make aviation more sustainable,” says, Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Scheuer. “With this flight we are committed to the increased research and use of SAF so that sufficient quantities of the alternative fuel will be available in the future. In addition to investments in a modern freighter fleet, our commitment to this CO2-neutral flight also contributes to the United Nations’ ‘Climate Action’ sustainability goal. Because Lufthansa Cargo takes its corporate responsibility very seriously and is actively taking measures to meet this responsibility and relieve the environment,” explains Peter Gerber, CEO, Lufthansa Cargo. “We are already further ahead than many think when it comes to climate protection in air …

Saudi Arabian Logistics Company (SAL) has launched its new pharma and perishable facilities,specialising in perishables and all types of pharmaceuticals, including the much-awaited Covid vaccines soon to be rolled out worldwide, at the Cargo Village in Riyadh. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Saudi Minister of Transport inaugurated SAL’s new facilities at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. With 5,000 square metres of storage, the pharma and perishable facilities combined can adequately handle up to 365,000 tonnes of cargo a year. With SAL’s partnership with the Saudi Customs, Saudi Food and Drug Authority has made clearance of shipments becomes easier and faster. The new facilities have four docks for loading refrigerated containers. The project, which started its operations, also has 12 warehouses with different temperatures ranging from minus 20 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius to suit the nature and type of cargo to be stored. In addition, within the facility, there is a special storage dedicated for flower cargo. Omar Hariri, CEO, SAL, comments, “The launch of the Riyadh Cold Storage facilities comes at a historic moment that coincides with the world’s anticipation for the delivery of the COVID vaccine. This urgency makes us harness the capabilities of the operation capacity of our pharmaceutical facility and be fully prepared to receive and handle the new vaccines in coordination with the health authorities.” “The new project will enhance SAL’s handling and storage services for medical and pharmaceuticals in line with the highest quality standards approved by the EU GDP,” he adds. The opening of the facilities ushers in a new and advanced phase for handling sensitive cargoes including foodstuffs that require special care. Within the facilities, there are divisions run …