Category Archives: Aviation

Hactl has returned to full manning and normal operations, following the reporting on October 7th of a single case of COVID-19 in the company’s ramp handling team, which led to the quarantining of his close work contacts by Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection. All quarantined staff subsequently tested negative, have now been released from the quarantine centre and have returned home. The manpower shortage resulting from the quarantine affected around 20% of flights but – despite the additional impact on all airport operations of two typhoons on October 9th and 13th – the situation was progressively brought under control through increased overtime, re-scheduling of some flights, re-deployment of other ramp-trained Hactl staff and subcontracting of some duties to other operators. Less than 5% of Hactl’s workforce were affected, and over 80% of flights were handled within normal time frames. Hactl’s terminal operations were not affected. There is no truth in some reports of two-three day delays.

There is immense congestion in cargo clearance at Airports, especially in Delhi Airport Cargo Terminals due to sudden mandate by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) to follow the order of 2015 regarding rules of screening export cargo, said Pradeep Multani, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in a press statement issued here today. The order regarding the change in the operational method of x-ray of cargo (Aviation Security Service (AVSEC) Order no. 11/2015) states that before delivery to air carrier, all cargo processed at the terminals shall be subject to 100% X-Ray screening at piece level. This decision of screening cargo on a piece level basis is a cumbersome task, which requires more manpower, security staff and x-ray machines, said Multani. The catastrophic effect causes high congestion at the airport due to slow cargo clearance at piece level, average time for a shipment has increased from 12 hours to 1-2 days, shippers have to pay higher demurrage, staff of the shippers has to work for a long shift to clear the order and even some export orders are getting affected, said Multani.

American Airlines Cargo further enhances its transatlantic services for cargo customers this winter with direct service from London Heathrow (LHR) to nine key U.S. cities starting in November onward. The airline will operate doubly daily service from LHR to John. F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), and daily service to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Miami International Airport (MIA), Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) all starting in November. Additionally, German customers will see a special limited-time service in November between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and CLT to connect Germany to the important production and consumption centers in the U.S. South East. “These winter services are tremendous news for American Airlines customers in the UK and Europe where capacity to the U.S. and beyond has proved to be very tight over the last eighteen months,” says Tim Isik, Sales Director – EMEA & APAC for American Airlines Cargo.

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation launched the Krishi UDAN 2.0 scheme on with additional 4 locations – Ahmedabad, Vadodra, Rajkot and Bhavnagar – in Gujrat have been identified to set up cargo terminals with the development of hub and spoke model along with a freight grid. Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, said, “This scheme will open up more avenues of growth for the agricultural sector and help attain the goal of doubling farmers’ income by removing barriers in supply chain, logistics and transportation of farm produce.” The Krishi UDAN 2.0 scheme has given a full waiver of airport charges at select airports including Srinagar, Dibrugarh, Imphal, Jorhat, Lucknow, Tuticorin and Kozhikode among many others.

Blue Dart Express Limited, declared its financial results for the quarter ended September 30 2021, at its Board Meeting held in Mumbai. The company posted ₹895 million profit after tax (previous year corresponding quarter was at ₹414 million) for the quarter ended September 30, 2021; Revenue from operations for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 stood at ₹11,236 million. Revenue from operations for the half year ended September 30, 2021 stood at ₹19,884 million and profit after tax at ₹1,189 million. Balfour Manuel, Managing Director, Blue Dart says, “The company witnessed strong pull back in demand during the quarter as wave II of pandemic started slowing down. All economic indicators like GDP growth, Index for Industrial Production, GST collections etc. reflected strong recovery. Growth during the quarter is testimony to heightened business activities of key industrial verticals.”

Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia met the Cargo Advisory Group today to discuss key issues in further boosting the Air cargo services. Members present during the meeting were Vipin Vohra, Cyrus N Katgara, Keku Bomi Gazder, Sanjiv Edward and others. The presentation was given by the Cargo Advisory Group, led by Cyrus Katgara, President ACFI. The discussion involved making an effective Air Cargo Eco-System with strong International Airline network, robust domestic air connectivity, Multi Modal connectivity and Hinterland Connectivity through AFS Spokes. Members from FFFAI also shared some key issues required to be addressed such as: * TDS on Freight Commissions charged by Airlines/Shippers – Double Deduction, * TDS Lower Deduction/ Nil Deduction Certificate issued u/s 197 of the Income Tax Act to the Airlines. * “Foreign Exchange Earner” recognition to the Freight Forwarders (FF’s) and Custom Brokers (CB’s) under service exports. * Clarity Sought by Freight Forwarders on certain points regarding SEIS scheme.

Air freight rates were 86 percent higher in August 2021 compared to the 2019 baseline and 20 percent more than the 2020 level. Rates will remain high on huge demand growth against the limited capacity increase, according to the DHL report on the Airfreight state of the industry. Volume growth was strong at +21 percent year-on-year in August 2021. The airfreight market is set to see strong demand due to the upcoming ecommerce events like Black Friday and Singles Day. Another key reason for the high demand is the conversion of ocean freight to air due to port congestion in the U.S. Rates continued to remain high in August as manufacturers were replenishing stocks using air freight, the report said.

DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo became news when a cargo flight flew on rotation between Europe and Asia, whose fuel requirements are completely covered by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). To continue their contribution towards a greener future, DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo extend their weekly CO2-free freighter flights between Frankfurt and Shanghai. The joint mission will be continued throughout the entire winter flight schedule until March 2022. Now Nokia has signed up for the initiative. Every week, the global telecommunication network provider will avoid greenhouse gas emissions by using the world’s only freighter flight 100 percent covered by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), produced from renewable waste, such as used cooking oils. The fuel requirement for the flight rotation from Frankfurt (FRA) to Shanghai (PVG) and back is covered entirely by SAF. This saves around 174 tons of conventional kerosene every week. During the summer flight schedule 2021, the initiative successfully achieved a net reduction of 20,250 tons of greenhouse gases (CO2e). In the upcoming winter flight schedule, from the end of October 2021 to the end of March 2022, another 14,175 tons are expected.

Cargolux introduced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) program in the airline’s services and takes Cargolux’s sustainability engagement one step further, cementing the company’s commitment to decarbonizing its operations. The airline aims to being carbon neutral by 2050 and has acted to be fully compliant with upcoming proposed European regulations and offsetting schemes. This new milestone is an additional step in the company’s endeavor to reduce CO2 emissions and lays the foundation for a customer sustainability program, that will offer more sustainable options for their transportation requirements. “Our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility is intrinsic to our business model and the introduction of SAF in our operation is a significant step forward for Cargolux. We are pleased to be part of an industry-wide initiative to make our business, our industry and our world more sustainable”, says Richard Forson, President and CEO, Cargolux.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) adds a new ‘quote and book’ function to IATA Net rates and IAG Cargo, the cargo division of International Airlines Group (IAG), becomes the first carrier to integrate the feature. This will enable airlines to offer freight forwarders dynamic pricing for booking their shipments. “The pandemic has accelerated the appetite for digitalization across the air cargo industry. IATA Net Rates new ‘quote and book’ function simplifies and accelerates the rate distribution and booking process between airlines and freight forwarders, saving valuable time by eliminating manual, labour-intensive processes. We are pleased to expand our Net Rates partnership with IAG Cargo to support their efficient cargo rates distribution and booking capabilities, across the different airlines of the group,” said Frederic Leger, Interim Senior Vice President for Commercial Products and Services, IATA, & President, CNS. The Net Rates platform can be accessed through Net Rates online or integrated with customer systems, accelerating the distribution of rates to market while simplifying and reducing the cost of rate handling procedures.