Category Archives: Aviation

Pradeep Panicker, CEO, GMR Hyderabad International Airport shares, “Government has been promoting trade through initiatives like the recent G20 Middle East Europe Economic Corridor, which promotes EXIM trade. Additionally, the National Logistics Policy, Unified Logistics Interface Platform and Gati Shakthi are initiatives aimed at transforming the domestic logistics market, ensuring multi-modal connectivity, enhancing inter-stakeholder coordination and improving the ease of doing business in India. On the airports front, the government is in the process of developing a concept paper to promote hub airports in India. This initiative aims to position India as a hub for both passenger and cargo traffic, further enhancing its role in international trade and logistics.”    

CargoAi has added a new tool to its booking portal that allows forwarders to create real-time quotations for customers, says release. The Shipper Quotation Module will “significantly” reduce “the back-and-forth routine between procurement and sales teams” the software firm claimed. It works by enabling forwarders to generate quotes in retail time in response to customer enquiries through the CargoMART booking portal. The quotations can be managed independently without needing to rely on intermediaries. “The Shipper Quotation Module offers the flexibility to modify and cancel quotations directly from the CargoMART account,” CargoAi said. “Users can adjust their quotes to reflect changing market conditions and customer requirements, ensuring that they remain competitive and responsive to their clients’ needs.”

Chennai-based Kaushalya Logistics announced the launch of a new vertical in freight forwarding under full truck-load services besides boosting logistics with a new depot in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, said reports. The launch of the new cement depot on August 1 enhances the company’s logistics services for Adani cement, including rake point operations, depot management and secondary transportation, the statement Kaushalya Logistics said. The new depot is designed to handle approximately 120,000 metric tons of cement annually, supporting ACC and Ambuja Cement brands, thereby significantly broadening KLL’s service capabilities, it said. It also said that this depot facility will oversee the complete logistics chain, from rail movement to depot operations and transportation to secondary distribution points adding that this all-encompassing approach is set to streamline the supply chain and boost efficiency.

Cargo traffic at 12 major ports in the country grew 5.92% to 70.08 million tonnes (MT) in July from 66.17 MT handled in the year-ago period, according to the data released by major ports’ apex body Indian Ports Association. The data also showed that 10 of these major ports logged positive growth in cargo traffic handling, while the remaining two saw a negative growth, as per the IPA. The 12 major ports are Deendayal (Kandla), Mumbai, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Cochin, Chennai, Ennore (Kamarajar), Tuticorin (VO Chidambaranar), Visakhapatnam, Paradip and Kolkata (including Haldia) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port.

The political crisis in Bangladesh has posed significant concerns for the Indian exporters and importers, and especially for those who were operating or had their factories in the neighbouring country. As per experts, the ongoing disruption will have great impact on the global supply chains and will affect production schedules and delivery timelines of the Indian firms. Commenting on the crisis, C K Govil, President Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACAAI) and CMD, Activair Airfreight says, “The ongoing political crisis in Bangladesh has significantly disrupted Indian export cargo transshipments. This turmoil is causing delays and increasing logistical costs particularly affecting sectors like agriculture and textiles. Internet disruption and security concerns at borders are further complicating trade operations.”  

Modern Logistics is all set to start the first phase of its international expansion strategy later this month and has further plans to expand its fleet, said release. “The initial phase of the expansion strategy will begin on August 15 and expand Modern’s service to Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. The second phase will target Mexico and the US within six to twelve months. Cristiano Koga, Chief executive said, “We will start with at least two weekly frequencies [for each route]. We are still defining the days of the week. In terms of capacity, it is 20 to 22 tons per leg. These expansion plans are being supported by Modern Logistics’ acquisition of two 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters (BCFs).”

IndiGo CarGo has commenced freighter flights between Kolkata in India and Ezhou in China as it continues to expand its network. The freighter flights between Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) and Ezhou Huahu Airport (EHU) in central China’s Hubei Province will operate three times a week, said Mark Sutch, chief commercial officer cargo, said reports. “A great pleasure to officiate at the opening of IndiGo CarGo’s latest phase of its international freighter strategy,” stated Mark Sutch, CCO-Cargo, IndiGo in a LinkedIn post. “This week we opened a new 3 times weekly freighter service between Kolkata in India and Ezhou in China’s Hubei Province. For our customers the airport’s central China location offer very extensive reach via road feed service to multiple China metros,” he added.  

  The global air cargo industry has witnessed a continued surge in demand during the first half of 2024. According to the data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) it has been an exceptional period for air cargo. This remarkable rebound growth has not only surpassed the previous year’s figures but has also outperformed the record-breaking levels seen in 2021. June 2024 marked the seventh consecutive month of double-digit year-on-year growth in air cargo demand.

The Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI) has established a new board for a two-year term i.e. 2024-2026, in its 12th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 31st July 2024 in New Delhi. Sanjiv Edward, CEO – Cargo and Logistics at GMR Group, has been elected as the President of ACFI for the said term. Yashpal Sharma will serve on the board as an Ex-Officio (Immediate Past President), continuing his support for ACFI’s objectives and the enhancement of the Indian economy. The new governing board is excited and fully charged up looking forward to working together with the ACFI family and scaling new heights.  Together we can. Agenda focuses on air cargo infra-development, policy leveraging, ease of doing business, and overall ecosystem development to support air cargo growth in the country.