Category Archives: Aviation

Surcharge are being increased as supply chain disruption due to the Ukraine invasion continues. FedEx Express is introducing increasing its peak surcharges on FedEx Express parcel and freight shipments and TNT shipments for some shipments moving between Asia Pacific (APAC) and countries in APAC, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and Middle East, Indian subcontinent and Africa (MEISA). The increases apply to some shipments moving between Europe and countries in all regions; and some shipments moving between India and countries in APAC, Europe, and MEISA. “Due to continued disruptions in the global supply chain, air cargo capacity remains limited. We are incurring incremental costs as we continue to adjust our international networks and operate in this constrained environment,” said FedEx. Express logistics firm UPS also increased the peak/demand surcharges applied to shipments from major Asia Pacific origins (excluding China, Hong Kong SAR or Macau SAR) to 19 countries in Europe on February 27, until further notice. DHL Express has not announced any new charges, but said on its website: “We have temporarily suspended DHL Express shipments to and from Ukraine, Belarus and for inbound shipments to Russia.” Forwarder Scan Global Logistics, which has temporarily suspended bookings to/from Russia and Belarus from 4-18 March, also said in a release: “Cargolux has introduced a war surcharge of USD 0.20/kg from cargo to and from Asia.”

Lufthansa Cargo expects global market capacity will be approximately 10% down as a result of the Ukraine invasion. Lufthansa Cargo chief executive Dorothea von Boxberg said this is because of restrictions for global fleets. Russian carriers are restricted by airspace sanctions by the European Union, UK and US, European carriers are not able to fly over Russia and Ukraine, while, Japanese carriers are flying around the Russian airspace and Middle Eastern airlines have seen no changes. Two high profile airlines to be affected are Volga-Dnepr Group airlines, which are not able to operate flights to Europe and North America, and Narita-hubbed Nippon Cargo Airlines that has temporarily suspended flights to Europe. Lufthansa Cargo also calculated a 10% capacity reduction for its freighter operations from Asia Pacific to the European Union. She confirmed that the closure of Ukraine airspace and Russia’s decision to close airspace to airlines from 36 countries has impacted operations. “That affects some of our most important routes into China, Japan and South Korea.” These routes would usually cross Russian space, but now a route south of Russia and Ukraine is being taken that means flights take 1.5 to 2.5 hours longer than normal. However, as the average door-to-door time of a shipment is five to six days, this extra time won’t make much difference to shippers. Payload restrictions are also an issue.

Cainiao Network (Cainiao), the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, announced the partnership with Qatar Airways Cargo to launch a weekly charter flight from Hong Kong (HKG), China, to São Paulo (GRU), Brazil, and serve one of Cainiao’s fastest-growing e-commerce destinations in Latin America. On 5 March, the first Cainiao chartered Boeing 777 freighter departed Hong Kong Airport (HKG) at 6.45 p.m. UTC, headed for Guarulhos Airport (GRU), São Paulo, Brazil, with a tech stop at Qatar Airways Cargo’s hub in Doha, Qatar. The cargo on board included online retail products such as beauty and fashion goods, jewellery, watches, appliances, toys, and sports equipment. Operating once a week, the Boeing 777 freighter provides 100 tonnes of cargo capacity. “Cainiao’s mission is to deliver globally within 72 hours; a goal that can be achieved with the right logistics partners. In just over a year, Cainiao has established a comprehensive operation in Latin America, and we see that e-commerce retail in Brazil, in particular, is growing at a phenomenal rate. With Qatar Airways Cargo, we are in a good position to support that growth, and look forward to a long and fruitful partnership,” says William Xiong, Cainiao’s Chief Strategist and General Manager for Export Logistics. Cainiao has experienced a three-figure growth rate in its Latin American business over the past year and has driven a focused air cargo network expansion in recent months to secure smooth supply chain performance. “There is no doubt that e-commerce is not only here to stay but is also one of the fastest-growing commodities within logistics, today. It demands versatility, speed, accuracy, and a reliable, global network,” Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo of Qatar Airways Cargo, explains. “We …

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) announced that six new members have been elected by the Trustees to serve on the Board of Directors, expanding the industry expertise of the Board. The new board members bring a wealth of experience from the airport, airline, and handling sectors. New board members include Kai Domscheit, CHI Handling; Dan Sheehan, UPS; Tushar Jani, Cargo Service Center India; Kamesh Peri, Celebi Ground Handling; Roos Bakker, Schiphol Airport; and Massimo Roccasecca, Verona-Brescia Airport. Kai Domscheit is the Chief Executive Officer of CHI Deutschland Cargo Handling. CHI Deutschland Cargo Handling offers forwarding and airline handling, trucking and air cargo security in the largest airfreight hub in Europe, Cargo City South, Frankfurt. Dan Sheehan is the Director of Industry for UPS. UPS’s comprehensive hub-and-spoke network provides you with access to key transportation centres across the U.S. and beyond. Tushar Jani is the Chairman of Cargo Service Center India – Cargo Service Center India is an end-to-end cargo handling group that handles both general, sensitive, as well as perishable cargo. Kamesh Peri is the Chief Executive Officer of Delhi Airport. Celebi Ground Handling is a ground handler offering ramp, passenger, and cargo handling, warehouse management, bridge operations, trucking, general aviation, airport lounge management, and premium services. Roos Bakker, Director of Business Development for Airline Route and Network Development at Schiphol Airport: Schiphol Airport is renowned for its collaborative model. Schiphol Cargo successfully brings together our logistics community, Dutch Customs and academia. Massimo Roccasecca is the Group Cargo Director for the SAVE Group. The SAVE Group is the managing company for Venice, Verona, Brescia, and Treviso Airports. “With the appointment of the six latest members, we have continued our …

Cainiao Network (Cainiao), the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, announced the partnership with Qatar Airways Cargo to launch a weekly charter flight from Hong Kong (HKG), China, to São Paulo (GRU), Brazil, and serve one of Cainiao’s fastest growing e-commerce destinations in Latin America. The first Cainiao chartered Boeing 777 freighter departed Hong Kong Airport (HKG) for Guarulhos Airport (GRU), São Paulo, Brazil, with a tech stop at Qatar Airways Cargo’s hub in Doha, Qatar. The cargo on board included online retail products such as beauty and fashion goods, jewellery, watches, appliances, toys, and sports equipment. Operating once a week, the Boeing 777 freighter provides 100 tonnes of cargo capacity. “Cainiao’s mission is to deliver globally within 72 hours; a goal that can be achieved with the right logistics partners. In just over a year, Cainiao has established a comprehensive operation in Latin America, and we see that e-commerce retail in Brazil, in particular, is growing at a phenomenal rate. With Qatar Airways Cargo, we are in a good position to support that growth, and look forward to a long and fruitful partnership,” says William Xiong, Cainiao’s Chief Strategist and General Manager for Export Logistics. “There is no doubt that e-commerce is not only here to stay but is also one of the fastest-growing commodities within logistics, today. It demands versatility, speed, accuracy, and a reliable, global network,” Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo of Qatar Airways Cargo, explains. “We are constantly enhancing our service offering. We launched specialised e-commerce products with charter programmes, among others, back in 2015, already – around the same time as we began operations to Guarulhos, São Paulo. We are therefore in a strong position to …

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) welcomed it’s six new members been elected by the Trustees to serve on the Board of Directors expanding industry expertise of the Board. The new members include, Kai Domscheit, CHI Handling; Dan Sheehan, UPS; Tushar Jani, Cargo Service Center India; Kamesh Peri, Celebi Ground Handling; Roos Bakker, Schiphol Airport and Massimo Roccasecca, Verona-Brescia Airport; bringing a wealth of experience from the airport, airline and handling sectors. * Kai Domscheit, Chief Executive Officer of CHI Deutschland Cargo Handling which offers forwarding and airline handling; trucking and air cargo security in the largest air freight hub in Europe. * Dan Sheehan, Director of Industry of UPS. It’s comprehensive hub-and-spoke network provides access to key transportation centers across the U.S. and beyond. * Tushar Jani, Chairman of Cargo Service Center India, is an end-to-end cargo handling group that handles both general, sensitive, as well as perishable cargo. * Kamesh Peri, Chief Executive Officer, Delhi Airport – Celebi Ground Handling is a ground handler offering Ramp, Passenger, Cargo Handling, Warehouse Management, Bridge Operations, Trucking, General Aviation, Airport Lounge Management and Premium Services. * Roos Bakker, Director of Business Development for Airline Route and Network Development, Schiphol Airport, renowned for its collaborative model. Schiphol Cargo successfully brings together our logistics community, Dutch Customs and academia. * Massimo Roccasecca, is the Group Cargo Director for the SAVE Group. The SAVE Group is the managing company for Venice, Verona, Brescia and Treviso Airports. “With the appointment of the six latest Members, we have continued our commitment to expand the Board of Directors across the industry sectors to ensure every sector’s view is well represented within the group. We look forward to …

Amerijet International Airlines has announced the launch of its new cargo management system, SmartKargo. The new online system enables the airline’s customers greater flexibility to view prices, capacity and make real-time bookings. Digital transformation and automation have been in the forefront of Amerijet’s vision to provide its customers with digital innovation every step of the way. “The new cargo system will bring efficiencies to Amerijet and its customers, and with SmartKargo we will provide not only a streamlined user experience for our forwarders and direct cargo customers but also reliable access to our capacity, and real time data at every step of the distribution journey,” said Tim Strauss, Amerijet’s Chief Executive Officer. Using the new online system, Amerijet’s customers can access capacity throughout Amerijet’s global freight network anytime, anywhere. Customers will use the new platform by accessing their existing Amerijet MyCargo suite at www.amerijet.com. “SmartKargo is a part of a comprehensive investment strategy in new technology and processes that will benefit both our employees and customers every day. We are very pleased with our SmartKargo experience, and we hope our customers will be too,” added Eric Wilson, Chief Commercial Officer. “We will be investing in our customer experience moving forward as we continue to grow,” Wilson said.

Even as the world is fighting a battle with the pandemic, the impact of the Russian-Ukraine war has hit logistics and cargo like a Damocles sword. The conflict has made commercial shipping through sea routes in Russia and Ukraine suicidal. Most ports in the region are closed and commercial ships are not accepting orders from Russia or making port calls. As per a statement, Container xChange, premier container leasing and trading marketplace, stated, “Due to disruption to commercial shipping on the sea lanes, we expect container build-ups at ports to exacerbate at storage areas in the region. The closure of airspace across Russia and Europe has reduced air freight capacity.” It added, “Maritime trade with Russia and businesses could be difficult in the near future. On Monday, the UK has banned all Russian ships from entering its ports. What’s more, the EU intercepted and seized one ship. On the Asia-Europe trade, we see more demand for maritime shipments and equipment out of Asia due to modal shift.” “Russian and Belarussian ports in the Baltic, Black Sea and Sea of Azov may see a build-up of boxes if carriers refuse port calls due to the precarious situation and sanctions. The full implications of sanctions are not yet clear, but the closure of the SWIFT system to Russia will make payments from Russian partners difficult.” An official said, “Borders with the EU are closed. We expect the war to add to the stretched nature of global container supply chains, bringing more inflation and delays.”

American Airlines Cargo has announced a dedicated suite of products and priorities to make it easier for customers to book a variety of Life Sciences and Healthcare shipments – a segment that has seen a 17% volume increase over the last years across regions the airline serves. With advancements in individualized healthcare and medical innovations that lead to longer, healthier lives, fast and reliable transportation of these shipments has never been more crucial. This new offering leverages the network of the world’s largest airline and award-winning expertise to serve customers now and into the future. The Life Sciences suite offers cargo products designed for time-sensitive shipments. Whether under 100lbs, bulk or containerized, American’s Priority Parcel Service (PPS) or ExpediteFS services provide benefits including next-flight booking options, priority boarding and the shortest tender times. These two products are also customizable, as the airline offers an array of handling and monitoring capabilities based on the level of handling a shipment may need – from prioritized take-off and landing for life-saving medical shipments with MEDEVAC service, to enhanced monitoring and proactive updates with Critical PPS service. Also included in the Life Sciences suite is American’s cold-chain solution, ExpediteTC. This product offers both active and passive temperature capabilities for shipments and has earned the airline Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma) certification. Awarded by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), CEIV Pharma certification recognizes air carriers and entire air cargo supply chains that have established the tools, procedures and staffing to ensure pharmaceuticals are properly handled and maintain product integrity. American is currently CEIV Pharma certified for its operations in and out of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Philadelphia …

Air cargo shippers on Asia to Europe lanes should expect a spike in prices as a substantial amount of capacity has come out of the market. The EU and UK ban on Russian aircraft in their airspace, in the past three days has forced Volga-Dnepr Group’s AirBridgeCargo (ABC) remove all its aircraft from Europe. With the ban in place, at least four aircrafts have departed the EU. ABC in the current marketplace has a large capacity with its fleet containing 15 747Fs, and one 777F. With Asia-Europe its key operating region, the aircraft are currently either in Russia or operating to destinations in Asia. It remains to be seen what volumes it can carry in its new restricted world. Volga-Dnepr Airlines’ aircraft have also left the EU, with one AN-124 destined to arrive in Marseille yesterday, diverted to Tunis. Canada has also banned Russian airlines from its airspace, but one AN-124 appears to be in Toronto, and it is unclear whether it will be able to leave. Even the US is considering a ban on Russian airlines but has not yet implemented it. ABC had two aircraft in the US which departed over the weekend. EU airlines associated with Volga-Dnepr – Cargologicair in the UK and Cargologic Germany – continue to operate normally, and all aircraft are currently in the EU or UK. The impact is not only being felt by the Russian airlines. Finnair Cargo has also cut all its operations to east Asia, reducing capacity again. The airline will not operate to Osaka, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai or Guangzhou, with a review of the situation to take place on 6 March.