Category Archives: Aviation

Cathay Pacific Cargo has built on its many years of experience in transporting pharmaceutical shipments to develop a vaccine solution specifically for the fast and effective distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across the globe. The new quality-assured solution facilitates the fast and effective import and transhipment of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide. Tom Owen, Director – Cargo, Cathay Pacific, said, “With our 20 dedicated freighters and cargo bellies of passenger aircraft supporting our extensive freighter network, we stand ready to assist with what will be the biggest humanitarian response to a situation involving civil aviation that anyone has ever seen.” The cargo carrier is progressively rolling out ‘Ultra Track’ as a key part of the vaccine solution. The next-generation track-and-trace system monitors information including temperature, GPS location, and humidity, using low-energy Bluetooth readers. This gives shippers and forwarders near real time visibility, and ensures vaccines will remain within their transportation temperature ranges. Operations Control Centre In addition, shipments using Ultra Track will also be monitored by the newly established Operations Control Centre. Based in Hong Kong, and staffed by dedicated cargo professionals 24/7, the team can instruct ramp and cargo terminal staff to take proactive steps to ensure the various storage requirements of vaccines are maintained. Owen said, “Ultra Track will allow forwarders to monitor the condition of their vaccine shipments in near real time. It will be progressively rolled out through the first quarter of this year, and we will be offering the service free of charge for any COVID-19 vaccine shipments.” CEIV Pharma accreditation The combined approach follows on from an airport-wide recertification of IATA’s CEIV Pharma accreditation (the internationally recognised quality-assurance scheme for pharmaceutical shipments) at Hong Kong International Airport. …

Delhi Cargo Service Center handled the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine from Pune. The first consignment of the Covishield vaccine reached Delhi from Pune, four days ahead of the launch of the nationwide vaccination drive. The first truck carrying the shipment of COVID-19 vaccine entered on January 12, 2021 into the facility of Delhi Cargo service Center from the airside rolls. The company has created a green channel for COVID-19 vaccine to come in from airside to the DCSC domestic cargo terminal. The team at DCSC completed the task of unloading and re-loading of the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccine in 10 minutes and one second.

GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC) handled the first consignment of Covid 19 vaccines shipment arrived at the Cargo terminal by the Spicejet freighter from Pune. The vaccine consignment consisting of 31 boxes of 1 MT of Covishield vaccine were offloaded from the aircraft parked in the adjoining dedicated cargo apron and swiftly taken to the vaccine storage and handling areas in the GHAC Terminal. The Covishield vaccine consignment was handled as per the special protocol ensuring cool-chain integrity. A dedicated Vaccine Task Force that has been formed, with a nodal person, to ensure a seamless and high priority movement of Covid 19 vaccines handled the shipment at the Hyderabad International Airport. The Task Force ensured the quick movement of the vaccine through the domestic inbound section to the reefer truck bound for Consignee (State Govt. Dept.). Out of 41 mini-hubs planned across the country by the Govt of India, Hyderabad has been notified as one of the designated distribution points for South India. “The GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo has been relentlessly working for timely and smooth supply of essentials and other relief material during the Covid times to various destinations. The first consignment of the Covid 19 vaccine was today received at the Hyderabad International Airport. GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC) has a major role cut out in the entire value chain of vaccine shipments and is well equipped with the necessary infrastructure to handle 100’s of MT of vaccine cargo per day. The terminal offers one of India’s largest fleet of the modern temp-controlled Cool Containers viz. Cool Dolly, Envirotainer, VaQtec, etc. The handling of the Covid 19 vaccine consignment has been a collaborative effort of all stakeholders involved, …

SpiceXpress has announced the launch of SpiceTag, a real-time tracking service for its partners and cargo agents which is set to elevate cargo shipment experience like never before. SpiceTag aims to revolutionise door-to-door cargo thereby making it utmost convenient for its partners enabling them to ship their cargo with speed and complete transparency. It is applicable for all domestic cargo, both door-to-door and airport-to-airport services. The cargo carrier has designed a transparent tracking system by providing end-to-end scanning, which enables customers to get live status updates. Automated notifications, shipment status reports, digital invoice downloading solutions are some of the other unique features of this service. Ajay Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, SpiceJet said, “SpiceXpress has the capability to deliver all kinds of cargo in a seamless and efficient manner both within and outside India. In the times of social distancing, technology and digitisation have extremely critical role to play in ensuring seamless execution of operations with utmost safety. SpiceTag is an idea emerging out of the same insight which helps in seamlessly transporting cargo with minimum human contact. With SpiceTag, we aim to further enhance our services by offering our partners the facility to track shipments on a real time basis.” In order to avail SpiceTag, our partners and agents will have to create an account on SpiceXpress which will allow them to make online booking of their cargo shipment through www.spicexpress.com. While the entire process is contactless, it also allows customers to make online payment through a payment gateway thereby offering a hassle-free experience.

MASKargo celebrated the success of its first charter flight of 2021 transporting approximately 20 tonnes of Covid-19 test kits from Seoul to Jakarta. The carrier utilised an Airbus A330-200 freighter for the flight, which operated between Incheon International in South Korea and Soekarno-Hatta International in Indonesia with a two-hour transit at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The ad hoc deployment of the charter service was due to the urgent need to ensure timely delivery of the items, the carrier informs. Ibrahim Mohamed Salleh, Chief Executive, MasKargo says: “With the adequate infrastructure to ensure the safe handling, transportation, and distribution of the temperature-sensitive goods, MASkargo maintained the aircraft temperature at between 15˚C to 25˚C throughout the eleven-hour flight. This mission has proven beyond doubt, MASkargo’s capability and solid track record of carrying time and temperature-sensitive products within its network and beyond.”

With an aim to provide distribution and storage of the Covid-19 vaccine, Moderna and Kuehne+Nagel has announced that they have agreed an international supply chain arrangement. The announcement follows the granting of conditional marketing authorisation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for Covid-19 Vaccine Moderna. Kuehne+Nagel will support the worldwide distribution of vaccine doses from Moderna’s international supply chain, based in Europe. This includes distribution to markets in Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa, and parts of the Americas. “We are proud to be partnering with Kuehne+Nagel from Europe to support the distribution of vaccines to global citizens. Following the recent approvals, this is another step closer to resolving the pandemic and an exciting time for both our companies and everyone involved,” says, Dan Staner, Vice President Head of EMEA region, Moderna Inc. The arrangement includes distribution and warehousing of the vaccine from Kuehne+Nagel’s pharma hub in Europe. Kuehne+Nagel will use its network of more than 230 operations worldwide to distribute the vaccine via road and air. In Europe alone, the company operates its own fleet of over 200 dedicated pharmaceutical transport vehicles. At all stages of transport and storage, product integrity at the required temperature of -20°C will be maintained. Robert Coyle, Senior Vice President, Pharma & Healthcare, Kuehne + Nagel Management AG, comments: “With today’s announcement, we take on the responsibility to distribute Covid-19 Vaccine Moderna around the world. We have invested in our pharma & healthcare network and our global team of experts for decades – we are ready now, for when it matters the most.” Kuehne+Nagel’s clinical trial logistics subsidiary, QuickSTAT, has been an integral part of Moderna’s vaccine supply chain as well, having supported Phase …

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued guidelines for the packaging and transportation of the COVID-19 vaccine by air. The guidelines direct airlines and airport authorities to ensure that vaccines are packaged in ry ice and refrigerated material to maintain low temperature ranging between -8 degrees Celsius to -70 degrees Celsius essential for its transportation. The guidelines clearly state that the preferred mode of transport for the COVID-19 vaccine would be air considering the urgency at which it is required. The DGCA has highlighted the importance of the carriage of vaccine from the place of manufacture to the place of administration considering ‘the high expectations of the government(s), health care personnel and the general public’. As per the guidelines, all scheduled operators that have currently been authorised to carry dangerous goods can transport the COVID-19 vaccine. Those that are not scheduled including operators in general aviation, need to seek specific approval before commencing the operations. The DGCA also said all operators while engaging in the transportation of COVID-19 vaccines packed with dry ice shall establish the maximum quantity of dry ice that can be loaded in a given cargo hold and/or compartment or in the main deck (passenger cabin) when a passenger version aircraft is deployed for all cargo operations. “This maximum quantity shall be based on the aircraft manufacturers’ information on maximum recommended dry ice quantities that the aircraft ventilation can support, depending on the sublimation rate and also the requirement of the operators’ Safety Management Systems,” it noted.

On October 28, 2014, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced the policy guidelines on Air Freight Stations (AFSs) with an objective to strengthen air cargo logistics infrastructure in the country. Commenting on why the project is not taking off in India, Vipin Vohra, Chairman, Continental Carriers, says, “This is a government policy and a key project of ‘Make in India’ campaign, still we wonder why MoCA is not initiating and starting air freight stations in the country. The AFS policy was announced with an aim to increase air cargo volumes by decongesting the air cargo terminals at the international gateway airports, thereby reducing air logistics costs for companies engaged in foreign trade. Continental Carriers is the first company that did huge investment in the AFS, believing the Government of India’s AFS policy appreciating the idea of boosting the economy and bringing supply chain management on par with global standards. This has been a disappointing journey since the first Green Field AFS of Continental Carriers was approved by government on August 8, 2016. It’s already been six years. We have been struggling with all the government departments but have failed miserably due to the fact that terminal operators have more say in MoCA/AERA/Logistics Departments of Commerce Ministry and they are not interested that this concept gets started.”

The world’s leading cargo carrier introduced its sustainability project, WeQare, which consists of a series of positive and impactful actions in the form of chapters. These actions are based on the core pillars of sustainability – environment, society, economy and culture. They are being implemented at all levels of the cargo carrier’s business which is a real turning point for air freight and will make the cargo carrier’s operations more sustainable, going forward. “We are deeply concerned about the legacy we leave for the future generation. As a leading cargo carrier, we want to make CSR a key strategic element of our business and want our positive actions to have a ripple effect. Keeping this in mind, we are proud to present WeQare, a project close to the heart of every Qatar Airways Cargo employee,” said Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways. Last July, Qatar Airways Cargo launched Chapter 1 in its series of WeQare actions by providing the free transport of 1 million kilos of humanitarian aid and medical equipment to charitable organizations. Chapter 2 will be announced this month. To commemorate this important programme, the cargo carrier also released a special logo. Its tree patterns symbolise life and growth, the environment and our society as a whole. The tree patterns are enclosed within a round shape representing the planet. All of these elements are united around a common or shared purpose – sustainability. The cargo carrier’s employees are the driving force behind WeQare, a project that encourages cohesion and also provides a sense of fulfilment. All chapters launched throughout the programme are directly linked to everyday activities of the cargo carrier, its daily experience within the …

To liberalise air cargo services in Latin America, the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) two regional offices for the Americas – the South American Regional Office (SAM) and the North American, Central American and Caribbean (NACC) Office – have established new multilateral agreement for the development and emergence of the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC)’s. The agreement comes into effect immediately among its 10 signatories and establishes expanded traffic rights – called ‘seventh freedom’ traffic rights – that permit airlines from one LACAC Member State to provide all-cargo services between two other signatory States without restrictions on routes and capacity. The 10 states involved are Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. “COVID-19 has imposed significant constraints on the entire air transport industry, and enterprises of all sizes are re-evaluating their business models,” noted ICAO’s Secretary General, Dr. Fang Liu. “To remain flexible and responsive to the countries’ needs, ICAO is adapting global regulatory approaches where this can aid pandemic response and global recovery efforts.” The agreement will remain in effect for one year, until 31 December 2021, and can be extended for a further year, at the discretion of LACAC States. Besides its immediate impacts in terms of pandemic response and recovery, ICAO encourages other countries to view it as a significant step in advancing the ‘ICAO Long-Term Vision for International Air Transport Liberalisation’. “Our hope would be to see this regional development evolve into a more permanent and global agreement, enabling more liberalised and sustainable 21st century air services,” Liu emphasised. “In the near-term, it should help increase the efficiency of vaccine distribution and, in the longer term, it should enable …