Category Archives: Aviation

Bolloré Logistics Switzerland has handled the door-to-door shipment of 50 tonnes of temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products from Europe to Iraq for a leading biotech company. The operation started on January 16 at the customer’s warehouse in Germany. The goods were carefully packed in passive cool boxes equipped with cooling elements to maintain the temperature of +2°C to +8°C. For additional protection were the pallets covered with special thermal blankets. The pre-transport to Cologne airport was executed by temperature-controlled full truck loads and the air freight to Bagdad airport by full charter A330F. The precious shipment was upon arrival at destination on the tarmac directly loaded into pre-conditioned temperature-controlled trucks for delivery to the consignee. Based on detailed preparation and in-depth process set-up with the various stake holders was the complex customs clearance finalized within a record time to make it possible that the entire operation of the end-to-end delivery was accomplished within 24 hours. The optimal transport conditions ensured the perfect preservation and integrity of the pharmaceutical products.

Crystal Logistic Cool Chain (Crystal) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pluss Advanced Technologies (PLUSS) for the supply of indigenously developed precise temperature control boxes required of maintaining the effectiveness of the vaccine during transport. According to the MoU, PLUSS will supply its patented product – Celsure®, developed using its proprietary Phase Change Material technology, for transportation of the Covid-19 vaccines from the manufacturer to different parts of the country. Crystal specialises in refrigerated warehousing (cold storages), refrigerated transportation on a pan-India network. “Transportation of the vaccine while maintaining the precise temperature control is as important as the vaccine itself. This partnership is a very significant step towards ensuring the COVID-19 vaccine reaches its destinations in a way that maintains its efficacy,” said Samit Jain, MD, PLUSS. While, transporting pharmaceutical products, biological products or vaccines in particular, the need to maintain precise temperature ranges is very important and the efficacy of vaccine can be impacted if the temperature goes above or below the specified range. PLUSS, an India based material solutions company has designed and manufactured a precise temperature-control delivery solution that is required for vaccine delivery to the last mile. “Crystal Group has always been championing warehousing services and we see a major role for Crystal Logistic Cool Chain to play in transportation and storage of the COVID-19 vaccine. With PLUSS’ temperature control boxes we will ensure last mile delivery, to even the remotest parts of India,” said Akash Agarwal, CEO, Crystal Logistic Cool Chain.

CEVA Logistics has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Abu Dhabi Ports to work with the Hope Consortium. The Consortium is the umbrella organization of a UAE-based public-private partnership set up to address the logistical challenge of the worldwide distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. Spearheaded by the Abu Dhabi Department of Health, the Hope Consortium comprises some of the Emirate’s leading supply chain solution players and consists of Etihad Cargo, Abu Dhabi Ports, Rafed (the healthcare purchasing arm of ADQ – the Abu Dhabi Developmental holding company) and temperature-controlled ULD firm, Skycell alongside a group of specially selected international freight forwarders including CEVA Logistics. With the ability to work with small, medium and large sized multinational companies, CEVA Logistics offers a broad range of Contract Logistics and Freight Management services to support both the shipment and distribution of vaccines. Says Guillaume Col, Chief Operating Officer CEVA Logistics, “The ongoing nature of the global pandemic means the delivery of vaccines around the world is the number one priority for the logistics industry. Our healthcare and pharma specialized teams have extensive experience in delivering vaccines and pharmaceutical products. Backed by a network of temperature-controlled warehouses and vehicles we are proud to support the Hope Consortium in achieving its goal”. The consortium has been put in place to handle the expected surge in vaccine volumes as production quantities grow. Its aim is to provide a complete supply chain solution anywhere in the world which includes transportation, demand planning, sourcing and digital technology infrastructure. It believes it will be able to distribute billions of doses by the end of the year and will focus on vaccines from all types of manufacturers.

Reacting to the ongoing lack of freight capacity on passenger flights, DB Schenker has extended its global flight network. For the first time in the company history, own-controlled flights connect America, Europe and Asia directly. The first of two routings touching three continents took off from Munich Airport this week. The new offer comes in addition to the major commercial block space agreements DB Schenker holds with preferred airline partners. Every week, the 43 flights can transport as much cargo as 135 wide-body passenger aircraft would hold. Thorsten Meincke, Member of the Management Board for Air and Ocean Freight at DB Schenker, says, “As air passenger travel is still far from recovery, we have decided to create new and reliable cargo options for our customers. I am especially excited about our new routes via Munich Airport. Our existing and strong flight network will become even more global.” As of this week, the first new route runs from Chicago (RFD) via Munich to Tokyo (NRT) and Seoul (ICN) before flying back to Germany and from there again to the US. It is operated by National Airlines and offers a combined weekly transport capacity of 400 tons. The second connection will be launched end of February and alternates from Munich to Chennai (MAA) and Chicago (RFD), with a combined weekly capacity of 300 tonnes. Both routes will run for one year to provide stability in a challenging environment. Jost Lammers, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board at Munich Airport, says, “We are very pleased that DB Schenker, one of the most important and largest logistics service providers in the world, has chosen Munich Airport as the hub for its intercontinental cargo …

In-line with its commitment to provide support to the nation in the current scenario, IndiGo transported a total 5,785 kg of shipments from SII and Bharat Bio-tech – vaccine vials equating to 21.60 lacs doses – between January 12, 2021 and January 19, 2021. The shipments were moved from Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune to 16 locations across the country including, Vijayawada, Guwahati, Patna, Odisha, Raipur, Bhopal, Thiruvananthapuram, Indore, Imphal, Agartala, Chandigarh and Udaipur via 21 IndiGo flights. Ronojoy Dutta, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo said, “We are honoured to have the opportunity to contribute to the vaccination drive, by transporting the shipments across 16 locations within the country. We will continue to partake in moving the vaccines from one part of the country to another. We look forward to supporting the nation in its hour of need”.

Marking a major milestone in air cargo digitalisation, Qatar Airways Cargo has announced that the airline will provide forwarders with real-time pricing, capacity, and eBookings via WebCargo. Forwarders globally will soon be able to conduct real-time eBookings, access live rates, and see available capacity with Qatar Airways Cargo via the service of WebCargo, a Freightos Group company, providing critical agility as supply chains contend with COVID-19’s impact and disruption. Rollout will begin with France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa and Spain on February 7, 2021. As part of the launch, Qatar Airways Cargo will be offering the most competitive rates on WebCargo by introducing a discount scheme to forwarders*, resulting in an average saving of US$ 0.06 per kg for the first 20,000 shipments booked via the platform in these countries. The cargo carrier is determined to push the development of WebCargo bookings and will also implement a number of special promotions further in the year. As of Q1 this year, more than 2,000 WebCargo forwarders and customers across over 10,000 global branches will have instant access to capacity and pricing. Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo, Qatar Airways, said, “We are pleased to partner with WebCargo to provide true agility and digital connectivity for our customers. As a leading global carrier, we rely on constant innovation and digitalisation across all our operations in order to provide our best-in-class customer service. During the past months, we have introduced several digitalisation initiatives such as online rate distribution, ad hoc rate automation, track and trace and availability via API. The future of air cargo is indeed digital and this change will definitely bring in efficiency across the supply chain.” Zvi Schrieber, Group CEO, …

Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB/ BLR Airport) has continued to maintain positive momentum as 33,053 Metric Tonnes (MT) of cargo were processed in December 2020. Working in close coordination with the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Ministry of Finance and BLR Airport’s cargo partners – Air India SATS and Menzies Aviation Bobba Bengaluru – this is the highest amount of cargo ever processed at BLR Airport for the month of December since Airport operations commenced in 2008. BLR Airport is the only airport in India to reach 100 per cent of the previous year’s tonnage for four consecutive months on a y-o-y basis – between September and December 2020. International cargo grew at 7%, with a throughput of 20,288 MT in December 2020 which is the highest in the last 21 months.

Cathay Pacific Cargo has launched ‘Skid Fire Containment Bag’ (SFCB) in the Indian market to ensure safe and convenient transportation of lithium-ion batteries with an unlimited loadable weight capacity. This innovative cargo solution is developed to fulfil the growing global demand for lithium-ion battery shipments. SFCB is an advanced and enhanced version of the earlier introduced ‘Fire Containment Bag’ (FCB) which had a limited loadable weight capacity of up to 50 kg for lithium-ion batteries. Currently, Skid FCB service has been rolled out to three ports of Cathay Pacific in India – Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai, and is also available in other ports across the network, namely – Hong Kong, Shanghai, Xiamen, Chongqing, Chengdu, Kansai, London, Taipei, Penang, Dhaka and will be progressively rolled out across Cathay Pacific and Air Hong Kong network in months to come. One of the key advantages of Skid FCB is that it is over five times larger and can exclusively be used for skid size shipments like larger-sized batteries used in e-vehicles. The Skid FCB is designed to transport hazardous cargo and is constructed of innovative fire-retardant material that can contain the fire within the bag, in case of the battery combusting. The bag limits the supply of oxygen, while letting the smoke escape triggering the smoke detectors on board, thus also safeguarding other shipments on board. Rajesh Menon, Regional Head Cargo – South Asia, Middle East and Africa, Cathay Pacific, says, “At Cathay Pacific Cargo, we take pride in providing our customers with holistic innovative solutions, while also ensuring the safe and secure delivery of all shipment. The support we received across our 50 ports for the Fire Containment bag has been overwhelming. …

Virgin Atlantic is set to increase its cargo-only flying by 60 per cent this January as its operation continues to go from strength to strength. Despite a decrease in passengers travelling due to the UK’s latest lockdown as well as travel restrictions in many destinations, demand to transport cargo remains strong and the airline’s cargo operation has adapted once more to a rapidly changing external environment. Virgin Atlantic Cargo has increased its capacity on key routes taking the airlines’ cargo-only rotations from 21 up to 33 per week this month – an increase of 60 per cent – keeping global supply chains running and transporting essential goods across the globe. The broad cargo destination offering includes daily flights between London and Brussels, offering seamless and speedy same day European connections for customers. The increase in scheduled operations comes as Virgin Atlantic Cargo celebrates a historic and record breaking year in 2020. The cargo business operated 4,000 cargo only flights and also launched 10 new routes. These included Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dublin, Milan, Islamabad, Lahore, San Juan and Xiamen, an unprecedented feat during turbulent operating conditions and demanding trading environments. Dominic Kennedy, Managing Director, Virgin Atlantic Cargo, said, “The growth in our cargo-only flying this January demonstrates the agility and flexibility of our teams in order to maintain a resilient cargo operation in such dynamic market conditions. Despite a decrease in passengers travelling, demand to transport cargo remains strong and we’re delighted to play our part transporting a whole range of goods across the world, keeping vital global supply chains moving. The airline also continues to transport cargo on its scheduled passenger services to destinations including Atlanta, Barbados, Boston, New …

Aargus Global Logistics, who in the field of logistics pharmaceuticals, perishables and DG cargo for more than two decades, has recently unveiled 11500 sq feet state-of-the-art temperature-controlled warehouse at Delhi International Airport next to Terminal 3. The 4,000 sq ft temperature-controlled warehouse caters to the export and import of pharmaceuticals and perishables industry maintaining ambient temperature between 15-25 degree Celsius and two to eight degree Celsius. The facility will be operated under the guidance of a GDP certified team of the company. The company maintains the temperature monitoring systems necessary to safely store and distribute pharmaceuticals/fresh products through systematic qualification and validation process.