Category Archives: Aviation

Blue Dart Express has announced its General Price Increase (GPI), effective January 1, 2021. The average shipment price increase will be 9.6 per cent as compared to 2020, dependant on the shipping profile. Customers signing up from October 1 to December 31, 2020 will not be impacted by the price increase. Balfour Manuel, Managing Director, Blue Dart, said, “Embodying our role as the trade facilitator to the nation, our teams worked every single day through the pandemic, ensuring that the mission critical supply chain remained functional. As we adapt to the new normal, Blue Dart is taking every necessary step to consistently improve and enhance customer experience. The General Price Increase will account for the cost we have incurred and invested in our infrastructure and technology to provide our customers with the BEST experience. We intend on further enhancing our capabilities and especially in light of the pandemic, providing more sustainable solutions to our customers by utilising the power of technology and digitization for first, middle and last mile deliveries.” Ketan Kulkarni, CMO & Head – Business Development, Blue Dart adds, “Blue Dart, being the leader in the express logistics industry, has made strategic investments ahead of the curve to remain agile and adaptive in a dynamic environment. These include expanding our reach, improving transit times, network optimisation, infrastructure and technology solutions and focusing on emerging markets, SMEs and key sectors”. The company adjusts its prices annually, taking into account inflation, currency dynamics, fuel cost fluctuations and other rising regulatory and mandatory costs, such as expenses related to compliance for the workforce with enhanced security regulations across the large number of locations it services.

GEODIS has confirmed a two-way schedule of flights from China to Europe and back, through to early 2021, as part of its AirDirect service. The company originally instigated its full aircraft charter arrangements on this route in March with ad hoc flights and introduced a weekly timetable in June to meet the urgent need for air cargo capacity which had diminished due to the effects of the pandemic. Now, with both freighter and passenger belly-hold space still in short supply, the logistics provider has announced a permanent schedule reaching into next year. Weekly direct flights will depart from Shanghai (PVG) every Monday and from Amsterdam (AMS) each Sunday to service what is expected to be a post-COVID resurgence in demand during what is traditionally a fourth quarter peak season. The advent of the China-Europe-China service brings the company’s total investment in GEODIS’ OCN to over €70 million. More than 400 flights have been successfully completed across Asia, Europe, North and Latin America to date. Among the customers requiring such a service are, in particular, a European auto manufacturer equipping its plant in China with sub-assembly parts. In addition, Lenovo, a global leader in the manufacturing of personal computers, smartphones, workstations, computer servers and smart IoT devices, is one of GEODIS’ customers of its AirDirect Mexico service (Hong Kong/ Guadalajara) as well as its weekly direct flights from Shanghai-Amsterdam. GEODIS ensures the transportation of Lenovo’s products are safely and securely handled, helping Lenovo to deliver its components to factories and finished goods to customers in a timely manner. “It is vital for our customers in China to be not only assured of regular capacity but also that their freight partner is …

In order to enhance the logistic capacity of its fleet, Saudia Cargo has added a Boeing 747-400F freighter to help meet the significant surge on the demand for medicine, medical and preventive equipment and other similar goods. Bringing the total number to seven aircraft, the new freighter will boost the cargo and supply operations. Omar Hariri, CEO, Saudia Cargo, said, “We have taken practical steps to guarantee the cargo and supply operations smooth continuity to and from the Kingdom ever since the flights, excluding cargo and evacuation, were suspended due to COVID-19. Today, flights have been resumed but to a certain degree. Once the new freighter has been put into operation, it will increase the operation and cargo capacity and help the company meet its targets and provide logistic support to deliver urgent medical cargos to the Kingdom in order to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 as part of its continued efforts.” The aircraft started the freighter services in September after all licenses have been obtained, flight schedules have been prepared and proper enhancements have been put in place.

In the fifth edition of the Logistics Trend Radar, DHL has revealed 29 key trends that will impact the logistics industry over the next years. The fifth-edition of Logistics Trend Radar indicates that we are experiencing an overall stabilisation of trends from the past four years. However, with the logistics industry weathering the current global pandemic, transformation processes have been accelerated. COVID-19 has driven changes regarding recent logistics innovation, automation, and digital work more rapidly and has accelerated industry digitalisation by years. Conversely, many trends initially perceived as disruptive game-changers for the logistics industry have yet to deliver on their disruptive potential. Self-driving vehicles and drones continue to be held back by legislative and technical challenges as well as limited social acceptance. Logistics marketplaces are stabilising on a few leading platforms and established forwarders are entering the game with their own digital offerings, backed with robust global logistics networks. From cloud computing to collaborative robotics, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things, logistics professionals have to make sense of a vast market of novel technology. Modernising all touch points of supply chains, from an elegant digital or customer journey, through fulfillment transport and final mile delivery is the new imperative for long-term success. Those who adopt and scale new technology and up-skill workforces fastest will have a competitive advantage on the market.

Sharing how air cargo has become a priority over the other modes of transport amidst the pandemic, B Raghavendran, General Manager – Airfreight / India, Teamglobal Logistics, says, “Air cargo is an integral part of the supply chain and is an irremovable link in the whole process. Airfreight forwarders play a crucial role in the value chain. They ensure ‘ready for carriage’ of cargo and offer various solutions and also comply with customs and various rules & regulations of different countries. Currently, global airfreight is having a downfall in terms of the volumes. A key to recovery is the global implementation of re-start measures agreed as per ICAO to keep passengers and crew safe. This will open up the belly capacities which have disappeared in the last few months. It has been a great relief offered by airline operators through converting passenger flights into cargo freighters for time being to overcome the situation, and to have a business continuity process.”

Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB/ BLR Airport) processed 180,745 kgs of pomegranates from April to August 2020, to emerge as the leading airport for pomegranate exports from India. According to the data available from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS), BLR Airport also accounted for 99 per cent of the total pomegranate exports from Karnataka. The fruit was exported to 12 international destinations, by nine global freight carriers – Air France, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines. Powered by superior logistics and backed by two reputed cargo terminal operators – Air India SATS and Menzies Aviation Bobba Bangalore, BLR Airport plays a key role in ensuring that products reach their destinations in good condition. To retain their freshness, perishables are stored, cleared and moved to the aircraft on priority, with the required temperature controls in place, therefore reducing dwell time at terminals. The cargo infrastructure has been built to ensure the rapid distribution of perishable cargo, making KIAB the preferred cargo airport in South India. BLR Airport has a dedicated cold zone – AISATS CoolPort – with the capacity to handle 40,000 MT per annum and temperature zones ranging from -25 to +25 degrees Centigrade, under the same roof and Menzies Aviation Bobba Bangalore, with the capacity to handle 20,000 MT per annum.

Transporting total of 9963 kilograms of cargo which includes medical supplies and other general commodities, IndiGo operated its maiden flight to Chittagong, Bangladesh on September 21, 2020. The flight was operated while adhering to all the precautionary measures. Ronojoy Dutta, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo said, “We are pleased to operate our maiden CarGo flight to Chittagong , Bangladesh, using our A-320 passenger aircraft in a ‘freighter mode’. We are proud to play a part in maintaining and supporting supply chains in and out of the country at this critical time. Cargo flights have gained significant momentum and we are pleased with the growth of this revenue stream over the last six months. IndiGo will continue to contribute and adapt its business to the needs of the hour.” Owing to the first flight, Chittagong was the 23rd destination covered by IndiGo for its cargo charter network. IndiGo has operated to multiple new destinations including Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, Cairo in Egypt, Almaty in Kazakhstan, Tashkent in Uzbekistan and Kathmandu in its cargo network. Within the last 5 months, IndiGo has also transported cargo equivalent to the loads carried in the last financial year, despite limited capacity.

As per the AIC issued and approved by Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) vide letter no. AV.14027/07/2020-A-MoCA dated 15.09.2020), the open sky policy for foreign cargo carriers promulgated with AIC 18/1992 has been reviewed by the government and some changes have been made with a view to ensure fair and equal opportunity in the air cargo capacity offered by Indian registered airlines and airlines registered elsewhere. The operations of foreign ad hoc and pure non-schedule freighter charter service flights shall be restricted to 6 airports namely Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Foreign carriers may submit application/proposal to the Director General of Civil Aviation for getting clearances for such flights as per procedure specified for the purpose. However, DGCA reserves the right to deny permission for operating cargo flight. Notwithstanding the aforesaid provisions, the all-cargo flights operated under humanitarian and emergency needs through the UN and other multilateral bodies of which India is a member, and also all-cargo flights hired by or carrying cargo belonging to any Ministry/Department of Government of India or a State/UT Government may be permitted to operate with requisite priority to/from any airport in India where customs/immigration facilities are available. Operators are required to meet the operational and safety requirements while operating such ad hoc/non-scheduled cargo flights. According to the AIC, Indian operators facing any systematic and non-systematic discriminate tree and restrictive practices and/or regulatory impediments in operating international cargo flights in any of the foreign countries may bring such issues to the knowledge of DGCA for further suitable actions in this regard.

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has announced the launch of the Safe Supply Chain class in collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The first class is scheduled for October 20-23, 2020. The development of course is aimed at providing necessary knowledge and skills to ensure that cargo is handled appropriately in a safe and efficient manner within the ICAO’s regulatory framework. This course will provide the entities in the air and mail cargo supply chain with the necessary knowledge and skills to work together effectively to ensure that cargo is handled appropriately in a safe & efficient manner within the ICAO’s regulatory framework. The course also addresses the ‘what causes’ and ‘why it could impact’ the safety of the supply chain through an understanding of the global market and supply chain trends. The course is in a classroom format and will be offered in the English language.

Stressing on air cargo has been strong on the pillars with the help of strong infrastructure, equanimity, robust versatility business model and innovation during the times of pandemic Vandana Aggarwal, IES, Sr. Economic Advisor, Ministry of Civil Aviation, says, “We have mega challenges and opportunities in the air cargo industry. With the initiatives are undertaken by Indian enterprises, we can say that Indian enterprises are beginning to look towards the future and find ways forward that transform their business in these changing times.” Talking about the initiatives undertaken by the Government of India, she mentioned that despite the challenging times, we ensured the swift movement of carriage on passenger aircraft by increasing dedicated freighters and ensuring the shift movement of cargo at airports. She highlighted that we grew hugely in the export of agriculture produce. Aggarwal expressed her views in a virtual conference organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry on “Air Cargo Sector Transformation-Way Forward”.