Category Archives: Aviation

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 …

Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has released the Preliminary November 2020 traffic figures highlighting that the air cargo markets were a silver lining for the region’s carriers, supported by recovery in global manufacturing activity, as passenger demand struggle to pick up. Buoyed by an acceleration in new export orders, cargo volumes carried by the region’s airlines increased for the third consecutive month, although demand as measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK) was still down 11.3 per cent year-on-year. Airlines increased capacity by deploying converted passenger aircraft and maximising dedicated freighter utilisation, helping to ease capacity shortages as reflected in the 6.7 percentage point increase in the international freight load factor to average 69.5 per cent for the month. Commenting on the results, Subhas Menon, Director General, AAPA, says, “Whilst the recovery in global economic activity has broadened across sectors, international travel remains crippled by border closures affecting 60 per cent of Asia Pacific destinations. The recent escalation in COVID-19 cases and emergence of variant strains, have resulted in the reimposition of stricter travel restrictions by several States.” Menon adds, “The near-term outlook for the airline industry remains extremely challenging. Governments need to move ahead with plans to implement harmonised testing protocols as a part of a multi-layered and risk-based approach towards safely restoring air travel, at the same time as vaccinations are rolled out across the world.”

Continental Carriers has received GDP Compliance Certification as per WHO guidelines after careful study of the pharmaceuticals requirements and implemented as per the needs of the customer. The company is now GDP certified for storage and distribution for COVID-19 vaccine and first temperature control truck (up to -20 degrees) will be in operation from January 20, 2021. The certification has enhanced company’s team of specialist to handle temperature controlled shipments in the range of 2 – 8 degrees and 15 – 25 degrees. With this certification, Continental Carriers is now ready to join hands with the pharmaceutical companies and government to support the lifesaving step ‘to & for’ the country.

Witnessing a growing demand for air cargo flights between Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong (HKG), Cathay Pacific has launched a new scheduled freighter service between Hong Kong and Riyadh (RUH). These new flights will meet the strong demand for shipments of e-commerce and other general cargo such as garments, providing their customers with reliable, efficient and direct air cargo services offering the high level of quality using its Boeing B747-400 ERF aircraft. Flights will operate once per week every Tuesday with a stopover in Dubai (DWC) on the return flight to Hong Kong, It has launched a number of scheduled and charter services recently to meet the air cargo needs of its customers. Earlier, on December 16, the airline launched a seasonal cargo service between Hong Kong and Hobart in Australia, providing an important airfreight lane for the export of fresh produce from Hobart to various parts of Asia via Hong Kong. Meanwhile in September last year, the airline launched a temporary service to Pittsburgh in the US to serve the seasonal upsurge in demand. In addition to operating a full freighter flight schedule, Cathay Pacific has also been operating thousands of pairs of cargo-only passenger flights, some with cargo loaded in the passenger cabins, and chartered hundreds of pairs of flights from its all-cargo subsidiary Air Hong Kong to provide additional air freight capacity.

Thermo King, by Trane Technologies (NYSE: TT), has launched its expanded portfolio of cold chain solutions in India, which can keep vaccines at temperatures from a range of +25 degrees Celsius to as low as -70 degrees Celsius. The company’s advanced cold chain technologies will help address the unique challenges of COVID-19 vaccine distribution in India, whose large population is spread across vast and varied geographies, from densely populated cities to far-flung rural communities. “Safety and reliability of the cold chain is critical to meet the urgent need for everyone to have access to vaccines,” said Allen Ge, President, Trane Technologies in Asia Pacific, in adding, “Our recently launched SuperFreezers were initially developed to flash-freeze high-end seafood. Our teams quickly adapted and developed a good solution for COVID-19 vaccines transport, which require ultra-cold temperatures to prevent degradation. We’re proud to support this historic effort in India and around the world with our technologies and cold chain expertise.” COVID-19 vaccine distribution is expected to start in India in the coming weeks, following the central government’s announcement of guidelines for states and Union territories for distribution of vaccines once they become available. The first approved COVID-19 vaccines must be kept at deep-frozen temperatures down to -70 degrees Celsius, and will be shipped in dry ice. A container using dry ice may require re-icing if it sits for an extended length of time, such as during a long haul or on the airport tarmac, or if the contents are exposed to ambient temperatures during transfers. Thermo King’s refrigerated solutions can extend the life of dry ice or even eliminate the need for it. Now, Thermo King products are being used by transport companies …