Category Archives: Aviation

Keeping the movement of commodities stable, Schenker India has efficiently deployed weekly charters for both imports and exports between India and the US, Europe and Asian countries. The company has announced the success of a one-of-its-kind charter operation which started in April to extend supply chain support to customers in the healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry in India. The reduced passenger capacity and cancellations of cargo freighters created an opportunity for the industry to commence active charter offerings in these unprecedented times. To keep the supply chain resilient, DB Schenker’s complex operation of the charter in India supports customers in the manufacturing of vaccines, personal protective equipment and health care equipment. Operating a combination of B747F, A330F and B737F to and from India, Schenker India also provides weekly charters from India via Europe to Latin America and connections to China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore. For timely and quick deliveries, the complete process from charter enquiry to shipment arrival takes only five days. Vishal Sharma, CEO of the Cluster India and Indian Sub-Continent, DB Schenker said, “Charter operations are our endeavor to overcome the supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and meet the customers’ growing demand for the supply of essentials. Our preparedness with the business continuity plans allowed us to schedule exclusive full charter flights with reliable air cargo solutions to importers and exporters in the country. India is a priority market for DB Schenker globally and with our Global Flight Operations Program we enable our customers in India to keep their supply chains stable.” Our Global Flight Operations Program connects Mumbai with Frankfurt, Chicago, Atlanta (wheels up-wheels down in 29hrs) and Dubai (DXB-BOM only) on a weekly …

Talking about the journey of the airport during the COVID-19 time, Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy and Development Officer, Bangalore International Airport (BIAL), says, “In pre-COVID times, Bengaluru Airport’s cargo capacities on airlines were distributed between freighter and passenger aircraft in the ratio of 40:60. However, following the lockdown, freighters have carried most of the cargo to/from BLR Airport. In the current scenario, with increasing demand and lack of cargo capacity on scheduled passenger aircraft, especially across international markets, DGCA has given special approval for operation of passenger flights as charter for cargo handling. As a result, about 40 per cent of our capacity is currently being served by Passenger to Cargo (P2C) consignments. We have witnessed a significant increase in the number of Cargo ATMs in April and May 2020. During this period, we were able to record a total of more than 2,200 Cargo ATMs at BLR Airport.

DHL Global Forwarding has announced the transportation of five containers and two bespoke gas cooler assemblies from Germany to India for DHL Industrial Projects Japan. “The majority of the operation had to be undertaken during hours of darkness. Our team provided an excellent system of lighting on the quayside and the ship’s gears necessary for safe loading operations ensuring successful delivery and zero accidents,” the company informed in its recent Linkedin post. The company has recently published a white paper on delivering stable logistics for vaccines and medical goods during COVID-19, and future health crises suggesting the need for public-private partnership for successful delivery of COVID-19 vaccine.

GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo has announced the commencement of Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) Business Facilitation Center at its terminal. The FTCCI lends its support to the industry and government in promoting economic growth and cross border trade through its various programmes and initiatives. The FTCCI Business Facilitation Center will significantly benefit the exporters and cargo agents from Hyderabad and South India region. Presently, the exporters and cargo agents can get the ‘Certificate of Origin’ right at the GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo Terminal thus saving lot of travel time. The Center will also offer Visa Recommender Letters for overseas travel for business promotion. There will be time saving for documentation for export shipments specially for perishable shipments like fruits, vegetables and marine export shipments, which are to be exported in a time-bound manner to maintain the freshness of the produce.

According to Amar More, CEO, Kale Logistics Solutions, “If we leverage this opportunity, we will be at a different level of automation and this has happened in the past as well. After the 9/11 incident, most of the electronic communications got a major boost when US customs and border protections wanted information in advance. Our industry woke up and suddenly there was EDI flowing all around. Then the Yemen incident happened, and then there is big rush on providing a date before the aircraft is loaded. This kind of crisis has always created the pleading ground for higher technology adoption, and I am extremely confident it will take our industry, especially India to a new level,” he added

Calling pandemic an opportunity for us to look at digitisation seriously, Saurabh Kumar, CEO, Hyderabad Air Cargo, says, “We started challenging ourselves to process the same amount of cargo with minimal number of people. The pandemic has led us to challenge the existing way and leverage all the existing technologies. The busiest people in the industry are the people who are giving solutions to the emerging needs. The pandemic has set a clear roadmap in front of airports and air cargo complexes to become more sustainable and resilient in the future in case of any such pandemic.”

Indigo has transported two bags of convalescent plasma from Bengaluru to Srinagar, via Delhi for a COVID-19 patient. The plasma sustained a transit period of over eight hours and was delivered successfully at the government hospital in Srinagar, the airline informs. The plasma was first flown from Bengaluru to Delhi on 6E 363 followed by the connecting flight from Delhi to Srinagar 6E 2486.. The airline confirms that it is the second airline in the world to have transported plasma successfully on-board cargo. Ronojoy Dutta, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo said, “The creation of the first air corridor in India to transport blood plasma can have a huge positive impact on the treatment of COVID-19 patients through plasma therapy”.

Freight networking group Neutral Air Partner (NAP) is working with Bridges Worldwide to provide international express and courier linehaul solutions. The strategic partnership between the companies will provide NAP members with a platform of neutral line haul solutions and block space agreements (BSA) on scheduled freighter services and commercial airlines for express and time-critical freight movements. NAP chief executive Christos Spyrou said, “Our collaboration will enable NAP partners to enhance their expedited freight and courier products on a global scale, utilising a dynamic freighter network and BSAs, to create a unique and competitive global advantage.” “We remain well positioned as a neutral supplier to offer bespoke services to the NAP members that will benefit them and their customers. It is an exciting opportunity and we look forward to working closely with Christos and the NAP team.”

Using its wide-body Airbus A340 aircraft, SpiceJet operated its first-ever long-haul cargo flight from Delhi to Frankfurt. The airlines’ A340 aircraft carried 45 tonnes of cargo supplies from New Delhi to Germany. Ajay Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, SpiceJet, said, “SpiceJet has operated its maiden non-stop cargo flight to Europe; a first by an Indian airline. Our first wide-body flight to Frankfurt, the busiest airport in Germany, carried a massive 45 tonnes of cargo. SpiceJet is now regularly operating non-stop cargo flights to Europe, Africa and CIS countries providing the fastest connectivity to Indian businesses, farmers, pharma companies to the rest of the world.” SpiceJet’s international cargo network now spans over 43 international destinations that include Amsterdam, Rome, Almaty, Abu Dhabi, Baghdad, Bahrain, Bangkok, Bishkek, Cambodia, Cairo, Cebu, Chad, Colombo, Dhaka, Doha, Dubai, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Huangzhou, Incheon, Jakarta, Kabul, Kathmandu, Khartoum, Kyrgyzstan, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Male, Myanmar, Shanghai, Singapore, Sharjah, Sulaymaniyah, Tashkent, Ukraine, among others. The airline has also been actively using Ras Al-Khaimah airport as a hub for its cargo operations.

Speaking on the size of the new market, once the recovery happens in few quarters, Saurabh Kumar, CEO, Hyderabad Air Cargo, highlighted, “In the last three months we have fundamentally realised that air cargo is a very significant component. It used to be an add-on ancillary, however, today the significance of air cargo is much high. The focus is on ensuring that supply lines are efficient and adequate capacity is available and people believe that air cargo is the most reliable and fastest mode of transportation that would still be available to the economy even if a similar pandemic hits in the future. There will be better growth after we overcome the threshold recovery in the next few quarters.”