Category Archives: Aviation

LATAM Airlines Group has announced that it will fly COVID-19 vaccine shipments at no charge on domestic flights in Latin America. The offer is an extension of the airline’s Solidarity Plane program in which the carrier will transport vaccine, when become available, to Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The company said it will support distribution of vaccines for free, based on requests from governments. Since August, a team of more than 20 people from LATAM Cargo has been planning transport scenarios for COVID-19 vaccines, which require special temperature-control equipment and processes. LATAM Cargo has stations with pharmaceutical capabilities at 30 locations in Europe, the U.S. and Chile, and four that are waiting to be opened in China. LATAM has a certificate of excellence for meeting pharmaceutical shipping standards from the International Air Transport Association. Roberto Alvo, Group Chief Executive, LATAM Airlines, states, “During this entire global health crisis, we have not spared efforts to collaborate with the communities of the countries where we serve through our Solidarity Plane program. We are excited to announce that LATAM’s domestic operations will be available to support the distribution totally for free, of vaccines according to what the authorities of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru may determine.”

CHAMP Cargosystems, the leading air cargo systems provider, announces its partnership with CargoAi. By connecting their systems through APIs, both partners are giving their users new connections and capabilities for the future. CHAMP offers increased visibility to CargoAi for its more than 100 airlines and GSAs customers. In return, CargoAi offers CHAMP clients a new sales channel and CargoAi increases its capacity to make quotes, prices and bookings instantly available to freight forwarders. ‘Our clients and users are at the heart of this partnership. Creating value for them has always been our priority and that is why we have the widest range of suites of systems dedicated to air freight. Being available on CargoAi, if they wish, is therefore an additional service that we can offer our clients’, says Nicholas Xenocostas, VP Commercial & Customer Engagement, CHAMP Cargosystems. As he sees it, now is the time to ‘deliver innovation faster’ to support and transform customers’ business processes, while bringing more digitalisation and visibility to the air freight industry. Connecting via APIs, CHAMP and CargoAi in effect enable supply chain partners to be integrated: airlines, freight forwarders and GSAs can thus connect and exchange information very easily. ‘Our goal remains the same; to make digitisation accessible to all industry players. This partnership with CHAMP is a real boon for our customers. Because thanks to the joint work we have accomplished, our customers can grow their businesses by being connected to each other, without having to do anything,’ says CargoAi CEO Matthieu Petot. ‘CHAMP and its teams are the gold standard in our industry and working with these cargo system experts is a fantastic opportunity.’

In spite of the global challenges experienced in 2020, Budapest Airport handled 13,864 tonnes of air cargo this November, which is 6.3% more than a year ago and the strongest monthly cargo performance on record. Meanwhile, the volume of goods received and launched from January to November 2020 has exceeded 120 000 tonnes. With year’s end approaching, we can state with certainty that cargo traffic at the Hungarian capital airport and the BUD Cargo City opened a year ago have proven immune to the pandemic. Dr. Rolf Schnitzler, the CEO of Budapest Airport highlighted that this is attributable not just to pandemic-related shipments, changed purchasing habits and the entire cargo community, but in particular to the 50 million EUR fully private investment undertaken by Budapest Airport into the world-class facilities of the BUD Cargo City, which attracts more and more cargo business. “Seamless cargo traffic at the airport requires many players and precise coordination. Close cooperation between shippers, forwarders, airlines, ground handlers, authorities and all colleagues working at the airport is indispensable in this process,” emphasized József Kossuth, Cargo Manager, Budapest Airport, in adding, “This year was extraordinary and full of challenges for everyone. The fact that cargo traffic at Budapest Airport has remained stable in this changed environment and even showed a significant increase in November is the result of our joint work and the exemplary perseverance of the cargo community. On behalf of BUD’s cargo team, I would like to thank everyone who supported air cargo in Hungary with their work.” The record traffic in November is attributable to several market factors. The year-end peak period usually starts in October in air cargo, and intensifies from November. The …

Jettainer, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Cargo AG, has announced the launch of cool&fly to maximise the efficient use of temperature-controlled ULDs, particularly for COVID-19 vaccines distribution. The product is one of a kind, comprising full cool ULD order management, steering and positioning along with monitoring as well as after-service management. It is available to airlines, no matter their other ULD management setup. Temperature-controlled Unit Load Devices (ULDs) are expected to become a limited resource within air transportation. The increasing demand for cool transport solutions and interaction between the growing number of stakeholders will prove complex and time-consuming. Securing supply and managing containers for temperature-sensitive goods is an extremely complex mission that requires absolutely accurate and attentive management. This includes on-time ordering and positioning, as well as constant traceability and monitoring throughout the entire process chain in order to be ready for an immediate response to all eventualities as there is no margin for error due to the highly valuable and sensitive goods involved. “The logistical challenges involved when transporting vaccines by air are huge. Maximising the efficient use of the cool ULDs will be crucial; reliable management of all interfaces from a single point will minimise risks during the transport. cool&fly and our highly experienced cool competence centre provide customers with the perfect solution,” said Thomas Sonntag, Managing Director, Jettainer GmbH.

In a bid to ensure each aspect of vaccine and its handling, Spicejet has collaborated with MyLogistics Gurukul; the teams will be working together to handle the first-mile, last-mile and door-to-door delivery of vaccine when it comes out. A trained team who handles will be absolute key to avoid any loss of efficacy due thermal shock during transit and storage, familiarity with the regularity and compliances and social and commercial impact due rejection of goods and other reasons. The training is being delivered online across the country audience over two days, four hours in a daily per batch of about 25 participants and more than 500 SpiceXpress employees will be trained in the sensitive cold chain vaccine handling. The carrier has been a very active player in the COVID period for the cargo industry by adding capacity and creating new routes to serve Indian EXIM needs. The carrier has taken some great initiatives in preparation for vaccine distribution such as tying up with various industry players for seamless transportation and storage of vaccine. The one key factor for ensuring there is seamless handling of the vaccine is to train the Spicejet team in the nuances of the vaccine handling , storage and movement needs in International and domestic transportation chain. MyLogistics Gurukul is the premier training academy providing specialised training to industry personnel to boost efficiency in the logistics industry. They work closely with industry experts and create and customise programs to bridge the knowledge gap.

Wastage has always been an issue in handling perishables. Explaining further how can airlines help or come out with a solution to help reduce waste, Rajesh Menon, Regional Head Cargo –  South Asia, Middle East and Africa, Cathay Pacific Airways, expounds, “Perishable goods such as flowers, fruits, vegetables, meats, deteriorate over time, especially under extreme temperatures. It is important for airlines across to understand and cater to the individual temperature and storage needs of such products, to avoid produce from going to waste. Fresh LIFT not only includes specific temperature-controlled rooms and containers, but our teams are also highly trained and experienced in cold chain management. Furthermore, we have ensured that all our policies are in line with several international regulations including IATA’S Perishable Cargo Regulations (PCR).” “It is important to take a more sustainable approach for future generations, across our cargo and passenger business,” believes Menon. “We have also worked closely with various stakeholders to introduce the Sustainable Development Cargo Carriage Policy that allows various partners to gain an understanding of where we stand to protect the environment in the area of cargo carriage,” he adds.

The LATAM Group has commenced operating flights to Qatar to cater the demand from Chile’s fruit harvest season. The service was launched on November 30 and the first flight on the route was operated by Latam Airlines Brazil. The flight transported perishables from customers in South America to Asia and electrical goods were carried on the return route. The carrier operated its second flight to Doha on December 7, carrying more than 95 tonnes of fresh fruit. The fruits were then transported to Shanghai by Latam’s interline partner Qatar Airways Cargo. Qatar Airways Cargo helped LATAM Cargo to import more than 60 tonnes of electrical goods to Brazil and Chili to meet the Christmas season demand. “LATAM Cargo maintained its strategy of using passenger aircraft as all-cargo transport during the pandemic, which proved very helpful to mitigate the belly capacity reduction caused by the global border closure,” the carrier said.

The October data of International Air Transport Association (IATA) for global airfreight markets shows that air cargo demand continued to improve but at a slower pace than the previous month and remains below previous year levels. Asia-Pacific airlines saw demand for international air cargo fall 11.6 per cent in October 2020 compared to the same month a year earlier. This was an improvement from the 14.6 per cent fall in September 2020 and the second consecutive month of improvement. International capacity remained constrained in the region, down 28.7 per cent. However, this was an improvement over the 31.8 per cent fall in capacity the previous month. The region’s airlines reported the highest international load factor indicating a solid appetite for air cargo services. Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs*), was 6.2 per cent below previous-year levels in October (-7.5 per cent for international operations). This is an improvement from the 7.8 per cent year-on-year drop recorded in September. However, the pace of recovery in October was slower than in September with month-on-month demand growing 4.1 per cent (1.1 per cent for international). Global capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTKs), shrank by 22.6 per cent in October (‑24.8 per cent for international operations) compared to the previous year. Strong regional variations continue with North American and African carriers reporting year-on-year gains in demand (+6.2 per cent and +2.2 per cent respectively), while all other regions remained in negative territory compared to a year earlier. The improving performance is aligned with improvements in key economic indicators; The new export orders component of the manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) stayed above the 50-mark for the second month in a row. This a …

In order to meet the safe and effective distribution of these vaccines around the world, Singapore Airlines (SIA), over the last few months, has been actively engaging various stakeholders across the supply chain and in pharmaceutical export markets. An internal COVID-19 task force was set up in May 2020 to ensure readiness across all aspects of cargo operations, and manage the crucial task of safely carrying these time- and temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical shipments. “We have been working hard to ensure that we are ready for one of the biggest and most important supply chain challenges of our generation the transportation and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines around the world,” says, Chin Yau Seng, Senior Vice President Cargo, Singapore Airlines. He adds, “We will continue to grow our pharmaceutical handling capability by investing in our THRUCOOL service and expanding our pharmaceutical quality corridor network. We are also working closely with our service partners to continuously improve pharmaceutical handling processes and capabilities across our network.” The carrier will make available cargo space on its flights and accord uplift priority to COVID- 19 vaccine shipments across the key vaccine trade lanes. This means readying the Boeing 747-400 freighters, as well as the passenger aircraft fleet which will be deployed on cargo operations to increase the capacity for vaccine transportation where needed. Leveraging its network connectivity, SIA Cargo carried about 22,000 tonnes of pharmaceutical shipments across its network coupled with SIA extensive network connectivity for the financial year ended March 2020. In order to strengthen its pharmaceutical transport product, SIA has been actively expanding its THRUCOOL1 quality corridor network, with the latest additions to the network being Brisbane and Melbourne in September this year. To build …

Freightwalla has partnered with Maersk to offer spot rates on its platform. The partnership will provide more transparency, reliability and assurance to import and export shipments. While providing end-to-end supply chain services to the larger EXIM fraternity, inaccuracy and un-reliability are the two significant challenges that are being solved by Freightwalla. The platform will give access to spot rates 24/7, provide accurate information and give assurance of loading on the allocated vessel. The spot rate integration with Freightwalla will allow shippers to search, secure competitive rates, and book container space instantly online, making it more reliable. Punit Java, Co-Founder & CTO Freightwalla, says, “The conventional booking process involved multiple steps with no guarantee of loading. Maersk’s spot rate integration enables our customers to see instant rates and see real-time availability of equipment, space, and surety of loading for their shipments. Given the challenges in today’s market with space, customers have a definitive advantage in their logistics planning. It will simplify the overall booking experience of exporters or importers.” Maersk introduced spot rates to reduce overbooking cycles while also providing a price and cargo loading assurance. Traditional freight forwarding has been a highly manual and inefficient process, and the shipping industry’s digital revolution has been long overdue. When it comes to the booking process, there are two major challenges associated with booking freight offline. First, the accuracy and reliability of the contracted rates are poor. There is a possibility of the vessel being overbooked and the customers facing unprecedented delays in shipping their cargo. Second, this unreliability makes clients perform multiple bookings with different liners in a bid to guarantee that their cargo will get a spot on at least one …