Category Archives: Aviation

Highlighting the kinds of technologies required navigating through this pandemic, Amar More, CEO, Kale Logistics Solutions, said, “Going back to pre-COVID and post-COVID, to understand that how can the industry be safer and more efficient, we have to understand the behaviour of the virus. This virus spreads through paper and social interaction.” He added that one has to consider the following facts. • The virus stays on paper for three to four days, thus, we have a war on paper. We have to strongly consider how we can eliminate paper in today’s age when electronic data can be moved. Hence, first we have to ponder on any technology that eliminates paper. • Secondly, the virus can be stopped with social distancing so anything that causes congestion is damaging. Our air cargo complexes, around peak time, are crowded with many people at the terminal, at the documentation counter or queue of trucks; that also doesn’t help social distancing. So, technologies that can reduce congestion are very important.

LATAM Cargo has launched a weekly service from Miami, US, to Florianopolis using a Boeing 767F aircraft with a 53-tonne capacity. Brazilian exports carried on the route include automotive, metallurgical, food, pharmaceutical and electronic products, among others. The route connects North America with Southern Brazil, as well as offering wider connections to Europe and Asia. Gabriel Oliva, Commercial Vice President — North America, Europe and Asia, LATAM Cargo, says, “This new route will allow us to provide a direct, stable and permanent service between the US and Santa Catarina. As strategic partners, we are constantly evaluating routes that promote international trade, bringing buyers and sellers together with the characteristic speed, attention and logistics excellence of our global services network.” “We will continue to be focused on offering more origins-destinations for our international and domestic markets in order to be present in our clients’ relevant markets,” adds Kamal Hadad, Vice President of Alliances and Network, LATAM Cargo, Before the Miami-Florianopolis route was implemented, international cargo entered Brazil through Guarulhos and Viracopos. Hence, it depended on complementary ground transportation in order to reach its final destination.

Ensuring the vaccine reaches every nook and corner of the world, Satish Lakkaraju, CCO, Agility Logistics lists five key areas. Firstly, the vaccine needs greater temperature maintenance between 2 degrees to 8 degrees because otherwise the potency of drug is not going to have the impact and that is one area where airports need to be prepared. Secondly, I want to focus on airports and seaports. Fortunately, all airports have pharma zones and in the present scenario what is critical for us is to increase the awareness of handling at the airports when the vaccine comes. Thirdly, we would need government policy because we don’t have any clear policy in terms of green channels if the vaccine comes into the country. Fourthly, I want to stress on people because we don’t have sufficient trained people to handle the vaccine across the country. Once we are talking about exports, we also have a larger chunk of domestic movement that will happen. The fifth aspect technically would be to see how we price it at this point of time for the common man to also get the medicine because if you are doing by airfreight then it is going to be maintained at a certain temperature. We need to find innovative solutions which will ultimately help everyone get this vaccine.

In order to develop global guidance for the air cargo industry of optimal transportation of the COVID-19 vaccine, The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) partnered with Pharma.Aero, once the vaccine is developed. The guidance will be developed gradually in four work packages through a joint working group to ensure feedback from all stakeholders in the supply chain of air cargo and pharmaceuticals. The aim of this program is to provide the air cargo industry with more clarity of the demands, expectations and quality supply chain requirements, including but not restricted to critical trade lanes, air cargo capacity, handling and storage, track and trace requirements, for the transportation of the vaccines. At the same time, shippers will gain more understanding about the capabilities of the various logistics players. This will ensure that once the vaccine is available in the market, the air cargo industry will be ready to respond to the needs of the shippers and transport vaccines in optimal conditions to all corners of the globe.

Looking at various components of cost, Tulsi Mirchandaney, Managing Director, Blue Dart Aviation, says, “Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) accounts for 40 per cent of total direct cost of aircraft operation. Perhaps it is time now that freighters should be treated differently; at least bring them under the GST regime. Secondly, it is the cost of infrastructure. Now privatisation has brought us many benefits, be it the efficiency that has come in the airport, the kind of facilities we have or reduced dwell times but still the cost is high. The model of revenue sharing needs to be viewed differently so that it is cost neutral between the government as well as the airport operators. Thirdly, it is important that we deliver on time certain modules and for that we need to do our own self-handling which is possible for an airport operator and we have had that in several airports, but some airports still view us differently. The solution to this could be to lease the facility directly from an airport operator rather than from a third party who neither adds quality nor more efficiency in terms of process nor reduces the cost.

Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services has partnered with RTS on cargo revenue management (velocity) and pricing (AcceleRate) solutions. Fitsum Abady, MD, Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services states, “We are very optimistic that having Revenue Management and Pricing system will help us to maximise revenue by utilising the available capacity for high yield cargos. This revenue maximization would be achieved using an automated decision-making system that would be accurately forecasting cargo capacity by flight and a price range for evaluating pricing requests. It also helps allocate capacity to the appropriate products in such a way that maximizes profit. “ According to Mukundh Parthasarathy, Senior Vice President for Revenue Technology Services, “At the rate at which Ethiopian Cargo is growing, the solution would be instrumental in automating the revenue and pricing management.”

AirBridgeCargo Airlines has moved 41 RKN containers for DSV on a scheduled flight from the Amsterdam, the Netherlands to Shanghai, China. The carrier flew the containers, which were manufactured by CSafe Global and contained more than 30 tonnes of temperature-sensitive pharma, on the lower and main decks of a Boeing 747-8 freighter aircraft. Amounting to a total of 11,000 tonnes, the airline has managed to achieve a 60 per cent uptick in temperature-sensitive pharma cargo from January to June this year. Yulia Celetaria, Global Director – Pharma, AirBridgeCargo Airlines, says, “This transportation, to some extent, is the rehearsal to check that we are prepared for the Covid-19 vaccine once its testing is finalised.”

“The digitisation has stood as a critical element in maintaining business continuity, safeguarding productivity, optimising processes & resources as well as ensuring the safety of the people at operations during the current COVID-19 crisis,” says Manoj Singh, Sr. Vice President & Head – Cargo, Mumbai International Airport. The continues, “The online transactions like e-reception, e-carting order, electronic FWB/FHL transmission, e-segregation report and e-delivery order in imports has averted overcrowding at the air cargo terminal and has enabled us to maintain social distancing very effectively at the cargo terminal premises. The e-freight and digital solutions offered by Mumbai Air Cargo have additionally helped us respond rapidly to the current challenges, recover from the delays and backlogs, and bring back normalcy in cargo operations while facing severe resource crunch due to the lockdown measures.”

Volga-Dnepr Airlines has partnered with Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) to move a power turbine from the UK to Russia. The 4.5 tonnes cargo was loaded into Volga-Dnepr’s An-124 aircraft (IL-76TD-90VD) aircraft using its onboard crane system before being flown to the Midlands, UK. Ekaterina Andreeva, Commercial Director, Volga-Dnepr Airlines, says, “For over two decades Volga-Dnepr Airlines and K+N have partnered on projects which have allowed us to innovate and develop new solutions together – pushing the boundaries on what air freight can do. Starting with our An-124 and IL-76 charter flights, and then progressing to partnership on scheduled operations with AirBridgeCargo Airlines, we work under the alignment of specialty cargo transportation across the globe.

The Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru has recently processed a consignment of 24,200 ornamental fish. With approvals from Indian Customs and the Bengaluru Animal Quarantine Services, the consignment was transported to Kozhikode, Kerala. The consignment, which arrived at Bengaluru Airport from Thailand through DHL Express on AeroLogic freighter, was handled by Menzies Aviation Bobba Bengaluru Cargo Terminal. The varieties included Betta Splendens (Fighting Fish) and Flower Horn Fish.