Category Archives: Aviation

Pharma.Aero has enlarged its membership with a new airport member – Guarulhos Airport, global ground and cargo handling service provider dnata and transporting and warehousing company Ivemar. Welcoming the new members, Jaisey Yip, Vice-Chairman, Pharma.Aero says, “We are delighted to welcome these major air cargo players representing different nodes of the air cargo supply chain into the Pharma.Aero family. We also look forward to working closely with each of the new members in delivering our mission to achieve excellence in end-to-end air transportation of pharmaceuticals.” Monica Lamas, Commercial & Cargo Director, Guarulhos Airport adds, “During the past few years, Guarulhos Airport has received important investments in infrastructure, technology and process improvements, aiming at offering the highest quality and reliability to the pharmaceutical industries. Guarulhos Airport is the largest hub in Brazil for pharma imports. CEIV IATA was a very important achievement in this journey, and now, becoming members of Pharma.Aero will take Guarulhos Airport to a new level, as we will be side by side with the specialists of this platform, sharing innovations in air cargo industry and being part of the network of excellence in the pharma supply chain.” Dirk Goovaerts, CEO for Asia Pacific at dnata says, “dnata is proud to be a part of the Pharma.Aero community. We believe our membership is a testament to our ambition to work with industry stakeholders and provide reliable end-to-end air transportation for pharma shippers across the supply chain. Since the start of the pandemic, it has become increasingly crucial for both airlines and freight forwarders to be supported by an accredited ground handler like dnata to ensure the efficient handling of all types of life-saving vaccines coming through the air …

Etihad Cargo has announced that the high-performing temperature-controlled containers from CSafe Global will be introduced across all flights to deliver additional payload protection for large pharmaceutical shipments. The air cargo carrier has partnered with CSafe Global to introduce its latest high-performing container, the CSafe RAP, across its global fleet of wide-body and freighter aircraft. The CSafe RAP uses innovative heating and compressor-driven cooling technologies, along with advanced VIP insulation, to maintain constant payload temperatures even at extreme ambient temperatures spanning from -30°C to +54°C – the broadest operating range in the industry. Its large payload compartment of 6.68m3 easily accommodates up to four standard U.S. pallets or five standard Euro pallets. With an extended battery run time of more than 120 hours, the CSafe RAP ensures temperature integrity and product viability through to destination even on extended journeys. Etihad Cargo, which has recently reinforced its pharmaceutical logistics expertise with the launch of PharmaLife, a specialised pharma and healthcare product, was the first carrier in the Middle East to receive IATA’s CEIV (Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators) certification in pharmaceutical logistics. Following a vigorous testing process, the carrier has now approved the use of the CSafe RAP on its aircrafts to offer customers continued assurance of compliance and temperature-control along with the largest payload capacity in the industry. “As an IATA CEIV Pharma certified carrier, we take the transportation and handling of pharmaceutical shipments very seriously, adhering to the strictest processes with the very best in class equipment that ensures the best quality handling in the quickest time,” said Fabrice Panza, Manager Global Cool Chain Solutions at Etihad Cargo. “The addition of the CSafe RAP further enhances our customer offering …

Talking about the critical role of air cargo in dealing with the pandemic, Willy Boulter, IndiGo, says, “This is an unprecedented situation in airline business and like everyone IndiGo has been affected too. Through this period, cargo has been a leading light; we have started operating cargo in cabin freighters. Cargo has always been a successful but small part of IndiGo’s business, yet, it has provided some welcome revenue to us over the past five months and recently we have been operating 500 cargo charters in a month.” “In line with our mission to support the nation, IndiGo operated over 1,700 cargo charters, transporting more than 14,300 MT of supplies since April 18, 2020 till September 7, 2020. The cargo charter flights operated across 21 destinations within India and internationally, including new stations like Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, Cairo in Egypt, Almaty in Kazakhstan and Tashkent in Uzbekistan. We have earned marginally higher revenue over the last five months as compared to the earnings over the last financial year. Furthermore, at only 32 per cent of operations in August 2020, IndiGo successfully managed to generate the highest ever monthly net revenue with January being the last top earning month,” he adds.

Emirates SkyCargo has commenced twice weekly scheduled cargo flights to Tokyo Haneda (HND) airport. The flights will be operated on Emirates’ Boeing 777-300ER aircraft departing Dubai at 11.30pm local time as EK 312 on Thursdays and Fridays and arriving at Tokyo Haneda airport at 01:40am local time on the following days. The flight will benefit importers of fresh produce such as seafood and flowers due to the proximity of Haneda airport to local markets including the Toyosu fish market and the Ohta flower market. The air cargo carrier currently offers cargo capacity on four flights a week to Tokyo Narita airport, increasing to five flights weekly from 27 October in addition to five weekly flights to Osaka’s Kansai International Airport. The air cargo carrier offers cargo capacity on its fleet of wide body aircraft including 11 Boeing 777 freighters.

Volga-Dnepr Airlines in partnership with Blue Water Shipping has carried a series of flights on its Antonov-124-100 ramp aircraft in order to support the new power plant project in Afghanistan. The airline delivered 430 tonnes of equipment for Bayat Power’s Bayat Power Phase 1 project. The equipment was transported on five flights from Al Maktoum (UAE) and Tekirdag Korlu (Turkey) international airports to Mazar-i-Sharif in Afghanistan. The cargo included a 57 tonne transformer with supporting equipment, as well as three units of the newest and world’s first transported Siemens SGT-A45 mobile turbine. The turbine blocks spanned 23 to 30 meters, and weighed 60 to 100 tonnes. They were installed on trailers and transported to the cargo compartment of the Ruslan using special equipment and a flyover. “We started working on it with our partners in October 2018 by developing various loading plans for this unique piece of equipment. It was a challenge in terms of cargo stowage requirements, but our team of experts with almost thirty years of experience was able to successfully solve all the tasks due to constant dialogue and cooperation with our partners. We hope that our work will continue in the future, and that the project to build the power plant will start its work safely and will benefit many people in Afghanistan,” shares Ekaterina Andreeva, Commercial Director, Volga-Dnepr Aviation Company.

With a strong 18.9 per cent increase in volumes observed in September, Brussels Airport has reported an increase in cargo volumes for the fourth consecutive month. The volumes from January to September this year were 0.6 per cent higher than in the same period in 2019. According to Brussels Airport, the growth in all-cargo and express services balanced out the effect of passenger flights being grounded due to the pandemic. Express services maintained growth compared with last year (+33.8%), while the increase in volumes in the cargo sector (+88.8%) accelerated growth in airfreight volumes. Also in September 2020, there was a 40 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of freighter flights operated at the hub. The hub reported a 28 per cent year-on-year increase in number of freighter flights during the first nine months of this year. Brussels Airport added said the number of cargo-only passenger flights (preighters) remains constant.

Dachser Air & Sea Logistics has launched seasonal charters to cope with the expected high demand in the fourth quarter of the year. Explaining the situation, Edoardo Podestà, COO Air & Sea Logistics, says, “The market in Asia has now picked up speed again with production ramping up, and we are seeing increasing tonnages for export. With passenger flights not likely to resume to pre-Coronavirus level, we can expect a lively peak season this year.” He added, “Additional capacities have been created for this purpose.” From mid-October until the end of the year, a Boeing 747-400 will be flying once a week as a full charter between Frankfurt and Shanghai. The company is also handling Europe-wide distribution with its own road network via the Frankfurt Import Gateway. Premium product under current market conditions Dachser has been offering this peak season charter for the third consecutive year. Fixed transit times make the service reliable and enable customers to plan ahead. With the seamless integration of its road and air and sea logistics networks, Dachser is able to respond quickly to changing route situations in Europe and accelerate the pickup and delivery processes. “At Dachser we have a strong global network capability, so we are well prepared for the ‘new normal’ and offer our customers a reliable solution in volatile market conditions,” adds Podestà. The logistics provider is at the same time running weekly charters for the Hong Kong-Frankfurt route and the Transatlantic Frankfurt-Chicago rotation service.

TIACA together with Pharma.Aero expressed a strong concern over the current state of air cargo readiness for the upcoming COVID-19 vaccines transportation, with only 28 per cent of the industry feeling well prepared for it today. According to the results of our airfreight readiness survey, completed by 181 airlines, freight forwarders, ground handlers, airport operators and solution providers, majority of the industry players have begun preparation to handle, store, transport and deliver the future COVID-19 vaccines. They are setting up dedicated teams, engaging with partners, mapping and upgrading their capabilities, as well as developing new services. As compared to companies which are already in close engagement with vaccines manufacturers, companies not involved in direct conversations with the manufacturers felt the least prepared for the upcoming logistics challenge of vaccines transportation. “We as an industry are as strong as our weakest link. To move the needle on industry readiness, we need to ensure everyone is engaged and informed. Only with a strong and transparent dialogue between pharmaceutical and air cargo sectors, governments, non-governmental organisations and healthcare institutions can we overcome these challenges,” said, Emir Pineda, Member, TIACA’s Board of Director and Co-lead, Sunrays Project, initiated by TIACA and Pharma.Aero this August.

Committed to socially and environmentally responsible business, GEODIS has announced that its online emissions calculator that determines the carbon footprint of a freight shipment is freely available on its website. Accessed via https://geodis.com/geodis_carbon_calculator/form, the calculator measures air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions generated by an individual shipment’s journey, comparing the performance of different modes of transport (air, rail, road, sea, inland waterway, etc.). For each shipment of goods, the calculator gives an overview of the various options, making it an invaluable aid in choosing the most environmentally friendly transport. The tool performs calculations that take into account the goods being shipped, their origin, destination and mode of transport before providing a quantitative evaluation. “The precise measurement of emissions generated by one’s activities is a precondition for improvement. This initiative provides a transparent and reliable way to quantify greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants for each mode of transport” says Cécile Bray, Senior Expert Climate and Carbon Accounting, GEODIS. Developed in partnership with EcoTransIT World, this new intuitive service is available in English and French. Aware that climate change is a major challenge in the transport sector, GEODIS has set its sights on reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% between now and 2030.
To reduce its carbon emissions, GEODIS strives to optimise transport plans by implementing approaches that improve trucks’ load factor and avoid empty miles, develop the use of rail for multimodal transport and has integrated vehicles that use cleaner energy into their fleet (natural gas and electric)

Rhenus Logistics India has recently managed the operations of a complex pharmaceutical product from Delhi to Amsterdam in an Envirotainer. The company moved a complex time-sensitive pharmaceutical product in an Envirotainer with temperature-controlled between 2 to 8 degrees celsius. “The operations included pick up from the door till the delivery to the port, including the customs clearance while maintaining the temperature between 2 to 8 degrees celsius throughout the supply chain. Precise planning, solution-based transportation, detailed coordination, and round-the-clock supervision ensured a successful execution of this sensitive and time-critical shipment,” Rhenus Logistics India informs in a LinkedIn post.