Category Archives: Aviation

A common user domestic cargo terminal (CUDCT) has started functioning at the Trivandrum International Airport. Airlines operating from domestic terminal of the airport, namely Air India, Indigo, Jet Airways and Spice Jet will handle cargo operations through the CUDCT. Keku Bomi Gazder, CEO, AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company (AAICLAS) has inaugurated the facility at the old domestic building of the airport. An X-ray machine for the CUDCT was brought from Mumbai. The facility was set up at a cost of Rs 50 lakh. “We hope to have nearly 500 tonnes of cargo movement in the first month and increase of 15-20 per cent in the coming months,” said Gazder.

Domestic cargo has registered a growth of 8 per cent at a CAGR during FY07-17, whereas international cargo grew at 6.2 per cent annually during the same period, according to an ASSOCHAM-Yes Bank joint study. Air Cargo should be treated at par with other logistics sector like roads which is subject to 5 percent tax rate. It is recommended that air cargo tax rate may be reduced from 18 percent and considered for a lower tax bracket, reveals the joint study on ‘Civil Aviation’ released.

Celebi Delhi Cargo terminal went live with Kale’s Galaxy (Domestic module) Cargo Management system as part of the phase wise implementation of the entire suite of Galaxy Air Cargo management software system comprising of EXIM operations, warehouse management, UD, invoice and accounts and domestic operations. The new age domestic module incorporates next generation features like mobile app, customer portal, hand-held based app and EDI with airlines. In order to keep pace with the ever-increasing domestic cargo demands, Celebi Delhi has partnered with Kale Logistics Solutions to automate their air cargo and terminal operations.

Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI) has launched Advance Air Cargo Handling Training Programme in the capital. The programme was launched by Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati, Minister of Civil Aviation, Government of India in the presence of more than 125 numbers including senior government officials, members from various trade bodies and representatives of entire air cargo logistics industry. The programme is aimed to benefit the air cargo industry in India contributing to Government of India’s Skill India plans.

Agility has moved into a new larger office premises in Vadodara. The new office was inaugurated Detlev Janik, CEO, South Asia, Agility, in the presence of various existing customers, partners and senior management of Agility in India. The new office will allow Agility to cater to the ever-growing volumes & business opportunities in the Vadodara market. The facility will also enable the customers to access the various logistics services offered by the company in India. Janik, said, “Vadodara is a very important market for Agility in India. In the coming years, it is the tier 2 & tier 3 cities which will drive the next wave of growth in India. Hence tapping further business in these cities in India is also part of our growth strategy.”

At the 11th World Cargo Symposium opened in Abu Dhabi, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on the air cargo industry to accelerate modernisation and focus on delivering high quality service. “Listening to the customer has never been more important. The positive forces currently supporting growth are good news. But our customers are telling us that they expect more. Complicated and convoluted paper-based processes that are basically unchanged from the 16th century is still being used in air cargo today. Our customers pay a premium to ship by air and they rightly expect modern processes and high quality services,” said Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO, IATA.

The 11th World Cargo Symposium 2017 opened at a remarkable note in Abu Dhabi. The symposium is meeting at a time of thoughtful optimism which is far too rare in the air cargo industry. After several years of virtually no growth, the industry is starting to see demand pick up. Freight volumes began to grow in the second half of 2016. And the momentum is carrying over into this year with January demand rising nearly seven per cent over the previous year. Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO has shared a clear vision of how that historical role continues to manifest itself. “It is great to see such forward thinking at the highest levels of government on the strategic benefits of aviation to the national economy,” he adds.

Agility has opened the first temperature-controlled life sciences storage and handling facility in the Hyderabad Airport Zone. The company’s 6,000-square-foot Life Sciences Excellence Center (LSEC) at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport is strategically placed to serve pharma manufacturers in Hyderabad, Goa, Pune, Vishakhapatnam and Bangalore. The centre will provide conditioning, preparation and storage of pharmaceutical goods and operate as a control tower for Agility life sciences customers in India. The LSEC will house va-Q-tec’s inventory, perform quality checks, conditioning and preparation of containers, and box packaging for va-Q-tec’s products before the release of packaging for customers.

After recently completing 45 years of uninterrupted service to the Indian subcontinent, Ethiopian Airlines has announced that it will expand its India operations further by adding Ahmedabad to its network. Esayas Woldemariam Hailu, Managing Director (International Services), Ethiopian Airlines, said, “We are very happy to celebrate this milestone of 45 years uninterrupted service to Mumbai, which was one of our earliest destinations and is one of our strongest markets in Asia today. We have plans to expand our operations in India for cargo. We have finalised our preparation to launch freighter operation to Ahmedabad in the month of March 2017. We have contributed our part in forging closer investment, trade and people-to-people ties between Africa and India.” The airline is currently operating New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru. Hailu added, “We don’t have a specific date yet for the new service. But we know that we will be operating our brand-new Boeing 777 on this route that has a capacity of 100 tonnes.”

PC Sharma, CEO and whole time director, TCIEXPRESS, notes, “The budget allocation of Rs 39,61,354 crore on infrastructure development and of selected airports in Tier 2 & 3 cities will help us penetrate in strategic and remote locations, enhancing our services in those regions as well. The focus on infrastructure development in the budget will contribute towards the exponential growth of logistics industry, as it will help in robust operations and efficient deliveries, particularly for the express delivery sector. We are also optimistic about the timely implementation of GST, which was also mentioned in the budget.”