Category Archives: Aviation

FedEx is continuing to focus on cost saving initiatives in response to weak express demand as it reported revenue of $21.7bn in its first quarter 2024, ended August 31. The company attributed a 19% improvement in reported net income to $1.1bn to its ‘DRIVE’ programme t0 improve operational efficiency and reduce expenses. “First quarter results improved primarily due to the execution of the company’s DRIVE program initiatives and continued focus on revenue quality. The improvement in operating results was partially offset by ongoing demand weakness,” said the company. Revenue at FedEx Express was down 9% year over year, but the division benefited from reduced operating expenses. “Volume remained pressured though total Express volume declines moderated sequentially,” noted Brie Carere, executive vice president, chief customer officer. FedEx Express operating income increased 18% during the quarter. “Cost reductions and transformation efforts at FedEx Express included structural flight reductions, alignment of staffing with volume levels, parking aircraft, and shifting to one delivery wave per day in the US, all of which more than offset the impact of lower revenue,” added John Dietrich, executive vice president, chief financial officer.

Air India SATS Airport Services (AISATS) was felicitated as the Associate Media Partner at recently held India Cargo Awards in New Delhi. Piyush Srivastava, IES, Senior Economic Advisor graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Known as the “Oscars of the Cargo Industry,” the India Cargo Awards 2023, hosted by Cargo Talk (DDP Group Publication) serves as an all-India platform created with a vision to recognise excellence in the Cargo-Freight-Logistics Industry across various domains, including Rail, Road, Air, Sea, Allied Services, Warehousing, Technology, 3rd Party Logistics, and more. Our world-class awards ceremonies are known for their formal Black-Tie affair, filled with glitz and glamour, attended by the most influential personalities in the industry.

Silk Way West Airlines has now rolled out its capacity on the cargo.one online booking platform. The carrier first announced it would place its capacity on cargo.one back in May but its services are now bookable via the platform. Silk Way West Airlines chief executive Wolfgang Meier said: “We are thrilled to embark on this journey with cargo.one. This endeavor is an exciting milestone that perfectly aligns with our commitment to providing innovative solutions and superior customer experiences. “We believe that the integration of cargo.one’s digital platform will set a new standard for airfreight booking.” The airline said that cargo.one offers a “user-friendly interface that simplifies booking processes and optimizes capacity utilization”. This would ultimately reduce costs and improve overall efficiency. “The platform includes benefits such as an intuitive booking experience, enhanced efficiency, expanded global reach, and a strong focus on delivering exceptional customer service to businesses,” the carrier added. Bookings can also be made directly on the Silk Way West website, a functionality that was added back in August last year.

Keku Bomi Gazder, MD and CEO, Aviapro Logistic Services says, “Prioritizing air cargo in FTAs can streamline cross-border trade, boost economic activities, and help nations fully harness the benefits of international commerce. Prioritizing air cargo in FTAs can offer several advantages to India’s EXIM (Export-Import) trade, investments, and participation in global markets. India’s exports, especially in sectors like pharmaceuticals, textiles, and electronics, can benefit from quicker and more reliable transportation through air cargo. This can open new markets and increase export volumes. A robust air cargo infrastructure can make India more attractive to foreign investors looking to establish supply chains or manufacturing operations in the country. It enhances India’s position as a favourable investment destination. Participation in global value chains becomes more accessible when there’s efficient air cargo connectivity. Indian businesses can become integral parts of international production networks. Increased exports and foreign investments stimulated by prioritizing air cargo can contribute to economic growth, job creation, and overall prosperity. It enhances India’s competitiveness on the global stage by reducing logistics costs and lead times. Overall, prioritizing air cargo in FTAs can serve as a catalyst for India’s economic growth, boosting exports, attracting investments, and strengthening its position in the global marketplace.”

Qatar Airways Cargo is pleased to announce a new partnership with Xiamen Airlines, the first Chinese airline to operate passenger non-stop flights from Mainland China to Qatar. The new partnership will allow Qatar Airways Cargo to provide additional belly cargo capacity for customers to and from Mainland China. Under the cooperation agreement, Xiamen Airlines will launch daily flights between Beijing’s Daxing International Airport (PKX) to Doha’s Hamad International Airport. The flights will commence on 20 October 2023. In addition to the flights from Beijing, Xiamen Airlines will also launch two weekly flights from Xiamen (XMN), the special economic zone of Fujian Sheng province, to Doha, commencing 31 October 2023. Xiamen Airlines will connect DOH with PKX (seven times a week) and XMN (two times a week), providing more than 100 tonnes of capacity on board both flights. The new direct services from Beijing to Doha will be operated by a Boeing 787-9 and Xiamen-Doha-Xiamen service will be operated by a Boeing 787-8. Elisabeth Oudkerk, SVP Cargo Sales & Network Planning at Qatar Airways Cargo said: “China has always been a key market for us and our customers. We are delighted to be able to offer our clients even more capacity. We will now serve 9 destinations in Mainland China, offering over 2,800 weekly tonnes of cargo capacity. We welcome Xiamen Airlines and look forward to working closely with them.” Mr. Tong Qianju, Vice President of Xiamen Airlines Cargo said: “Xiamen Airlines Cargo is very happy to expand its network reach for the first time to the Middle East, and we are very honored to do this with one of the top air cargo carriers in the world – Qatar Airways …

Tripath Logistics was honored with Fastest Growing Logistics Company award at recently held India Cargo Awards in New Delhi. Piyush Srivastava, IES, Senior Economic Advisor graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Known as the “Oscars of the Cargo Industry,” the India Cargo Awards 2023, hosted by Cargo Talk (DDP Group Publication) serves as an all-India platform created with a vision to recognise excellence in the Cargo-Freight-Logistics Industry across various domains, including Rail, Road, Air, Sea, Allied Services, Warehousing, Technology, 3rd Party Logistics, and more. Our world-class awards ceremonies are known for their formal Black-Tie affair, filled with glitz and glamour, attended by the most influential personalities in the industry.

Samir J Shah, Vice President, ACAAI and Partner. JBS Group of Companies highlights ACAAI theme and says, “The future is for those who hold the ability to comply with numerous issues simultaneously. Some compliances are repetitive and some need prompting. Companies cannot know everything. AI will ensure that no errors occur. It will also undertake proactively many issues. It will facilitate easy working in a complex world of cargo forwarding.”

C K Govil, President, Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACAAI) says, “FTAs reduce trade barriers and remove export regulations thus facilitating EXIM traffic. India’s exports to ASEAN Countries have increased from US$25.13 billion in 2016 to US$31.49 billion in 2021. Our exports to SAFTA nations have grown from $18.60 billion in 2016 to $22.08 billion in 2021, and to South Korea from $3.52 billion in 2016 to $4.68 billion in 2021. Our FTAs have brought in a cumulative investment of $89.54 billion in just five years. And that is just the beginning. We have seen a similar trend whenever an FTA has been signed, and the number of Indian trade partners is increasing.This will attract further foreign investments and participation in our country. Air cargo cannot be left behind amid all this action.” He adds,India has been promoting ease of doing business, and FTAs are a testimony to that effort. India has been promoting FTAs with bilateral and regional partners to boost export-oriented domestic manufacturing. Last year, India carried 2.2 million tonnes of air cargo, 70% of which was to international sectors. This is one-tenth the size of the American air cargo market and one-fifth of China’s. This figure can increase if air cargo is prioritised under the FTAs. India currently has 13 FTAs operational and 8 under negotiation. These are bound to uplift Indian trade on the global platform. In the past five years, India’s merchandise exports have grown by 20.75% to countries with which it has signed FTAs. It will go up if FTAs focus on air cargo. While the National Logistics Policy and Gati Shakti gave the much deserved recognition to air cargo, now it needs …

Ramesh Mamidala, Head – Cargo, Air India in an exclusive chat says, “The future export growth is going to come from tier II and tier III Indian cities. Great infrastructure development has been done at major airports across the country to facilitate seamless cargo movement. But, in the next four-five years, the industry collectively needs to focus on creating world class cold chain infrastructure in tier II and tier III cities. Therefore, the industry collectively needs to build the infrastructure that would also include the belly capacity deployment from the airlines in tier II, tier III cities, the airport infrastructure, the regulatory related infrastructure, etc.” He adds, “I feel the agriculture wastage that is happening is overestimated in India. For NE cities, what is produced in northeast can be consumed in India itself, it can be meant for the domestic market consumption, not only for the export market. But unfortunately, it’s not well-connected. So, connecting Northeast with air cargo or airline capacity may not be sufficient. Connectivity has to come in the form of railway network as well as surface network, which is a work in progress. In the next couple of years when it is well connected, we might see the northeast feeding their exotic fruits and vegetables to the rest of the country.”

Association of Multimodal Transport Operators of India (AMTOI) held its 24th AGM in Mumbai. The Office Bearers for the term 2023-2024 include Xerrxes Master, President, Arun Kumar, Vice President, Devpal Menon, Hon. Secretary, Haresh Lalwani, Hon. Treasurer. The association also awarded Cargo Talk for its exemplary contribution in the logistics sector. The president touched upon the few important Achievements and milestones mentioned below: 1-Collaboration – bringing diverse stakeholders from multimodal agencies 2-Knowledge sharing 3-Advocacy – policies engaging with govt bodies to represent interest of multimodal agencies 4-Digital transformation – no longer an option but necessity to streamline operations 5-Sustainability – a global goal