Category Archives: Aviation

The Air Cargo Agents Association of India’s (ACAAI) forthcoming 48th Annual Convention, set to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan from December 5-8, 2024, will cover several insightful topics such as development of airport infrastructure, tech and innovation, sustainable cargo operations, impact of geopolitical tensions on global supply chains and cyber security. The event will witness participation of global air cargo experts and logistics industry players.

To assist the companies certified under the National In-Country Value (ICV) programme, Etihad Cargo has further extended its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT). Through this collaboration, Etihad Cargo will provide discounted air cargo rates across its fleet to ICV-certified companies. The partnership aligns with the UAE’s vision to promote economic competitiveness and increase demand for local products, enabling UAE-based businesses to scale operations domestically while expanding to international markets. The extended MoU was signed by Stanislas Brun, Vice President Cargo at Etihad Cargo, and Salama Al Awadi, Director of National In-Country Value Programme (ICV) at MoIAT, in the presence of His Excellency Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of MoIAT.

  Federal Express Corporation has introduced a strategic expansion that enhances South India’s access to critical imports from the Asia-Pacific region and boosts exports to Europe and the USA. This new flight service optimizes logistics and supply chains, strengthening South India’s role in global trade, reinforcing FedEx’s commitment to meeting customer demand, and unlocking India’s potential within the global supply chain. “India is one of the most exciting economic growth stories in the world today, and as such represents a critical growth market for FedEx.” said Richard W. Smith, Chief Operating Officer, International, and Chief Executive Officer, Airline, FedEx, “I’m excited about the opportunities here in this dynamic and fast-changing region, and am proud to strengthen our commitment to India by connecting local businesses to the world.”

  Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) has introduced a new forwarding service targeting the transport of goods related to cloud computing as demand from the industry continues to rise. The new service will utilise the forwarder’s air logistics network and provide white glove road transport solutions, with staff trained to deliver sensitive and oversized servers to data centres. The solution offers real-time visibility of essential shipment information, digital tools reduce risks and identify optimal shipping routes suited to operational needs and GPS capabilities to track and monitor shipment movements with data reports to verify temperature, light exposure, and chain of custody at all touchpoints.

Qatar Airways Cargo announced the launch of a new strategic partnership with MASkargo to enhance global cargo connectivity and operational efficiency. The collaboration, which officially began on 1 October 2024, has already seen the successful movement of approximately 2,400 tonnes of cargo, including over 600 tonnes of perishables and 130 tonnes of pharmaceuticals. Qatar Airways Cargo Boeing 777 flights now fly from Doha to Kuala Lumpur twice a week, increasing weekly cargo capacity by over 200 tonnes. The strategic partnership will further solidify connectivity and efficiency to Sydney and Melbourne with MASkargo Airbus A330 freighters carrying more than 75 tonnes of weekly cargo capacity to these cities, with a swift connection time of just 8 hours in Kuala Lumpur. The strategic hubs at Hamad International Airport (DOH) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) will play a pivotal role, providing seamless connections and state-of-the-art handling facilities. The agreement benefits both parties, allowing MASkargo to access key points in Europe, GCC, Levant and Africa, while Qatar Airways Cargo gains increased capacity access to Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia and North East Asia. It also supports the local market in Kuala Lumpur by enabling the export of products to more global markets.

Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has secured the AAA rating (Stable Outlook) by ICRA Ltd, India Ratings and Research Pvt Ltd and Crisil Ratings Ltd. The AAA ratings indicate the highest degree of safety regarding timely servicing of financial obligations and lower credit risk. “We are honored to receive the AAA rating from ICRA, India Ratings and Research, and Crisil. This recognition reflects our robust business model and our commitment to sustainable growth. With regulated aeronautical revenues and our strategic investments in expanding capacity, we are well-positioned for continued success. Our focus remains on delivering long-term value to all stakeholders while maintaining a solid financial foundation,” Bhaskar Anand Rao, CFO, BIAL said.    

Sushant Nigam, Executive Director, ACAAI says, “EXIM cargo clearance processes of customs, custom brokers, airlines and custodians are already integrated to a great extent but scaling up the ladder of improvement is a continuous process. The ground level intricacies are to be kept under the professional lens to keep identifying the bottlenecks and keep giving the solution agreeable to all the stakeholders to achieve the preset milestones of EoDB.”

Yashpal Sharma, Skyways Group, Managing Director, says ” If I talk from the government side, more on the transshipment policy of the government, it has seen a certain improvement, where we see that the domestic-to-domestic transshipment has slightly improved, but there’s still a long way to go, because globally transshipment is the major commodity or a major product for any aviation industry. Also, if you look at all the major airports of the world, there is a sizable part of that business that is transshipment business. However, in India, that process needs improvement. Currently, that process takes up to two days, and we need to bring it down to a couple of hours. In some of the developed economies, you can do a tail-to-tail transfer between two aircrafts, which you cannot do in India, because of the current process, which is set. And I hope the domestic-to-domestic transshipment as a first step improves. Then, we see the same in the domestic to international, international to the domestic and international to international, all four of them need to go up.”

The global air cargo fleet is forecast to rise to 3,900 freighters by 2043, an approximate 66% increase from 2,340 cargo aircraft in 2023. This addition of 2,845 freighters over the next 20 years includes 1,005 production freighters and 1,840 passenger to freighter (P2F) conversion aircraft, according to Boeing’s 2024 World Air Cargo Forecast (WACF). Deliveries will include 1,250 standard-body, 785 medium widebody and 810 large widebody freighters. “Freighter deliveries will total 2,845, with roughly two-thirds being converted passenger airplanes. Of those conversions, nearly 70% will be standard body freighters,” said Boeing. The aircraft manufacturer said that nearly half of production and conversion deliveries will replace older freighters, noting that many older aircraft remain in operation due to recent market needs. Boeing also predicts that the large widebody freighter fleet will nearly double, driven by demand in high-growth Asian markets.

Jeena & Company marked the first step towards a fully sustainable logistics future through a ground breaking initiative aimed at accurately tracking and significantly reducing carbon emissions across its operations. In partnership with Sangti Solutions, an industry-leading sustainability partner, the company aims to empower customers and partners in making meaningful progress on their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals. Jeena is committing to implement comprehensive carbon tracking for all shipments handled for its customers. This new approach towards logistics will provide full visibility of CO2 emissions at the shipment level, allowing customers to monitor their emissions in real-time through the Jeena Customer Portal (JCP). This portal will feature a customer tracker, enabling customers to access detailed emissions data specific to their shipments and take informed steps towards sustainability. “At Jeena, we recognise the critical role sustainability plays in shaping the future of the logistics industry and our community in general,” said Ayesha Katgara, Jeena & Company. “We aim to be a significant contributor to our customers’ sustainability journeys by providing all the necessary tools and data they need to understand and reduce their carbon emissions. Taking this responsibility seriously is vital for creating a lasting legacy and ensuring that we are prepared for the future. This initiative is a crucial part of our mission to drive positive change in the industry and bring about a larger impact to the environment, making our organisation ready for future generations. Always prioritising our customers’ trust, we have partnered with Sangti to ensure the accuracy and credibility of the results we deliver.”