Category Archives: Aviation

GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC), announced the launch of an import courier terminal to facilitate faster processing and import clearance of courier import cargo. Spread across 300 sqm, the 24×7 import handling facility is located at GHAC terminal premises. The facility is well equipped with world-class security screening and state- of-the- art cargo handling systems. It has dedicated officials and custom officers to ensure a seamless process, custom clearance, and quicker turnaround of courier import consignments. Speaking on this achievement Mr Pradeep Panicker, CEO, GHIAL said, “We drive our business with an unwavering commitment to growth and excellence. This new facility is a testament to our belief in providing world-class logistic solutions to our customers. It will not only accelerate and improve our services but will drive our cargo business forward with a competitive edge in the industry and enhance air cargo services globally.” GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC) currently handles over 120 MT per month of export courier. With the addition of the new facility, it is expected to handle a larger volume of cargo, reaching 150 MT per month of import courier. This will help the shipment of key commodities such as documents, readymade garments, samples, household goods, and engineering goods that can be imported in large volumes across the region.

Safari Express Cargo has partnered with Cargo Flash Infotech to enhance its cargo management capabilities. Through this strategic collaboration, Safari Express Cargo Ltd. aims to avail the comprehensive Octogen’s package, a cutting-edge cargo management system designed to optimize operations and provide a seamless experience for its customers. As per the recent agreement, Cargo Flash will deliver the Octogen’s CMS broadly classified into the Reservation, Operation and alongside some significant add-ons. The Package includes Customer Management, Cargo booking & operation, Rating Management, Schedule Management, Capacity Management, Stock Management, EDI and Tracking. The recently introduced “Octogen” is a modular-based Cargo Management System catering to the entire Air Cargo domain, globally, especially the Airlines. Octogen allows the customer to choose from the list of modules that are required as per their business needs and pay only for the processes, which they pick for implementation. Through Octogen, Cargo Flash will allow Safari Express Cargo Ltd. to scale up its cargo sales & operation whilst enlarging its network furthermore. We are excited about our collaboration with Cargo Flash Infotech,” says Moses Nzomo, Account Manager Safari Express Cargo Ltd. By adopting the Octogen’s advanced tools and modules, we are committed to elevating our cargo management services to new heights. This partnership aligns with our vision of staying at the forefront of innovation and providing our customers with a seamless cargo experience.”

aircraft charter broker Air Charter Service (ACS) announced that it had made good progress on its plans to expand in Australia, having increased its team size by half this year. Moreover, ACS said, the company’s Sydney office is preparing for further growth by moving into a much larger space. Paul Crook, chief executive in ACS’s Sydney office, reported: “Last year was our best year in terms of charter numbers and our revenue was almost double that of the previous year. “This year has proved just as strong, being on course for similar results to last,” he continued. “Off the back of 2022 we have hugely expanded the team this year, to keep up with the demand in the region. This has, however, meant that we outgrew our old office. “This new office gives us the room to fulfil our growth plans for the foreseeable future and is ideally situated in King Street, in the central business district of Sydney.” Crook describes this as “an exciting time for ACS Australia, as we look to further our success and grow our teams here in Sydney and in our other office in Brisbane”.

Adani Group’s flagship Mundra Port has set another record by handling 16.1 million tonnes of cargo in October, the highest-ever volume by any port in India, the conglomerate said in a release. It is the largest port in the country with 102 MMT of cargo handled so far this year with a good 9 per cent year-on-year growth. The port crossed the 100 MMT mark in 210 days, surpassing the record of 231 days last year. Mundra witnessed double-digit growth on a YoY basis for containers and liquids and gas, the press release issued Sunday said. Further, it achieved another milestone of handling 4.2 million twenty-foot equivalents (TEUs) of containers in just 203 days, a feat achieved in 225 days in the previous financial year. It added new cargo types such as Hydrolysis Pi Gas (HPG) to its portfolio. So far in 2023, it docked over 2,480 ships and serviced over 11,500 rakes.

Lufthansa Cargo has launched a new high-speed service for cargo shipments called, td.Zoom. This service offers the carrier’s fastest transport times, with ramp supervision during aircraft loading and unloading, dedicated ramp transfer from the warehouse to the aircraft and vice versa as well as tail-to-tail transfer on demand at its hubs in Frankfurt, Zurich and Munich, says release. “The offer also includes 24/7 personal td.Zoom Customer Service, that proactively monitors and steers every shipment and takes immediate action to prevent irregularities,” the carrier added. The service is in addition to Lufthansa Cargo’s existing priority services td.Pro and td.Flash. Chief executive Ashwin Bhat said that a shipment from Shanghai via Frankfurt to Zurich usually takes 45 hours with td.Pro and 35 hours with td.Flash but this will be reduced to 23 hours with td.Zoom. “td.Zoom is the fastest choice with top priorities, the shortest transit times and a personal td.Zoom Customer Service,” he said. “Optimal customer service means creating the right offering for every need. With td.Pro, td.Flash and td.Zoom, we now have a comprehensive choice in terms of speed of transport, allowing our customers to choose a price-performance ratio that meets their individual needs.”

Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO, DIAL says, “We are actively engaged in seeking collaborations with cargo partners like CT operators, Airlines, freight forwarders & trade bodies to broaden our presence in both the domestic and int’l markets. These partnerships are aimed at expanding our network, providing more choices for our customers, and improving the efficiency of our cargo operations. He adds, “Regarding the expansion of freighters, we consistently evaluate market demand and remain open to supporting increased operations of freighters as required. Delhi Airport is the only airport in India, having 12 dedicated freighter parking bays which includes 3 simultaneous nose loading operations. We are handling ~15,000 freighter ATMs in a year which makes Delhi Airport the market leader in freighter operations across India. We added seven new freighter operators in the fiscal year FY’23. We are confident that this trajectory will continue in the future.

Lufthansa Group reported a 41 percent decline in cargo revenue at €675 million for the third quarter of 2023 compared to Q32022 on weak demand in a seasonally weak quarter. Revenue cargo tonne kms increased four percent to 2.2 billion, available tonne kms increased nine percent to 4.1 billion and load factor was down (2.7 percentage points) to 52.9. “Stabilisation of cargo yields (Q3: +39 percent vs 2019) and volumes indicates a bottoming out of the market,” says an official release. Adjusted EBIT plunged to €1 million from €331 million in Q32022. “For the fourth quarter, a slight year-on-year increase in transported volumes is expected.” For the first nine months of 2023, cargo revenue declined 38 percent to €2.2 billion and adjusted EBIT dropped 86 percent to €189 million. While capacity was up nine percent, cargo load factor declined five percentage.

Hopes of a surge in air cargo demand towards the end of the year diminished in October as the latest data showed only a slight uplift in demand. The latest figures from data provider Xeneta show that air cargo demand increased 2% in October compared with September which is described as “sub-seasonal” compared with the previous five years. General air cargo spot market rates were also up by around 2% over the two months, reaching $2.28 per kg. Compared with a year ago, demand was up 2% in October while rates were down 30%, although this is the lowest rate of decline registered this year. Rates also remain above pre-Covid 2019 levels, supported by premium and special cargoes, while general cargo rates have “nearly gone back to their pre-pandemic levels”. “This is attributed to the slight uptick in global cargo volumes as well as a slowdown of cargo capacity growth in a month in which global belly capacity returned to its pre-pandemic level, albeit this recovery is varied across major lanes,” said Xeneta in a press release.The dynamic load factor reached 59% in October, which is its second-highest level of the year, but still down two percentage points on October 2022 levels.

Emirates SkyCargo reflects on over 30 years of connecting to Southeast Asia, developing trade flows and connecting manufacturers, traders and exporters with businesses all over the world, as the air cargo industry gathers in Singapore for air cargo Southeast Asia. “Markets in Southeast Asia were amongst the early additions to the Emirates network, back when we were a young airline, as we saw the opportunities to create reciprocal business opportunities for customers in the region with global economies. Since then, we’ve gone from strength to strength,” said Ravishankar Mirle, vice president cargo commercial, Emirates SkyCargo – Far East and Australasia. He added: “The region is currently undergoing a renaissance, as global supply chains are poised for change with manufacturers, distributors and suppliers aiming to diversify their production hubs. Asia is well positioned with Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia offering manufacturing capability and attractive investment incentives. Conferences such as Air Cargo Southeast Asia are essential for the logistics ecosystem to connect, share insight and strengthen relationships to ensure a streamlined global supply chain.”

Shankar Shinde has been appointed as the Vice Chairman of the International Coordination Council on Trans-Eurasian Transportation (CCTT) during the 32nd Plenary Meeting which was recently held in Moscow. Shinde was earlier Chairman, Federation of Freight Forwarders Association of India (FFFAI). The partnership is focused on improving border trade facilitation through INSTC route. Shinde, Immediate Past Chairman of FFFAI is also Secretary General of CIFA. Li Zhiming has also been elected as new CCTT Vice-Chairman. This year the meeting was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Council. More than 250 delegates from departments, companies and organizations from 20 countries of the Eurasian continent, heads and representatives of international organizations and associations participated in this GLOBAL event. Other new members who also joined during this meeting were from China, South Korea, Iran and Southeast Asian countries. The CCTT was founded by the Ministry of Railway Communication of the Russian Federation (after the restructuring of 2003 – RZD OJSC; Deutsche Bahn (DB AG); Group of European Trans-Eurasian Forwarders and Operators (GETO) and Korean International Freight Forwarders Association (KIFFA).