Category Archives: Aviation

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has launched a platform supporting Investment in Climate Action, as part of an ongoing program to accelerate the air cargo industry’s sustainability transformation. In addition to their established BlueSky program and ongoing initiatives to share best practice around emissions tracking and reduction, TIACA seeks to unite and support the industry in addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and bring real benefits for local communities. The platform enables individuals and companies to support a number of leading standards-certified projects around the world, which contributes to global carbon avoidance and the UN’s SDGs. Each investment generates a verified carbon contribution. The platform, powered by TIACA member South Pole, is funding critical climate projects across key areas of sustainability; ● Nature-based solutions ● Renewable energy ● Improved community and living condition Each project has undergone vigorous assessment and is subject to ongoing monitoring to ensure they deliver measurable benefits to create healthy ecosystems, thriving communities, and prosperous economies. “We are proud to offer this new service to the air cargo industry as it allows individual companies to take action today and invest in climate projects without having to go through the lengthy process of identifying and selecting high-quality, verified, and impactful climate projects themselves. This is consistent with our objective to facilitate all sizes of companies having access to sustainability improvement tools.” Steven Polmans, TIACA Chair The platform is open access and will give users access to detailed project information about different technologies and certification standards, help educate the air cargo industry on funding climate action, and reduce barriers to carbon credit procurement. Investment levels are determined by the user, starting from very low increments. …

Hactl has opened a new cool chain facility as it continues to target the pharma market in Asia Pacific region and globally. Hactl said the new Cool Chain Complex (CCC) is the largest cool facility at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). It allows import shipments to be unloaded from aircraft, broken down, and either stored or handed to waiting customers within an “entirely temperature-controlled environment”. “Exports enjoy a similar seamless temperature-controlled transit from warehouse to aircraft,” the company said. “All additional processes, such as check-weighing and X-ray screening, also take place within the CCC’s controlled environment.” The CCC has been designed to minimise the total time and distance between aircraft and storage, with direct airside access and its own landside truck docks. It has three temperature zones (15°C, 2-8°C, and -25 to -15°C) and all CCC zones have real-time temperature monitoring and CCTV coverage. In addition, the CCC features a dedicated area for dangerous substances, also with three separate temperature zones.

Saudia Cargo, Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) and Alibaba’s logistics arm Cainiao have officially launched their collaboration at Cainiao’s Liege eHub in Liege Airport, Belgium, and aims to create a business model for future e-commerce logistics gateways at global airports. The new collaboration that was first announced in November 2023 aims at optimizing logistics processes through operational streamlining and the adoption of logistics innovations. Teddy Zebitz, CEO of Saudia Cargo, remarked: “Our collaboration marks a strategic milestone, addressing the burgeoning significance of e-commerce in the air cargo sector. Our aim is clear-to introduce a business model that enhances efficiency, reliability, and innovation on a global scale, reshaping the landscape of international trade. With the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia serving as a pivotal market, our operations into Liege solidify its status as a crucial hub for efficient connections to Europe, while also strengthening our position in the KSA market.” “Central to this endeavour is our partnership with Cainiao, leveraging their unparalleled capacity and global network. Our meticulous process, from pre-built ULDs in Hong Kong to seamless handover in Liege via Riyadh, ensures an uninterrupted flow of e-commerce materials. In parallel, as we expand our capacity and cargo flights worldwide, the collaboration with WFS/SATS underscores our commitment to innovation and efficiency, revolutionizing e-commerce handling with cutting-edge technologies.”

Ethiopian Airlines inaugurates e-commerce logistics facility, the first of its kind in Africa with an investment of USD 55 million for global operations. The inauguration of this specialized warehouse dedicated solely to e-commerce goods, mail, and courier logistics services, will revolutionize the industry in the African continent and positions Addis Ababa to be the cross-border e-commerce logistics hub for Africa and beyond.

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) reported positive early-year traffic figures for January 2024, indicating a promising start with substantial increases in international passenger and cargo traffic, spurred by strong demand preceding the Lunar New Year celebrations. In January, airlines in the region transported a total of 27.0 million international passengers, marking a significant 49.4% growth from the same period last year. This brought traffic volumes to 82.0% of the pre-pandemic levels of 2019. In terms of revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), there was a 48.3% increase in demand year-over-year, showcasing a solid demand for regional travel. The available seat capacity also saw a growth, up by 51.3% compared to last year, even though the international passenger load factor slightly decreased by 1.6 percentage points, settling at an average of 79.9% for the month. Furthermore, the air cargo market continued to expand in January, driven by demand associated with the Lunar New Year festivities. The international air cargo demand, measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK), experienced a robust 22.5% growth year-over-year, continuing the upward trend observed in the last quarter of 2023. However, the increase in available freight capacity, which went up by 25.8% year-on-year due to the recovery of belly-hold capacities in international passenger flights, caused a 1.6 percentage point decrease in the average international freight load factor to 57.5%. Commenting on the results, Mr. Subhas Menon, AAPA Director General said, “The year started on a positive note for Asia Pacific airlines, as both international air passenger and cargo markets saw robust growth, supported by the timing of the Lunar New Year festive period. Travel demand was boosted by a rise in leisure travellers, while cargo markets benefitted from …

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has launched a platform aimed at finding available training solutions throughout the industry – the Air Cargo Training Library. The Air Cargo Training Library provides a convenient global repository for training courses from many different training providers. The listings will be submitted by members and partner educational institutions that offer training on technology, sustainability, safety and security, management, logistics, live animals, industry knowledge, global trade, dangerous goods and air cargo. “We are very excited to launch this platform as we see that it links directly with our Sustainability Roadmap and continues to drive forward a sustainable future. The platform promotes quality education and decent work that in turn is tied to economic growth. We look forward to watching this library expand.” Steven Polmans, Chair, TIACA. The platform is open access and available to all industry stakeholders that want to view the training courses available. Members have the opportunity to list several training courses free of charge; while non-Members will pay a small fee to list their courses. “Today’s air cargo industry is complex with ever changing customer expectations, regulatory requirements and evolving industry standards. High quality training is a key enabler to keep staff engaged, empowered and motivated to build a great career within the industry. The problem is where to find the training and that is where the Air Cargo Training Library comes in. It is a convenient search tool that lists training for the industry. We invite members and training partners to submit their courses to the portal.” Glyn Hughes, Director General, TIACA.

LogiMAT India 2024, the biggest exhibition focused on intralogistics solutions, Material Handling, Transportation, Supply Chain and Process Management opened in Greater Noida on Feb 28. Organised by Messe Stuttgart India, the three-day event will offer profound insights into the future of logistics innovations, and collaborations to drive the logistics and supply chain industry forward. With over 100 exhibitors and 15,000+ expected visitors, LogiMAT India 2024 presents a comprehensive overview of the latest trends, crucial face-to-face interactions, lead generation, business conversions, and the establishment of long-term partnerships, and best practices shaping the logistics and supply chain industry. From intralogistics solutions and transportation management to warehousing technology and automation, visitors can explore a wide range of exhibitors and gain valuable insights to optimize their operations and stay competitive in the market.

Accio Robotics unveiled, AccioPick Air at the ongoing LogiMAT 2024 trade show in Greater Noida. AccioPick Air is a cutting-edge Mobile Automated Storage and Retrieval System (mASRS) that robotically combines the strengths of fixed and flexible automation to redefine operational efficiency and adaptability in medium to high throughput applications. AccioPick Air offers a set of key features that redefine warehousing automation. The robot’s unique capability to latch onto storage aisles and climb vertically enhances space utilisation and retrieval speed. Its core functionality lies in the seamless, reliable, and accurate retrieval and delivery of bins to the induction station. Employing a hybrid automation approach, Accio Pick Air integrates fixed and flexible automation elements, ensuring stability and adaptability to various storage layouts. Furthermore, the decoupling of bin retrieval and transportation allows dynamic task allocation, enabling any child robot to retrieve a bin and dock with any available mother robot, effectively reducing wait times. The system simplifies operations by eliminating the need for specific tote-to-robot pairings, thereby reducing tote marrying complexity. The mother robot efficiently transports the child robot and tote, streamlining the retrieval and delivery processes. Accio Pick Air’s continuous retrieval and return process minimises idle time, ensuring consistently productive robot operations. The system further addresses the challenge of aisle congestion by allowing empty child robots to travel underneath aisles without totes, optimising space usage. Its flexibility and scalability shine through dynamic task allocation based on robot availability and location, providing an easily scalable solution for varying demands. Tuhin Sharma, Co-Founder, Accio Robotics, said, “AccioPick Air marks a veritable paradigm shift in warehousing automation, seamlessly blending innovation with efficiency. Its unique features are set to push and redefine the possibilities of operational …

Modern Logistics is all set to take delivery of a second 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) in the first half of this year. The Brazilian integrated logistics company and cargo airline acquired its first 737-800BCF in October last year and expects the freighter to enter service in March. These two aircraft are expected to support Modern Logistics’ efforts to expand into other Latin American markets, particularly Argentina, Colombia, and Central America, as well as establishing a facility in Miami, says reports. Leased through Babcock & Brown Aircraft Management (BBAM), the 737-800BCFs have passed certification by PCA Airworthiness and have received final approval by ANAC, Brazil’s aviation regulator. Modern Logistics’ chief executive Cristiano Koga said, “We are very excited about the addition of two advanced (freighters) to our fleet. The additional capacity and efficiency of the new aircraft will assure the future success of the company by hastening entry into international markets and better responding to the needs and requirements of our clients.” The introduction of the new 737-800BCFs is part of a fleet renewal initiative by the airline to enhance operational efficiency.

Industry Veteran Sunil Arora announced the official launch of ‘1WN – One World One Network,’ poised to transform the global logistics and freight forwarding industry globally. Headquartered in Dubai, the global network is formed to connect logistics industry stakeholders from across the world on various platforms focusing on pharma, dangerous goods, express cargo, warehousing, logistics etc. 1WN will be officially launched in Dubai on 1st March 2024. Founded with a vision to transform collaboration, 1WN further plans to expand offices in India and Philippines. “This group has been formed with a clear vision to revolutionise the logistics industry by delivering seamless, efficient and environmentally responsible supply chain networking opportunities. The stakeholders can meet, greet, and connect with each other on various insightful topics. We have plans to cover the world and create an ecosystem where we all can benefit from each other,” said Arora. The press conference was addressed by Sunil Arora along with Amit Kumar, General Manager, 1WN and Anju Gupta, Head – Corporate Communications. In addition to this, they launched 1WN website too (https://lnkd.in/g2Dgc7m4).