Category Archives: Aviation

Indian aerospace manufacturing scales new heights as Airbus and Dynamatic Technologies Limited (DTL) join hands to manufacture all door variants in the next-gen Airbus A220 family of aircraft in India. “This is one of the single-largest export contracts for an Indian aerospace manufacturing company,” said official LinkedIn Post. The step will go a long way in bringing the complete aircraft door making technology to the Indian aerospace ecosystem. This is a stellar example of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi‘s Make In India vision translating into huge growth and employment dividends for the nation. For the first time, every Airbus commercial aircraft and every Airbus helicopter has critical technologies and systems designed, manufactured and maintained in India. With this & in the near future, Airbus will double its procurement from India from UD$750 million to UD$1.5 billion.

Afcom, Chennai based air cargo operator is all set to operate its own aircraft as the company has got certification and possession of a freshly arrived B737-800(BCF) with another two scheduled to land before the year’s end. The identity of the aircraft has not been verified yet, said reports. “This aircraft will support Afcom’s current capacity with its airfreight partners, thus enabling a faster and more reliable delivery service,” Afcom chairman Deepak Parasuraman told Indian media last week. “The company plans to add two more freighter aircraft to its fleet by the end of the year. Air cargo is today a key enabler of flexibility and speed in global supply chains. We foresee good and rising demand for air cargo and we are fully geared up to infuse the required capacity in the market.” The company ships around 250 tonnes of cargo a month using airfreight partners but acquiring its own planes will allow Afcom to uplift around 1,250 tonnes a month. Via their partners, Afcom now serves Singapore, Indonesia, and Brunei but the cargo carrier intends to start flights to Hanoi Noi Bai International and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi once they are cleared to fly their own planes.

Chennai International Airport (MAA) and Chennai is home to one of the busiest airports in India. Within our network, Chennai ranked 6th for exports in 2023, with top exported products including electronics, engineered goods, auto parts, garments and mobile phones, said Etihad’s LinkedIn Post. In fact, in 2023, we handled 442 tonnes of iPhone shipments. Our key routes for Chennai connect the bustling airport to Milan, Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam, London, New York, Chicago and Johannesburg. We operate two dedicated freighters for Chennai, offering four flights per week to connect this India hub not only to Abu Dhabi but also to Shanghai, providing additional capacity into two key global markets. We also provide additional belly capacity via 21 passenger flights per week, it added.

E-commerce firm Meesho formally launched a logistics vertical – Valmo (VALue+Movement) – to provide shipment facilities to sellers. “VALMO will redefine India’s supply chain by leveraging our strong technology capabilities and tapping into a vast logistics entrepreneur network to deliver shipments at the lowest cost. So far, we have partnered with over 3,000 local entrepreneurs, created more than 30,000 jobs, and expanded our reach to cover over ~6,000 pin codes in 20+ states,” says Meesho in its LinkedIn post.

SMILe (Shree Maruti Integrated Logistics Ltd) has announced its ground-breaking collaboration with Skye Air. This strategic partnership is set to revolutionize the e-commerce landscape and introduce a game-changing capability to deliver shipments via drones. As the first-of-its-kind offering in India, this transformative alliance showcases SMILe unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology to bring better solutions to its sellers and customers. The partnership is centralized towards enabling faster order fulfillment within urban traffic congestion with the help of Skye Air’s autonomous logistics solutions. By integrating drones with highly adaptable on-demand interfaces, Skye Air minimizes disruptions to partner operational processes, thereby enhancing shipping capabilities and ensuring unparalleled customer satisfaction for both B2B and B2C operations. The introduction of drone delivery services will not only provide Shree Maruti sellers with the ability to offer same-day and next-day deliveries but also revolutionize the entire delivery process, making it more efficient, eco-friendly, and customer-centric. “SMILe (Shree Maruti Integrated Logisistics Ltd) is on a mission to empower Indian merchants with inclusive, tech-driven solutions to ease their business operations,” said Priyank Patel, VP-Business of SMILe. “Our collaboration with Skye Air represents a significant step towards achieving that goal and propelling the e-commerce landscape towards future advancements throughout India. With this partnership, we are redefining the future of e-commerce and providing our sellers with a competitive edge in the market.” “Skye Air is dedicated to revolutionizing drone delivery and making it a mainstream logistics solution in India, and our collaboration with Shree Maruti is a significant step in that direction,” said Ankit Kumar, Co-Founder & CEO of Skye Air. “By leveraging our state-of-the-art tech stack and infrastructure, including Skye Pod and Skye UTM, we aim to …

Challenge Group, the end-to-end solution provider for complex verticals, announces the acquisition of an additional Boeing 747-400F aircraft. This strategic decision demonstrates Challenge Group’s confidence in its vision for the future and its dedication to providing top-tier services to clients globally. “The new 747-400F is a testament to Challenge Group’s commitment to staying ahead of the curve despite industry discussions about overcapacity,” said Or Zak, Chief Commercial Officer of Challenge Group. “It is an ideal choice for transporting commodities such as heavy & oversize, horses, pharma, aircraft engines, dangerous goods, cars and other complex verticals and will enhance our capacity and flexibility, allowing us to tap into new markets as well.” Boasting unique nose-loading capacity and a 120-tonne payload, the aircraft is set to elevate Challenge Group’s operational capabilities, ensuring timely and efficient cargo transport in the evolving air freight landscape. In recent years, Challenge Group has diversified its fleet with the addition of a B767-300BDSF aircraft in August 2023, the continuation of the conversion program with two aircraft undergoing simultaneous conversion, and the full fleet of four B767 converted freighters expected to be fully operational by Q3/2024. Challenge Group anticipates that the new aircraft will be deployed on strategic trade lanes to enhance the connectivity between Europe and the Far East.

DHL Express and Aragen LifeSciences jointly announced partnership to use DHL’s GoGreen Plus service. This collaboration makes Aragen the first Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) customer of DHL Express in India. The GoGreen Plus service supports Aragen’s goal to reduce carbon emissions in international shipments. R.S Subramanian, Senior Vice President – South Asia, DHL Express, said, “We are happy to announce our partnership with Aragen LifeSciences, a significant move towards sustainable business in India. Aragen is our first Science Based Targets Initiative customer to have come on board to reduce carbon emissions, and we’re proud to support their ambition. Now more than ever, it has become necessary to address the problem of Scope 3 emissions. With our GoGreen Plus service, we’re assisting customers in this journey. We hope this agreement inspires others to adopt sustainable practices and embrace low-emission transport services through sustainable aviation fuel.” Manni Kantipudi, CEO, Aragen Life Sciences, added “Sustainability and ESG are key priority areas for Aragen and this collaboration with DHL Express will help us achieve our near-term target under SBTi by 2032. As a socially and environmentally responsible corporate, Aragen is committed to reducing carbon emissions produced while shipping internationally and the GoGreen Plus service will enable us to achieve this. Aragen and DHL have a long-standing association and this collaboration underscores our mutual commitment to responsible sustainable practices and managing our scope emissions with carbon insetting.”

Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt Ltd (AISATS) has started domestic cargo handling services at Birsa Munda Airport, Ranchi as the airport’s official Operator & Management (O&M) service provider. Partnering with AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Ltd. (AAICLAS), AISATS Ranchi Cargo Services Private Limited will provide world-class domestic cargo handling services to ensure that Ranchi Airport’s cargo throughput is ready to take off to new heights of service excellence. With its expertise in air cargo handling and logistics, AISATS is focused on levelling up the infrastructure at Ranchi Airport to enable faster freight movements and improve air cargo connectivity for the state of Jharkhand. As the official Regulated Agent (RA) at Ranchi Airport, AISATS will ensure that all cargo is robustly screened, labelled and dispatched as per global best practices. AISATS is committed towards providing efficient and seamless solutions to airlines for all their cargo handling, processing and warehousing needs at Ranchi. This includes the capability to handle various types of cargo be it pharmaceuticals, perishables or machinery. Commenting on the start of services at Ranchi Airport, Sanjay Gupta, CEO of AISATS, said, “We are excited to bring our unparalleled air cargo services to Jharkhand and our team at Ranchi is committed to make the city a lucrative focal point for the region’s air cargo needs. AISATS is delighted to partner with AAICLAS as its trusted O&M service provider at Ranchi Airport for this service. We believe that Ranchi Airport is going to play a significant role in transporting India’s cargo from regional industrial clusters and their distribution points to domestic and international marketing across the world, and AISATS is thrilled to be part of that journey.” “India …

Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) facilitated the inbound handling of arecanut (Areca catechu), a tropical crop, at its integrated cargo terminal (ICT) in January. The red variety of arecanut, weighing 1,519 kg in 60 bags, was ferried as belly air cargo from Agartala in Tripura to Mangaluru. The shipment is the highest quantity of the crop that the integrated cargo terminal has handled since it started domestic cargo operation on May 1, 2023. It also marks the highest single-day inbound cargo that the ICT has handled since May 1, 2023. In the past, the ICT had handled inbound parcels of arecanut, although in smaller quantity, according to a press release from the airport. The arecanut was procured by a Shivamogga-based supari trader from Tripura. The representatives of the trader transported the crop by road to Shivamogga. Airlifting of arecanut was also a first for the trader who otherwise regularly sources this crop by road from various parts of India, including Agartala.

Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) recently launched international air cargo operations. Jindal Stainless despatched a 28-kg consignment of hot-rolled stainless steel plate samples to Sweden, becoming the first company to use the airport’s direct air cargo operations for international destinations. The airport is currently handling around 1,000 tonnes a year, the cargo services are expected to bolster the export potential of the state, benefiting a wide range of manufacturers. “Our first consignment has gone to Sweden. According to the Odisha government’s department for micro, small and medium enterprises, the new air cargo facilities at Bhubaneswar airport will be connected to the entire globe. We will be leveraging the services as per our customer requirements,” said official statement. With the launch of international air cargo operations at BPIA, the frequency of his company’s daily shipments from Bhubaneswar will increase significantly.