Category Archives: International

Seven Mercedes-Benz Actros tractor units will be added to GEODIS’ fleet of prime movers in the Asia-Pacific Region (APAC). The leased vehicles are equipped with the latest security and safety technology and will be utilized on the logistics operator’s owned network in Southeast Asia. Supplied by the manufacturer’s Malaysian distributor, Hap Seng Trucks Distribution Sdn Bhd and leased from Euroasia Total Logistics (ETL), the new Actros 5 models will be the first of their type to be sold by Mercedes-Benz in Malaysia. GEODIS has recently expanded its road network in the region with service destinations in Vietnam added to its existing full and partial load service linking Singapore with Malaysia and Thailand. The network will eventually connect with Chinese markets on a day-definite, door-to-door basis delivering a road transport alternative to the more costly air, and slower ocean, options. Lakshmanan Venkateswaran, Sub-Regional Managing Director – South East Asia of GEODIS said, “The rapid expansion of our road mode offerings along the spine of Southeast Asia’s economic backbone has resulted in more than 50% increase in volumes since the service’s inception in late 2019. Linking Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, and now into Vietnam our owned network brings reliable transit-times and cargo security. This new equipment will further enhance these service attributes and aid the fast-growing businesses of our high-tech, retail, ecommerce and FMCG customers.”

Amerijet International Airlines will implement SmartKargo’s cloud-based cargo management solution to offer improved efficiency and a streamlined user experience for its customers. SmartKargo offers a suite of integrated tools and solutions to support essential cargo functions from customer management, pricing and sales, operations, and warehouse management, to loading and unloading and ramp operations. “SmartKargo will take Amerijet to the next level. Our customers and employees will find it easier to use than any other tool,” said chief executive Tim Strauss. “SmartKargo’s end-to-end platform is accessible from any device, our global network will be delighted with this change.” The partnership with SmartKargo comes at a time when Amerijet is deploying a series of strategic digital investments that aim to transform, automate and improve the service provided to its customers. Amerijet, one of the first dedicated all-cargo airlines in the world to adopt the SmartKargo platform, operates its own dedicated fleet of freighters from its primary hub at the Miami International Airport to destinations throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, South America and Europe.

Envirotainer, the global market leader in secure cold chain solutions for air transportation of pharmaceuticals, has launched its latest innovation, the Releye® RAP. This is complemented by the new Control Tower managed service. The Releye® RAP sets a new benchmark for temperature-controlled 5-pallet solutions. The largest of the new generation Releye® containers, the RAP is the only one of its type in the world, combining big capacity with superior features. Designed to meet the strictest requirements in pharmaceutical air freight, the integrated live monitoring enables a unique insight into product condition, location and progress of the shipment. With its increased efficiency and capacity, it reaches outstanding CO2 reductions per shipment, and is the future solution for secure cold chain shipments. All monitored and maintained with the new service Control Tower. The Releye® RAP is the second in a family of advanced temperature-controlled air freight containers Envirotainer is developing. It joins the 3-pallet Releye® RLP launched in 2021. The foundation of the Releye® platform are the five pillars: Control, Monitoring, Autonomy, Value and Sustainability.

Turkish Cargo has moved its freighter operations over to Istanbul Airport to join its passenger flights after more than two years of operating with a dual-hub setup. With the airline’s new cargo hub, named SMARTIST, now fully operational the airline took the decision to transfer freighter operations to the new airport. In total, 4,125 pieces of equipment of 80 different types were transferred to Istanbul Airport as part of the move. The re-location took a total of 72 hours. Turhan Ozen, chief cargo officer at Turkish Airlines, said, “During the last three years, we carried out a substantial operation in both of our hubs. While we made use of our freighters at the Ataturk Airport, we benefited from our passenger aircraft and the pax-freighters capacity at the Istanbul Airport. We performed approximately 30,000 flights, 23,000 of which were performed by making use of our freighters and 6,000 of which were by pax-fighters, and we transported more than 4m air cargo shipments, 2.5m tons of which were transported from/to the Ataturk Airport and 1.8 m tons of which were transported from/to the Istanbul Airport.” The SMARTIST hub will eventually have an annual capacity of 4m tonnes and measure 340,000 sq m.

DHL Global Forwarding and Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP) have teamed up on the purchase of 33m litres of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The partners said the three-year cooperation represents one of the most “significant SAF purchases in the freight forwarding industry”. DHL has committed to covering at least 30% of its air and ocean fuel requirements with sustainable fuels by 2030. “Since it is nearly impossible both technically and logistically to physically track SAF from production to the airplane, ‘book & claim’ offers a digital accounting system to track and transfer emissions reductions from sustainable fuels across the value chains,” the partners said. Adriaan den Heijer, executive vice president, Air France KLM Cargo and managing director Martinair, said: “The Air France KLM Martinair Cargo teams are strongly committed and feel responsible for creating a sustainable future for our industry. This deal is a great opportunity to accelerate our joint sustainability efforts. Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has a lot of potential to reduce CO2 emissions and we are delighted to collaborate with our strong, long-term partner DHL Global Forwarding on this journey to greener logistics and transportation in the coming years.” Tim Scharwath, chief executive, DHL Global Forwarding, Freight, added: “With our Sustainability Roadmap, we have set ourselves ambitious goals on our journey towards zero emissions. Sustainable fuels are a fundamental part of our efforts. That is why we have committed to covering at least 30% of airfreight and oceanfreight fuel requirements with sustainable fuels by 2030. Our partnership with AFKLMP will help us achieve that goal”.

Ground handler Swissport reported a successful business year in 2021, primarily due to its cargo unit. The company processed 5.1m tonnes of cargo at its more than 100 air cargo facilities last year, which is an all-time high and represents a 10% increase compared with pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Meanwhile, the company’s larger airport ground services business is still “severely affected by the global travel restrictions”. Last year passenger numbers stood at 97m compared with 265m in 2019 and flights handled stood at 2m against 4.1m pre-pandemic. Swissport International chief executive and president Warwick Brady said: “I am immensely proud that our teams around the globe – in an extremely challenging environment – have collectively delivered a very respectable result. “It demonstrates the resilience and reliability of our company as an airline partner. We have intensified our customer engagement in recent months and continue to bring in new business and grow existing accounts. For 2022, we expect an accelerated recovery of global air traffic, latest by the start of the summer holidays in the northern hemisphere. This will also boost demand for airport ground services.”

Flexport has added more air cargo charter capacity in response to what it expects to be another robust year for airfreight. The freight forwarder has announced a deal with JetOneX, which currently operates B747Fs, to provide services on the Asia to Europe trade lane. The service will operate twice a week between Hong Kong and Maastricht (MST), and once a week between Ho Chi Minh City and Maastricht. Neel Jones Shah, executive vice president airfreight at Flexport, said: “Disruption in the airfreight market caused by global uncertainty and rapidly changing Covid regulations continue to result in cancellations and volatile pricing for our customer. “By partnering with JetOneX, we’re able to grow our capacity, and our customers will enjoy best-in-class service flying into an uncongested MST airport as a gateway for the rest of Europe. In the future, we plan to build upon this service to create a reliable network of scheduled services that our customers can rely on whenever they need it.”

To mark the occasion of the Chinese New Year, Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of the Etihad Aviation Group, today launches a Mandarin edition of its website, etihadcargo.com. With China contributing to more than 20 per cent of Etihad Cargo’s operations, the country represents one of the UAE national carrier’s biggest markets. The launch marks a key milestone as Etihad Cargo looks to further strengthen its position within the Chinese market. Starting 8 February, all visitors to etihadcargo.com from China will automatically be routed to the Mandarin version of the site, where they will be able to access information about product offerings, as well as station capabilities, feedback options, and claims’ details in the local language. “Launching the Mandarin version of etihadcargo.com aims to facilitate access to information for Etihad Cargo’s customers and partners in the Chinese market,” said Jacqueline Han Lin Ni Area Manager North Asia Pacific at Etihad Cargo. “The new Mandarin website is another step to cementing Etihad Cargo’s strategic footprint with the Chinese market,” added Ni. “The carrier is also working on a Mandarin version of the new booking portal, demonstrating Etihad Cargo’s commitment to its partners in China, as well as its intention to help improve and expand its digital portfolio and streamline its services for customers. “With the addition of a Mandarin-language version of the portal, Etihad Cargo is confident of strengthening and solidifying its position in the Chinese logistics industry”.

The carrier’s latest effort around that pro-customer approach is a multi-modal end-to-end containerised cargo provision – involving truck, rail and barge services – for a last-mile delivery from West India to Mongla Port in Bangladesh. Mongla is Bangladesh’s busiest cargo gateway after Chittagong Port. “The cargo is moving from the shipper’s factory to ICD Mihan in Nagpur by road, after which it is connected to Kolkata on rail,” said a spokesperson for Maersk (India). From Kolkata, the cargo will head to Mongla on a barge facilitated by Maersk. In conjunction with India’s public rail company, the Container Corporation of India (Concor), the carrier set up the first such train trip from the Nagpur ICD to Kolkata Port on 3 February. “This multimodal solution is designed to improve transit time, reduce supply chain inefficiencies and lead time, promote sustainability and cost efficiency,” Concor said in a statement. “This is an end-to-end solution for container movement from customer factory, including first-mile connectivity, customs clearance, rail movement and barge connection.” The unique cross-border offering is a step further towards Maersk’s expanding multimodal profile in the Indian market as it works to meet trade expectations on service levels.

Miami International Airport (MIA) has broken its record for cargo volumes handled for the second year in a row. The Florida hub handled 2.7m tons of freight in 2021, “shattering” its previous record of 2.3m tons achieved in 2020. International freight grew by 17% to 2.2m tons, while domestic freight rose 15% to 500,000 tons. MIA ranks as the busiest airport in the US and ninth busiest in the world for international freight. Los Angeles International is the busiest overall – domestic and international – cargo airport in the US. Last year it handled 3m tons of cargo – a 20.6% increase. The increases come as reduced passenger operations have resulted in cargo volumes consolidating at fewer airports – typically those with a larger cargo community and plenty of freighter operations. Consumer demand in the US also continues to boom. MIA said the growth experienced over the few years has two major facility expansions that were completed in 2021.