Category Archives: International

A.P. Moller – Maersk had an exceptionally strong start to the year, with strong earnings and growth momentum across all our businesses in ocean, port services and logistics. The company benefitted from strong demand in a market still influenced by the pandemic and significant disruptions in global supply chains. “A.P. Moller – Maersk delivered an exceptionally strong performance in Q1 2021 with record profit for the quarter. The high growth and profitability were driven by solid demand across Ocean, Logistics and Terminals. Strong demand led to bottlenecks and a lack of capacity and equipment, which drove up freight rates to record-high levels,” says Søren Skou, CEO of A.P. Moller – Maersk, before adding: “We remain focused on the long-term transformation of A.P. Moller – Maersk, prioritising customers’ demand for integrated logistics. Our integrator strategy was validated by strong customer support during Q1. As we change the conversations with customers from being short-term transactional to becoming long-term value-based, we lay the foundation for further, stable growth.”

The UPS Foundation has announced a $ 1 million commitment to fight the COVID-19 surge in India. The pledge is a combination of emergency funding, in-kind transportation movements and technical expertise to provide urgent relief, as well as strategic support. “The UPS Foundation is committed to improving the well-being of communities impacted by COVID-19 and we want to help alleviate the suffering in India by leveraging our partnerships, our resources and our logistics expertise,” said Nikki Clifton, President of Social Impact and The UPS Foundation. UPS is coordinating with strategic partners, including UNICEF, CARE, The Salvation Army, The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, MAP, Medshare, Rotary Club, the US Chamber Foundation and others to mobilize critical medical supplies including oxygen concentrators, ventilators, nebulizers, respiratory supplies, PPE, COVID-19 test kits and antiviral medications to India. The UPS Foundation is also providing emergency funding to The Salvation Army and CARE. CARE is supporting the Bihar state of India’s health system, including activation of two temporary COVID-19 care centers with five intensive care centers to follow. In addition, The Salvation Army dollars will fund oxygen concentration facilities in hospitals to increase their capacity to treat the most serious cases. As another wave of COVID-19 bears down on India and hospitals struggle to maintain critical medical equipment. Jackson Carter, Director of international air freight for UPS Global Freight Forwarding, recently began running daily calls to coordinate shipments of much-needed supplies to cities across India. “Lives are on the line,” he said. “If they don’t have these supplies, this virus is going to keep spreading. Every pallet we move is another way to fight this pandemic.” The UPS Global Freight Forwarding …

Volga-Dnepr Airlines has delivered a Luna-25 full-scale mock-up from Moscow (Russia) to Blagoveshchensk (Russia) onboard an AN-124-100 freighter. A five-tonne full-scale overall assembly of Luna-25 spacecraft designed and manufactured by NPO Lavochkin, one of the leading aerospace companies, was transported to Ignatyevo airport for further trucking to the Vostochny Cosmodrome. The mockup is intended for complex tests of technical means and systems at the cosmodrome. Ekaterina Andreeva, Commercial Director, Volga-Dnepr Airlines, says, ‘This year we celebrate the 25th anniversary of our effective cooperation with NPO Lavochkin. Since 1996 not only have we transported over 300 tonnes of dedicated aerospace equipment with them but have significantly expanded the scope of our services – from airfreight to document processing, airport ground handling, dangerous goods declaration, trucking transportation and other components of smart logistics.” The main task of the Luna-25 space expedition is to test soft landing technologies on the moon’s the circumpolar region and conduct contact studies of the soil in the region.

The CMA CGM Air Cargo’s chartered Airbus A330-200 freighter, carrying 28 tonnes of medical equipment including eight oxygen plants worth more than Rs17 crore, landed in Delhi from Paris, France. The oxygen plants will be delivered to 8 Indian hospitals, 6 in Delhi, one in Haryana and one in Telangana, based on needs as identified by the Indian authorities. In addition to the oxygen plants, this airfreight will also include 28 ventilators and 200 electric syringe pushers which will be distributed to several hospitals based on needs to enhance their ICU capacities. This special cargo flight has been chartered free of charge by the French shipping and logistics group CMA CGM through its air cargo division. Alongside CMA CGM, many other French companies present in India have stepped up to pool their contributions and resources with the French government’s to carry out this exceptional solidarity mission. This support also falls within the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). On this occasion, the Ambassador of France to India, H.E. Emmanuel Lenain, said, “We stand by India in these difficult times, just as India has always stood by France. In Spring 2020, when French hospitals were facing acute shortages, India provided lifesaving help through the export of critical medical drugs. The French people have not forgotten. India has, in fact, been at the forefront of international cooperation against the pandemic, including through sharing its massive vaccine production capacity with countries most in need. As President Emmanuel Macron said, “Solidarity is at the heart of the strategic partnership between France and India. A partnership between sovereign countries that have built an exceptional mutual trust and work together to enhance each other’s …

To assist in the fight against COVID-19 in India, FedEx Express is working with organisations around the world to deliver critical medical supplies and equipment. An initial shipment of 1,000 critically needed oxygen concentrators on-board a FedEx aircraft was delivered to New Delhi on April 30 as part of a collective initiative by multinational companies. FedEx is also working with Direct Relief to move more than 1,800 pounds of medicine and personal protective equipment to India. “As the impact of COVID-19 continues to grow in India, we are extremely grateful that our mission of connecting the world can bring relief to those most in need,” said Kawal Preet, President, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa Region, FedEx Express. “This is a time to come together so we have mobilized our global network and our team members to help the communities in India where we live and work.” FedEx continues to collaborate with the Government of India, healthcare customers, and the producers of critical medial aid items to provide support where it is needed most. FedEx has a long history of supporting relief efforts across the globe during times of crisis. The company has committed $4 million in cash and in-kind transportation support to help non-profits reach underserved communities with the COVID-19 vaccines around the world. Since the beginning of 2020, the company has transported more than 10,000 humanitarian aid shipments globally toward COVID-19 relief efforts.

Lufthansa Cargo has transported around 10 tonnes of medical equipment from Frankfurt to Delhi on three scheduled flights. On April 29 alone, 280 oxygen concentrators flew to Delhi. The equipment is part of a larger consignment that time:matters, the specialist for high-volume special logistics, is carrying out on behalf of a customer. “We see it as our responsibility to play our part in international aid. The dramatic situation in India shows how important it is to transport relief supplies quickly and easily to where they are urgently needed. That is why we at Lufthansa Cargo, together with the Lufthansa Group, are doing everything we can to maintain supply chains worldwide. This requires enormous flexibility on the part of our colleagues involved, good cooperation with our customers and decisive action on the part of international politicians, for example in special regulations for crews entering a country,” said Dorothea von Boxberg, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo. “Our team of experienced logistics specialists enables global transport solutions despite challenging conditions such as tight capacities, thinned-out flight schedules and closed borders. For medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators or other time-critical and sensitive shipments, individual, transparent and 100 per cent reliable transports are essential. Already in the first wave of the pandemic, time:matters, in cooperation with Lufthansa Cargo and the airlines of the Lufthansa Group, brought medical protective equipment across continents to its destination in the shortest possible time with a maximum of flexibility and boundless commitment,” explains Alexander Kohnen, Managing Director of time:matters.

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has released the first comprehensive study undertaken on the sustainable transformation of the air cargo industry. As part of TIACA’s Sustainability program, launched in November 2019, the organization performed a widespread industry survey involving supply chain partners from across the globe and from each industry sector and business size. The results have been analyzed and published to form a ‘ground zero’ assessment by which future progress can be measured. The report’s findings will also feed TIACA’s overall sustainability strategy and support enhanced work programs addressing each of the organizations three key areas: People, Planet, Prosperity, supported by innovation and partnership. “Sustainability is one of the key priority areas for TIACA as the air cargo industry must reflect the global society it serves. We must collectively seek to focus on People, Planet and Prosperity. To flourish in the years to come, we must create equal opportunities for all, embrace technology and innovation and ensure we implement environmentally responsible solutions designed to protect the planet today and for generations to come”, stated Glyn Hughes, TIACA Director General. The survey found that 63% of respondents believe that sustainability was more important to the industry in 2020 than it was in 2019, despite the Covid-19 outbreak. Of the various air cargo players, shippers ranked highest, with 87% of them saying that sustainability had increased in importance over the last 12 months. Respondents were also asked how the outbreak had affected their sustainability programme, with 44% saying it had no impact, 37% saying it had a positive impact and 19% saying its effect was a negative one.

Etihad Cargo has strengthened its ability to transport COVID-19 vaccines around the world after receiving UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) approval to expand dry ice carrying capabilities across its Boeing Dreamliner and Boeing 777 fleet. The GCAA approval ensures the UAE national carrier’s main Boeing fleet can now carry up to five times more dry ice per flight, enabling it to provide enhanced frozen and deep-frozen conditions required for various vaccine types, including the Pfizer, Moderna and Sputnik vaccines which currently need to be stored between -70°C to -18°C. “Securing GCAA approval for our dry ice carrying capabilities is an important step forward for Etihad Cargo. Not only does it heighten the carrier’s credibility in assuring product integrity, it further elevates the enabling role the airline is playing in the UAE and Abu Dhabi’s efforts to provide a greater number of vaccines across Etihad’s network,” said Andre Blech, Director Global Cargo Operations, Etihad Aviation Group. Air transportation of dry ice – the solid form of carbon dioxide – is strictly controlled under the applicable dangerous goods regulations as it becomes CO2 gas upon evaporation. “Etihad Cargo will ensure optimum safety of its expanded carrying capabilities by adhering to all regulatory requirements, including package compliant protocols and mandatory training,” added Blech. An acknowledged leader in the air transportation of pharmaceuticals, Etihad Cargo is the first Middle Eastern carrier to gain IATA’s Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) certification for pharmaceutical logistics and is a key component of Abu Dhabi’s complete HOPE Consortium supply chain solution to facilitate vaccine availability to Abu Dhabi and the world. As part of the HOPE Consortium, which is spearheaded and regulated by the Department …

Budapest Airport and the Chinese-Hungarian business and logistics development company CECZ/Utlink signed a cooperation agreement, aimed at establishing the aerial Silk Road between Hungary and China and creating dedicated logistics centers at the two airports, to handle freight traffic. The newly signed cooperation agreement is expected to bring important economic opportunities and foster a significant expansion of air freight between Hungary and China, by connecting Budapest Airport (BUD) and Zhengzhou Airport (CGO), while also providing significant logistics advantages for Hungary, the ECE countries and China. Within the framework of the agreement, the partners – BUD, CGO and the logistics development company CECZ/Utlink Central European Trading and Logistic Cooperation Zone – jointly establish what the press release calls the “aerial Slik Road” between the two countries. László Mosóczi, Minister of State for Transport Policy said, “According to the government’s plans, Hungary could become the cargo, logistics and distribution hub for Central Europe. This strategic objective can be achieved if the largest possible proportion of the goods transported between Europe and the Far East reach their destination via Hungary. In harmony with the policy of opening to the east, we are therefore continuing to work to connect continents and regions with modern and safe logistics solutions. We are also looking for ways to deepen and expand cooperation with our Chinese partners, in line with our joint goals.”

In order to expand its fleet to meet growing demand for cargo transportation, Silk Way West Airlines has signed a purchase agreement with Boeing. According to the agreement, Silk Way West Airlines will purchase five state-of-the-art Boeing 777 Freighter aircraft, with delivery planned over 2023-2027. The agreement was signed at a ceremony in Baku on April 28, 2021 attended by Rashad Nabiyev, Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Zaur Akhundov, President of Silk Way Group, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Azerbaijan Earle D. Litzenberger, Stan Deal, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. This is the first order for Boeing 777 Freighters in the Central Asia and Caspian region. The Boeing 777F is the largest twin-engine freighter on the market, with a range of 9,200 km and a maximum payload of 102,000 kg. As the world’s most efficient and environmentally friendly freighter, the latest additions to the Silk Way West fleet will contribute to the airline’s sustainability goals, as well as being a particularly cost-effective option in terms of maintenance and operating expenses. “We envision an integrated transport network in Azerbaijan, and airline transportation plays a critical role in this. I believe this contract will help solidify Azerbaijan’s position as a regional transportation hub and a reliable airline partner in international trade and commerce,” said Nabiyev. “The signing of this agreement is a new milestone in the growth of our company. I am confident that the acquisition of these new aircraft and the start of this project will further strengthen the company’s leading position in the global air freight market for the next …