Category Archives: International

Recognising the importance of developing air cargo supply chains to handle and transport pharmaceuticals, especially for the last-mile delivery, in humanitarian contexts or in crisis situations, Pharma.Aero and Humanitarian Logistics Association (HLA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This collaboration will not only underline common interests between the two organisations, but also enable both organisations to combine forces in strategic projects that will improve quality in global air cargo industry, with a focus on crisis-prone countries, as well as emergencies and humanitarian projects. Jeremy Mitchell, Director, Pharma.Aero stresses the importance of this new collaboration, “By joining forces with HLA, we bring the human interest aspect into the Pharma.Aero network and platform. This will create more leverage and added value in all our undertakings as well as broaden our scope and impact when reaching out to the entire pharmaceutical air cargo supply chain.” “HLA aims to increase understanding and forge alliances between aid organisations, the private, public and academic sectors” adds George Fenton, Chief Executive, HLA, “The newly formed partnership with Pharma.Aero will enable us to add significant value to our network and gear up the effectiveness and efficiency of members by raising awareness of standards, facilitating access to training and career development opportunities, and encourage collaboration among a broader range of humanitarian logisticians.” Trevor Caswell, Vice Chairman Pharma.Aero and responsible for Projects, points out that “Both organisations share the same vision; being a neutral platform of international best-practice and knowledge sharing, and fostering community collaboration by trust. In setting up joint projects that emphasize the growing importance – both for the rapidly changing aid system as well as for the supply chain – of ‘local actors’ and ‘last mile’, …

Air Cargo Belgium and Brussels Airport Company’s dedicated Covid-19 vaccine taskforce, BRUcure has launched readiness label. This label can be used by companies in the taskforce and indicates that a company is fully ready to transport, handle or store the Covid-19 vaccine. Furthermore, the label strengthens the image of the taskforce company that is using the label. To obtain the label, acompany should have dedicated pharma storage if it needs to store the vaccine. There is approximately 30,000 square metres of cold pharma storage at BRUcargo and it seems to increase as some companies are extending their capacity. The companies who obtained the label also follow the BRUcure Guideline Document on top of the existing Pharma Handling SOP’s and apply the guidelines that Air Cargo Belgium has created where applicable. The companies use the Airside Pharma Transporter (APT) in procedure. It aims to guarantee there is no temperature deviation for the Covid-19 vaccine shipments. The companies intend to implement the digital platform called CargoFlow Explorer. It is a digital solution developed by Nallian (invested by BAC) in order to get a full visibility for all pharma shipments. Currently, 15 companies within the BRUcure Taskforce have already obtained the label such as Aviapartner Cargo, Bolloré Logistics, DHL Global Forwarding, Dnata, EFL Global, Expeditors, FB Logistics, Hazgo, Kuehne + Nagel, Lufthansa Cargo (Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines), Singapore Airlines, Swissport Cargo Services, TUI, United Airlines, and WFS.

Ethiopian Airlines completed one year of cargo only service on a passenger aircraft on March 25, 2021 with its Boeing B787-900. The first flight departed from Addis Ababa to Kinshasa carrying more than 16 tonnes of much-needed PPE and other shipments inside the cabin and the belly of the aircraft. Following the sharp decline in passenger number due to the pandemic, Ethiopian swiftly shifted focus to cargo operations and became among the very few pioneers to load cargo on passenger aircraft’s cabin. Immediately afterwards, Ethiopian demonstrated remarkable agility in its response to the increased cargo demand in the wake of the pandemic by reconfiguring 25 passenger aircraft into freighters using its own internal MRO capabilities and distributed the much-needed Personal Protective Equipment and medical supplies across the globe. A year since its first Preighter operation, Ethiopian has operated 5,645 Cargo flights on the cabin of passenger aircraft and transported more than 121,750 tons of cargo across its vast global network. The flights added an immense value to the total of 33,182 flights and 735,869 tons of cargo transported during the period from March 25, 2020 to March 25,2021. Commenting on the milestone, Tewolde GebreMariam, CEO, Ethiopian Group, said “The single Preighter flight that started on this day last year has helped our airline navigate the storm so far. We are extremely honored to have served our customers during the most difficult times. Ethiopian Cargo and Logistics Services has been a critical player in the global fight against the pandemic by distributing medical supplies and PPE to places with limited access to transportation. “ Since the start of its first cargo flight on passenger seat last year, Ethiopian has been increasing …

Three weeks after the launch of its commercial operations, CMA CGM AIR CARGO is opening two new regular destinations from Liege in the United States: New York (JFK) and Atlanta. The company’s airfreight division is deploying four Airbus A330-200F, with two already in activity, highlighting its commitment to offering diversified and agile solutions to customers. Liege-New York-Atlanta, CMA CGM AIR CARGO’s new regular route CMA CGM AIR CARGO’s second Airbus A330-200F will begin regular commercial operations from Liege, Belgium, to New York and Atlanta, United States. It completes the existing service between Liege and Chicago. From March 28, with two aircraft deployed between Europe and North America, CMA CGM AIR CARGO doubles the offered capacity to better serve our customers on this trade lane. New York and Atlanta, two main destinations to increase our U.S. coverage With New York (JFK) and Atlanta, we now serve two global airports in the U.S. These airports offer world-class infrastructure to propose intermodal connections in the region, including the South-East of the country.

In order to accelerate its global decarbonization program and help clients achieve their own sustainability goals, SEKO Logistics has joined the Sustainable Air Freight Alliance (SAFA). The Sustainable Air Freight Alliance (SAFA) is a buyer-supplier collaboration between shippers, freight forwarders and airlines to track and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from air freight and promote responsible freight transport. Its reporting airlines are AirBridgeCargo Airlines, American Airlines, Cargolux, Cathay Pacific, Delta Air Lines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa Cargo, Polar Air Cargo, SAS and United Airlines. SAFA’s membership also includes global shippers; H & M, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, Louis Vuitton, LVMH Moet Hennessy, Mowi ASA, NIKE, and Puma. “We have a responsibility to join other global business leaders in this initiative because our industry must do more to protect our planet for future generations,” said James Gagne, President and CEO, SEKO Logistics, is adding, “This is not a cliché, it’s a reality. SAFA is a tangible opportunity for us to contribute to the positive decarbonisation work being undertaken by the aviation industry, airlines and companies like SEKO to make a positive difference. Companies which lack a sustainability strategy will see their growth threatened because clients will take their business elsewhere if their partners do not take this seriously. This is a collaborative effort in which we can do more and act faster by working together. Joining SAFA will enable us to help our clients achieve their own sustainability goals too, which is how it should be.”

GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC) has announced a partnership with Singapore-based technology startup StaTwig to roll out a new technology based solution for tracking and monitoring of vaccine shipments handled at the airport’s cargo terminal. The MoU giving effect to the partnership was signed by Saurabh Kumar, CEO-GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo and Sid Chakravarthy and Nrupul Ponugoti, Co-Founders – StaTwig, at Hyderabad. Given its well-established position as the major Pharma hub of Indian air cargo and one of the primary gateways for vaccine exports from India, GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo through this exclusive partnership will leverage the Next-Gen Blockchain technology to deliver enhanced Track and Trace Solution and real time monitoring of Vaccine shipments at GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo Terminal. The partnership brings together domain expertise of GMR Cargo and its time-tested relationships with vaccine exporters and Air Cargo trade with StaTwig’s Proven Blockchain platform to help this solution strengthen the supply chain of vaccine exports from India. The development assumes significance given Hyderabad’s position as one of the biggest vaccine manufacturers globally, with the region set to produce over 3.5 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine doses over the next couple of years to aid the global battle against the pandemic. Saurabh Kumar, CEO, GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo says, “We are glad to announce this partnership for launch of VaccineLedger, a first-of-its-kind initiative in air cargo industry in India. This new technology product would enable us to deliver enhanced real-time visibility and status information on vaccine shipments to our customers. We are confident that the combination of GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo’s domain expertise in vaccine handling and StaTwig’s proven Blockchain technology based VaccineLedger platform will further strengthen the vaccine supply …

In order to support the digitization of the global air cargo supply chain, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced the launch of the IATA Enhanced Partner Identification and Connectivity (EPIC) platform. EPIC simplifies the complex process of making digital connections across the air cargo value chain including enabling the efficient exchange of critical information such as messaging capabilities and identities. As the air cargo industry continues to digitalise, airlines, freight forwarders, ground handlers and customs authorities need to be able to securely work together digitally. This is a considerable challenge as today more than 40,000 freight forwarders exchange messages with more than 450 airlines, and 23 third party messaging service providers. In the absence of a tool for companies to exchange the information needed to make these business links, the process of digitization is essentially manual, slow and unduly complex. “EPIC is a simple idea. It makes the information needed to do business across a digitized air cargo supply chain easily accessible. And in doing so, it will accelerate efficiency gains for air cargo. The timing of this initiative is important. COVID-19 has led to exponential growth of e-commerce and shippers are demanding quality services that only a digitized supply chain can provide,” said Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President, Airport, Passenger, Cargo, Security. In addition to supporting business-to-business processes, the participation of customs organisations in EPIC also supports digital customs clearance processes. In particular this will help the efficient roll out of Advance Cargo Information (ACI) requirements, including Preloading Advance Cargo Information (PLACI) programs. Implementation notes: • When using EPIC, individual companies retain full control of their data with the flexibility to manage how they connect with …

In a further expansion of its global aerospace customer base, CEVA Logistics has been awarded a contract to manage in-factory logistics support for Collins Aerospace in Singapore. The two-year contract is based on solutions designed by CEVA that will be implemented at the customer’s Changi North site. Collins Aerospace – a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies – is one of the world’s largest suppliers of aerospace and defense products. It provides maintenance, repair, overhaul engineering, sales and support for its commercial and military customers across the Asia Pacific region. At the Changi North site, CEVA Logistics will provide a wide range of Contract Logistics services including inbound receiving to inventory, pick and kit, as well as outbound dispatch of overhaul aerospace parts. Picking and kitting will focus on three main areas: power and control, mechanical and interiors. These areas are responsible for electrical systems, engine control, air management systems, cargo and hoist systems, actuation and flight control, evacuation, portable water systems and lighting. All services will be provided by CEVA’s experienced aerospace employees who have diverse skills and extensive knowledge of in-factory logistics within the aerospace industry. Says Elaine Low, Regional Managing Director – Southeast Asia and Pacific, CEVA Logistics, “Our experienced team will drive service standards and greater efficiency to improve the Collins Aerospace’s operations. Our transparent working methods and wide-ranging experience across the aerospace sector have proven to be a winning solution for Collins Aerospace in Singapore. Continuous improvement is essential to the successful operation of any contract and that, alongside safety, is embedded in the CEVA Logistics culture.”

Aeroterm, an owner and developer of on-airport cargo facilities, has announced the completion of a new Class A, 50,400 square-foot, airside cargo facility at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). The building can accommodate cargo, ground support equipment and other terminal support users, such as flight kitchens and commissaries. The LEED certified facility at CVG is designed to meet the additional capacity needs at the airport as the demand for shipping grows. Tenants of the new facility will benefit from the expansion, as will the CVG airport. The newly enlarged facility offers flexibility to expand by 120,000 square feet in future phases, 6,000 square feet of available space, 24′-0″ clear height, insulated precast walls with structural steel framing, interior and exterior LED light fixtures, direct access to aircraft apron and ground support equipment-rated (GSE) concrete tie-in for GSE storage and freight staging and itegrated airport security system. “There has been a strong increase in cargo volumes and GSE support needs at CVG Airport in recent years and this expansion project is a direct response to that increasing demand,” said Alexi Lachambre, Vice President of Investments & Development, Aeroterm, in adding, “It was a privilege to work on this project and we look forward to our continued partnership with CVG to support their growing needs.” The new Aeroterm facility is among other large supply chain facilities at CVG including a DHL global hub and Amazon’s new Prime Air cargo hub which will be completed in 2025. In addition to this project at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Aeroterm is currently working on air cargo development at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Miami International Airport, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport and the latest phase of an …

Antonov Airlines has safely moved 370 tonnes of new machinery parts on three AN-124 flights to a mine in Brazil from Australia in time to keep work at the plant going. Antonov’s load planning engineers designed tailored frames to carry two of the pieces of equipment. The cargo was loaded and unloaded using Antonov’s in-house engineering solutions for the oversized project cargoes. The flights, chartered by Chapman Freeborn, made a number of technical stops because of the total weight of the cargo, as well as COVID-19 restrictions for crew rest at the airports on the route. “The timeline was challenging – initially our flight plan was six days in total, however we needed to change this to nine days after assessing the load,” said Chapman Freeborn cargo broker, Ana Bocchini, in adding, “In the end it came together with some meticulous planning and by changing some legs of the journey to avoid delays and closed runways.” Volodymyr Goncharov, Commercial Executive at Antonov Airlines added, “This was a challenging project, which we had to complete to a tight deadline. Using three AN-124 aircraft to airlift these special project cargoes allowed us to perform the programme of round-the-world flights successfully. The flights were a success because of well-coordinated efforts and good communication between the teams at Antonov Airlines and Chapman Freeborn.” Rapid COVID-19 tests were conducted during each 14-hour rest window prior to the next leg of the flight being cleared. Cargo included a giant drill shaft and a transport cradle, which was required for upgrading machinery at the final destination with minimal down-time affecting operations.