Category Archives: Aviation

IndiGo Airlines is planning to set up a cargo facility at Vijayawada and at other important airports in Andhra Pradesh. Giridharan Srinivasan, Regional Director (South), said four dedicated cargo aircraft will be introduced shortly, the first one from October which will be linked to AP airports also. In a seminar organised by the AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation on improvement of air cargo facilities at airports in the State, he said that IndiGo had a dedicated cargo facility at the Rajamahendravaram airport, which was operational before COVID. The airline planned its resumption, and it would be available for exporters. The cargo facility at the Visakhapatnam International Airport was customs-notified, from where cargo is exported directly by IndiGo to 27 overseas destinations after necessary customs clearances.

Bakkafrost subsidiary, FarCargo has closed a deal to purchase a Boeing 757-200 aircraft ahead of its planned operational launch as a salmon transportation airline. FarCargo’s maiden trip is planned to take place in two to three months. Initially, the cargo plane will fly between Vágar, the Faroe Islands and New York, US, stated a release. The aircraft has a flight range of 7,000 km and can carry some 35 tonnes of cargo. For the last 12 months, preparations have been made for the launch of the airline, and finding the right aircraft has been challenging as well as getting all the necessary permits and generally sorting out practicalities.

Hungary’s Budapest Airport (BUD) is investing around 30 million euros (US $29.8 million) in the extension of its Cargo City complex. BUD will develop an additional 6,500 square meters of cargo handling capacity and double its aircraft parking space, enabling the apron to handle up to four code-F aircraft such as 747Fs, said Josef Kossuth, Head of Cargo.

Talking about its upcoming 46th Annual Convention in Bangkok, Thailand from 24 November to 27, Mohamed Afzal Malbarwala, President, Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACAAI) said, “The theme of the convention is Resilient Air Cargo Industry – Post Pandemic. We will discuss extensively on the challenges faced during the ongoing pandemic, the increased freight rate and scarcity of space, issues being faced with the airlines in the COVID scenario, and lastly the GST waiver on freight charges, which we have been discussing with GOI every year.” He said, “Despite the air cargo industry’s contribution to the Indian economy, we still lack standardised infrastructure at airports. This is connected directly to the ease of doing business and resulting in excessive costs. Our next step forward must be aligned to standardise processes where customers experience the same delight and ease of shipment execution irrespective of the airport they operate from. Standardisation and automation are the key to achieve this,” he added.

As per DHL’s recent Airfreight State of the Industry report, demand for air freight is still low, but capacity is rising. The report cites few factors for the poor demand, including inflation and diminished spending power. Despite “remaining softer” volumes, they are stable after the highest reduction witnessed in July. The impact of e-commerce on air cargo volumes is “mild but persistent”. However, DHL Global Forwarding stated in a LinkedIn post about the research that a volume rise during the approaching peak season is unlikely because of the report’s low export orders and high inventories. Additionally, the Ukraine-Russia war continues to impact the industry, while improving conditions in sea freight is reducing demand for airfreight. 

To ensure high quality combined products and services to fulfil the needs of global customers, Senator International and Maersk Air Services have now started to integrate their service offerings. The first integration involved the introduction of a brand-new ‘SAB’ product that offered weekly round-trip airfreight services from Liege, Belgium, to Hong Kong. Maersk and Senator are working together to promote the launch of this innovative own-controlled flight. More solutions are anticipated to be released soon as Maersk pushes its aim to become the go-to global integrator by leveraging its sizeable FCL customer base.

Paving way for speedy transportation of commercial goods through air, the cargo terminal at the Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport here is likely to be ready by December, said AAI. The facility is likely to boost the industry and provide access to domestic markets. About 90 per cent of the construction work has been completed on the two-storey building. The new facility will be four times bigger than the existing cargo complex. The area of the existing cargo block is 3,600 square feet, while the new building is being built over an area of 15,000 square feet. Laced with the latest technology and equipment the G +2 cargo terminal will be operational at the airport by 2023. An AAI official said the facility will have cold room refeer van, weighing scale, X-ray machines door frame metal detectors scissors lips palette, and high security apparatus. The building will be equipped with CCTVs for 24X7 monitoring, he added. KS Vijayan, GM, Projects AAI Patna said in a statement, “We are hopeful that the new complex will become operational by March 2023.”

TILOG Virtual Exhibition 2022 (TILOG VE 2022), ASEAN’s first most comprehensive logistics virtual exhibition which links Thai and International Logistics Service Providers is all set to begin from August 24 and conclude on 26. Organised by the Department of International Trade Promotion, Ministry of Commerce, Thailand, www.tillog-ve.com is the platform connecting Thai and global logistics key players thereby strengthening the competitiveness of Thai logistics professionals and expanding business network.  International logistics providers, foreign buyer and entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to discover and experience the innovative products from Thailand’s logistics industry. These include five catering namely Packing, Material Handling, Warehouse and Loading, Logistics IT and E-logistics and Transportation and Logistics Services.  

The only word that can be used to describe the current state of the air cargo industry is turbulent, says Glyn Hughes, Director General, TIACA. “Cargo volumes and capacity is fluctuating as consumerism and manufacturing is fluctuating. The rising cost of energy, food prices and raw materials are having an impact on household finances and production costs. This reinforces the view that the short-term outlook is challenging,” he added. The air cargo industry has shown its resilience and flexibility these past two years. “I think that innovative spirit will facilitate maximum benefit when market conditions improve. Preparations for the next wave of growth are already well underway with companies continuing to invest in technology and main deck cargo capacity across the spectrum with production and conversion orders remaining strong,” Hughes added.

Caribbean Airlines Cargo has teamed up with the air cargo digital solution platform, CargoAi to offer the capacity to and from the Caribbean. “CargoAi is delighted to announce that Caribbean Airlines Cargo successfully went live on the www.cargoai.co platform on 08 June 2022,” said a release. Caribbean Airlines has placed a strong focus on improved customer service both on the passenger as well as on the cargo side, and user experience is what CargoAi excels in,” said Matthieu Petot, CEO of CargoAi, in a statement. Marklan Moseley, General Manager, Cargo, and New Business, Caribbean Airlines also said in the release, “We see three major benefits in offering our capacity on CargoAi. First and foremost, our customers have access to a customized, easy-to-use e-booking system, allowing them to streamline their shipping processes more efficiently. Secondly, our capacity offers now reach a great many more potential and new customers around the world, and thirdly, these increased sales activities will ultimately boost our commercial cargo operations, enabling us to further enhance our service offers. A win-win all around.”