Category Archives: Aviation

Jeena & Company announced the merger of the 67-year-old JBS Group based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This strategic move aims to provide comprehensive logistic services, encompassing both international and domestic sectors. JBS Group, founded in 1957 by Mr. J B Shah, stands as an ISO-certified, AEO group with diverse entities specializing in Customs Clearance, Multimodal Transport Operations, and IATA cargo handling. JBS Group holds its own Customs Broking License, IATA accreditation, and nearly 30 years of experience in FMC registered Bill of Lading. This addition brings an extra 95 pin codes to the existing 300+ PAN-India pincodes. Post-merging, J B Shah Logistics will assume the name JBS JEENA Logistics, combining the esteemed legacies of the 67-year-old JBS Group and the 124-year-old Jeena Group. With this development, JBS JEENA Logistics anticipates a 100% projected growth, leveraging the combined expertise and resources of both legacy entities. As a part of the merger, Jeena & Company will acquire the customers, team, and assets of the JBS Group and expand its Custom Clearance footprint in Gujarat. With JB Shah Logistics’ impactful presence in Gujarat, Jeena aims to leverage its freight forwarding business. Speaking on this, Sam Katgara, Partner, Jeena & Co. said, “As a brand, we are moving in the direction that we envisaged and it is giving us positive results. With the merging of the JBS Group, we inked a partnership that brings together two esteemed, legacy organizations with a rich history and complementary capabilities, positioning us as a leading provider of end-to-end logistics solutions in the region. Together as JBS Jeena Logistics, we feel greatly confident to create value for our customers and stakeholders through our combined force.” JBS JEENA Logistics is poised …

Air India and Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) have entered into an agreement intended to develop Bengaluru as a premier aviation hub for southern India. As part of this initiative, Air India has also signed MOU with the Government of Karnataka to establish MRO facilities at BLR airport. The initiative also aims to boost air travel connectivity to and from India over the next few years. The agreement marks a significant milestone in the Indian aviation industry. Air India (along with other Tata Group airlines – AIX and Vistara) and BIAL will collaborate to enhance international connectivity, operational efficiency, and passenger experience over the next five years. This includes strengthening the group’s presence at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB or BLR airport) through an enhanced network and establishing a dedicated domestic lounge for premium and frequent travellers of Tata Group airlines Air India and Vistara. This underscores Air India’s commitment to strengthening its presence in Bengaluru and over time, expand its global footprint to meet the growing demand for direct long-haul routes originating from Southern India. This partnership will stimulate the MRO ecosystem and is projected to generate over 1,200 new job opportunities for highly skilled individuals in the state. Campbell Wilson, Managing Director and CEO of Air India, said, “Airline-airport synergy is key to elevated customer experience and efficient operations, while Bengaluru is highly attractive as an origin and destination market as well as a connecting hub. We are therefore delighted to be strengthening our relationship with BIAL with a view to developing a greater presence at the airport, expanding air connectivity as well as building a major MRO center. This partnership agreement is a significant milestone in the …

Delhi International Airport Ltd is committed to delivering all visitors a seamless and stress-free experience. In pursuit of this objective, DEL has recently unveiled Aero Hub – a Public Amenities Complex at Cargo City. This meticulously designed facility is a game-changer, catering specifically to the needs of our esteemed cargo service partners. With a focus on providing top-notch amenities, the Aero Hub sets a new standard for convenience, ensuring that our trade and service partners have access to world-class facilities unmatched elsewhere. Here is all you need to know about the Aero Hub at Cargo City, Delhi Airport!  Visit: https://bit.ly/DEL_AeroHub

Global air cargo market demand rose over 11 percent year-on-year for a third consecutive month in March as buoyant e-commerce volumes and concerns over the impact of conflict in the Red Sea region on ocean freight services delivered an unexpected first quarter bonus for forwarders and airlines, according to the latest weekly market data from Xeneta. In what are typically weaker months of the year for the airfreight industry, these higher volumes outpaced growth in capacity supply in Q1, which increased by +8% YoY. In turn, this produced a jump in the global dynamic load factor, which is Xeneta’s measurement of cargo capacity utilization based on volume and weight of cargo flown alongside capacity available. Load factor in the opening three months of 2024 rose +2% pts YoY to 59%, and March performance has shown similar growth, edging up to 61%. “While this latest monthly data should be balanced against the lower base recorded in the corresponding month of 2023, when we saw weakened global manufacturing activities, Q1 2024 has still seen a surprisingly busy airfreight market. The level of demand in the first quarter doesn’t indicate a market which is running out of steam so far,” said Niall van de Wouw, Xeneta’s chief airfreight officer. “The question is, should we be surprised by it, or should we get used to it? Although the market didn’t benefit immediately, the Red Sea disruption was clearly a factor in these latest figures. Airfreight growth was primarily driven by increased volumes from the Middle East and South Asia as shippers shifted services from ocean to air to avoid Red Sea delays. We also cannot underestimate the importance of e-commerce growth, which shows no …

With the launch of direct flight to Bengaluru from San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York JFK and Seattle via London Heathrow and second daily flight to Mumbai, Virgin Atlantic is now offering an additional 25,000 tonnes of cargo capacity from the fashion, pharmaceuticals and tech sectors. “With five daily services, Virgin Atlantic Cargo will offer 43,000 tonnes of space available to and from India, which is a 336 percent increase in capacity versus 2019,” says an official release. Beginning October 27, 2024, the second daily Mumbai services will operate on the airline’s state-of-the-art Airbus A350-1000, the release added. Virgin Atlantic has a strategic partnership with IndiGo, India’s leading airline, and the partnership offers 36 additional destinations. “There is a huge opportunity for us in India, it has a dynamic, fast-growing economy and we’re anticipating a huge growth in demand for international travel to and from the region,” says Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer, Virgin Atlantic. “We know both our customers and people love travelling to India and we have a rich history in the destination. Next year marks 25 years of operations and the first time that we’ll offer more than one million seats to India via London Heathrow with optimal connectivity for our U.S. customers from key tech hubs including San Francisco and Seattle. The launch of Bengaluru and doubling of our Mumbai services reaffirms our strong commitment and will allow our customers to travel seamlessly throughout India and beyond, flying on one of the youngest fleets in the skies, with our signature personalised service, delivered by our amazing people.”

“Construction of new regional airports and developing dedicated cargo terminals will help increase cargo volumes and transportation, says Jaideep Mirchandani, Group chairman, Sky One. He adds, “There is need for launching more freighters on high-demand routes. Nowadays, most Indian airlines primarily use the belly cargo space in their fleet for cargo movement. “Inclusion of more wide-body aircraft and also rolling out more dedicated freighters can propel the growth of the cargo sector further. There is need to focus on exploring new routes and strengthening the existing ones through bilateral agreements with key trading partners to enhance cargo movement. A collaborative effort between various stakeholders focusing on technology adoption, infrastructure development, policy reforms, and skill development is necessary to maintain the growth momentum of the cargo sector.” “Upgrading existing road and rail linkages and developing multimodal logistics parks and a greater number of warehouses, will also result in the growth of the sector. Using technology to streamline customs clearance processes, automation to reduce paperwork, and switching to digital solutions for streamlining the whole process is also necessary,” he shares.

Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (HACTL) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Westwell Holdings (Hong Kong) to introduce Autonomous Electric Tractors (AETs) to its ramp operations this year. HACTL aims to develop autonomous vehicles which, in addition to the relatively simple task of towing cargo dollies, automatically couple and uncouple the dollies, and adjust to their differing specifications, according to the press release from HACTL. Once testing and final on-site tuning and mapping to HACTL’s specific requirements are completed, the AETs will be integrated into HACTL’s current driver-controlled tractor fleet, and will initially tow loaded import ULDs on a 1km route between the outdoor ULD staging area, and the main terminal ULD system intake deck of SuperTerminal 1. AETs will be used on longer and more complex routes in due course. Safety is the major consideration in operating the new vehicles. Each AET is equipped with a highly accurate GNSS system and uses multiple HD cameras and LiDAR sensors to detect all objects and avoid collisions. The AETs have similar capabilities to the current diesel-powered tractor fleet, but operational speeds will be restricted to 8kph as an additional safety measure, the release added.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for February 2024 global air cargo markets showing continuing strong annual growth in demand. Total demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs*), rose by 11.9% compared to February 2023 levels (12.4% for international operations). This is the third consecutive month of double-digit year-on-year demand growth. Capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTKs), increased by 13.4% compared to February 2023 (16.0% for international operations). This was largely related to the increase in international belly capacity accompanying growth in passenger markets (29.5% year-on-year increase), which far exceeded international capacity on freighters (3.2% year-on-year increase). “February’s demand growth of 11.9% far outpaced the 0.9% expansion in cross-border trade. This strong start for 2024 could see demand surpass the exceptionally high levels of early 2022. It also shows air cargo’s strong resilience in the face of continuing political and economic uncertainties,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. Several factors in the operating environment should be noted: Global cross-border trade increased by 0.9% in January. In February, the manufacturing output Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) climbed to 51.2, indicating expansion. The new export orders PMI also rose to 49.4, remaining slightly below the 50 threshold that would indicate growth. February year-on-year inflation dropped to 2.8% in the EU while rising to 2.8% and 3.2% in Japan and the US respectively. After four months of deflation, China reported a 0.7% increase in inflation year-on-year—a positive development amid concerns over China’s economic slowdown.

Air India SATS Airport Services (AISATS) organised a roadshow for the air cargo industry stakeholders, and invited air cargo associations such as ACAAI, unveiling its plans for the cargo facility at the upcoming Noida International Airport. Mr. Seow Chai Hing Kelvin of AISATS and Nitin Mittal of NOIDA International Airport Cargo welcomed the team. A site visit to the upcoming project at Jewar was also done showcasing the development stage of various projects.

MightyFly unveiled the third generation of the Cento aircraft, an autonomous hybrid eVTOL cargo aircraft designed to carry one hundred pounds of cargo for six hundred miles. “The new eVTOL incorporates several novel features including a sleek design that enables operational efficiency, the ability to accommodate a wide range of payload centre of gravity, autonomous centre of gravity determination and a larger cargo bay,” says an official release. “The new eVTOL will also present improved operational efficiency through MightyFly’s Autonomous Load Mastering System (ALMS) component, which will enable the aircraft to autonomously open and close its cargo bay door, receive and eject packages into and from the cargo bay opening, move and secure packages in the cargo bay via an internal positioning and locking system, and sense and compute weight and balance.” MightyFly’s third generation aircraft has been designed to accommodate a relatively large range of payloads’ centre of gravity, which allows for a high degree of variance in cargo contents, densities, constitutions, loading order, and tie-down positions, the release added. “The enlarged cargo bay will allow the delivery of larger packages and goods, including the traditional cooler boxes used to transport donor organs for transplantation and blood bags. It will also benefit additional use cases and businesses in the industries of logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceutical, retail, automotive, and oil and gas, as well as organisations performing humanitarian and disaster relief work, and government’s defence teams executing various logistics and resupply missions.”