Sharing his predictions for New Year, Nitish Rai, CEO and Co-Founder, FreightFox says, “2022 has been a year of reckoning for global logistics and supply chains. The year created the sensitivity and need for strong supply chain visibility and resilience across manufacturing logistics. This year has also been instrumental in laying the foundation of rapid digitalisation and data-led transformation to create future-ready logistics. Also, 2022 saw strong tailwinds with organisations globally talking about ESG / Sustainability also as a core theme and taking aggressive objectives towards building net zero value chains. We believe this year was foundational in many ways and learnings post-Covid and carved a well thought future path for transformation and resilience in 2023.”

Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Cargo, Etihad Aviation Group says, “As 2022 comes to a close, we have seen demand for air cargo soften when compared to 2021. While forecasts have been adjusted downwards, the air cargo sector is still projected to grow and outpace pre-pandemic levels in 2023. We will likely see a reduction in capacity constraints, especially out of the Asia Pacific region. We can expect to see some softening of global yield levels with the return of more belly-hold capacity. However, an imbalance between strong demand and available supply in key cargo origin markets along with a relatively high share of freighter capacity will continue to demand higher yields. Some of the challenges we have faced in 2022 will remain in 2023. We will need to closely monitor macroeconomic factors, high fuel prices, supply shortages and ongoing border and travel restrictions. However, even with these challenges, tremendous opportunities are available to carriers who are agile, work collaboratively with stakeholders across the sector, and can adapt to evolving market conditions. We are continuously exploring introducing new territories and countries and focusing on our existing network to provide market-leading services based on customer demand. As we come to the end of 2022 and look ahead to 2023, we will continue to evaluate new markets and opportunities to grow our offering to our customers as part of Etihad Cargo’s wider cargo strategy. Etihad Cargo has identified pharmaceuticals as a high-growth sector and is investing in infrastructure and new product features to enhance our PharmaLife offering. In the coming year and beyond, the pharmaceutical sector will increasingly feature more personalised medication and treatment, including cell and gene therapy. …

“Although, many trade experts are sceptical of positive growth of air cargo in 2023; I strongly feel the slow but steady growth of air cargo next year. Seasonality may vary, and certain markets will perform better, says Dipen Lalsodagar, Deputy Director – Cargo Sales, Global Aviation Services. He adds, “From an Indian perspective, Indian domestic air cargo market will be robust due to strong economy and high demand for consumer durables. Also, with many industry setting up productions under Make in India programme, we can see India as a big exports hub in Heavy industry, Technology, IT & Defence sectors in years to come. Also, Digital development will create efficiency for air cargo in future. Sustainable aviation using energy efficient technology will also bring changes in the air cargo transportation.” “As India opened up for travel, airlines started restoring and adding new routes. This year, our principal carriers also increased their capacity into India, and as GSSA, we have been working hard to enhance their market share. The best way to sum up 2022 is with the proverb “What goes up must come down”. Ukraine war not only affected supply chain distribution but also economies worldwide resulting drop in exports and widening trade deficit. A supply and demand mismatch resulted in persistent yield decrease. A distinct demand trend was seen for commodities. From India; Heavy industry, Pharma & Perishables exports were up while general merchandise saw a decline. High airfreight + GST also shifted some business to the sea.”

“Moving towards the decarbonization air transport sector shall be the priority as we track towards 2030, hence capacity disruptions and cost increases are bound to happen during this period. Hence there could be an extra demand for space, while older aircrafts and engines go for scrapping or an engine refit to meet the goals related to emission reduction,” says Ashish Asaf, CEO, S.A Consultants & Forwarders. “Air freight demand will be offset by the near and medium-term challenges posed by a host of challenges like inflation, reduced purchasing power, consumption pattens and as well the geopolitical issues in Europe. During this time probable incremental volumes can arise due to increase in the E Commerce segment from certain Southeast Asian countries as well from the probable disruptions in the ocean freight due to port congestion or lockdowns,” he adds.

The Department of Posts and Indian Railways have jointly introduced and expanded the proof of concept (POC) of express cargo service under the Rail Post Gati Shakti Express Cargo Service programme, said reports. This has been done with the integration of Postal and Railways networks to provide seamless solutions for the movement of parcels.To take the project forward, a meeting of the Railways and the Postal authorities was held at the head post office here. Manisha Bansal Badal, Postmaster General, Punjab West Region, Chandigarh, and Bhupendra Pratap Singh, Additional Divisional Railways Manager, Ferozepur, headed the teams of their respective departments during the meeting. Representatives of trade bodies of Ludhiana and consumers of the Railways and the Department of Posts were also present. The performance of the POC model of Rail Post Gati Shakti implemented at Surat-Varanasi as pilot project was discussed and modalities were worked out to implement the project from Ludhiana to various locations of the country at the earliest with the joint efforts of the Postal and the Railways authorities. “More such joint meetings will be held before launching the project from Ludhiana city,” the Superintendent of Post Offices said.

BOC Aviation has recently announced that it has entered into an agreement with The Boeing Company to purchase 40 new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. All aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2027 and 2028, said release. “We are pleased to continue to build on our existing relationship with Boeing, with this 40-aircraft incremental order for the fuel-efficient Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The incremental aircraft takes our total 737 MAX 8 order book with Boeing to 80 aircraft,” said David Walton, Deputy Managing Director, and Chief Operating Officer. “We look forward to continuing to provide one of the industry’s most technologically advanced aircraft for delivery on lease to our airline customers, to support their sustainable growth over the balance of this decade.” BOC Aviation is a leading global aircraft operating leasing company with a fleet of 612 aircraft owned, managed, and on order. Its owned and managed fleet was leased to 81 airlines in 38 countries and regions worldwide as of 30 September 2022. “We are proud that BOC Aviation continues to invest in the 737-8 with its industry-leading versatility and ability to fly almost any short and medium-haul market profitably,” said Ryan Weir, vice president of Global Leasing Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We look forward to more opportunities to expand our relationship to support BOC Aviation and its customers.”

The Central Warehousing Corporation (CWC) is planning to construct seven warehouses in Andhra Pradesh with a total capacity of over 18 lakh tonnes in the next two financial years, Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs C R Chaudhary told the Lok Sabha, as per reports. The CWC has already constructed six warehouses in Andhra Pradesh. Another about 1.28 million tonne capacity of warehouses will be constructed at Kadapa, Nandyal, Renigunta, Sattenpalli, Nellore, Nandikotkur and Vadlamudi in the state during 2023-24 financial year, the minister added.

JK Lakshmi Cement has announced a partnership with GreenLine Logistics to roll out the first fleet of LNG (liquified natural gas) trucks in the country. The initiative, which aims to decarbonize the company’s road logistics operations, will start with a fleet of 10 LNG trucks running on the Sirohi (Rajasthan) to Surat (Gujarat) route, with plans to scale up over the next two years. Each LNG truck is expected to reduce around 35 tons of CO2 emissions per year. The move is part of JK Lakshmi Cement’s efforts to reduce its carbon emissions and improve its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. GreenLine Logistics is a pioneer in green and smart logistics in India, working to become the country’s largest green road logistics company and provide emissions reduction in heavy trucking for ESG-conscious businesses. The adoption of LNG trucks is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 28%, CO by up to 70%, NOx by up to 59%, SOx by up to 100%, and particulate matter by up to 91%. It will also help reduce noise pollution by up to 30%. GreenLine has created an integrated green logistics ecosystem in India to accelerate the adoption of LNG heavy commercial vehicles and promote green trucking in the country.

Satyaki Raghunath, Chief Strategy & Development Officer, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) says with government’s support and initiatives like Gati Shakti and NLP, BIAL is expecting to have an extremely favorable environment to grow its cargo business. He shares, “According to internal analysis, the Airport’s cargo potential is estimated to be 1.7 – 1.9 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) by 2038. With the fast-paced growth in business and rising demands, we intend to remain at the forefront of providing world-class facilities, infrastructure and technology to our customers, partners and stakeholders. We are looking at the development of a new domestic cargo terminal, refurbishing the existing cargo terminals with enhanced capacity and the expansion of cold-chain facility. With the government getting involved and focusing on logistics efficiency and infrastructural development through initiatives like Gati Shakti and NLP, we are expecting to have an extremely favourable environment to grow our cargo business. We believe that we can cater to around 1.5 million MT of cargo annually in the next decade and we are preparing for that.”

In India, to ensure customers can make greater strides in accessing cross border opportunities with ease, FedEx Express has introduced new time-definite international delivery service – FedEx International Priority® Express (IPE) that addresses businesses, heightened demand for trackable, time-definite delivery, ” informed Suvendu Choudhury, Managing Director, International Operations, FedEx Express. “Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the foundation of the global economy, representing about 90% of all business and employing half of the world’s workforce, according to the World Bank . FedEx is committed to helping these vital companies succeed and grow. To give SMEs the right resources, tools and solutions they need to accelerate their business on a global stage, we conducted the AMEA Small Business Grant Contest, through which an Indian e-commerce start-up won a business grant of US$ 30,000, amongst 100 participants across 14 markets,” he added. FedEx also recognizes that economic growth and sustainability must go hand in hand for the future of our people and planet. “That’s why we are working every day to help create a more sustainable future. We’ve committed to make our operations carbon-neutral by 2040. Creating a more sustainable delivery fleet is a top priority, which is why FedEx is focused on vehicle electrification, alternative transportation options, and modernizing our aircrafts. We’re committed to operating a fully electric parcel pickup and delivery fleet by 2040. In January 2022, we conducted our maiden EV trails in India, and thereafter contributed electric-bikes to a local NGO. In the year ahead, technology and sustainability will have a substantial impact on how we work to ensure greater efficiencies in the supply chain. The future will witness newer technologies, further digital transformations, and higher levels of …