Skye Air Mobility has allied with Flipkart Health, a medical branch of Flipkart Internet, to deliver pharma products up to 5 kg by drone. Each flight can fly up to 16 km. The partnership began with the launch of BVLOS flights from Flipkart Health warehouse in Baruipur of West Bengal, to several Health Buddy OTC sites in Kolkata and suburbs. Flights numbering 20 will take medication each day from Warehouse to Health Buddy OTC locations in the region.

In a bid to reduce carbon emission, protect the ecology and to reduce logistics cost drastically, Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Govt of India suggested the logistics Industry to go green by using alternative fuel like LNG and ethanol. He informed that efforts are on to introduce ethanol in the transport sector as well. While addressing the 24th Biennial Convention of FFFAI, which was held in Chennai from August 12-14, 2022 Shri Gadkari said that Customs Brokers, Freight Forwarders and other logistics service providers are the major stakeholders behind the success of increasing international trade in the country. He commended FFFAI for choosing the theme of the convention: “Logistics – Reshape, Embrace and Surge in the Digital Era”, which is in line with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision pertaining to “PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan” focused on strengthening multimodal logistics infrastructure and transportation. The theme is also apt to achieve the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s goal of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ while the Convention is taking place on the eve of celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

The eleventh edition of India Warehousing Show (IWS), India’s most premium and established platform for warehousing, logistics, material handling, storage, AIDC, automation and supply chain sector is scheduled for 19-21 August 2022, Hall 4 & 5, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. After the successful 10th anniversary edition in 2021, India’s most awaited event for logistics is once again getting ready to offer an in-person platform for live product demos, innovative technologies, and several knowledge-sharing networking sessions. The theme of the event is ‘Sustainable and Cost-Effective Supply Chains’

TIACA and Messe München announce Edmonton International Airport as the inaugural host of the start.hub logistics during air cargo forum & transport logistic Americas 2022. Following the success of the Innovation Journey held during the Executive Summit in March 2022, The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) and Messe München are pleased to announce the launch of the start.hub logistics in Miami during the air cargo forum (ACF) and transport logistic Americas 2022. “The Innovation Journey showed how vital it is for the industry to connect and explore innovations that can be applied into our businesses. We knew then that this could not be a one off and innovation needed to be incorporated into our events going forward. The launch of the start.hub logistics in Miami is yet another step toward our vision for air cargo and we are excited that Edmonton International Airport, which has such a focus on supporting innovative start-up businesses will be the first host.” Steven Polmans, TIACA Chair.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is set to launch a new Boeing B777 freighter operation between Singapore and the US as part of a partnership with DHL Express. DHL partnered with SIA in March to deploy five B777Fs with SIA on a crew and maintenance agreement (CM) to secure capacity out of Singapore. DHL Express welcomed the arrival of the B777 freighter at Singapore Changi Airport. SIA will operate it on routes to the US via South Korea three times weekly from August. The freighter, which sports a dual DHL-Singapore Airlines (SIA) livery, has a maximum capacity of 102 tonnes. All five freighters will be operated by SIA pilots, with the maintenance overseen by SIA. The second Boeing 777 freighter is slated to enter service in November 2022, following which both freighters will operate the Singapore-Incheon-Los Angeles-Honolulu-Singapore route six times weekly. The remaining three freighters are planned for delivery throughout 2023. Following this, all five freighters will operate on routes between the US and Singapore via points in North Asia and Australia.

The Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation (RSIC) is planning to set up an air cargo complex at the Dabok airport in Udaipur to facilitate import and export of goods in the next few months. At present, businessmen based in the lake city of Udaipur and nearby places are required to travel to Ahmedabad or Jaipur for import and export purposes. RSIC, a government of Rajasthan undertaking, had forwarded a proposal to the ministry of civil aviation which has been given in-principal approval and the land for the project has also been identified. RSIC Chairman Rajiv Arora said the work on the complex will soon start and it is expected to be commissioned by early next year.

Qantas Freight is expected to increase its domestic fleet with six Airbus A321 passenger to freighter (P2F) aircraft to meet growing e-commerce demand from its customers. The Australian airfreight carrier said the A321s, likely to arrive between 2024 and mid-2026, will be sourced in the open market and converted to freighters. This conversion work will include removing seats and installation of a cargo handling system. The A321’s will replace the long-term fleet of five Boeing 737 freighters that are approaching the end of their economic life. Qantas said that each A321 freighter can carry 23 tonnes of cargo, nine tonnes more than the older 737s, and are around 30 per cent more fuel efficient per tonne of freight carried. Currently, Qantas has three A321P2Fs and is replacing the remaining 737 freighters with these newer aircraft will generate extra efficiency in training and maintenance. Qantas is also converting two widebody A330s to freighters for use on the domestic network.

Ecom Express Limited launched e-grocery fulfilment center in Karnataka. Situated in Hoskote, Bengaluru on an area of two lakh square feet, the center is the second grocery facility set up by the company in Karnataka. The center will support one of the leading e-grocery brands deliver a variety of grocery products to consumers in and around Bengaluru city through its 100 hyper-local stores. With over eight lakh processing throughput per day, the newly built facility has the capacity of over six lakh Cubic feet. It can store up to 10 million product units across categories, including daily household supplies, staples, tea, snacks and beverages, confectionery, personal care and more. The company’s fulfilment network facilities are designed with building systems that minimize energy usage. The new center integrates multiple dimensions of sustainability such as rainwater harvesting, sewage treatment plant, and safety measures, including fire detection, prevention, and supressing system, with employee evacuation plans.

QuikJet Airlines, an ex-Indian cargo-only carrier, is planning to return back to the Indian skies soon. The airline has already taken its first aircraft, a 20-year-old Boeing 737-800 P2F, with another one arriving soon. According to reports, QuikJet 2.0 would fly Amazon Prime airplanes in India. QuikJet Airlines is a part of ASL Aviation Group, an aircraft services provider and leasing company based out of Dublin, Ireland. The carrier started scheduled services after receiving the relevant Air Operator Permit from Indian authorities in February 2016. QuikJet was already operating charter cargo services since 2012.

At the recently concluded 24th biennial convention, Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations’ in India (FFFAI) signed an MoU with FIATA to launch FIATA Bill of Lading (eFBL) in India. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and AYUSH Sarbananda Sonowal formally launched it. “The implementation of eFBL will empower MSME customs brokers and Freight Forwarders Members of FFFAI to issue their own Bill of Lading using FIATA network. It will leverage the logistics industry without depending upon Liner Bill of Lading for Multimodal transportation and enhance their capability to enhance business thinking towards owning own container and establish Indian Flag registered Shipping Line,” said Shankar Shinde, Chairman, FFFAI. The Minister stressed upon the growing importance of an IT-driven logistics industry for faster cargo movement from manufactures to consumers across the globe. “FFFAI’s initiatives in this regard through services such as eFBL would make Indian products to reach their destination in less time and cost, which, in fact, will make the Indian products more competitive internationally,” he said.