The Indian Army and Indian Air Force signed MoU with Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya in Vadodara to enhance the logistics capabilities of personnel and align with national development plans such as the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan 2021 and the National Logistics Policy 2022. The agreement was formalised in New Delhi in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The MoU will focus on developing higher expertise in logistics, enabling the Indian Army and Air Force to build in-house proficiency across various logistics operations. This initiative supports the national goal of self-reliance in defense and aims to improve the efficiency of logistics systems, which are crucial for rapid mobilization and resource allocation.  

“Recognising the potential of air cargo, we have embarked on the development of dedicated air freight corridors, the implementation of digital processes like e-airway bills and investments in the state-of-the-art cargo terminals and our goal has always been to make India a global cargo hub by enhancing connectivity, reducing turnaround time and improving efficiency,”  said Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu Civil Aviation minister,  at the recently concluded Global Aviation and Air Cargo Summit, organised by PHDCCI in New Delhi. The minister also emphasised the need of more freighters as most of the cargo in India is being carried out in bellies of the aircraft. “We must think about why we don’t have enough freighters. With the kind of population that we have today, we are lacking on it. Most of the cargo that we are doing today is by belly cargo only. It obviously has its own challenges. Now, we must move into the idea of having our own freight corridors, freight carriers, at least between the metro cities domestically, so that there is a network already created in terms of air cargo, there is a system that is being handled,” he added.

  Mark your calendar for India’s highly anticipated and power-packed show on cold chain storage and transportation, Cold Chain Unbroken (CCUB) 2024 set to be held on 19-20 September at Novotel Hyderabad. The key points of discussion will include cold chain storage, handling and transportation, adequate infrastructure and skilled manpower for ground handling and transportation of products such as pharma and perishables, tech integration, government policies to facilitate EoDB and a lot more. Several industry stalwarts and stakeholders, including airports, airlines, freight forwarders, shipping lines, trucking companies, custodians are expected to take part in the show. The two-day event will provide a platform to meet and exchange ideas and collaborate.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has joined hands with Airbus to expand aviation and logistics education in Assam, thereby enhancing the socio-economic landscape of the northeastern region. The collaboration follows productive discussions with officials from the Assam Government’s Transport, Skill, and Industries Departments. To this effect, a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) was signed between Prof. Devendra Jalihal, Director of IIT Guwahati, and Rémi Maillard, President and Managing Director at Airbus India Private Limited.

  Challenge Group is now IATA CEIV Lithium Battery certified, in addition to its existing IATA CEIV Pharma and IATA CEIV Live accreditations previously awarded to Challenge Airlines and Challenge Handling in Liège. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), around 1.3 million shipments of lithium batteries are transported by air annually. They also estimate that about 5% of air cargo shipments include lithium batteries, in addition to other electronics and mail parcels. And those are just the shipments officially declared as containing these batteries. “At Challenge Group, we are very concerned with detecting mis-declared or undeclared Lithium Battery shipments and therefore make certain that our people are trained in what to look out for,” Yossi Shoukroun, Chief Executive Officer of Challenge Group, says. “We are proud that our efforts have been officially recognised and that we may now carry the IATA CEIV Lithium Battery seal of approval as a visible demonstration to customers that their DGR shipments are in the best of hands, including the ones under UN3090 and UN3480. Thank you to the IATA CEIV Lithium Battery auditors for their commendations and feedback as we continue to ensure the highest level in handling standards.” “As the numbers of lithium batteries being shipped globally continues to increase, it’s essential these vital items are transported safely and efficiently. IATA’s CEIV Lithium Batteries was established to raise standards, spread best practice, and ensure regulatory compliance across the supply chain. We commend Challenge Group for achieving CEIV lithium battery certification. This gives customers total confidence in Challenge Group’s world-class performance and quality credentials for lithium battery shipments,” said Brendan Sullivan, IATA Global Head of Cargo. Safety in the workplace is ensured …

Balajee Bobba, Director, Bobba Group shares, “Open sky policy is essential to boost cargo efficiency and global competitiveness. Incentivise and further promote digitisation of end-to-end processes and reduce manual interventions further to speed up workflow. Upskilling existing manpower to educate and empower on latest in technology which creates win-win synergy on personal and organisational growth. Expansion of facilities with focus on future growth and reducing dwell times for quick clearance and maximising efficiency.”

C K Govil, Chairman and Managing Director, Activair Airfreight India and ACAAI President says, “An open sky policy allows unrestricted access to international air routes and removes barriers for airlines, promoting increased competition, lower costs, and enhanced efficiency. For air cargo, this policy boosts global connectivity, allowing faster movement of goods, reducing logistical delays, and improving supply chain resilience. Ultimately, it enhances a country’s global competitiveness by facilitating trade, fostering economic growth, and attracting foreign investment in the logistics sector.”

Vandana Singh, Director, Global Key Accounts, Asia Pacific, Saudia Cargo says, “Adopting an Open Sky policy is crucial for enhancing cargo efficiency and bolstering global competitiveness. By allowing greater air traffic freedom, we can reduce logistical bottlenecks, expedite delivery times, and foster a more competitive marketplace. This policy not only drives economic growth but also positions us strategically in the global supply chain, ensuring that businesses can meet international demands swiftly and efficiently.”

Sunil Kohli, Managing Director, Rahat Cargo says, “The cargo trade stakeholders including airports, airlines, exporters, and industry associations, have warmly welcomed the open sky policy as they anticipate significant benefits such as improved efficiency, expanded exports, and alignment with the government’s ambitious economic targets. Since the said policy has also provided ample capacity to assorted destinations, the space crunch has also shrunk because of availability of several carriers to the cargo agents thereby rendering various options to choose from. This welcome shift resulted in a notable uptick in the share of international cargo traffic and revenue for domestic airlines. Also, the revival of the policy is expected to witness an accelerated activities of infrastructure development at non-metro airports, enhancing their cargo-handling capabilities and unlocking additional export capacity.”

Jalpa H Vithalani, Director, Global Aviation Services says, “Open sky policy will boost air cargo supply chain. With open skies – India will become a transit hub and increase cargo connectivity through our airports. Boosting airport infrastructure, seamless customs processes, good domestic connectivity & efficient seamless cargo handling services, will put Indian airports amongst the most advanced on the global map & it will also help achieve the target of 10Million tons exponentially.