Category Archives: Aviation

After being awarded with the international tag for six years, the Chandigarh Airport finally announced its plans of launching its cargo facility from November 1, 2021. The Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHAIL) as of now was only providing a common screening facility for domestic cargo, while the airlines — Air India, Indigo, Vistara and GoAir — were handling the goods on their own. Spread over 14,127 square metres, the air cargo complex in Chandigarh is being constructed at a cost of INR 11.5 crore and will have five cargo sheds, to handle both domestic and international cargo, including perishable goods. As of now the complex has four cargo sheds constructed through Galvalume pre-painted self-supported roofing and one pre-fabricated shed for perishable cargo. It is equipped with the latest equipment — cold room, reefer van, fork lifts, scissors lift, pallets, user-friendly weighing scale and trolleys — and high-security apparatus — closed-circuit television camera, X-ray machines, door frame metal detectors and explosive trace detection system.

Emirates SkyCargo, the airfreight division of Emirates, plays a vital role in facilitating the movement of essential goods to and from Russia during the COVID-19 pandemic. From January to July 2021 – the air cargo carrier transported more than 8,000 tonnes of vital commodities to and from the country, including essential medical and food supplies, electronics and vaccines. The air cargo carrier continues to be a strong and reliable partner for Russian exporters, helping local businesses connects to international customers worldwide, by offering cargo capacity on its wide body aircraft fleet. The air cargo carrier currently operates one weekly flight to Domodedovo Moscow Airport (DME). Utilizing a wide-body Boeing 777F aircraft in addition to offering cargo capacity on its daily passenger flights. In the first half year of this year Emirates SkyCargo was officially ranked the second-most punctual airline in Sheremetyevo Airport’s ranking in the category “Cargo airlines (with number of cargo flights in SVO less than 500 in the first half of the year)”.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) expands its cargo services with welcoming Hong Kong Air Cargo’s maiden Freighter aircraft, Hong Kong Air Cargo Carrier Limited (RH), to India. Hong Kong Air Cargo’s A330-200 Freighter holds overall capacity of 120 Metric tons. Through this haulage, CSMIA aided the export of 49 tons from Mumbai to Hong Kong. Currently, Hong Kong Air cargo’s freighter service is a scheduled airline operating once a week and will route its freighter flight to India from CSMIA. Headquartered in Hong Kong, China, the freighter airline has been operating in the blue skies of Hong Kong for over 3 years and provides reliable international scheduled and non-scheduled air freight transportation service for Hong Kong, Asia and beyond. Currently, Hong Kong Air Cargo operates a network of twelve destinations with its fleet of five A330-200F wide-body freighters.

Cargo volumes at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB/ BLR Airport/ www.bengaluruairport.com) continued to see impressive growth, achieving its highest monthly throughput since commencement of operations. Under challenging circumstances due to the pandemic, BLR Airport has processed 37,319 Metric Tonnes (MT) of cargo in August —the highest ever since the Airport commenced operations in 2008. International cargo (both imports and exports) continued to be growth drivers, accounting for 24,304 MT, also the highest ever. Of the total international cargo, exports also achieved a significant record, an all-time high throughput of 15,224 MT. BLR Airport is the third busiest airport in India and has the highest cargo processing capacity. This has resulted in a 41% market share (industry estimates) in South India, making BLR Airport the preferred gateway for air cargo for shippers from the southern states of India. Key factors that have led to this transformation include, a conducive geographic location with easy access to manufacturing hubs in South India, adequate airline capacities to service key sectors across the globe and world-class cargo infrastructure, operated by Air India SATS and Menzies Aviation Bobba, Bangalore.

FedEx Express launches FedEx International Connect Plus (FICP), a new FedEx Express International, day-definite, e-commerce shipping service. This is said to combine competitive speed with attractive prices, in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region. FICP further enhances FedEx e-commerce capabilities as businesses are increasingly looking for more diversified, cost-effective solutions to meet consumers’ ever-changing needs. Shipping costs and delivery options are two of the most significant drivers of cart abandonment – about 40 percent of consumers won’t complete checkout if the delivery costs are too high. Another 10 percent will abandon their cart if a package cannot be delivered on time or flexible delivery options are not available. With FICP, e-tailers across ten markets including Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand are now empowered to provide their customers with an international shipping solution with prices that offer value-for-money, while ensuring shipments will be delivered within 1 to 5 business days within AMEA.

BlueBoxSystems GmbH announces the launch of BlueBoxAir with an aim for worldwide unique system to retrieve up-to-the-minute data from over 130 airlines and more than 1,600 airports. This allows not only the answer to the question where a specific shipment is exactly at this moment, but also if it is delayed, why and where the delay has occurred. BlueBoxAir offers much more information: ATA/ETA, Chargeable weight, Delay, Airline, Aircraft type, Henning Flaspöler BlueBox: Paket#2-Content Osnabrück, 02.04.2021 Transshipment Port, Split Shipment are just a few examples of information you get per shipment. Additionally, one can create detailed reports based on all data: Get an up-to-the-minute overview of chargeable weight, performance of the respective airlines and/or tradelanes, best in class. The perfect basis to not only optimize your supply chains, but to establish the best supply chains.

Developer Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), a 100 per cent subsidiary of Zurich International Airport AG, announced securing approvals from all agencies of the central as well as Uttar Pradesh state government to go ahead with the greenfield project in Jewar near Delhi. The Noida International Airport, according to its developer will have key features like Multi-modal connectivity, integrated cargo hub and facilities for maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft. “The master plan reflects the goals and objectives set by providing solutions that are financially prudent, cost-effective, and commercially sound; at the heart of it remains passenger convenience. We are delighted that we have been able to complete the master planning activity within the agreed timelines despite limitations due to COVID-19. We are looking forward to developing a world-class airport for the people of India that truly combines Indian hospitality with Swiss efficiency.” said YIAPL CEO Christoph Schnellmann

Making use of technological advancements to bring in higher efficiency, and as a testimony of the Company’s commitment to the India market, Çelebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management, the joint venture between DIAL and Çelebi Ground Handling today announced that it has been accredited with IATA CEIV Pharma certification for its cargo and warehouse operations. Given the current scenario, the air cargo industry is calling for higher standards when transporting temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals. To cope with the growing expectation for standardization, the certification ensures international and national compliance to safeguard product integrity to its destination. Commenting on this, Mr. Kamesh Peri, CEO, Çelebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management said, “This is a prestigious certification to have, especially in present times with the highest standards expected in handling temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. We have achieved it after a thorough audit process performed by IATA who assessed and found our quality systems, infrastructure, procedures, and policies to be in absolute compliance. This was made possible by our committed team and I am very proud of their tireless & brilliant efforts.”

Making use of technological advancements to bring in higher efficiency, and as a testimony of the Company’s commitment to the India market, Çelebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management, the joint venture between DIAL and Çelebi Ground Handling today announced that it has been accredited with IATA CEIV Pharma certification for its cargo and warehouse operations. Given the current scenario, the air cargo industry is calling for higher standards when transporting temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals. To cope with the growing expectation for standardization, the certification ensures international and national compliance to safeguard product integrity to its destination. Commenting on this, Mr. Kamesh Peri, CEO, Çelebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management said, “This is a prestigious certification to have, especially in present times with the highest standards expected in handling temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. We have achieved it after a thorough audit process performed by IATA who assessed and found our quality systems, infrastructure, procedures, and policies to be in absolute compliance. This was made possible by our committed team and I am very proud of their tireless & brilliant efforts.”

Air Transport Services Group, Inc. subsidiary PEMCO Conversions, global leader in narrow-body passenger-to-freighter aircraft conversions, has delivered a second Passenger-to-FlexCombi converted aircraft to Bahrain-based Chisholm Enterprises, an internationally recognized provider of tailored aviation and business solutions in the Middle East. Chisholm subsidiary Texel Air, a non-scheduled cargo airline, will operate the Boeing 737-700FC (FlexCombi) from Bahrain International Airport. “We have shared a very successful history with PEMCO Conversions,” said John Chisholm, chairman and owner of Chisholm Enterprises, “having received and deployed the first B737-700 FlexCombi in August 2020, as well as four previous B737-300 converted freighters.” The PEMCO B737-700FC currently offers three configurations: a 24-seat cabin plus a 2,640-cubic-foot cargo hold for up to 30,000 pounds of payload in six pallet positions; a 12-seat cabin plus a 3,005-cubic-foot cargo hold for up to 35,000 pounds of payload in seven pallet positions; or full-freighter mode consisting of a 3,370-cubic-foot cargo hold for up to 40,000 pounds of payload in eight pallet positions. The available positions will accommodate 88-inch by 125-inch or 88-inch by 108-inch pallets, with the eighth position accommodating a slightly reduced height pallet in full cargo mode.