Category Archives: Aviation

Cathay Cargo has placed an initial firm order for six next-generation Airbus A350F freighters, and has secured the right to acquire 20 more aircraft. “This order for state-of-the-art aircraft to be delivered commencing from 2027 will help further strengthen Hong Kong’s status as the world’s number one air cargo hub, providing even greater cargo connectivity between Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and the rest of the world,” says an official release. “As we move into 2024, our rebuild journey is gaining momentum,” says Ronald Lam, Chief Executive Officer, Cathay Group. “This order marks another major component in our investment for the future. It reflects Cathay’s confidence in the Hong Kong hub as we look ahead to the opportunities provided by the three-runway system. “These highly fuel-efficient, next-generation freighters will provide important additional cargo capacity, expand our global network and contribute to our sustainability leadership goals.” The freighters will link Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland with long-haul destinations in North and South America as well as Europe. The purchase agreement brings the Cathay Group’s new aircraft deliveries to 77, the release added. “There’s a new standard in the cargo space and we are gratified that such a savvy global air-cargo operator as Cathay has joined the growing number of reference players in the air-freight industry selecting the A350F,” says Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International, Airbus. Cathay Cargo has a freighter fleet of 20 Boeing 747 freighters including 14 B747-8Fs and six B747-400ERFs. In addition to freighter capacity, Cathay Cargo provides belly capacity through the Cathay Group’s extensive passenger network, providing cargo services to around 80 destinations worldwide. Airbus, so far, has 39 firm orders for the …

The Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India (FFFAI) celebrated its 62nd Foundation Day in a hybrid format to focus on CBIC’s recent initiatives to facilitate ease of doing business, including Faceless Assessment, Single Window Clearance, Direct Port Delivery, AEO Scheme, CBLMS Portal launch and the introduction of ECL on ICEGATE. They stressed upon the National Time Release Study (NTRS) in expediting cargo clearance. Highlighting NTRS 2023, based on a perceptional study, they unveiled insightful facts to benefit the government and industry stakeholders. They urged FFFAI’s partnership in the NTRS program and advised initiating awareness programs for NTRS participation. Also, emphasized active trade involvement in NTRS 2024, especially encouraging the participation of women and young logistics entrepreneurs.

Lufthansa Cargo has added a fourth A321 freighter to its short- and medium-haul network as part of its plan to expand capacity. The freighter, with the registration D-AEUJ, has been operating in Lufthansa Cargo’s network since November, and has already made its first flights to Istanbul, Helsinki, Stockholm, Birmingham, England, Dublin, Casablanca, Copenhagen and Madrid. The carrier added its third A321F in July. As part of its expansion strategy, Lufthansa Cargo continues to expand its A321F network. The new winter flight schedule, which came into effect on October 29, includes two new destinations: Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan (AMM) and Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Sweden (ARN). AMM is connected to the Lufthansa Cargo’s Frankfurt Airport cargo hub in Germany once a week by an A321 freighter. Frankfurt and ARN are connected three times a week. The new routing takes place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. ARN is an important hub for the transportation of pharmaceutical and temperature-sensitive goods, said Lufthansa Cargo. “Especially the Friday flight offers customers the possibility of late deliveries at the end of the industry’s production week, connecting in Frankfurt to Lufthansa Cargo’s worldwide network the next morning, the carrier explained.

Air cargo traffic increased year on year for the third month in a row in October, but IATA has warned that optimism over the improvements should be balanced with caution. The latest figures from the airline association show that cargo tonne kms (CTK) increased by 3.8% year on year in October, while capacity was up 13.1% as bellyhold operations continued to return. As a result of capacity increasing faster than demand, the overall load factor was down four percentage points compared with last year to 45.2%. IATA said that while it was welcome news that demand was on the up, there was still much uncertainty. The association pointed out that demand was still below 2019 levels and that economic activity slowed in October, with the Purchasing Managers Index for manufacturing output remaining below the 50-point mark to indicate declining output. On the other hand, inflation in advanced economies continued to ease, global trade indicators stabilised and air cargo yields picked up in September and October after 17 months of decline. IATA director general Willie Walsh said: “Demand for air cargo was up 3.8% in October. That marks three consecutive months of year-on-year growth, placing air cargo on course to end 2023 on a much stronger footing than it began the year. “Recovering demand, slightly stronger yields and the uptick in trade are all good news. But with demand still 2.4% below pre-pandemic levels, and much uncertainty remaining over the trajectory of the global economy, optimism must be balanced with caution.

Alaska Airlines will acquire Honolulu-headquartered Hawaiian Airlines in a deal that in part aims to boost the cargo businesses of both airlines. Alaska Air Group and Hawaiian Holdings have entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition. Both brands will remain separate. The deal is for $18.00 per share in cash and has a transaction value of approximately $1.9bn, said Alaska Airlines in a press release. The combined company aims to expand the choice of passenger and cargo service options and access throughout the Pacific region, continental US and globally. “The combination of complementary domestic, international, and cargo networks is positioned to enhance competition and expand choice for consumers on the West Coast and throughout the Hawaiian Islands,” said Alaska Airlines. The company further noted: “For Hawaii residents, the combination will expand service and convenience by tripling the number of destinations throughout North America that can be reached nonstop or one stop from the Islands, while maintaining robust Neighbor Island service and increasing air cargo capacity.”

Japan Airlines (JAL) is all set to launch dedicated freighter operations in February as it announced its first Boeing 767-300ER freighter converted from its passenger fleet. Tokyo-headquartered JAL said the freighter will operate from Tokyo Narita and Nagoya to Taipei, Seoul Incheon, as well as Shanghai Pudong. Operations are scheduled to begin on February 19. The airline is set to add a further two 767-300 freighter conversions, according to plans it announced in May this year. “The operation of the freighters will enhance stable and flexible air transportation capabilities, ensuring a steady supply. Furthermore, the development of a network strategy based on growing demand will ensure the satisfaction of customer needs and contribute to the sustainable development of the logistics infrastructure,” said JAL. The service marks a return to the freighter market after an absence of 13 years as the airline aim to grow in the cargo and mail business.

The India International Cargo Show (IICS), country’s biggest cargo & logistics exhibition is all set to take place in Mumbai from December 12-15 at Jio Convention Center. The three-day exhibition will have insightful panel discussions on multimodal logistics enabling supply chain efficiency, pharma logistics, airports infrastructure, tech driven growth, embracing next-gen air cargo operations and lot more. The inaugural session will host distinguished ministers and leaders from the logistics industry, sharing their visionary perspectives and insights to pave the way for a future of innovation and collaboration in the dynamic world of logistics. IICS will be the only platform in the country to bring the entire cargo and logistics fraternity including air, ocean, road, logistics, warehousing, ground handling, supply chain, technology, etc. under one roof. With over 200 brands showcasing their products and services, the IICS Show is the perfect platform for logisticians to network with key players in the industry.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) effectively managed its inaugural consignment of frozen ready-to-serve food products. On November 9, 2023, CSMIA successfully coordinated the seamless transportation of highly perishable South Indian delicacies, such as Idli and Vada, from Mumbai to Amsterdam through KLM Flight 878. This remarkable feat exemplifies the capabilities and dedication demonstrated by CSMIA. The seamless execution of this operation underscores the airport’s efficiency in handling delicate, perishable cargo hence strengthening its position in industry. The secure and effective transportation of perishable food items is critical and becomes a formidable challenge, particularly those requiring sub-zero temperatures. To address this challenge directly, specialized va-Q-tec containers were employed. These containers are engineered to uphold a specific temperature range consistently throughout the entire transportation process, without any deviations. These units provide required temperature control (2 to 8°C) ensuring uninterrupted cold chain throughout the supply chain. The consignment, consisting of 264 packages/3540 kilograms was equipped with coolants and was meticulously loaded into two pre-cooled refrigerated va-Q-tec containers. Upon reaching the Cargo Service Centre terminal, the consignment was promptly transferred to the pre-cooled va-Q-tec units, seamlessly processed, and handed over to the carrier within 3.30 hours. The entire cityside cold chain logistics support for this shipment was provided by BRRING 2.0 Perishable Distribution Solutions Private Limited. CSMIA anticipates that this novel venture into the transportation of frozen delicacies will emerge as a promising segment in the air cargo industry in the upcoming months. Furthermore, this venture has immense potential to rapidly extend the market access of local farmers and producers to distant markets. To facilitate highly temperature sensitive perishables, CSMIA has made substantial investments in state-of-the-art cold chain infrastructure. This ensures that frozen …

Boeing is accelerating its global efforts to scale-up sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), which serves as the aviation industry’s most significant lever in reducing emissions today and into the future. Focus areas include Boeing’s efforts to catalyze collaboration, research and policy development around SAF, which can reduce lifecycle CO2 up to 85%. “We’re deepening our collaborative work across the globe in pursuit of a world with more SAF,” said Chris Raymond, Boeing Chief Sustainability Officer. “SAF holds the greatest potential to reduce aviation’s emissions, and we are focused on continuing to innovate and collaborate to unlock the production of sustainable aviation fuel around the world.” The key challenges to greater use of SAF are the limited supply and high cost. Current use of SAF represents 0.1% of global jet fuel demand. In the lead up to COP28, Boeing worked together to: • Bring energy producers and aviation leaders in the UAE together to form a consortium called Air-CRAFT to accelerate the research, scaling and production of renewable and advanced aviation fuels in the country and beyond. • Launch an initiative with the United States to catalyze the development and use of SAF among Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member countries. • Announce a collaboration with Zero Petroleum for testing and analyzing the next generation of technologies to accelerate the supply of SAF. • Support discussions at ICAO’s Third Conference on Aviation Alternative Fuels, where governments from over 100 countries set a goal that aviation fuel in 2030 should be 5% less carbon intensive than conventional jet fuel. • Join the Corporate Coalition for Innovation & Technology toward Net Zero (CCITNZ), a cross-sector business alliance dedicated to helping countries meet decarbonization and climate …

Worldwide air cargo demand patterns have continued to broadly follow last year’s seasonal trend into the final full week of November including a significant dip in outbound tonnages from North America linked to last week’s Thanksgiving celebrations, according to the latest weekly figures from WorldACD Market Data. “Overall global tonnages have held up better than this time last year, and outbound yields from Asia Pacific have continued to rise, week on week (WoW), whereas they were flat or declining in the equivalent period in 2022.” Preliminary figures for week 47 (November 20-26) show a three percent decrease in tonnages and a two percent increase in global average rates compared with the previous week based on more than 400,000 weekly transactions covered by WorldACD’s data. Tonnages have followed a similar pattern as they did this time last year although the week-over-week decrease in week 47 last year was significantly stronger (down eight percent).