The CoMPleTe ResouRCe FoR The CARgo INdusTRy

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SwissportSilk Airlines

Lufthansa Cargo and Kuehne+Nagel

places strategic focus on cargo

celebrates its 20th anniversary

partnership to promote CO2 neutral power-to-liquid fuel

ACL AirshopFocused on Growth for its Air Cargo Customers

Cargo Airlines Freighter Operators

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Volume 12 | Issue 01 | October 2021 | ì250 / $8 US

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SwissportSilk Airlines

Lufthansa Cargo and Kuehne+Nagel

places strategic focus on cargocelebrates its

20th anniversary

partnership to promote CO2 neutral power-to-liquid fuel

ACL AirshopFocused on Growth for its Air Cargo Customers

Cargo Airlines Freighter Operators

25

reducing climate change is a critical global challenge. Commercial aviation is responsible for about

2-3% of global carbon emissions. air cargo is set to lead the aviation world in the adoption of green initiatives, with sustainable aviation fuel (SaF) proving to be the best way for the industry to reduce its carbon emissions.

Speaking at the Iata world Cargo Symposium, the airline group’s director general Willie Walsh said that shippers had been driving carbon reduction across the supply chain. “Cargo is leading the way when it comes to sustainability, which is probably not the image people outside the air cargo business have so it has been interesting to see that.” “There has been a significant focus from shippers on the industry,” he said. “we are probably seeing more pressure from the cargo side of the business to accelerate the decarbonisation, whether that is through offsetting or SaF, than we have seen on the passenger side.

IATA’s head of cargo Brendan Sullivan said “Sustainability is our license to grow,”. “Shippers are becoming more environmentally conscious and held accountable for their emissions by their customers, ‘’ he said. “Many are now reporting how much their supply chains produce in emissions, and they are looking for carbon-neutral transportation options. We all need to meet customer expectations for the highest standards of sustainability.”

at Iata’s agM earlier this month, airlines committed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

the strategy is to abate as much CO2 as possible from in-sector solutions such as SaF, new aircraft technology, more efficient operations and infrastructure, and the development of new zero-emissions energy sources such as electric and hydrogen power.

Sebastian Mikosz, IATA senior vice president of environment and sustainability, said that SaF will contribute around 65% of the emissions reductions needed in 2050.

this will require SaF production to increase from 100m litres today to at least 449bn litres in 2050.

new aircraft technologies, such as electric, hybrid and hydrogen powered aircraft, are expected to contribute around 13% of the reduction needed by 2050.

Operations and infrastructure will contribute around 3% of the reduction, Mikosz said.

this includes technologies such as retro-fitted winglets, light-weight seating, fuel efficiency systems, reduced engine taxiing and air traffic management programmes.

the remaining 19% reduction is expected to come from offsetting and carbon capture.

however, walsh said the industry needed to utilise credible offsetting schemes. “Credible offsetting is the key,” said walsh. “Without question offsetting has developed a bad name in some areas because the credibility of some of the offsets could and should be challenged.” he added: “If you are going to spend money offsetting CO2 there must be a genuine environmental benefit because of some of the general offsetting schemes that some people have put forward, it is questionable if they would achieve the goal.”

he added that the schemes adopted by the aviation industry tend to be of a higher quality than many because of the governance of the International Civil aviation Organization through its Carbon Offsetting and reduction Scheme.

Dorothea von Boxberg, Lufthansa Cargo chief executive outlined how the airline was already taking steps to reduce its emissions by using the four key areas : SaF, fuel efficiency, compensation and fleet modernisation. She said that its modern B777F fleet would offer a 52% reduction in C02 emissions compared with its fleet 25 years ago. elsewhere the carrier was applying “sharkskin” film to aircraft to reduce drag, using lightweight containers and implementing flight optimisation procedures. the airline is also ramping up its use of SaF, von Boxberg said, even looking to utilise power-to-liquid fuel technology.

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06 aIr CargO: Key to air Cargo resilience post pandemic: Cooperation, Safety, Sustainability, Modernization: Iata

the International air transport association (Iata) urged the air cargo industry to continue working together at the same pace, with the same levels of cooperation as during the COVId-19 pandemic to overcome future challenges and build industry resilience. Sustainability, modernization, and safety were highlighted as key priorities for the industry post pandemic.

13 aIr CargO: Swissport places strategic focus on cargo

Swissport International is further strengthening its air cargo business and bundling responsibility for strategic development with a new global Cargo Chair. the new role will be taken on by dirk goovaerts, head of the Middle east & africa region, who will focus on growing and developing this part of the business.

18 aIr CargO: etihad Cargo expands its african Footprint with the Signing of pharma agreement with astral aviation and Kenya airway

etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of abu dhabi’s etihad aviation group, has expanded its pharma sector reach into africa with the signing of a Service legal agreement (Sla) with astral aviation and Kenya airways to provide reliable and cost-effective airfreight solutions across the continent.

22 aIr CargO: lufthansa Cargo puts two more Boeing 777F into service

Frankfurt-based cargo airline to market the capacities of fifteen modern wide-body freighters from October onwards

25 aIr CargO: air Mauritius exits restructuring with slimmed-down fleet

air Mauritius has emerged from restructuring with what it describes as a stable footing after reducing its fleet and securing a $280 government million loan.

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36 aIr CargO: Cargolux and Kuehne+nagel pilot apI connectivity for Quotes & Bookings

Cargolux has launched a set of apIs to offer customers a direct interface between their system and Cargolux’s platform to receive tailored and immediate, bookable quotes.

38 aIr CargO: Qatar airways CeO calls on regulators to take steps to counter the threat of lithium batteries shipments

Qatar airways chief officer cargo guillaume halleux calls for regulators to take steps to counter the threat of rouge lithium-ion battery shipments.

43 SerVICeS: Jettainer experiencing growing demand for leasing services

the air cargo market is picking up again – and with it, demand for unit load devices (Uld). Jettainer, the global leader in Uld management, has ramped up its services and responded to growing demand for short-term and long-term rentals with lease&fly.

47 CargO aIrpOrtS: new 8,000 m2 logistics hub for hongyuan group at Brussels airport

hongyuan group, a logistics service provider based in Beijing, has been operating at Brussels airport since October 2020, chartering flights with multiple airlines.

53 teChnOlOgy: dnata enhances cargo services with innovative drone technology

dnata, the leading global provider of aviation and travel services, continues to invest in cutting-edge technologies to maximize efficiency and deliver maximum value to its customers, having recently partnered with gather aI.

60 lOgIStICS: aCl airshop: Focused on growth for its air Cargo Customers

leading worldwide air Cargo Uld equipment and logistics services provider announced strategic initiatives at Iata’s world Cargo Symposium in dublin Ireland. aCl airshop is a market leader in air Cargo “Uld” logistics support worldwide at more than 50 major airports.

C ontent s36


aSSOCIatIOnS

the International air transport association (Iata) urged the air cargo industry to continue working together at the same pace, with the same levels of cooperation

as during the COVId-19 pandemic to overcome future challenges and build industry resilience. Sustainability, modernization, and safety were highlighted as key priorities for the industry post pandemic. the call was made at the 14th world Cargo Symposium (wCS), which opened in dublin.

“Air cargo is a critically important industry. This pandemic reminded us of that. During the crisis, it has been a lifeline for society, delivering critical medical supplies and vaccines across the globe and keeping international supply chains open. And for many airlines, cargo became a vital source of revenue when passenger flights were grounded. In 2020, the air cargo industry generated $129 billion, which represented approximately a third of airlines’ overall revenues, an increase of 10–15% compared to pre-crisis levels. Looking towards the future, the outlook is strong. We need to maintain the momentum established during the crisis and continue building resilience post pandemic,” said Brendan Sullivan, IATA’s Global Head of Cargo.

outlook for Air Cargothe outlook for air cargo in the short and long-term is

strong. Indicators such as inventory levels and manufacturing output are favorable, world trade is forecast to grow at 9.5% this year and 5.6% in 2022, e-commerce continues to grow at a double-digit rate, and demand for high-value specialized

Key to Air Cargo Resilience Post Pandemic: Cooperation, Safety, Sustainability, Modernization


aSSOCIatIOnS

cargo – such as temperature-sensitive healthcare goods and vaccines - is rising.

this year cargo demand is expected to exceed pre-crisis (2019) levels by 8% and revenues are expected to rise to a record $175 billion, with yields expected to grow by 15%. In 2022 demand is expected to exceed pre-crisis (2019) levels by 13% with revenues expected to rise to $169 billion although there will be an 8% decline in yields.

“The surge in demand for air cargo and attractive yields are not without complications. Pandemic restrictions have led to severe global supply-chain congestion and created hardships for aircrew crossing international borders. Resourcing and capacity, handling and facility space and logistics will be an issue. This will create further operational challenges for our industry that must be planned for now. But we have demonstrated resilience throughout the crisis and with that same focus we will overcome these challenges,” said Sullivan.

Sustainability“Sustainability is our industry’s

license to grow. Shippers are becoming more environmentally conscious and are being held accountable for their emissions by their customers. Many are now reporting how much their supply chains produce in emissions, and they are looking for carbon-neutral transportation options. We all need to meet customer expectations for the highest standards of sustainability. The path from stabilizing to reducing net emissions will require a collective effort,” said Sullivan.

at Iata’s annual general Meeting last week, airlines committed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. this commitment will align with the paris agreement goal for global warming not to exceed 1.5°C. the strategy is to abate as much CO2 as possible from in-sector solutions such as sustainable aviation fuels, new aircraft technology, more efficient operations and infrastructure, and the

development of new zero-emissions energy sources such as electric and hydrogen power. any emissions that cannot be eliminated at source will be eliminated through out-of-sector options such as carbon capture and storage and credible offsetting schemes.

Modernization“The pandemic accelerated

digitalization in some areas as contactless processes were introduced to reduce the risk from COVID-19 transmission. We need to build on this momentum not only to drive improvements in operational efficiency but to meet the needs of our customers. The biggest growth areas are in cross-border e-commerce and special handling items like time and temperature sensitive payloads. Customers for these products want to know where their items are, and in what condition, at any time during their transport. That requires digitalization and data,” said Sullivan.

Iata highlighted three major projects moving the industry towards digitalization and the progress being made in each:

• e-air waybill is at 75% now and is expected to achieve 100% by the end of 2022.

• Iata’s One record vision, enabling the whole supply chain to work together off one standardized and exchangeable set of data has 17 pilots in progress involving 145 companies and 3 customs authorities.

• Iata’s Cargo XMl messaging standards are being accepted by an increasing number of customs authorities.

“e-air waybill, One record and Cargo XMl are big industry projects. and they are moving us in the right direction. So that is good. But we need to continue working at the same pace as we did during the COVId-19 crisis,” said Sullivan.

SafetySafety was highlighted as a priority

for the industry, specifically the transport of lithium batteries.

“Demand for lithium batteries continues to rise as does the risk from lithium battery related fires. Our main concern has been around accidents from rogue shippers who – miss-declare shipments. But the incident on the ramp at Hong Kong International Airport earlier this year reminded us just how big the challenge is. The investigation indicated that loading and handling was as per regulation and the consignment was declared correctly,” said Sullivan.

IATA called for:• regulatory authorities (eaSa and

Faa) to accelerate development of a test standard that can be used to demonstrate that fire containment pallet covers and fire-resistant containers are capable of withstanding a fire involving lithium batteries.

• government authorities to step up and take responsibility for stopping rogue producers and exporters of lithium batteries.

• Industry to step up and expand the collection of incident data and develop methods for the data to be shared to support the airlines’ safety risk assessment processes.

Trade Facilitation“Frictions have increased across

the world. And there are big political problems such as protectionism and vaccine inequality that will need time to resolve. But we have agreed treaties that need ratification, like the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) which focuses on business and trade. Despite the political tensions we encourage countries to make good on their agreements,” said Sullivan.

as of today, 154 countries have ratified the agreement – 94% of wtO membership. governments yet to ratify the tFa are urged to do so, and signatory countries should implement it as soon as possible. the cost of inaction is high. Full implementation could boost global trade by $1 trillion per year, reducing global trade costs by an average of 14%.


Lufthansa Cargo and Kuehne+Nagel agree

on exclusive partnership to promote CO2-neutral

power-to-liquid fuel

aIr CargO

• Atmosfair opens the world’s first plant for the production of synthetic PtL paraffin in the Emsland region of Lower Saxony

• Logistics companies Lufthansa Cargo and Kuehne+Nagel are among the first customers

• Annual purchase of 25,000 litres of synthetic crude oil agreed for at least five years

• Power-to-Liquid is considered a key technology for CO2-neutral flying


aIr CargO

the two companies Kuehne+nagel and lufthansa Cargo have agreed on an exclusive partnership

for the promotion and use of power-to-liquid aviation fuel. the logistics service providers have jointly committed to supporting the world’s first production site for synthetic crude oil in werlte/emsland in germany by purchasing the equivalent of 20 tonnes, or 25,000 litres, annually. the synthetic fuel based on it is considered to be the fuel of the future, which should further reduce the CO2 footprint of aircraft

engines in the future. the production site in werlte is operated by the ngO atmosfair from Bonn.

“We clearly see the key to a sustainable reduction of our emissions in flight operations in the research and use of synthetic, sustainable aviation fuels. The fact that we are now pioneering power-to-liquid technology together with Kuehne+Nagel makes us particularly proud and shows once again that we are actively tackling our climate protection challenges,” Dorothea von Boxberg, Ceo Lufthansa Cargo, explained the

strategic background to the partnership with Kuehne+nagel .

Yngve ruud, Member of the Management Board of Kuehne+nagel, responsible for Air Logistics, commented: “Already now, Kuehne+Nagel customers can avoid carbon emissions of their shipments globally with our bio SAF solutions and I am delighted to see that time has come for synthetic SAF as the long-term solution for aviation. By securing the first power-to-liquid fuel production together with Lufthansa Cargo, we are sending a strong message of commitment and collaboration, inviting our industry colleagues and customers to join us in creating the low-carbon economy of the future already today.”

CO2-neutral fuels or Sustainable aviation Fuels (SaF) are an essential pillar on the way to CO2-neutral flying. these fuels can be produced in various ways. Until now, lufthansa Cargo and Kuehne+nagel have used Sustainable aviation Fuels of biogenic origin, i.e. synthetic paraffin based on used cooking oils, for example. In the case of synthetic paraffin, which is also known as power-to-liquid fuel, the synthetic crude oil is produced from regeneratively generated electricity, water and CO2. Because of this process, ptl-based aviation fuel is considered CO2-neutral. the electricity-based fuels are currently still in the development stage towards industrial production, but are already considered a long-term alternative to conventional paraffin or biogenic SaF, as they are theoretically to be produced without availability limits.

atmosfair, a non-profit climate protection organisation based in Berlin, has built its own plant for the production of so-called “syncrude”. Syncrude is the alternative to fossil crude oil produced by means of power-to-liquid. this crude oil is then refined into finished Jet a1 fuel for aircraft at the heide refinery north of hamburg, fed into the refinery’s total volume and delivered to hamburg airport. this first industrial plant is so far unique in germany. regular operation is planned by atmosfair for the first quarter of 2022.


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Lufthansa Cargo boosts handling performance with new production planning system

lufthansa Cargo has finalized the implementation of its production planning and control

(ppC) transformation project. Based on delMIa Quintiq -part of dassault Systèmes- software and ab Ovo’s industry expertise, the cargo airline implemented a production planning application as one element of the ppC system that enables it to maximize capacity of workstations and improve the flow of freight and cargo through the main hub in Frankfurt. Increasing planning quality and visibility with smart algorithms and KpI based planning, allows lufthansa Cargo to handle more cargo in the same facilities with better on-time performance, making it both a booster for efficiency as well as customer satisfaction.

the new production planning system assists the planners in scheduling the break-down of incoming cargo and the build-up of outgoing freight for onward transport by truck or flight. additionally, it supports the cargo airline to spread the workload better between peak and off-peak hours, which increases average employee productivity and workstation utilization. the performance of the hub is crucial for the global lufthansa Cargo supply chain as approximately 80 per cent of all transit cargo flows through Frankfurt.

“An integrated production planning system has been part of our digitalization roadmap”, says Harald Gloy, the cargo airline’s Chief operations officer and Chief Human resources officer. “The new

application enables us to make smarter and faster decisions to ensure on time performance. It gives us more flexibility in order to be better prepared for a high speed changing environment and thus help us to further improve Lufthansa Cargo’s service to our customers.”

edwin Hageman, Ceo at the Ab ovo Group, emphasizes: “We are proud to be part of Lufthansa Cargo’s digitilization journey and being able to provide and implement a production planning system that spurs efficiency and productivity to drive customer satisfaction, while contributing to Lufthansa Cargo’s strategic goals.”

although the new production planning and control system has been implemented at the cargo airlines Frankfurt hub as a starting point, lufthansa Cargo is constantly looking to further digitize the supply chain processes to further increase the flexibility and optimize capabilities to steer the shipment flow globally. “Global freight demand is expected to continue to further grow”, says Harald Gloy. “We would like to be prepared for that and ensure we have excellent production planning across the entire supply chain that allows us to keep improving our logistic capabilities.”

Photo caption: Ab Ovo und Lufthansa Cargo Managementf.l.t.r.: Walter Isselhard, Senior Director Handling IT & IT Product Portfolio Mgmt Lufthansa Cargo, Harold Lukas, Director Programs and

Engagement Ab Ovo, Dr. Jan Wilhelm Breithaupt, Vice President Global Fulfillment Mgmt Lufthansa Cargo, Tim Heppenheimer, project lead PPS & Head of Fulfillment Framework Lufthansa Cargo, Bonne van der Meer, project lead Ab Ovo, Edwin Hageman, CEO Ab Ovo, Harald Gloy, Chief

Operating Officer, Labour Director Lufthansa Cargo, Dr. Jochen Göttelmann, CIO Lufthansa Cargo, Gerd Jens Schmidt (former Managing Director Germany), Dr. Mohammad Ali Seiraffi, Vice President Hub Frankfurt Lufthansa Cargo


with focus on “Green Mobility”

• Lufthansa Innovation Hub is coordinating the new trainee program, which focuses on sustainability

• Six companies are involved, from start-ups to international players• The goal is to develop solutions for a sustainable industry

daimler truck, dB Schenker, lufthansa Cargo,

lufthansa Innovation hub, OnOMOtIOn and time:matters are all offering as of april 2022 Master’s graduates the opportunity to work on solutions towards more sustainable, future-oriented action within logistics and mobility.

the new program for Master’s graduates called “green Mobility trainee” is the first program of its kind; trainees will have the chance to gain insights into different companies while focusing on a sustainable industry. during the program

period of two years, the participants will work on four projects each at different partner companies - from start-ups to internationally active companies. they will take a deep dive into the latest sustainability trends and learn about the challenges of the mobility and logistics industry. By doing so, trainees will acquire the necessary tools to drive solutions for a sustainable change towards a green economy. through the involvement of a wide variety of parties within the logistics chains, a broad spectrum of topics will be presented - from

improved networking across companies to more efficient transportation routes and alternative fuels, such as Sustainable aviation Fuel.

deutsche lufthansa ag provided the idea for the program, while the lufthansa Innovation hub is responsible for the coordination and content. the program offers many advantages for both the trainees and the participants. In addition to the individual challenges of the companies, the trainees will get to know different ways of working, approaches to solutions and corporate

cultures. Furthermore, they have the great opportunity to participate in the development of a “greener mobility industry”.

this program is the first of its kind to apply the idea of the shared economy to talent management. the companies designed the program together and will jointly be selecting the trainees. In turn, they will benefit from talents who will develop a cross-company understanding of the entire mobility industry with different business models and integrated solutions.

By participating in the program, the partner companies underline their commitment to a future-oriented and more sustainable industry and stand by their responsibility to minimise the impact of their business activities on the environment. each company has very different challenges, but what unites them all is the task of developing solutions for sustainable, future-oriented action. Collaboration, exchange and learning from one another is this basic attitude, which is consistently applied within this talent concept.

From Friday, 15 October to Monday, 15 november, interested Master’s graduates can apply via the homepage www.greenmobilitytrainee.de. the trainee program will begin on 1 april 2022.

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Multi-company trainee program


Air Canada Expands Capacity from Eastern Canada to India; Launches New Non-Stop Service from Montreal to Delhi

air Canada has announced a strategic expansion of its India services, with additional flights

from toronto, and a new year-round, non-stop route between Montreal and delhi. Starting October 31, just in time for diwali celebrations, air Canada will offer three flights per week to the growing Indian community in Montreal. additionally, the airline is increasing frequency to delhi from toronto to ten flights per week beginning Oct. 15. all flights will be operated with air Canada’s most modern aircraft, the 298-seat Boeing 787-9 dreamliner featuring a choice of three cabins of service: air Canada Signature Class, premium economy and economy class.

“the Canada-India market is an important and strategic one for air

Canada. these additional flights and new routes demonstrate air Canada’s anticipation about the promise and growth of the Indian subcontinent– and we also look forward to further strengthening the cultural and business ties between our two countries,” said Mark galardo, Senior Vice president, network planning and revenue Management at air Canada. “today’s announcement also confirms air Canada’s commitment to growing its main hubs of toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, with convenient non-stop service to India from each hub. air Canada is the only carrier offering a direct service to delhi out of Montreal, allowing for easy connections through our extensive network. we continue to focus on the growing visiting

aIr CargO

friends and relatives market and this capacity expansion is a response to increasing demand.”

as the leading carrier between the two countries, air Canada offers daily flights from Vancouver, up to ten flights a week from torontoand three flights a week from Montreal. the airline’s service to Mumbai will resume when conditions permit.

Travelling internationally? Visit our Travel Ready Hub for the

latest government entry requirements. Customers are responsible for ensuring they meet all government entry requirements, including holding the correct travel documents, visas, any required health certificates, and all other eligibility requirements for any flights they purchase. government

Air Canada Expands Capacity from Eastern Canada to India; Launches New Non-Stop Service from Montreal to Delhi• Toronto service is increasing

from daily to 10x weekly• Route from Montreal begins

October 31 with three flights a week

Flight From Departure To Arrival Frequency

aC 50 Montreal 20:10 delhi 20:00+1 tue, thu, Sun.

aC 51 delhi 01:55 Montreal 06:00 tue, thu, Sat

aircanada.com


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requirements may change with little notice.

Specific requirements apply to passengers arriving on direct flights from India. For more details please visit: https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/india

Travel Policy: Book with confidence

air Canada’s new refund policy is applicable to all tickets purchased. It offers customers the option of a full refund to the original form of payment, an air Canada travel Voucher or the equivalent value in aeroplan points with a 65% bonus should the airline cancel

or reschedule a flight by more than three hours.

International Servicesair Canada’s international services

include wide-body aircraft featuring choices of air Canada Signature Class with lie-flat seating, premium economy and economy Class. hours of complementary inflight entertainment is available at every seat throughout the aircraft along with options to purchase onboard wi-fi.

all customers are provided with individual care kits which contain antiseptic wipes, face covering and hand sanitizer. air Canada’s onboard

services have resumed and will gradually feature new meals inspired by a panel of celebrated Canadian chefs on international flights departing Canada.

Customers can also collect and redeem aeroplan points through Canada’s leading loyalty program when travelling with air Canada, and eligible customers have access to priority check-in, Maple leaf lounges, priority boarding and other benefits, where available. lounges are currently open in the domestic gate areas at toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary, and at the international gate areas at toronto, Montreal, and paris, with additional plans to re-open other locations in due course.

Swissport places strategic focus on cargo

Swissport International is further strengthening its air cargo business. as of this week,

Swissport will establish the function of a global Cargo Chair. the new role will be held by dirk goovaerts, head of the Middle east & africa region, in addition to his current position. he will particularly focus on the strategic development of the cargo business.

the new chair will bring together Swissport’s cargo experts from across the network, who will contribute their market knowledge and customer relationships. Sharing best practices, jointly developing strategies, and aligning in the development of new markets are key focus areas.

“Swissport is one of the largest air cargo handling companies in the world. Air cargo is one of the strategic pillars and of fundamental importance to our airline customers and the global supply chain,” says dirk goovaerts. «going forward, we will further develop our

Swissport International is further strengthening its air cargo business and bundling responsibility for strategic development with a new Global Cargo Chair. The new role will

be taken on by Dirk Goovaerts, Head of the Middle East & Africa region, who will focus on growing and developing this part of the business.

product with a special focus on digital acceleration, innovation and seamless integration with stakeholders in the air cargo community. Our goal is to become the air cargo handler of choice, delivering operational excellence for existing and potential customers in 116 warehouses around the world.

dirk goovaerts joined Swissport on 1 September 2021. he has a proven track record in operating large cargo warehouses, customer centricity, operational excellence, innovation, digital acceleration and turnaround management, both driving growth and creating value for the customers. prior to joining Swissport, dirk was CeO asia pacific with dnata. previous roles included the positions as COO of Saudi ground Services Company and Senior Vice president europe with Menzies aviation.


aIr CargO

Following the successful completion of the Iata CeIV Fresh program, Swissport Kenya has

been awarded the prestigious Iata CeIV Fresh certification. Swissport is the first ground services provider in Sub-Saharan africa to attain this certification, and the only organization with this standard at nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International airport (nBO). nairobi is a major hub for perishables in east and Central africa and perishables represent about 80% of cargo handled by Swissport in Kenya.

“In February 2020, Swissport’s operations in nairobi were awarded with the Iata CeIV pharma certification, establishing the first Swissport pharma Center on the african continent. with the

added CeIV Fresh certification, we are now very proud to offer our customer airlines a secure and certified cool-chain process across the board”, says racheal ndegwa, CeO of Swissport in Kenya. “with 27 years of experience handling perishable goods in nairobi, this certification attests to the organization’s robust, efficient and sustainable processes for handling perishable cargo, as well its high-quality training programs.”

this recognition underwrites Swissport’s ambitions to ensure that delicate and short-shelf-life products reach their final destination unspoiled and with minimal waste. the certification scope includes Swissport Kenya’s Cargo handling facility and ground Services processes.

Swissport awarded IATA CEIV Fresh Certification in Kenya

Swissport Kenya has been awarded the IATA CEIV Fresh certification for

perishable cargo, making it the only ground handler with this certification at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta

International Airport. Swissport also is the first ground services provider in Sub-Saharan Africa to attain this standard. CEIV is IATA’s Center of

Excellence for Independent Validators.


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CSMIA welcomes Hong Kong Air Cargo Carrier Limited to Mumbai

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport (CSMIa) expands its cargo services by 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 an overall capacity of 70 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.

Between June to august, CSMIa transported over 1,87,000 tonnes of air freight operated by 18,900 flights,

Volga-Dnepr flies vaccine from Leipzig/Halle Airport to Turkmenistan

aid and temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals,” says Mario Patyk, Head of Business Development Cargo/Logistics.

“we want to further enhance this function and therefore agreed a cooperation arrangement with our partner, the Volga-dnepr group, this year too”.

thanks to the fact that its subsidiary portground has CeIV pharma certification, leipzig/halle airport is able to handle time-critical and temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical shipments round the clock.

the Volga-dnepr group and the airport signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen the humanitarian hub at leipzig halle at the beginning of 2021.

where 25,000 tonnes of freight included pharmaceutical goods, medical equipment amongst others. Mumbai airport handled 25,000 tons of international export cargo in the month of august 2021.

an Ilyushin Il 76td-90Vd cargo plane operated by Volga-dnepr took off from leipzig/halle

airport (leJ) heading for ashgabat in turkmenistan today.

It was carrying 35 tonnes of

vaccines, which are being transported on behalf of a Un organisation.

“as europe’s fourth-largest air freight hub, leipzig/halle airport is playing an increasingly important role in transhipping medical relief


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Caribbean airlines Cargo will be expanding its footprint in China with Megacap S.a.

limited as its general Sales and Service agent (gSSa), an aviation services company in China. the gSSa agreement has been effective from august 30.

through this partnership, Caribbean airlines will facilitate cargo shipments from several cities in China to the Caribbean via Megacap’s six hubs including Beijing City Office, Beijing airport Office, guangzhou, Shanghai, hong Kong and dalian.

Marklan Moseley, Caribbean Airlines general manager Cargo and new Business commenting on the partnership stated, “The appointment of Megacap comes at an opportune time, giving freight forwarders and shippers in China

access to the Caribbean, with real-time, customized logistic solutions.”

Allan Tam, Ceo of Megacap S.A. Limited said, “Megacap is proud to be the gSa of Caribbean airlines. Caribbean airlines provides many niche destinations which can fulfill the current market vacuum in China, and our team is very excited about this cooperation.”

Caribbean airlines operates an all-cargo schedule of 14 weekly Boeing 767 flights. this service facilitates shipments between the carrier’s Miami hub and trinidad, Kingston, Montego Bay, guyana and Barbados. the airline also transports cargo in the belly hold of its Boeing 737 and atr aircraft on select passenger routes between trinidad and new york, toronto, Barbados, St. Vincent, grenada and St lucia.

Caribbean Airlines Cargo

expands in China

with Megacap Aviation Service


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airport operator groupe adp and air France KlM Martinair Cargo have been testing an

autonomous electric airside cargo transport vehicle at paris-Charles de gaulle airport.

the autonomous vehicle from French startup OrOK is equipped with a gpS system, artificial intelligence and numerous sensors enabling it to access loading and unloading areas close to the aircraft.

the goal of this experiment is to optimise, secure and decarbonise ground operations, on airside and service lanes around the aircraft, for the benefit of all players in the airport value chain.

equipped with a state-of-the-art gpS system and numerous sensors

enabling it to access loading and unloading areas close to the aircraft, these autonomous vehicles are supervised by a server with artificial intelligence.

able to convey between 30 and 40 suitcases, luggage containers or pallets loaded with goods, these new vehicles are intended to replace tractors and trailers usually used between cargo warehouses or baggage sorting centres and aircraft parking stands.

this solution is being carried out in surrounding air France Cargo’s “g1Xl” cargo warehouse.

the test consists, initially, in transporting empty aircraft containers between two areas inside the warehouse using a first demokart prototype vehicle. the tests will, then

gradually, evolve with use of a new generation of more efficient vehicles, the airline group said.

the airline group said it hopes the technology will optimise, secure and decarbonise ground operations, and also decrease the number of accidents on the runway, provide faster delivery for goods or luggage and reduce surface requirements for maneuvering.

edward Arkwright, Deputy Ceo of Groupe ADP, commented: “Thanks to this experiment with OROK’s autonomous vehicle, we are testing innovative

tools alongside Air France to improve the performance and safety of air freight activities, for which Paris de Charles de Gaulle is one of the leading airports. “This autonomous technology is promising to help us transform our processes, while contributing to the environmental transition of our ground operations.”

Christophe Boucher, executive vice president of Air France Cargo, said: “Air France continues to work on innovative viable projects enabling the company to improve the efficiency and reliability of its operations, as well as reducing its carbon footprint. “Since summer 2021, the cargo teams have been pleased to welcome the start-up OROK at the G1XL freight station. This start-up is testing the transport of pallets and containers using autonomous vehicles. This joint collaboration with Groupe ADP illustrates our collective ambition to support promising projects for reducing the carbon footprint of our ground activities.”

AF KLM Cargo tests autonomous airside vehicle


Etihad Cargo Expands its African Footprint with the Signing of Pharma Agreement with Astral Aviation and Kenya Airway

etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of abu dhabi’s etihad aviation group, has

expanded its pharma sector reach into africa with the signing of a Service legal agreement (Sla) with astral aviation and Kenya airways to provide reliable and cost-effective airfreight solutions across the continent.

Operating a fleet of 14 freighters out of its nairobi and Johannesburg

hub, astral aviation services a network of 15 african destinations, which etihad Cargo will leverage for increased vaccine distribution across africa. Both carriers are members of the International air Cargo association (tIaCa) and pharma.aero, whose joint project Sunrays initiative offers cross-industry collaboration for pharma shippers managing complex vaccine distribution logistics.

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the Sla, a first pharma Interline agreement, ensures etihad Cargo partners are fully compliant with latest gdp and Iata pharma regulations and standards, and guarantees processes, from booking to handling of such sensitive goods, are standardised and performed to the highest quality.

etihad Cargo defined the steps and responsibilities of the Sla to ease the transfer between the two airlines, boost transparency and make sure pharma specific documentation, labelling and messaging are used and shared under a precise order and form.

“In addition to significantly expanding

SLA Ensures Carrier’s Partners are Fully Compliant with Latest GDP and IATA Pharma Regulations and Standards


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to and within Africa,” said Sanjeev Gadhia, Ceo of Astral Aviation.

“Kenya airways Cargo is excited to join etihad Cargo in the hOpe Consortium initiative through providing logistical solutions in our home continent. with only 2.5 percent of the african continent vaccinated against COVId-19, this will go a long way toward achieving the africa Centre for disease Control and prevention (CdC) to vaccinate 60 per cent of the population by the end of 2022 which will result in. this is a fundamental need and pre-requisite toward aviation recovery in africa,” commented Peter Musola, Head of Cargo Commercial at Kenya Airways.

with etihad Cargo’s agreement with Kenya airways and astral aviation providing a timely boost in abu dhabi’s positioning as a global logistics hub capable of facilitating vaccine distribution in africa, which now covers 27 offline stations and four online stations, the partnership also enhances the capabilities of the hope

Consortium – the Uae capital-based private-public sector supply chain specialist which provides global COVId aid to the world.

“The World Health Organisation has recently reported that only 2.5 percent of African citizens are vaccinated against COVID-19 and that millions more doses are required to meet even modest targets,” explained Drew. “Through Etihad Cargo’s ever-expanding portfolio of partnerships and collaborations, the HOPE Consortium can play a greater role in meeting vaccine demand.”

Since the pandemic, etihad Cargo has carried almost 2,500 tonnes of pharmaceuticals to africa, including 41 dedicated flights on behalf of the Uae government. the carrier currently services 72 network destinations across the Middle east, asia, europe, africa, and the americas. It’s fleet of 65 aircraft operate 430 weekly rotations, in addition to charter flights which service demand across non-network destinations.

Etihad Cargo’s reach across Africa, this inter-airline agreement ensures complete adherence to the specific requirements of pharmaceutical product transportation. Customers can be reassured that Etihad Cargo partners will expertly maintain cool chain integrity,” explained Martin Drew, Senior vice President Sales and Cargo, etihad Aviation Group.

etihad Cargo is committed to shipping and storing pharmaceuticals with passive packaging between the main temperature ranges known as COl (+2 to +8°C), Crt (+15 to +25°C) and ert (+2 to +25 °C).

“We are honoured to partner with Etihad Cargo and participate in the critical distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to and within Africa. The equitable access and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Africa will be enhanced with the help of partnerships and collaborations within the aviation sector, such as the one enacted between Etihad Cargo and Astral, which will offer one-stop solution for the vaccines


dhl express, the global leader in express and logistics services, has expanded its presence in the

Uae market following the opening of its new Service Centre in ras al Khaimah, which was inaugurated by h.h. Sheikh abdullah Bin Mohammed al Qassimi, Chief executive Officer of Master Investment group. this new addition to dhl’s extensive network of facilities in the Uae has been strategically located to support the company’s growing client base in the northern emirates.

Commenting on the opening of the new Service Centre, Mike Barrett, vice President of operations for DHL express UAe explained, “We are proud to be adding yet another Service Centre to our extensive number of locations across the UAE. Our new facility in Ras Al Khaimah stands testament to the company’s ongoing efforts to continue strengthening its local presence to offer our customers the best level of service, efficiency and

logistical support that defines DHL’s operations.”

the new 600sqm facility is ideally located between al-hamra and raK city and will be equipped with a full Inbound and Outbound shipment process flow along with a retail service point to accommodate walk-in customers. the facility is set to accommodate 8 courier routes, with potential for further growth over the next few years, and meets security regulations as set out by the transported asset protection association (tapa), the world’s leading supply chain security body.

“As new Free Zones open up, RAK is becoming a key destination in the Northern Emirates. Our new location

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is designed to cater to the growing market and increase DHL’s overall footprint, helping us achieve our goal in aiding small businesses grow from local to global. Equipped with ample parking, which makes it extremely easy for customers to visit, the new facility is set to allow for later pick up and earlier delivery times for our customers, reducing travel-related carbon emissions and increasing business productivity,” continued Mike.

“We see RAK as a great opportunity and a very exciting and growing part of the UAE and look forward to being closer to our customers as we support the growth of the Emirate,” further stated Mike.

DHL Express Opens New Service Centre in Ras Al Khaimah


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Saudia Cargo wins coveted Airline of the Year-Asia Award at ACN Awards 2021

Saudia Cargo, a global leader in airfreight, clinched the airline of the year-asia award at air Cargo

news awards 2021 in london, a highly coveted industry award-giving body distinctively referred to as its Oscars counterpart.

the multi-awarded cargo carrier’s latest award acknowledges its unique focus on asia and its growing importance in facilitating global trade and supporting society, especially in difficult times. It also actively distributes COVId-19 vaccines under COVaX, the equitable worldwide vaccine alliance working to contain the pandemic. the 37th aCn awards were held on 16 September 2021 in london.

Saudi Cargo safely transported more than 500,000 tons of cargo and operated over 6,000 cargo flights in 2020. with uninterrupted airfreight services between KSa, asia-pacific, and beyond, using innovative pax-freighter solutions, the carrier helped supply Saudi arabia and the world with vital medical cargo like ppe, masks, ventilators, medicines, vaccines, among other necessities.

Strategically located between east and west, Saudi has become an airbridge for Saudia Cargo to seamlessly transport goods between continents safely and quickly in less than 10 hours.

Saudia Cargo flies to China, Singapore, Vietnam, South Korea, Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, pakistan, the philippines, and other major cities in asia. with a flourishing e-commerce industry, the cargo carrier seeks to expand its network, services, and frequencies in the region. lately, Saudi Cargo has become the preferred courier in hong Kong and China for leading online platforms with its highly reliable weekly flights.

the airline increased its flights to

asia early this year, to/from China’s key financial cities of Shanghai and guangzhou, and at the start of Q4 expanded flights to hongkong, and this move is seen to continue in 2022.

On winning the Best Cargo airline of the year-asia 2021, Saudia Cargo Ceo Teddy Zebitz commented,“The pandemic remains a major threat to the world, and we are proud and happy to contribute to the global efforts to address this situation by safely and efficiently transporting medical cargo and other essential goods, including e-commerce, between continents. Winning this award for Saudia Cargo means so much to our teams around the world, on-air and on the ground. Thank you for this recognition which will surely motivate us to do better in empowering people, businesses, and communities.”

China, the world’s second-largest economy, is now Saudi arabia’s largest trading partner for exports and imports. In July 2021, 19.6 percent of Saudi’s exports globally went to China, amounting to 18 billion riyals, the Saudi general authority for Statistics announced.

trade between the countries reached a record high of $78.18 billion in 2019, up by 23% year-on-year, and increased about 150-fold since they

began trading in 1990 valued at less than half a million dollars.

Marking their 30th year of diplomatic ties in 2020, the two countries agreed to further widen their trade relations, specifically on energy, commerce and investments, anchored on China’s Belt and road Initiative (BrI) and the Kingdom’s Saudi Vision 2030 which aims to establish the country as the next global logistics hub. with which, Saudia Cargo is seen to transport more goods between the countries.

“Saudia Cargo is well-positioned and well-prepared to transport cargo of any kind throughout Asia, the Middle East, and beyond, as trade activities between countries pick up to support development projects, e-commerce, and global economic recovery efforts in general. We’re here to connect the world’s cargo,” the Saudia Cargo CeO assured.

Saudia Cargo is gearing up to expand services to its existing markets, particularly in asia, starting this holiday season continuing through 2022. a member of Skyteam Cargo, the world’s largest alliance of cargo airlines, the air freight carrier has access to a network of more than 900 destinations worldwide.


d-alFK is a brand-new aircraft from the Boeing facilities in everett, washington State and touched down for the first time at Frankfurt airport at 06:00 a.m. local time today. with this acquisition, lufthansa Cargo has now exercised all of its purchase options held on widebody freighters with the manufacturer. d-alFJ is an acquisition from the used market. In order to make the freighter’s capacity available to customers as soon as possible, the elaborate livery in the well-known lufthansa design was dispensed with. Until further notice, the aircraft will be flying all in white, with only a tongue-in-cheek fuselage livery.

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europe’s last MD-11 flies with farewell livery

also the last remaining tri-jet of lufthansa group – at the same time the last Md-11 aircraft registered in europe – is now flying in a special design. lufthansa Cargo is expressing its gratitude for more than 23 years of loyal service and is sending its d-alCC out on its final rotations to Cairo, tel aviv, Chicago, and new york with the greetings “Farewell” and “thank you, Md-11” emblazoned on its fuselage. the type’s active time with lufthansa will come to an end with its last landing at Frankfurt airport on the high noon of 15 October 2021.

Lufthansa Cargo puts two more Boeing 777F into service

Frankfurt-based cargo airline to market the capacities of fifteen modern wide-body freighters from

October onwardslufthansa Cargo’s fleet has grown by

two Boeing 777 freighters. the aircraft has just been registered d-alFJ and d-alFK and are based at the airline’s home hub, Frankfurt airport.

“We are very pleased that we can now offer our customers the capacity of a total of fifteen highly efficient wide-body freighters,” said Dorothea von Boxberg, Chief executive officer of Lufthansa Cargo. “We will continue to flexibly manage our freighters to best serve our customers’ needs. Together with the belly capacities of Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings Discover now coming back into the market, they are forming our dense, global network.”

with the two new additions, lufthansa Cargo’s Frankfurt fleet now numbers eleven Boeing 777 freighters, in addition to the capacity of four aircraft of the same type operated by the aerologic joint venture.


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Digital Test Field strengthens Germany as an airfreight location

lufthansa Cargo contributes many years of digitalization expertise to the Federal Ministry of transport

and digital Infrastructure (BMVI) projectlufthansa Cargo is part of the new,

federal research project “Digital Test Field Air Cargo” of the german Federal Ministry of transport (BMVI), which is coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and logistics (IMl). the aim is to increase the efficiency and performance and competitiveness of air cargo in germany by improving the networking of all the players involved and digitizing processes.

air cargo has proven its systemic relevance for supplying the german and european economy and society during the pandemic. however, air cargo in germany is in fierce competition with locations and providers in europe and the world. digitalization or artificial intelligence are therefore important prerequisites

for improving performance and also make valuable contributions to climate and environmental protection. For this reason, the german Federal Ministry of transport published the Innovation Concept logistics 2030 in 2018 and, among other things, held out the prospect of testing a digital test Field air Cargo. lufthansa Cargo has espoused the realization of it in the Innovation Commission of the BMVI and with partners from logistics and research.

“We are pleased that the Federal Ministry of Transport has clearly committed itself to air freight in Germany with the Digital Test Field Air Cargo. We want to contribute to further strengthening Germany as a business location. That is why we are contributing our many years of experience in digitalization along the supply chain to this nationwide project and ultimately also want to set

international standards. Digitalizing air freight further also means making it more sustainable. To this end, we see great potential in optimized data exchange between all partners in the airfreight transport chain, for example, which we want to leverage,” said Harald Gloy, Lufthansa Cargo’s executive Board member for operations and Human resources and a member of the BMvI’s Innovation Commission.

within the project, lufthansa Cargo is focusing on intensified data exchange between all partners in the transport chain, even beyond the roles that have been typical in the transport process to date. this data exchange is the basis for all data-driven optimizations and aI-based applications.

For example, digital accompanying documents from manufacturers to consignees will be made available to all parties by using Iata’s new, open One record standard. this standard was significantly co-designed by lufthansa Cargo. likewise, temperature data, position data, and photos of the entire transport chain are to be made available in order to identify and solve problems earlier. this can increase transparency and make processes and capacities more efficient through better forecasts and higher data quality. eventually, this also leads to a reduction in CO2 emissions.

the association of different players covering the entire air cargo logistics, including pre-carriage and onward carriage, enables the “digital test Field air Cargo” to contribute and take into account perspectives and requirements for further developments from the entire industry. this creates the opportunity to develop digitization solutions across locations and at the same time prepares the ground for implementation in existing process flows.


Kales Airlines Services has been awarded a new contract by Venipak

Kales airline Services has been chosen as the dedicated gSSa for Venipak’s new weekly hong

Kong – latvia Boeing services on B737 freighter flights.

last week’s launch of the riga-hong Kong freighter has proven to be a huge success for e-commerce giant Venipak.

Flights are currently weekly but are expected to double in mid-October. Kales is representing the sales on these flights in europe, except for the Baltics, and hong Kong.

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Justas Sablinskas, Ceo of venipak Group says: „It’s been an amazing start for Venipak’s direct freighter flight, connecting Europe with Far-East. “The demand for such shipping services is growing at a rapid speed, and that is why we are very excited to welcome Kales Airlines Services aboard our latest venture. “The cooperation between e-commerce companies and GSA’s is what drives innovation and progress in the industry, laying down a solid path for the future.”

Sebastiaan Scholte, Ceo of Kales Group, says: “We are thrilled to work with such a reputable company like Venipak. “We are looking forward to a long-lasting partnership. “E-commerce is driving air cargo flows and is estimated to be around 20% of total air cargo volumes. “It is a great additional service for our teams in Europe and Hong Kong”

Lufthansa extends cargo handling contract with WFS in Ireland

lufthansa has extended its cargo handling contract with worldwide Flight Services (wFS) in Ireland.

the airline was one of wFS’ launch customers in Ireland in 2005 and its operations are supported by wFS’ stations in dublin, Cork and Shannon.

the airline currently operates four flights a day connecting dublin and Frankfurt, as well as twice-daily dublin-Munich services.

wFS also provides handling services for lufthansa’s trucking operations ex Ireland to Frankfurt, Manchester and london.

“We are proud to have retained this prestigious handling contract for so long,” said Simon Coomber, General Manager of WFS in Ireland.

“Lufthansa is highly respected for the quality of its cargo operations in Ireland, and we support the airline and its customers through our dedicated team’s clear understanding of its service requirements. “WFS has shown its ability to adapt to Lufthansa’s products and growth goals and we are delighted to see our efforts rewarded. “We look forward to continuing this long and successful partnership”.


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Air Mauritius exits restructuring with slimmed-down fleet

air Mauritius has emerged from restructuring with what it describes as a stable footing

after reducing its fleet and securing a $280 government million loan.

the carrier says the government’s loan will provide long-term stability for the company as international air travel and tourism rebuilds following the Covid-19 crisis. It adds that the loan was “overwhelmingly supported” by air Mauritius’s creditors, without disclosing details of the financing.

Ken Arian, chief executive of the airline’s parent company Airports Holdings, states: “This new financial arrangement provides Air Mauritius with the stability to rebuild and play a central role in the government’s economic development and tourism plans. It is a vote of confidence in our staff and

provides them and our tourism industry with reassurance for the future.”

air Mauritius filed for voluntary administration in april 2020. at a watershed meeting on 28 September, creditors overwhelmingly voted to exit restructuring, and only a small minority of Class C creditors voted for liquidation, says the port louis-based airline.

It says passenger and cargo flights will operate between Mauritius and paris, london, Johannesburg, Mumbai, antananarivo and reunion, with connecting services available globally. additional capacity and international routes will be added to meet demand. air Mauritius expects routes to hong Kong, Kuala lumpur, and perth to be introduced at a later date. domestic services to and from rodrigues will resume in november.

the african carrier’s fleet has been reduced from 15 aircraft to nine, consisting of four airbus a350-900s, two a330-900neos for international services, and three atr 72-500s for domestic and regional operations.

Cirium fleets data shows that air Mauritius operates two aerCap-owned a350s, one owned by tokyo Century, and a fourth for which the airline itself is listed as manager. It has two a330-900s on lease from air lease and has one self-managed atr 72-500 and two on lease from nordic aviation Capital.

the airline notes that Mauritius is reopening its borders to fully vaccinated passengers from 1 October and, as a result, demand for flights is “soaring”. the island nation’s own vaccine rate is also high: 83% of adults are now double-jabbed.


Named Best Airline of The Year

Qatar airways has been announced as the ‘Airline of the Year by the international

air transport rating organization, Skytrax, in addition to securing five additional awards including World’s Best Business Class, World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge, World’s Best Business Class Airline Seat, World’s Best Business Class onboard Catering and Best Airline in the Middle east.

the airline continues to stand alone at the top of the industry and has now won the main prize for an unprecedented sixth time (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019 and now 2021).

Known as the Oscars of the Aviation Industry, the 2021 Skytrax awards covered the period from September 2019 to July 2021 with the results reflecting a mix of more normal travel times combined with travel during the pandemic.

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atar Airways

2021


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the extended period clearly demonstrated the resilience and flexibility of Qatar airways, as it not only delivered continued excellence during normal times, but steadfastly continued flights and offered a lifeline to its customers across the globe during the most challenging of times.

Qatar airways also became the first global airline to receive the Skytrax CovID-19 Safety rating in January 2021 while its home and hub, hamad International airport, was recently voted the World’s Best Airport 2021 in august.

In addition, the airline also received recognition for its luxurious al Mourjan lounge, a calming oasis for travellers, which was voted the World’s Best Business Class Airline Lounge. Meanwhile, the patented Qsuite remains the clear leader in business class luxury having being named as the World’s Best Business Class Airline Seat, with the premium cabin being voted World’s Best Business Class for the fifth year in succession.

the continued evolution of the food offering on board was also recognised as Qatar airways scooped the World’s Best Business Class onboard Catering award, a fitting tribute to the ongoing development and enhancement of the food and beverage product.

Finally, the airline was also announced as Best Airline in the Middle east, further emphasising passengers’ preference for Qatar airways in the region due to its exceptional quality, global network, consistent reliability, and flexibility, with every passenger journey experiencing hamad International airport, the only Skytrax five-star airport in the region.

Qatar airways has placed even greater emphasis on the passenger experience and biosafety during the pandemic to enhance service levels and provide reassurance to travellers. the consistent pursuit of innovation was reflected by the introduction of a new Business Class Suite on the Boeing 787-9 fleet, UV cleaning between flights, and touch-free inflight

entertainment technology while industry-leading flexible rebooking options demonstrated the airline’s commitment to going above and beyond at every opportunity.

The full list of awards won by Qatar Airways at the 2021 World Airline Awards by Skytrax are:

• Airline of the Year• World’s Best Business Class• World’s Best Business Class

Airline Lounge• World’s Best Business Class

Airline Seat• World’s Best Business Class

onboard Catering• Best Airline in the Middle eastthe Skytrax world airline awards are

independent and impartial, introduced in 1999 to provide a customer satisfaction study that was truly global. travellers across the world vote in the largest airline passenger satisfaction survey to decide the award winners.

The World’s Top 10 Airlines of 2021

rank Airline name

1 Qatar airways

2 Singapore airlines

3 ana all nippon airways

4 emirates

5 Japan airlines

6 Cathay pacific airways

7 eVa air

8 Qantas airways

9 hainan airlines

10 air France


atran airlines (atran), the russian air express carrier within Volga-dnepr group (the group),

marks the end of September with the arrival of its 1000th flight to riga, latvia.

the 1000th flight landed at riga International airport on the 29th of September bringing over 20 tons of e-commerce shipments from China aboard Boeing 737-800BCF and being heartily welcomed by the airport team. to celebrate the occasion, the company has taken this opportunity to meet in person with the top management of the airport and discuss potential cooperation and upscaling of cargo operations.

vasiliy Zhukov, Sales Director of ATrAn Airlines, comments: “Since 2019 we have been leveraging stable cargo flows between China and Latvia enhancing cross-border logistics service for merchants, brands and consumers at both ends. Even amid the pandemic, we continued supporting

our customers delivering much-needed cargo to Latvia and beyond, improving our service quality and increasing total cargo carried thanks to fleet enlargement. In September we surpassed the mark of 1,500 tons delivered to/from Riga and we will keep on optimizing the connection between retailers and customers for fast and flexible delivery”.

Artыrs Saveпjevs, Member of the Board of riga Airport: “Cooperation with ATRAN Airlines is very important to us – direct regular e-commerce cargo flights from China to Latvia were launched with these cargo flights, which significantly reduces delivery times. Cooperation with ATRAN is a significant contribution to the volume of cargo handled at the Airport and allows us to offer our customers stable cargo logistics chains even during the global pandemic.”

Mвrcis vilcвns, Chairman of the Board of Latvijas Pasts, points out: “The long-term cooperation strategy

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proactively initiated by Latvijas Pasts has proven to be forward-looking and in line with the latest developments in the global market. The effect of attracting transit items is demonstrated by the constant increase in the number of items, which has a positive impact not only on the cargo flow of Latvijas Pasts and Riga International Airport but also produces a substantial favourable influence on land freight transport. Eventually, the transit item project of Latvijas Pasts has steadily emphasized Riga as an important transfer point for Asian e-commerce cargo, as well as allowed Latvijas Pasts to grow and develop as a significant enterprise in the international logistics system.”

atran airlines offers its customers dedicated solutions for transportations of various types of cargo – general, e-commerce, dangerous goods, live animals, and others. the company operates a fleet of Boeing 737 freighters and links the cities of China with russia and europe.

ATRAN Airlines hits 1,000th

flight milestone from Riga


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Volga-Dnepr teams up

with Albion Aviation Group to get Dubai Expo 2020

going

Volga-dnepr airlines and albion aviation group have worked together to find the most

effective solution for the transportation of dedicated equipment in support of the upcoming dubai expo 2020 which opens on October 1st in Uae.

the cargo, weighing over 20 tonnes and measuring 418 cubic meters in total consisted of fragile furniture which was to be delivered from athens (greece) to dubai (Uae). with no time to waste Volga-dnepr’s team has brought aboard its engineering specialists who offered packaging solutions and optimized the load plan to make sure that delicate cargo is safely transported onboard an-124-100. the cargo uploading was coordinated by the albion Flight manager who flew to athens to monitor the whole process in close cooperation with Volga-dnepr’s team.

Lewis King, Director of Albion Aviation Group, comments: “This charter required a lot of meticulous planning and within an extremely short

space of time, but with the extensive support of the experienced Volga-Dnepr’s team the flight was a success and it’s an honour for Albion to be able to support the Dubai Expo 2020 via one of our clients”.

ekaterina Andreeva, Commercial Director of volga-Dnepr Airlines, highlights: “We understand too well the importance of meeting the deadlines for the exhibitions and shows being the member of major industry events ourselves. That said, we called upon the best specialists from our global team to come up with the packaging solutions and load plan, at the same time following our standard charter flight approval process. In the end, we are happy to see the completion of another successful cargo flight project and we will drop by the Dubai Expo when our team is there for the Dubai Air Show”.

Volga-dnepr group, consisting of three all-cargo airlines, offers its customers effective logistics solutions based on its 30+ years of experience and expertise.


Groupe ADP and Air France KLM Martinair Cargo experiment OROK’s autonomous electric vehicles for freight transportation at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport

winner of the 2020 “play your airport” innovation challenge dedicated to the cargo

activities - organized by groupe adp - OrOK has developed an innovative solution with autonomous electric vehicles for transportation of goods and air freight.

equipped with a state-of-the-art gpS system and numerous sensors enabling it to access loading and unloading areas close to the aircraft, these autonomous vehicles are supervised by a server with artificial intelligence. able to convey between 30 and 40 suitcases, luggage containers or pallets loaded with goods, these new vehicles are intended to replace tractors and trailers usually used between cargo warehouses or baggage sorting centres and aircraft parking stands.

this solution is being carried out in surrounding air France Cargo’s “g1Xl” cargo warehouse. the test consists, initially, in transporting empty aircraft containers between two areas inside the warehouse using a first

“demokart” prototype vehicle. the tests will, then gradually, evolve with using of a new generation of more efficient vehicles.

These autonomous electric vehicles offer several benefits: decrease of accidents on the runway, faster delivery for goods or luggage, reduction of surface requirements for maneuvering and more.

about this initiative, edward Arkwright, Deputy Ceo of Groupe ADP, comment: “Thanks to this experiment with OROK’s autonomous vehicle, we are testing innovative tools alongside Air France to improve the performance and safety of air freight activities, for which Paris- Charles de Gaulle is one of the leading airports. This autonomous technology is promising to help us transform our processes while contributing to the environmental transition of our ground operations.”

Christophe Boucher, executive vice President of Air France Cargo, stated: “Air France continues to work

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on innovative viable projects enabling the company to improve the efficiency and reliability of its operations, as well as reducing its carbon footprint. Since summer 2021, the Cargo teams have been pleased to welcome the start-up OROK at the G1XL freight station. This start-up is testing the transport of pallets and containers using autonomous vehicles. This joint collaboration with Groupe ADP illustrates our collective ambition to support promising projects for reducing the carbon footprint of our ground activities.”

and Pierrick Boyer, President and co-founder of oroK, concluded: “We strongly believe in the complete automation of the tarmac because, thanks to this type of solution, we bring operational peace of mind and better working conditions, while reducing operational costs and expenses related to accidents and the reprocessing of cargo and baggage. Not to mention the optimisation of flows and the ecological aspect since our solution is 100% electric.”

Since August 2021, Groupe ADP and Air France KLM Martinair Cargo have been testing at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport an airside cargo transport solution, with an autonomous electric vehicle from French startup OROK. The goal of this experiment is to optimise, secure and decarbonise ground operations, on airside and service lanes around the aircraft, for the benefit of all players in the airport value chain.


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Volga-Dnepr Completes Complex Project to Move 83-Tonne Boiler

Volga-dnepr airlines (Vda) and Fracht FwO Inc. have orchestrated the delivery of a

boiler from Milano, Italy to lincoln, nebraska, to ramp up the local production capacity of the plant in Sioux City, Iowa. almost two months of thorough planning with active involvement from both european and USa teams of both companies, design and production of a special cradle, tackling of customs issues with an additional stop-over in Bangor and loading procedures in Milano live-streamed on youtube channel of the customer – these are just a few “behind-the-scenes” of the daily all-cargo operations.

Once the cargo request was received, the Volga-dnepr team started working on it bringing its best and most experienced minds into the loop. this resulted in a perfect design of a 9-tonne cradle later produced by the shipper and delivered to Malpensa airport for effective loading procedures. the whole flight lasted two days and consisted of 5 legs with tech stops

in liege, Keflavik, gander and Bangor. the latter being included for smooth international customs procedures.

after landing at nebraska, the special equipment weighing over 93 tonnes was trucked to its final destination in Iowa to be assembled on the plant.

ekaterina Andreeva, commercial director of volga-Dnepr Airlines, said, “This has been one of the most memorable projects for our team in years – challenging loading, complex routing, production of a dedicated cradle, provision of special equipment from the Volga-Dnepr’s equipment store – these are all the pillars of the outsized and super heavy charter operations we are most experienced in. We are happy that more than 2,000 people worldwide could follow the live stream loading in Milano – such initiatives create more visibility for the air cargo industry and encourage young specialists to start thinking about their possible career paths with us. We would like to thank our customer, Fracht FWO Inc., for well-coordinated work and trust. In fact, this

was a second charter flight operated within seven days with them and we are proud to support them with our unique freighter solutions.”

“This is the fifth aircraft in 2021 that The Fracht Group has chartered with VDA this year and as usual, the shipment moved smoothly with a very happy customer. We consider VDA a strategic partner of Fracht and look forward to more charters in 2022 whilst strengthening our partnership,” Chris Schumacher, vP Airfreight, Fracht FWo Inc., said.

For the last eight months of 2021 Volga-dnepr airlines operated more than 350 charters globally delivering over 16,000 tonnes of dedicated cargo and supporting its customers amid the continuing capacity constraints, COVId-19 restrictions, supply chain disruptions in certain countries and airports. together with other carriers within Volga-dnepr group, the company works within the Cargo Supermarket concept guaranteeing the provision of the most effective logistics solutions.


Emerges as the No.1 Airport in the Country for Perishable Shipment in FY 2020-21

Kempegowda International airport, Bengaluru has emerged as the no.1 airport in the Country for

perishable shipments. according to the agricultural and processed Food products export development authority (apeda), Blr airport has processed 48,130 Metric tonnes of perishables in the Financial year 2020-21, accounting for 31% of India’s total perishable shipments.

In the process, Blr airport has emerged as the leading airport for

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exports of poultry products and flowers during the same period. It processed 28,182 Metric tonnes (Mt) of poultry products and 1,296 Mt of flowers.

the perishables, which also included vegetables and fruits, was carried by 24 airlines to 46 international destinations. doha was the top destination, followed by Singapore, london and Muscat.

the round-the-clock support from Indian Customs, plant Quarantine office Bangalore, apeda and Karnataka State agricultural produce processing and export Corporation limited (KappeC), government of Karnataka, has facilitated in creating a robust business environment, helping Blr airport achieve this milestone.

apeda has been instrumental in engaging with the perishable exporters, understanding their needs and in turn engaging with Blr airport to ensure the infrastructure capabilities continue to grow with the growing demand for perishables exports globally. they have also been instrumental in the promotion of export-oriented production, improving packaging

• BLR Airport has accounted for 31% of India’s perishable exports

• Emerged as leading Airport in India for poultry products and flower exports

• 24 airlines carried 48,130 Metric Tonnes of perishables to 46 international destinations

BLR Airport


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standards, training in various aspects of perishable industries and assisting perishable exporters with various financial assistance schemes.

“Perishable cargo has been one of the major growth drivers for BLR Airport. Our cargo infrastructure, powered with technology, provides rapid distribution of perishable cargo, making BLR Airport the preferred cargo airport in South India. Our aim is to create an environment that enables our cargo partners to introduce new initiatives and facilities that cater to constantly evolving demand,” said Mr Satyaki raghunath, Chief Strategy and Development officer, BIAL.

“In line with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision to double the farmers’ income as well as increasing exports, APEDA has initiated several measures to improve agriculture exports from the Country. We are collaborating with airports, exporters and stakeholders to upgrade the cold-chain infrastructure which will further improve in the quality of produce. We are delighted to see that BLR Airport is becoming a preferred cargo airport for agricultural exporters not only from within Karnataka but also from across South India,” said Dr M. Angamuthu, Chairman, APeDA.

during the pandemic, Blr airport facilitated discussions between the trade and statutory bodies from both government of India (gOI) and the government of Karnataka in a common forum to discuss the policies and benefits of schemes like Krishi Udaan from gOI for the perishable sector. this

resulted in the creation of new markets for farmers, which was essential to ensure that the farm produce could reach consumers in far-flung areas in a timely manner.

efficient operations with its conducive geographic

location, aided with robust infrastructure, operated by aI SatS and Menzies aviation Bobba Bangalore, and adequate airline capacities to key markets globally, Blr airport has transformed itself as the preferred choice for perishable shipments in India. as a result, growers/shippers from neighbouring states prefer Blr

airport to transport their produce. time always plays a critical part

in perishable logistics to ensure that products reach their destination while still offering the same freshness, quality and appeal for consumers. BIal has made key tech-driven interventions to ensure there is no temperature excursion, reduce the handling time and speed up clearance of consignments. all farm-fresh commodities reach their destinations within 24 hours of harvest.

Blr airport has a dedicated cold zone- aISatS Coolport - with the capacity to handle 40,000 Mt per annum and temperature zones ranging from -25 to +25 degrees Centigrade under the same roof. additionally, Menzies aviation Bobba Bangalore too has a cold zone, with a capacity of 20,000 Mt per annum, and also the capability to handle 20 Unit load device (Uld) pallets from 15 to 25 degrees Centigrade and 2 Uld for 2 to 8 degrees Centigrade.

Currently, 14 dedicated freighters operate to and from Blr airport, and there is also additional belly capacity in passenger aircraft. On average, Blr airport has 30-33 daily freighter movements.

the current cargo capacity of Blr airport is 715,000 Metric tonnes (Mt) annually, which is the largest cargo processing capacity in South India. this is expandable up to 850,000 Mt. BIal aims to expand its cargo infrastructure to provide a capacity of approx. 1.5 Million Mt by mid-2030s.

world’s leading air cargo publicationFor advertising queries please contact: [email protected]


According to the Agricultural and

Processed Food Products Export Development

Authority (APEDA), BLR Airport has processed 48,130 Metric Tonnes of perishables in the

Financial Year 2020-21, accounting for 31% of India’s total perishable

shipments.


IAG Cargo Announces New Cargo Route Flying Direct from Madrid to Dakar Marking a First for the Companyour customers have been interested in expanding their reach into West Africa and it’s exciting to be making this happen and expanding into a new market.”

this route reflects Iag Cargo’s focus on expanding into new

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markets supporting customer needs. additionally, customers have the opportunity to charter any aircraft in the fleet to almost any destination in the world, this service is alongside our extensive program of scheduled and cargo-only flights.

Iag Cargo has announced a new direct route to dakar, Senegal from Madrid as the company responds

to increasing demand for the transportation of goods to west africa. In total Iag Cargo now services more than 25 flights a week to the region, flying directly to accra in ghana as well as lagos and abuja in nigeria from london-heathrow.

the new route to dakar, Senegal marks the first direct flight to the city for Iag Cargo. Flights along this route are running five times a week utilizing an Iberia airbus 330 and a350 with an approximate capacity of 20 and 30 tonnes per flight. this direct route will facilitate the importation of electronics and pharmaceuticals into dakar. through Iag Cargo’s extensive network the route will also allow perishables such as green beans, mangos, melons, and fish to reach the US and the asia pacific as quickly as possible via Madrid.

Freddie overton, regional commercial manager for europe and Africa at IAG Cargo, said: “This is an exciting new route for IAG Cargo that will benefit many businesses across Europe and West Africa. We know that


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Silk way airlines, a member of the Silk way group and a leading cargo carrier serving a network

of charter destinations worldwide, celebrates its 20th anniversary.

From the beginning, the company contributed to the economic independence and regional leadership of azerbaijan. It was this passion that deeply connected the airline to its purpose.

during these years, Silk way airlines’ route network has covered over 130 countries across the globe, while its aircraft have flown 70 million nautical miles, transporting 600k tons of freight.

Founded in 2001, the company staff currently consists of over 440 professionals with a high level of expertise backed by internationally recognized qualifications. the air cargo airline initially was established on the basis of a passenger aviation flight detachment. Before the company’s foundation, three crews that had successfully undergone simulator training at the Ukrainian Uzin airfield

in 1996 were retrained at the Zhuliany training and technical center near Kiev. Subsequently, they formed the first Silk way airlines flight crew.

Silk way airlines currently operates five Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft. In many cases, the crew carry out delivery of special and critical freight to regions completely cut off from the road network to airfields with poor or virtually non-existent infrastructure, without ground support or equipment for loading and unloading operations. thanks to their cargo compartment equipment, Ilyushin cargo planes are the optimal solution for the transportation of bulky, high-value or dangerous goods, as well as oil and gas equipment, self-propelled equipment and outsize cargo.

the first international Silk way airlines cargo flight was operated by an Il-76 4K-aZ19 aircraft on the Baku-le Bourget-Bagram route in October 2001. this was the first civilian flight to afghanistan since the start of Operation enduring Freedom.

today, Silk way airlines provides cost-effective solutions to a range of cargo transportation needs, with extensive experience in areas not accessible by scheduled flights.

‘Our most important achievements over the last two decades have been the extensive experience we have gained, as well as overcoming a range of challenges along the way. Thanks to this, today, Silk Way Airlines provides its services not only in the Caspian region but also far beyond. There has undoubtedly always been a strong team of professionals behind this twenty-year success story”, said Silk Way Airlines Director Mr rahim Islamov.

Silk Way Group, founded in July 2006, is a dynamically developing group of companies that occupies a leading position in the Azerbaijani economy. The group was reorganized into three companies in 2019 – Silk Way Airlines, Silk Way West Airlines and Silk Way Technics, providing air cargo transportation and aircraft maintenance services.

its 20th anniversary

Airlinescelebrates


Cargolux and Kuehne+Nagel pilot API connectivity for Quotes & Bookings

Cargolux has launched a set of apIs to offer customers a direct interface between their system

and Cargolux’s platform to receive tailored and immediate, bookable quotes. this new and innovative approach is piloted by Cargolux’s Brussels, Milan, Frankfurt, and london offices in collaboration with long-standing customer Kuehne+nagel.

the implementation of this interface allows customers to connect their operating system to receive quotes and book their freight onboard a Cargolux flight based on specific requirements such as weight, routing, and product. In addition to facilitating and accelerating customers’ quoting and booking processes, the interface offers dynamic

pricing alternatives for clients to choose from.

“The implementation of the API is an additional step in our extensive sales digitization project. Customer service is at the heart of Cargolux’s business model. We strive to leverage digital innovation to meet our customers’ requirements. We look forward to building on this achievement and extending our capabilities”, says Domenico Ceci, executive vice-President Sales & Marketing.

Thomas Puglisi, Senior vice President, Global Head of operations Air Logistics at Kuehne+nagel, comments: “API integration is one of the focus areas of the eTouch, Kuehne+Nagel digitalization

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initiative within Air Logistics. Establishing API integration with one of our key carrier partners, Cargolux, is a leap towards seamless connectivity and enhanced reliability as we can now procure space and book directly out of our systems. We are delighted to partner with Cargolux on this transformational project and jointly shape the future of digital interaction in our industry.”

as a leader in air cargo digitalization Cargolux is committed to implementing flexible and lean processes to enhance customer experience and connect with more forwarders. By increasing its “speed to market”capabilities, the airline complements its service offering while offering the quality service customers have come to expect.


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SmartLynx Airlines Q3 2021: Back on track

regardless of the ongoing global pandemic, Smartlynx airlines, eU-based specialists in full-

service aCMI aircraft leasing solutions continues growing. the company increased its fleet and also grew in size.

Growing fleet and customer base2021 so far has been a memorable

year for Smartlynx airlines. the company grew its fleet to an impressive number of 35 aircraft. this includes 5 airbus a330 Zero lOpa aircraft, added to the airbus a320 and a321 fleet to meet the growing market demand for long-haul cargo operations. with these modified aircraft, the airline is able to transport cargo shipments, including vaccines and medical supplies, on long-haul flights.

“Recently we had a chance to prove how great the new aircraft are and have transported a shipment around the world in just 7 days,” said Zygimantas Surintas, Ceo of SmartLynx Airlines. “One of our recent clients had us flying from France to Chicago, with loading in Vietnam. The full route took us around the globe: France-Cambodia-Vietnam-South Korea-Alaska (USA)-Chicago (USA). The necessary stops were made for fuelling and crew’s rest.”

earlier in the year, Smartlynx Malta began supporting the express division of deutsche post dhl group with two airbus a321-200 freighter aircraft aiding them to meet the increasing demand for express cargo transportation worldwide.

Smartlynx airlines began the summer and the third quarter of 2021 with a bang by opening bases in

germany, Saarbrücken and Basel. the company operated on behalf of tUI deutschland, providing them with full-charter flights to tourist destinations around the Mediterranean and Canary Islands.

even though the company is still recovering from the Covid-19 impact and in July-September has operated over 5500 flights. this was in part due to growing airline clientele. “We were delighted to partner with such well-known companies like DHL, Volotea, and Royal Air Maroc and provide them with exceptional passenger and cargo ACMI services. The fact that such esteemed companies choose to work with us proves that our professionalism and expertise are valued and respected,” said SmartLynx Airlines Ceo.

Smartlynx airlines has also partnered with FtI grOUp, the third largest tour operator in europe, for a non-stop connection from Berlin, germany, to the beautiful dubai, United arab emirates. the first flight took off on the 4th of October and opened the possibility for holidaymakers to travel quickly and comfortably on an exciting Berlin-dubai route.

Internal developmentsBesides improving its fleet and

offered services, Smartlynx airlines has also grown in size. Over Q2 and Q3 2021, the company has recruited over 80 people for office teams in

riga, tallinn, Malta. “As we focus on growing our professional team, we work on ensuring that every member at SmartLynx takes good care of themselves and the environment. We have recently made electric vehicles available for business use for our office teams,” shared Zygimantas Surintas.

Smartlynx airlines has recently introduced a new MCC (Maintenance Control Centre) in Malta with eaSa licensed type rated a320/a330 engineers.

the company is also on their way to begin operations with Smartlynx technic. “the initial work to make this new part 145 SlX line Maintenance Organisation a reality has already started,” said Zygimantas Surintas, Ceo of SmartLynx airlines. “SmartLynx Technic will allow for greater control as we will be able to get Line Maintenance services in-house. We believe that this will be especially beneficial to us as we grow further. SmartLynx Technic is planned to start operations in Q4.”

according to SmartLynx Airlines Ceo Zygimantas Surintas, these developments are only beginning. “We are currently in a period of rapid growth. Additions to the fleet, new services and exceptional aviation professionals joining our team – it’s all a part of our development strategy. We have already achieved so much and yet there’s so much more ahead.”


Speaking at Iata’s world Cargo Symposium in dublin, Qatar airways chief officer

cargo guillaume halleux said the airline had suffered three near misses with rogue battery shipments in recent years. he calls on regulators to take steps to counter the threat of lithium batteries shipments.

the common denominator in each of these incidents was the misdeclaration of goods, making it hard for any supply chain players to pick up on the risk.

he added that industry-wide there have been four incidents in the last 15 years that have resulted in hull loss and in some of these instances the loss of life.

there have also been 322 air/airport incidents registered from 2006 to May 2021 involving lithium-ion battery

cargo of which 18 were in 2020.halleux advocated the screening of

cargo for lithium battery shipments to solve the issue of misdeclaration.

however, he said this process needed to be implemented at a regulatory level and not left to individual airlines to introduce the stricter screening process.

halleux explained that carriers acting individually would be at a commercial disadvantage to those that do not because of the cost and time it takes for the additional level of screening.

“I have been voicing this issue for three years and I am concerned that it might take one crash one day and the loss of 300 people for the regulators to finally wake up,”he said.

“God forbid if that happens they will

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turn to us, the aviation industry and they will tell us ‘you knew about this, what did you do?’.”

halleux added that regulators had acted to quickly implement new security requirements in the past – outlining the two months it took to ban passengers from taking a liquid into the cabin following a bomb incident.

“The key against the fight against the risk of lithium is regulation,” he said.

“We need to reach out to the regulators as we need a level playing field.

“It took the regulators in the world less than two months ten years ago when one person tried to blow up a bomb in a flight from Paris to New York.”

the dangers presented by lithium-ion batteries was one of the key topics on the first day of the event.

during the day, Iata also revealed that it had developed the CeIV lithium Battery programme that aims to improve the safe handling and transport of lithium batteries across the supply chain.

CeVa logistics received the first CeIV lithium Battery certification for its operations at hong Kong International airport and at amsterdam Schiphol airport, following an extensive period of piloting.

Qatar Airways CEO calls on regulators to take steps to counter the threat of lithium batteries shipments


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to become a major player in the global air cargo market

avolon, the international aircraft leasing company, announces a significant commitment to the

global air freighter market to capitalise on the growth in e-commerce.

air cargo revenues are forecasted to exceed US$150 billion in 2021 with traffic expected to double over the next 20 years.

to capitalise on this clear opportunity, avolon has signed an agreement with Israel aerospace Industries (IaI), the world’s leading independent freighter conversion company.

avolon will be IaI’s launch customer for their airbus a330-300 freighter conversion programme.

the agreement will see avolon partner with IaI on its StC development and take 30 a330-300 conversion slots with IaI between 2025 and 2028.

IAI A330 Freighter avolon has identified IaI as the global leader in the passenger-to-freighter (p2F) conversion market.

with a range of over 3,600 nautical

miles at the maximum payload of 61 tonnes, the IaI a330-300 freighter is uniquely placed to support the forecasted growth in e-commerce over the next 20 years.

IaI’s a330-300 p2F will increase cargo volume capacity with up to 27 main deck pallet positions, one more than the competition, and will drive enhanced cargo loading performance due to its optimized door position. these product advantages will drive improvements in the most important

operating measures for companies in the air freight market.

Dómhnal Slattery, Avolon Ceo, commented: “We identified IAI as a long-time global leader in the aircraft conversion business and the right partner for Avolon to capitalise on the unparalleled growth in e-commerce. “The global air freight market is worth over US$150 billion annually today and the sector is transforming, with air cargo traffic expected to double over the next 20 years. “This agreement signals Avolon’s intention to be a leading player in that expansion. We

believe the IAI A330-300 P2F will be the wide-body freighter of choice this decade and beyond, replacing retiring aircraft and providing the volume capacity required to meet market needs. “In partnering with IAI we have identified the most efficient operator in the freight conversion market, guaranteeing more cargo pallet capacity and crucially, faster turn around times, in a market where every inch and second count.”

IAI President & Ceo, Boaz Levy, said: “For the second time in recent years, IAI’s Aviation Group is making history. “Just two years ago we announced that we will be the first in the world to perform a passenger-to-freighter conversion on the B777-300ER, and today we are announcing that we will perform the cargo conversions for the Airbus A330-300 aircraft. “IAI has proven time and again its leading position as the powerhouse of cargo conversions, globally. “I am grateful to our partners at Avolon for their faith in our abilities.”

IAI A330 Freighter Avolon has identified IAI as the global leader in the

passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion

market.


Qatar Airways Cargo appoints R-BAG Group as its new GSA in Central Eastern Europe (CEE)

Since 1 October 2021, r-Bag group now represents Qatar airways Cargo in eight Central

eastern european (Cee) countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech republic, hungary, romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Over the past 20 years, the Budapest, hungary-based gSSa has established itself as a highly specialized air cargo expert in Cee, and manages locally registered limited companies in each country.

Qatar airways Cargo operates several full freighters and passenger-to-cargo conversion mini-freighter connections to Budapest (BUd), hungary, and prague (prg), the Czech republic each week, and serves Sofia (SOF), Bulgaria, Zagreb (Zag), Croatia, Bucharest (BUh), romania, and Belgrade (Beg), Serbia, with passenger flights. Bratislava (BtS), Slovakia, and ljubljana (lJU), Slovenia, tie into a strong road feeder service network that

r-Bag group provides across the entire Cee through its subcontractor, airline Support International Kft (aSI).

“Qatar Airways Cargo places a strong emphasis on quality and customer-centricity. R-BAG Group has experienced, dedicated teams in all eight countries, and I look forward to their fresh, positive approach and commitment to pushing Qatar Airways Cargo’s business and footprint to the next level,” rob veltman, vP Cargo europe at Qatar Airways, explained. “During the tender presentations, R-BAG Group demonstrated a strong strategic approach through its well-structured headquarter team, as well as a convincing, clear Qatar Airways Cargo business development focus for the region.”

Qatar airways Cargo’s main markets within Cee are currently the Czech republic and hungary, followed by Bulgaria, Slovakia, and romania. r-Bag group will promote, sell, and grow Qatar airways Cargo’s services, in particular its suite of tailored products such as Qr pharma and temperature-

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controlled solutions, linking Cee businesses to the airline’s vast network and other key markets in the Middle east, Indian Subcontinent, north and South east asia, africa, as well as the americas.

eva van Baaren-Horvath, Group Managing Director of r-BAG Group, stated: “Having the world’s leading airline represented by the best regional GSSA company is a perfect match in the interests of both companies, however, the number one winner is certainly the customer. Thanks to the strong partnership and strategical thinking, R-BAG will make every effort to boost Qatar Airways Cargo’s position in the Central Eastern European markets.”

the world’s leading air cargo carrier has built up a strong Cee market connection, in particular, to hungary over the past 5 years, and, together with r-Bag group, is now perfectly positioned to sustainably expand its Central eastern european presence and best support its customers’ businesses in an ever-growing and increasingly important air cargo market.

GSSA R-BAG Group now represents Qatar Airways Cargo in 8 CEE countries


Kuwait Airways selects ATC aviation as Cargo GSSA

atC aviation Services will represent Kuwait airways as Cargo gSSa in Czech republic,

germany, hungary, poland, Switzerland and Slovenia. the carrier has already a long-lasting successful partnership with atC in austria and the netherlands.

the globally operating gSSa with

54 offices in 33 countries will be responsible for all cargo sales in these countries.

the national carrier of the State of Kuwait operates scheduled flights from Kuwait to the Middle and the Far east, Indian subcontinent as well as europe and north america with a current fleet of 30 aircrafts.

the Kuwait airways network includes 46 countries around the globe.

Mr Fayez Al-enezi, Director of Public relations and Media, Kuwait Airways stated: “Kuwait Airways is pleased to select ATC Aviation Services as our Cargo GSSA from 1st September 2021. “The GSSA agreement with ATC Aviation Services enables us to further enhance and expand our services and activities related to cargo, assist in providing the highest service levels to customers, develop our business in the covered territories, as well as maintain Kuwait Airways’ reputation in terms of quality of services rendered.”

Ingo Zimmer, Ceo ATC Aviation Services: “We are excited to work with Kuwait Airways and together we will find the best solutions to grow the business with our common experience and industry knowledge. “The fact that a single partner covers a bigger number of territories will ease communication and create synergies to fill capacities in both directions. “Furthermore, for Europe, a centralized capacity control optimizes the space utilization and revenue management.”

Quarterly cargo revenues on the rise at Delta Air Lines

delta air lines saw cargo revenue increase in the third quarter of 2021 to $262m, a 39%

improvement compared with the benchmark September quarter of pre-Covid 2019.

the US carrier said that cargo revenue continues to improve on yield strength, adding that the latest result represents the fourth consecutive

quarter of growth compared to 2019 like-periods.

“Cargo strength relative to 2019 is expected to continue in the december quarter of 2021 as constraints in global air cargo capacity during the peak holiday shipping period support continued yield strength,” stated delta in its published results.

For the September quarter 2021, the delta airline group recorded a gaap pre-tax income of $1.5bn, pre-tax margin of 16.7% and earnings per diluted share of $1.89 on total revenue of $9.2bn

“Our September quarter marked an important milestone in our recovery, with our first quarterly profit since the start of the pandemic,” said ed Bastian, Delta’s chief executive officer.

“Our revenues reached two-thirds of 2019 levels thanks to the industry-leading operational performance our people delivered through a busy summer, once again showing why they are the best in the business.”

“While demand continues to improve, the recent rise in fuel prices will pressure our ability to remain profitable for the December quarter.”

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this year two of the most established names in the air cargo charter world are

celebrating 30 years of collaborating on humanitarian missions and, to celebrate, Konstantin vekshin of volga-Dnepr and Justin Lancaster and Dan Morgan-evans of Air Charter Service recently caught up onboard an antonov 124 to reminisce on the companies’ work together.

at the end of 1989, alexey Isaikin was working on the aviation plant in Ulyanovsk overseeing

the manufacturing of antonov 124s and Chris leach was unemployed with a wealth of aircraft charter contacts. Shortly afterward he began working as a broker from his basement in his house in Kingston-upon-thames. as the Soviet Union was collapsing alexey formed his company, Volga-dnepr airlines working with the antonov 124s that he knew so well.

It soon became apparent that alexey and Volga-dnepr had the eastern aircraft and crews, whilst Chris leach and his company aCS had the

western contacts and contracts. these entrepreneurs, along with others in the market, were pioneers in bringing in the antonov 124s to the western charter market, which had unmatched capacity compared to anything on the western market at the time, and changing the face of the cargo charter industry

that was 30 years ago, now both companies have turnovers of more than a billion dollars. the relationship has had its ups and downs as the companies both found their own ways in the industry but has completed more than 500 charters together since they both formed in 1990 – a large number of which have been carrying relief and humanitarian aid.

Over the years the two aviation giants have collaborated on charters in the aftermaths of virtually every natural disaster since the early 1990s. the first recorded relief charter between the two companies was on an antonov 124 from luanda, angola to entebbe, Uganda in the early 1990s. Since then the two companies have worked on a number of charters following natural disasters. these include flying boats to help the relief effort following the asian tsunami in 2004 and flying in a mobile hospital to the Caribbean following hurricane Irma in 2017. also, following the earthquake in port-au-prince in 2010 the airport’s infrastructure was so damaged that only self-loading aircraft could land there with humanitarian aid and aCS and Volga-dnepr worked together again.

the most recent humanitarian projects have been numerous charters between the two companies in transporting personal protective equipment on both Ilyushin 76s and antonov 124s. aCS offices all across the globe used the aircraft to help move their customers’ ppe throughout 2020.

the interview with volga-Dnepr’s Chief Commercial officer, Konstantin vekshin, ACS’s Group Commercial Director, Justin Lancaster, and ACS’s Group Cargo Director, Dan Morgan-evans, can be seen on the youtube channel of cargo newswire.

Air Charter Service andVolga DNEPR celebrate

years of Humanitarian Collaboration

aIr Charter SerVICe


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the air cargo market is picking up again – and with it, demand for unit load devices (Uld). Jettainer,

the global leader in Uld management, has ramped up its services and responded to growing demand for short-term and long-term rentals with lease&fly. along with standard Ulds, customers are also interested in special containers like horse stalls and, increasingly, car racks, too. Jettainer makes these units available for ad-hoc uses lasting a single day to a period of several months. effective immediately, long-term leasing customers will also reap the rewards of the company’s global repair network.

Cargo and passenger airlines lease Ulds to cope with changes on the market that happen at very short notice. airlines that are ramping up their cargo operations or carrying out ad-hoc charters also benefit from Jettainer’s flexible Uld services. as an extension of the previous service Jettlease, Ulds can be delivered and returned not only within the lease&fly network in Frankfurt and abu dhabi, but also optionally at any other location within the network. Customers opting for a long-term rental lasting longer than six months will also now benefit from Jettainer’s wide-reaching repair network of almost 50 stations. the global leader in Uld management will provide complete repair management services to find the best solution for customers – no matter where the damaged container is located.

“Demand for ULD leasing has grown

sharply – for both ad-hoc use and, in particular, for longer-term leasing services for the most varied types of ULDs. This realization prompted us to put our services on a broader footing with lease&fly so that we can provide outstanding service to our current customers and a growing number of new clients,” remarked Thomas Sonntag, Jettainer›s Managing Director.

In addition to standard containers and pallets, the Uld specialist’s portfolio of products includes a wide variety of specialty containers, such as car racks

and a new addition – fully collapsible horse stalls. Up to three equines can fit into Jettainer’s comfortable horseboxes. their unique design has an especially wide ramp, making it easy for animals to enter the box. the boxes also have an adjustable partition at the top that creates visual separation between the animals. If the horsebox has to come back empty, it can be collapsed easily and stacked using its special foldable drop-top mechanism. this allows four boxes to be stacked and transported in the lower deck.

ettainerexperiencing growing demand for leasing services


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peli Biothermal, the global name in temperature-controlled packaging solutions, announces the relocation of its Minnesota-based corporate

headquarters from plymouth to Maple grove, Mn.the new space adds 40 percent more square footage,

positioning the company to meet increasing demand for thermal packaging that maintains the efficacy of blood supplies, tissues, biologics, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and vaccines during transit.

“COVId-19 vaccines and therapeutics created unprecedented demand for temperature controlled packaging,” said David Williams, president of Peli BioThermal.

“Fast-growing markets like cell and gene therapy will continue to increase demand and the need for product innovation.

“Our new building will allow us to achieve the capacity we need to grow and evolve alongside our customers.”

located at 10050 89th avenue north in Maple grove’s red rock Business park, the new facility is over 100,000 square feet.

the space will include additional production lines and will house peli Biothermal’s 80 plus Minnesota-based employees, with room for future growth.

Peli BioThermal Relocates U.S. Headquarters


taking a more deliberate approach to Ulds as a resource has massive potential to make aviation more

sustainable. avoiding just one customary aKe container from going on an intercontinental flight empty can save an average of 65 kilograms of CO2. the savings are as high as roughly 3,000 kilograms for a stack of pallets. as a Uld sharing platform, skypooling sets itself apart by allowing the shared use of Ulds. after all, avoidable deadhead flights are used to correct global imbalances far too often. with its automatic matching function, sky pooling is a practical way to solve under stocks or overstocks. More than 50 airlines at more than 250 stations around the globe already use the platform, helping to make Uld use more sustainable. this approach can currently save roughly 25,000 tons of CO2 annually. By way of comparison,

around 2.5 million trees would be needed to capture a similar amount of CO2. an additional lost and found service also puts unused Ulds back into logistics circulation to better tap available resources.

Jettainer’s Managing Director, Thomas Sonntag, stressed: «The time to make significant CO2 savings is now. As the ULD partner for many airlines, we think it is our responsibility to show ways that we can get there. Our relatively new platform is already making an important contribution in this regard by using resources more responsibly. We want to get handling agents and airports involved much more in the future so that we can achieve even more together and help make aviation more sustainable.»

the platform has already been nominated twice for the tIaCa

Sustainability award in recognition of its sustainable and smart approach. along with skypooling, Jettainer is also working in other areas of the Uld business to improve sustainability and avoid emissions. this work includes developing more lightweight and robust Ulds in close partnership with customers and innovative software solutions deploying artificial intelligence to consistently make Uld management more efficient and environmentally friendly. Jettainer is also the exclusive distribution partner for squaIr-timber, an innovative system from trilatec gmbh that is made from carbon fibers and replaces wooden skids in airfreight pallets.these products weigh around 80 per cent less, making substantial savings on fuel consumption and helping to reduce CO2

emissions from global aviation.

ULD sharing platform skypooling saves 25,000 tons of CO2 each year

Global aviation must become more sustainable. Along with long-term and complex alternative drive and fuel solutions, there is one quick and immediate way to slash emissions: Jettainer’s sharing platform skypooling can currently make annual savings of around 25,000 tons of CO2 by avoiding unnecessary deadhead ULD flights – but has much greater potential. This no-cost platform allows airline controllers to share ULDs around the globe. Skypooling helps avoid deadhead flights, reducing global aviation›s fuel use, costs, and CO2 emissions.

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during the two months of summer holidays, Brussels airport recorded passenger numbers of

more than 50% of 2019’s figures, a trend that continued through September with no fewer than 1.3 million passengers over the month, i.e. 52% of pre-crisis numbers. Cargo continues its strong growth month after month, with a 23% increase in volumes in September compared to September 2020.

Cargo: almost 70,000 tonnes carried

total cargo volumes continued to grow in September (+23% compared to 2020), a trend that is expected to continue in the coming months, thanks to strong demand for air cargo capacity. Brussels airport is a strong player compared to other airports. this growth and the quality of the services provided have been recognised by the sector, which recently presented Brussels airport with the air Cargo news award for ‘Best Cargo hub’. the growth of air cargo (+19%) can be observed in all three segments, with full-freighter volumes going up by 25%, integrator volumes by 6%, and belly cargo by 52%. the latter result can be explained by the increase in the number of passenger flights.

In the full cargo segment, Brussels airport again saw growth with almost all existing customers. new routes

from asia in particular are contributing to this growth. asia remains the most significant region, followed by north america and africa.

the transport of Covid-19 vaccines to and from Brussels airport continues, with over 350 million vaccines handled at the airport to date. Currently, Brussels airport also accommodates many vaccine flights to african countries thanks to the donations of vaccines from european Union Member States via the COVaX platform.

Passenger traffic: 52% of the September 2019 traffic numbers

In September, 1,302,967 passengers travelled via Brussels airport. this represents a decrease of 48% compared to September 2019, but a clear increase compared to September 2020, when only 379,303 passengers passed through the airport. In terms of passenger numbers, September is comparable to the past two holiday months and is, together with august, the second month this year with over 1.3 million passengers.

as was the case in august, Brussels airport welcomed more passengers arriving than departing during September, even though many passengers chose September for their holidays. Consequently, leisure flights, especially intra-european flights, were very successful, as were visits to family

and friends abroad and second-home stays. Finally, the changeable weather in September in Belgium gave a boost to the demand for flights to the sun.

the top 10 most popular travel destinations in September were, in order: Spain, Italy, greece, portugal, turkey, France, germany, Morocco, Switzerland and the USa. greece (96% of 2019 figures) and Morocco (112% of 2019 figures) continue their strong growth. the top ten destinations in September were Barcelona, lisbon, Madrid, rome, Malaga, Milan, alicante, Istanbul, porto and nice.

the proportion of departing transfer passengers was 16%, slightly lower than in 2019, due to the strong recovery in originating traffic.

Flights In September 2021, the total

number of flight movements decreased by 35% compared to the pre-crisis period (2019). Brussels airport recorded 13,954 movements (compared to 21,533 in September 2019). the number of passenger flights decreased by 45%. the average occupancy rate per flight was 125 passengers, compared to 132 in September 2019.

In September 2021, the number of full cargo flights increased by 14% compared to last year. the proportion of cargo-only passenger flights remained stable in September. passenger aircraft are still needed due to the high demand for air freight capacity. these aircraft are also often used to transport vaccines from Brussels airport.

Brussels Airport sees strong cargo growth in September • More than 1.3 million

passengers at Brussels Airport in September

• Freight continues to grow, recording a 23% increase in volumes

CargO aIrpOrtS


CargO aIrpOrtS

New 8,000 m² logistics hub for Hongyuan Group at Brussels Airport

hongyuan group, a logistics service provider based in Beijing, has been operating at Brussels

airport since October 2020, chartering flights with multiple airlines. hongyuan and Brussels airport have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as strategic partners to further develop Brussels airport as hongyuan’s main gateway for general cargo and to develop e-commerce flows between China and europe on the one hand and between europe, the americas and africa on the other hand.

hongyuan has seen rapid growth in its air cargo operations in europe, and with the successful development of the “air Silk road” between China and Belgium, it became necessary to

expand its infrastructure and find a new strategic location, which it found at Brussels airport. hongyuan is the first Chinese logistic player deploying a european logistical footprint at Brussels airport to take their logistical services to a higher level. hongyuan and Brussels airport have concluded a long-term lease agreement for a warehouse that will serve as their european headquarters and will enable them to expand their operations in europe.

“After the successful start-up of their operations at Brussels Airport in the past year, we are pleased to welcome Hongyuan Group in their new warehouse at our airport and to anchor our partnership with this Memorandum

of Understanding. Being part of the Hongyuan network strengthens/from our role as the gateway to Europe for their Chinese and European clients. We are looking forward to a fruitful and long-term collaboration.”, says Arnaud Feist, Ceo of Brussels Airport.

“We chose Brussels Airport as our new European headquarters as it is truly the strategic gateway to Europe. Now we can increase our operations, together with our partners at Brussels Airport. We have the ambition to become a key partner in the world of logistics around Brussels Airport. In the future, we want to gradually open additional international freight routes such as Europe, America and Southeast Asia and increase export business to China.“, said Cling Guo, Director of Hongyuan Group europe.

the 8,000 m² warehouse, owned by Brussels airport, has first-line access and is fully renewed to accommodate general cargo flows offering high-end services for hongyuan’s customers in China and europe. there is an integrated It platform to enable on the spot traceability. hongyuan can now intensify its activities and in 2022 it will also have its own airline. this upscaling of its operations at Brussels airport also creates additional jobs, hongyuan already has 40 employees working at Brussels airport and in the short term, there will be up to 60 additional vacancies (direct and indirect).

In Brucargo, Brussels Airport’s logistics zone, the new logistics warehouse for the Hongyuan Group has been inaugurated. Hongyuan Group is a Chinese cross-border trade integrated service provider and has chosen Brussels Airport as the strategic location for their new European Headquarters. This long-term lease will not only expand the Hongyuan network but also strengthens Brussels Airport’s connectivity to Asia. The collaboration as strategic partners has been sealed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.


Freighter Operators to

the Fore

Top 25Cargo Airlines

Iata says the decline in demand was down to supply chain disruption caused by strict lockdowns, the lack of belly cargo capacity due to the grounded passenger fleet as well as the direct impact of lockdowns on demand.

however, it adds that the easing of lockdowns starting in May, e-commerce growth, and the strength of manufacturing activity helped air cargo to rapidly recover as the year progressed.

topping the list was once again US express giant Fedex which saw its volumes increase by 12.3% year on year to 19.7bn CtK.

the express firm benefitted from increased e-commerce volumes – as shoppers switched to online ordering in light of Covid lockdowns – and a resurgent US economy.

according to the watS report, north american carriers benefitted from a 4.5% year-on-year increase in CtKs – the best performance of any region.

the only other region to see its airlines record a growth in cargo traffic last year was africa, with carriers from the region noting a 1.8% increase in CtKs compared with a year earlier.

“Strong fiscal stimulus in the US boosted demand for goods manufactured in asia, allowing CtKs carried by north american airlines to grow 4.5% year on year,” Iata said.

“this did not benefit the asia pacific to the same extend, partly because traffic within the region was weak. CtKs in africa grew by 1.8%, due to the less stringent lockdowns and control measures there.”

Second-placed UpS also benefitted from the resurgent US economy and the boom in e-commerce demand as its cargo traffic increased by 11.9% to 14.4bn CtK.

the improvement was enough to leapfrog Qatar airways, which would have been affected by fewer passenger flights, into second place.

despite the impact of Covid on its bellyhold network, Qatar still managed to register a 5.5% increase in cargo traffic to 13.7bn CtK as it outperformed many of its combination carrier rivals.

according to Iata’s latest world air transport Statistics report, the top 25 cargo airlines last year saw traffic in scheduled cargo tonne-km (CtK) terms decrease by 3.3% year on year, which is better than the overall industry decline of 9.1%.

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Fedex, UpS, and Qatar were last years the largest air cargo carriers once again, but there were major

winners and losers in the overall top 25 airlines as the Covid pandemic took its toll on the market (see the full table at end of article).


Top 25 Cargo Carriers - Scheduled CTK (m)

rank +/- Airline 2020 Y-o-Y % 2019 Y-o-Y % 2018

1 0 Federal express 19,656 12.3 17,503 0.0 17,499

2 +1 United parcel Service 14,371 11.9 12,842 3.1 12,459

3 -1 Qatar airways 13,740 5.5 13,024 2.6 12,695

4 0 emirates 9,569 -20.6 12,052 -5.2 12,713

5 0 Cathay pacific airways 8,137 -25.6 10,930 -3.1 11,284

6 0 Korean air 8,104 9.3 7,412 -5.5 7,839

7 +1 Cargolux 7,345 2.3 7,180 -1.9 7,322

8 +1 turkish airlines 6,977 -0.7 7,029 19.3 5,890

9 +1 China Southern airlines 6,591 -3.4 6,825 3.5 6,597

10 0 China airlines 6,317 18.4 5,334 -8.1 5,804

11 0 air China 6,121 -9.5 6,767 -4.0 7,051

12 +4 atlas air (4) 5,458 20.7 4,522 -0.7 4,553

13 +10 Kalitta air (4) (3) 5,211 45.0 3,593 n/a n/a

14 +10 aerologic (2) 4,870 36.0 3,581 n/a n/a

15 -8 lufthansa (1) 4,828 -33.2 7,226 -2.3 7,394

16 -2 airBridgeCargo airlines 4,609 -10.8 5,168 -6.2 5,511

17 -5 Singapore airlines 4,156 -32.4 6,146 -5.3 6,491

18 -3 United airlines 3,950 -18.6 4,852 8.9 4,455

19 new eVa air 3,888 n/a n/a n/a 3,580

20 +5 asiana airlines 3,601 0.9 3,567 -12.3 4,067

21 -2 polar air Cargo (4) 3,478 -8.7 3,809 -5.7 4,038

22 new ethiopian airlines 3,394 n/a n/a n/a n/a

23 -6 all nippon airways (1) 3,172 -27.7 4,389 -4.3 4,587

24 -2 KlM (1) 3,025 -16.2 3,609 0.1 3,604

25 new Silk way west airlines 2,876 n/a n/a n/a n/a

Annual Top 25 total 163,444 -3.3 168,971 -1.0 170,670

Source: Iata 2021 world air transport Statisticsnotes: (1) Includes figures from certain partner airlines (2) Iata estimate (3) US dOt (4) all ops considered scheduled traffic

One point to note on the Iata statistics is that they only include scheduled services and not charter operations.

while there are always a large number of charter flights, the Covid pandemic has resulted in a large increase in charter flying, which could have affected rankings if an airline targeted charter at the expense of scheduled more than in the past.

another notable trend was the success of airlines with large freighter

fleets compared with bellyhold operators and combination carriers.

the highest climbers, for example, were Kalitta air and aerologic, which both jumped 10 places on the back of a 45% and 36% increase in demand respectively.

Other airlines to report double-digit percentage increases in demand were China airlines with an 18.4% increase and atlas air which registered a 20.7% jump in demand.

In contrast to airlines with large freighter fleets, British airways, air France, and american airlines all dropped off the list.

the carrier that dropped the most places in the top 25 was lufthansa as it registered a 33.2% year-on-year decrease in demand and slipped eight places to 15.

In the process, it lost its position as the highest-ranking german airline on the list to leipzig-based aerologic.


in August Versus Pre-COVID Levels; Capacity Lagging Demand

the International air transport association (Iata) released august 2021 data for global air

cargo markets showing that demand continued its strong growth trend but pressure on capacity is rising.

As comparisons between 2021

and 2020 monthly results are distorted by the extraordinary impact of CovID-19, unless otherwise noted, all comparisons below are to August 2019 which followed a normal demand pattern.

• global demand, measured in cargo

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tonne-kilometers (CtKs*), was up 7.7% compared to august 2019 (8.6% for international operations). Overall growth remains strong compared to the long-term average growth trend of around 4.7%.

• the pace of growth slowed slightly


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compared to July, which saw demand increase 8.8% (against pre-COVId-19 levels).

• Cargo capacity recovery paused in august, down 12.2% compared to august 2019 (13.2% for international operations). In month-on-month terms, capacity fell by 1.6% – the largest drop since January 2021.

• economic conditions continue to support air cargo growth but are slightly weaker than in the previous months indicating that global manufacturing growth has peaked:

• the august manufacturing output component of the purchasing Managers Indices (pMIs) was 51.9, indicating a short-term boost to demand if those orders are shipped by air. this was a decline from 54.4 in July.

• the august new export orders component of the pMIs was favorable for air cargo, despite being less supportive than in the previous months. expansion continued at the global level, however, there was a contraction in emerging economies.

• the inventory-to-sales ratio remains low ahead of the peak year-end retail season. this is positive for air cargo, however, further capacity constraints put this at risk.

“Air cargo demand had another strong month in August, up 7.7% compared to pre-COVID levels. Many of the economic indicators point

to a strong year-end peak season. With international travel still severely depressed, there are fewer passenger planes offering belly capacity for cargo. And supply chain bottlenecks could intensify as businesses continue to ramp up production,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director-General.

August regional Performance Asia-Pacific airlines saw their

international air cargo volumes increase 3.0% in august 2021 compared to the same month in 2019.this was a slowdown in demand compared to the previous month’s 4.4% expansion. demand is being affected by an easing in growth momentum in key activity indicators in asia, and by congested supply chains especially on within asia and europe-asia routes. International capacity is significantly constrained in the region, down 21.7% vs. august 2019.

north American carriers posted an 18% increase in international cargo volumes in august 2021 compared to august 2019. new export orders and demand for faster shipping times are underpinning north american performance. the downside risk from capacity constraints is high; international cargo capacity remains restricted and many of the key air cargo hubs are reporting severe congestion, including los angeles and Chicago. International capacity decreased 6.6%.

european carriers saw a 6% increase in international cargo volumes in august 2021 compared to the same month in 2019. this was on a par with July’s performance. Manufacturing activity, orders, and long supplier delivery times remain favorable to air cargo demand. International capacity decreased 13.6%.

Middle eastern carriers experienced a 15.4% rise in international cargo volumes in august 2021 versus august 2019, an improvement compared to the previous month (13.4%). the large Middle east–asia trade lanes continue to post strong performance. International capacity decreased 5.1%.

Latin American carriers reported a decline of 14% in international cargo volumes in august compared to the 2019 period, which was the weakest performance of all regions. Capacity remains significantly constrained in the region, with international capacity decreasing 27.1% in august, the largest fall of any region.

African airlines saw international cargo volumes increase by 33.9% in august, the largest increase of all regions. Investment flows along the africa-asia route continue to drive the regional outcomes with volumes on the route up 26.4% over two years ago. International capacity decreased by 2.1%.

AUGUST 2021% vS AUGUST 2019 WorLDSHAre1 CTK ACTK CLF(%-PT)2 CLF(LeveL)3

Total Market 100% 7.7% -12.2% 10.0% 54.2%

africa 2.0% 32.4% -3.8% 11.8% 43.0%

asia pacific 32.6% -2.1% -28.1% 18.5% 69.8%

europe 22.3% 6.3% -12.1% 9.9% 57.5%

latin america 2.4% -13.2% -20.0% 3.2% 40.4%

Middle east 13.0% 15.5% -5.2% 9.4% 52.9%

north america 27.8% 19.3% 0.7% 6.8% 43.7%

(1) % of industry CtKs in 2020 (2) Change in load factor vs same month in 2019 (3) load factor level


Air Cargo Load factors Soar in September as peak season demand steps up a gear

air cargo load factors and airfreight rates continued their expected peak season climb

in September, according to the latest global market data from industry analysts, ClIVe data Services.

ClIVe’s ‘dynamic loadfactor’ – which measures both the volume and weight perspectives of cargo flown and capacity available to produce a true indicator of airline performance – rose to 68% in the last week of the month, higher than any pre-covid peak season level since ClIVe began sharing data in May 2018.

as in previous months, ClIVe’s latest market intelligence reports air cargo market performance to pre-covid 2019 levels, as well as 2020 year-over-year comparisons, to provide meaningful analyses of the current conditions. data for September 2021 shows chargeable weight of +1% vs

2019, on a par with recent months, slowly tapering the gap to September 2020 volumes to +14% following the +23% and +19% levels reported in July and august 2021.

Capacity remained constrained at -13% versus the pre-covid level seen in September 2019, while in august it was still -16% versus 2019, although this more reflects the reduction in capacity in 2019 because of the ending of the summer season than an increase in capacity in 2021. Compared to august 2021, global air cargo capacity was more-or-less flat on a like-for-like basis month-over-month.

the dynamic load factor for September overall remained at 66% - but saw a strong upward trend towards the end of the month. this growing demand was reflected in continued higher pricing levels, with the average rate in September 2021 following a

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similar trend to the previous month at more than double the average rates (+113% pts) in 2019. Versus 2020, following the + 15% pts rise in rates in august, September saw a +26% pts increase as demand vs. supply further improved the ‘sellers’ market’, highlighting the strain on the air cargo supply chain.

“This September data shows just the early stages of the typical Q4 surge, but many signals and commentaries seem to suggest that this will not be a ‘typical’ peak season. The recent week-over-week increase in load factor is a significant jump by any standards and shows the pressure on the air cargo supply chain is clearly

further heating up. If airlines are micromanaging their capacity right now, they can benefit from it quite substantially,” said niall van de Wouw, CLIve’s Managing Director.

he added: “Currently, air cargo capacity is still largely controlled by cargo departments of airlines, and I see no reason why this will change in the immediate term. We might, however, not be too far away from this starting to change as certain lanes traditionally dominated by passenger flights begin to open up again for passenger travel, like the transatlantic. This is obviously extremely important to the long-term health and survival of passenger airlines, but it will also be a bittersweet moment after the heroics of the cargo industry. The role of air cargo within the airline boardroom will likely start to recede and impact the demand vs. supply ratio once again.”


dnata enhances cargo services with innovative drone technology

dnata continues to invest in cutting-edge technologies to maximise efficiency and deliver

the highest value for its customers. the company has partnered with gather aI, a US-based technology start-up, and launched autonomous drones in its warehouses at dallas Fort worth International airport (dFw) in the USa, to digitise acceptance and warehouse inventory processes by monitoring shipments with 99.8% accuracy.

gather aI’s innovative software enables the drones to map the environment, collect inventory data, count cases, measure temperature, and read barcodes using only their cameras, without the need for any additional active infrastructure. the drones are paired to a tablet device providing live inventory data. the collected data can be viewed directly on the tablet or the

web, via a user-friendly application.the drones can operate at

temperatures as low as -10 Celsius degrees, enabling dnata to take advantage of the technology in its state-of-the-art cool chain facilities, too. dnata plans to gradually roll out the drones across its global cargo network in the next few years.

Guillaume Crozier, dnata’s Divisional vice President for operations and Product Development, said: “We are excited to introduce leading-edge drone technology in our operations to take cargo handling to the next level. “Our partner’s autonomous drones and inventory management platform provides greater transparency across our entire operations. This new technology, combined with our strong cargo product expertise, enables us to significantly

enhance efficiency and mitigate the risk of revenue leakage throughout the customer journey. “We continue to adopt the latest technologies to deliver world-class value for our partners at every stage of the cargo handling process.”

Sankalp Arora, Gather AI’s Co-Founder and Chief robotics engineer, said: “Our drones gather label reads, inventory counts, temperature and volumetric data using AI, providing traceability across operations while providing exceptions against the facility inventory software. This transparency coupled with near-real-time visibility brings the power of analytics to physical spaces, minimizing revenue leakage while helping develop trust across operations.

“However, it is dnata’s dedication to bringing this transparency to their customers, combined with their insights in the air cargo industry that has been critical in applying our technology to the air cargo sector with a compelling ROI.”

Over the past year, dnata has significantly invested in new technology and digitalisation. the company’s investments include hi-tech cool dollies in australia and Singapore, UV cabin cleaning service in Switzerland, a baggage disinfection station in Singapore, a just-in-time freight handling platform in Uae, thermal screening in the USa, as well as the network-wide rollout of a turnaround tool and Iata’s innovative dangerous goods autoCheck (dg autocheck) solution.

a trusted partner of over 300 airline customers, dnata provides quality and safe ground handling, cargo, catering and travel services in 35 countries. In the financial year 2020-21 dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled 290,000 aircraft, moved 2.7 million tons of cargo, and uplifted some 17 million meals.

teChnOlOgy


signs long-term technology partnership for CHAMP’s Cargospot Saas and Mobile technologies to support digital roadmap

170 major airports in 20 countries on five continents. the implementation of ChaMp’s SaaS environment, and adoption of its Cargospot Mobile application using modern iOS or android smartphone or tablet devices, will deliver transformational benefits in terms of eliminating manual processes and paperwork and give wFS cargo handling teams and customers faster access to real-time data.

wFS will seamlessly switch over its eMeaa cargo management system to ChaMp’s Cargospot SaaS in October before commencing a phased introduction of Cargospot Mobile as its teams complete the highly intuitive training provided via ChaMp’s online learning platform, ChaMp academy. the mobile application will initially go live at wFS cargo stations in the netherlands, denmark, Ireland, France, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, and Italy, and be followed by its operations in South africa, thailand, and the UK in the second phase.

“Standardising the platforms we use and utilizing the most technologically

wFS group, eliminate paperwork and improve customers’ real-time visibility of cargo handling milestones in support of service excellence.

ChaMp is already a longstanding and established partner of wFS, the world’s largest cargo handling organization with 22,300 employees serving more than 270 airlines at

worldwide Flight Services (wFS) has signed a long-term agreement to move

its core cargo management system in europe, Middle east, africa, and asia (eMeaa) region to ChaMp’s Cargospot Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution as part of its digital roadmap to standardize systems across the

WFS

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advanced tools will allow us to work more efficiently as a global organization. this will enhance our customer experience and, ultimately, improve our group performance. ChaMp is a cornerstone technology supplier to wFS and is already at the center of our ecosystem of applications and capabilities. It is also working with many of our global airline customers, so we are investing in this 10-year relationship with confidence,” said Pedro Garcia, Group Chief Information officer at WFS.

“CHAMP has a solid infrastructure within their control, which ensures the reliability and resilience of their solutions and, ultimately, better performance. This is very important to an ambitious business like WFS as we need systems and suppliers with the ability to scale as we grow.”

“We are honoured to be a long-term strategic partner of WFS. Our collaboration will not only bring value to our two organizations but also the wider air cargo community,” said Chris McDermott, Chief Executive Officer at CHAMP Cargosystems. “WFS customers will benefit from the joint efforts that will enable us to push next-generation applications and technologies at an ever-faster pace.”

Using Cargospot Mobile, wFS and its warehouse teams will benefit from:

• Simplified data capture through touch, swipe, and drag-and-drop actions

• larger screens on tablets to help remove the paper from the operation

• reliable connectivity thanks to seamless switching between wifi and 3g/4g/5g connectivity

• automated validation of user actions to provide immediate feedback and prevent errors

• electronic checklists to enable warehouse staff and managers to conform to industry and local requirements.

the new technology will also give wFS and its airline customers easy-to-

access visibility of what’s happening throughout the cargo handling process, with up-to-date status information on export and import freight shipments, measured against key milestones agreed in respective customer Service level agreements (Slas).

John Batten, WFS’ executive vice President, eMeAA, added: “I am sure our customers will welcome this latest investment in our digital roadmap and recognize the improvements it is going to bring. Service Level Agreements are so important to WFS and our customers, so adopting new technologies, which make it quicker and easier to monitor real-time information of cargo handling milestones, makes perfect sense to everyone. Using CHAMP’s Cargospot SaaS and Mobile solutions will remove paper-based handling processes and help us play a bigger role at an industry level in accelerating the adoption of e-AWBs. It is also essential to support the many other digital advancements we are making. These include the roll-out of kiosk technologies at major WFS stations to improve our truck handling times, which rely on the speed and accuracy of data, truck slot bookings, Track and Trace and a new Service Delivery suite.”


accelerates its global

growth with Bansard

International

SeKO logistics has completed its largest acquisition to date with its investment in paris-

headquartered transportation and logistics group Bansard International, merging the complementary geographic footprints and service offerings of the two companies.

the combination will produce significant benefits and growth opportunities for the clients and employees of both companies, as SeKO logistics embarks on the latest stage of its global expansion strategy with the support of its equity investor, ridgemont equity partners. this is SeKO’s largest strategic investment

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since selecting ridgemont as its new investment partner in december 2020 and represents a clear statement of intent’ of the company’s growth ambition, said James Gagne, SeKo’s President & Ceo.

Bansard International is one of the leading transportation and logistics operators in France and, since its formation in 1963, has created a thriving international business spanning 54 offices in 17 countries. with about 600 employees, Bansard International achieved sales of more than €210 million in 2020, serving a diverse customer base in the retail/fashion, electronics, industrial, aerospace, and pharmaceutical industries, among others.

Simon Pinto, President of Bansard, will continue to lead Bansard, a formerly family-held company. he remains personally invested in the combined business and will continue

SEKO Logistics


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to build the company’s product and service portfolio for Bansard’s more than 5,000 longstanding clients.

Bansard provides complete door-to-door logistics management services, covering consultancy, freight forwarding, warehousing, de/consolidation, transportation management, quality control, and customs clearance services.

SeKO and Bansard’s complementary service offerings will produce immediate benefits for each company’s clients. SeKO will offer Bansard’s clients the opportunity to grow their sales in the U.S. and UK markets through access to its national network of stations, as well as SeKO’s fast-growing, cross-border e-commerce and omnichannel fulfillment solutions. SeKO will benefit from Bansard’s highly-respected business operations in France, international branches, strong asia-europe inbound air and ocean freight volumes, and innovative sustainability programs for carbon calculations and offsets.

“SEKO Logistics is primed for the next stage of our global growth but, in terms of acquisitions, we select our preferred partners with great care and due diligence. Bansard International is a perfect fit with our own business model as a mid-sized, independent, growth and technology-driven, client-obsessed organization. We are excited to work with Simon and his fantastic team to drive benefits for the clients of both companies,”James Gagne said.

he added: “There are so many

positive aspects of our new collaboration. France is such an important logistics market, even more so since Brexit. Working with Bansard, we are making a long-term commitment to clients in France and those across the globe trading with France. In Europe, this new investment adds to SEKO’s strong presence in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Denmark and puts us on a rapid upward trajectory. We are continuing to explore further investments to strengthen our global network and service portfolio.”

announcing ridgemont equity partners, a Charlotte-based middle market buyout and growth equity investor, as its newest investment partner at the end of 2020, SeKO said the move launched the next phase of

its expansion, with plans for additional acquisitions, technology platform investments, and growth in key geographies.

“this merger is a unique strategic opportunity that allows Bansard International to become a global player by covering new geographies, including the United States, and by offering our customers innovative international transport solutions, especially for e-commerce. It is good news for our customers, for our employees, and for our suppliers, thanks to the growth prospects through diversification of services, better international coverage, and higher potential for technological development,” said Simon Pinto, President of the Bansard International Group.

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the trusted global It solutions provider has been recognised for its global contribution to digital

trade facilitationKale logistics Solutions (Kale) has

been awarded the coveted digital Solutions provider of the year award at the logistics & transport awards 2021, which took place in Sofitel dubai the Obelisk, dubai, Uae.

the logistics & transport awards 2021 recognise the past achievements and future strategies of logistics and supply chain companies. the awards cater to individuals and companies from a variety of sectors, from transportation, cargo, and warehouses, to e-commerce, supply chain, and technology.

Kale has been chosen as the digital

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Solutions provider of the year for its significant contribution to digital trade facilitation and paperless trade worldwide with its next-gen cargo community systems.

airport Cargo Community

System, port Community System, regulatory Single window, logistics e-marketplace, and digital trade Corridors are some of the ground-breaking offerings from Kale.

the award recognizes Kale’s role in driving digital transformation in the logistics industry to make it more agile and future-ready.

Kale has the pedigree for creating the world’s most innovative and best products. It has developed most industry-first solutions like north america’s first airport cargo community system, the first digital corridor powered by blockchain between India and the netherlands. In the Uae, Kale has partnered with dnata (part of the emirates group) to create the next-generation e-commerce community platform in dubai.

“We feel humbled to have been recognized as Digital Solutions Provider of the Year,” said vineet Malhotra, Director, Kale Logistics Solutions.

“Since inception, Kale has been at the forefront of digitalisation in the logistics industry.

“As the preferred growth and transformation partner to leading global enterprises and Government bodies, Kale helps them offer more trade visibility, reduced cargo dwell time, personalised customer interactions, enhanced employee experience, improved regulatory compliance, and accelerated innovation.”

Kale Logistics wins Digital Solutions Provider of the Year 2021


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DP World to invest £300M in New Fourth Berth at London Gateway Logistics hub to strengthen UKs Supply Chain

the £300m sum - which builds on the £2bn investment dp world has made in Britain over the last

decade – represents the next step by the leading global provider of smart logistics in delivering integrated supply chain solutions for customers.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and Ceo of DP World, said: “I am delighted to announce that we will go ahead with our latest major investment in the UK, which will give London Gateway more capacity to handle the world’s largest vessels than any other port in the country.” “As a central pillar of Thames Freeport, London Gateway’s new fourth berth will allow even more customers to benefit from world-class ports and logistics, with unrivalled global connectivity, on the doorstep of Europe’s largest

consumer market. DP World plans to be at the heart of Britain’s trading future and this investment shows that we have the ambition and the resources to boost growth, support businesses, create jobs, and improve living standards.”

rt Hon rishi Sunak MP, Chancellor of the exchequer, will be guest of honour at today’s commercial launch of thames Freeport at the Savoy hotel in london. he added: “Our new freeports will create national hubs of trade, innovation, and commerce, and attract more investment to regenerate communities and level up the UK.”“Bringing ports and business together to invest in their regions is crucial to the Freeports success story – that’s why I’m thrilled that DP World is investing £300 million to support Thames Freeport – creating new

opportunities, boosting growth and supporting local jobs.”

In the first six months of 2021 london gateway saw a record throughput

of 888,000 teU, a more than 23 percent increase on the previous best performance for the first half of a year. the new fourth berth will raise capacity by a third and completion will coincide with the delivery of a new wave of 24,000 teU vessels in 2023/2024, which will all be operated between asia and europe.

along with the port of tilbury and Ford’s dagenham plant, dp world london gateway will form thames Freeport after being awarded freeport status by the government earlier this year, with the partners currently progressing the business case with a view to receiving formal accreditation. dp world Southampton has also been awarded freeport status as part of Solent Freeport, further cementing the critical role of both logistics hubs in the UK’s international trade.

DP World today announces that it will begin work next month on a new fourth berth at its London Gateway logistics hub to increase supply chain resilience and create more capacity for the world’s largest vessels.


ACL Airshop, a global leader in air cargo Unit load device (Uld) logistics solutions to

over 200 airlines, air cargo carriers, and other transportation clients, is announcing strategic initiatives and sustainability themes at the World

Cargo Symposium (“wCS”) in dublin Ireland. running October 12th through 14th, IATA (the International air transport association) hosts this large annual aviation event in major cities. For over 70 years, Iata has developed global commercial standards upon which

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the air transport industry is built. as a specialized company in the air cargo value chain, aCl airshop is also a member of IATA’s Strategic Partners program.

aCl airshop’s ongoing strategic initiatives are centered on their customers’ stated needs. From multiple “voice of the customer” surveys the company has learned:

• Customers highly value the worldwide availability of our large and growing fleet of Ulds. Flexible lease terms can be as short as 7 days, or meaningful savings are available with long term leases and full-fleet Uld Management programs.

• Customers appreciate our large worldwide network of service points at major hub airports. this allows one-way leases and drop-off at destinations when desired. Customers can pick up and return worldwide. aCl airshop locations on six continents carry all types of Ulds and cargo restraints such as nets, straps, fittings and corner ropes.

• Customers recognize the value of speed and efficiency. aCl airshop is well-known for its speed of responsiveness to clients on a 24/7/365 basis. “Custom Uld Solutions” speaks to the array of flexible programs that aCl airshop offers, not rigid programs such as Uld fleet pooling.

• Customers know that the digitalization wave is changing things quickly. the nature of logistics management in air cargo is now enhanced with innovative technologies, which is why aCl airshop created “FindMyULD” and other effective new tools. “ULD Control,” Bluetooth tracking, and proprietary repair Station software are examples of continuous investments so customers can manage their Uld fleet around the world from the palm of their hand.

• Customers see aCl airshop as a one-stop-shop. we operate in five highly complementary business segments: Cargo Control products Manufacturing, Uld leasing, Uld Sales, Uld repairs, and Uld logistics Management.

Leading worldwide Air Cargo ULD equipment and logistics services provider announces strategic initiatives at IATA’s World

Cargo Symposium in Dublin Ireland

ACL Airshop: Focused on Growth for

its Air Cargo Customers


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Sustainability has become an important strategic imperative in the air transport industry. aCl airshop is committed to doing its part for a greener, better world. For example, the company provides lightweight aluminium pallets for lease, which are engineered to be thin but strong, reducing overall weight and thus saving fuel burn and costs in the long term. In its own internal investments, the company recently built an ultra-modern new production facility in South Carolina, using numerous lean techniques to enhance productivity, increase materials velocity, and reduce utility waste. the company is playing a prominent role in the dublin symposium

as the leader and sponsor of a full day covering Sustainability, with expert presentations by morethan a dozen industry thought-leaders from around the world.

aCl airshop owns, maintains and leases more than 50,000 Unit Load Devices (ULDs), including air freight pallets and containers, issued from 55 airport hub locations across north America, europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle east and Latin America. aCl airshop’s strong growth in recent years builds on the company’s 38-year heritage as an air cargo equipment and logistics specialist. Its worldwide services network

has expanded from 23 airport hub locations in 2016 to 55 at the latest count. today, the company maintains the largest independent inventory of lease-ready Uld assets in the industry for short-term solutions and also has an array of longer-term Uld Management contracts. the company is deploying innovative logistics technologies such as “FindMyUld” which yield better fleet efficiencies and operational cost savings for customers. aCl airshop was first-in-market among its competitive class to offer Bluetooth tracking & tracing of air cargo pallets and containers. www.ACLairshop.com.

Gebrüder Weiss expands in Straubing

acquisition of wolf Internationale Spedition and air System luftfracht Spedition in

Straubing / Full-service logistics for regional customers / relocation to gebrüder weiss site at Sachsenring on October 1, 2021

Straubing / lauterach, September 29, 2021. the transport and logistics provider gebrüder weiss is taking over the operations of wolf Internationale Spedition gmbh and air System luftfracht Spedition gmbh in the lower Bavarian town of Straubing. the companies’ 20 employees possess considerable expertise in international forwarding – in both the land transport and air and sea freight sectors. the new gebrüder weiss branch will be based at a recently purchased 45,000 m² portfolio property in the Sachsenring industrial park.

“Our transfer to Gebrüder Weiss enables us to give our employees a secure future with additional opportunities to advance their careers. Thanks to the company’s international network and customer portal, we can now offer our customers a one-stop shop serving all their needs,” notes

Katja Wolf, previous managing owner of Wolf Internationale Spedition GmbH. In the medium term, between 40 and 60 attractive new jobs are due to be created across the forwarding business at this latest gebrüder weiss location.

“With Katja Wolf and her two teams on board, we have an outstanding platform for evolving our new location.

In line with our ‘Best of Both Worlds’ strategy – with its twin focuses on physical and digital competence – we will continue to invest across southern Germany in people, our own logistics facilities and vehicles, all paired with digital services,” explains Werner Dettenthaler, regional Manager for Land Transport Germany at Gebrüder Weiss.

pleased about the fresh reinforcements at the new gebrüder weiss location in Straubing: alexander eberharter from Strategic Business development germany (left) and werner dettenthaler, Manager for land transport germany (right) with Katja wolf, Straubing

Management team (all gebrüder weiss). (Source: gebrüder weiss)


CEVA Logistics first to receive new IATA CEIV Lithium Battery certification after pilot, development program

CeVa expands battery logistics solutions after using long-term automotive and technology

experience to support development of new Iata CeIV lithium Battery program

• Iata’s latest Center of excellence for Independent Validators (CeIV) certification provides confidence for lithium battery shippers

• CeVa expands battery logistics solutions after using long-term automotive and technology experience to support development of new Iata CeIV lithium Battery program

• CeVa facilities in amsterdam, hong Kong first to receive CeIV certification

announced today at the International air transport association’s (Iata) annual world Cargo Symposium (wCS) in dublin, Ireland, CeVa logistics is the world’s first company to receive Iata’s new CeIV lithium Battery certification after teaming with Iata to support the development of the new certification program. CeVa’s amsterdam and hong Kong air freight stations are now CeIV certified in the handling of lithium batteries.

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the certification confirms each facility’s ability to properly handle and store lithium batteries, as well as validates the necessary training and expertise of on-site employees. CeVa logistics has plans to extend its certifications beyond amsterdam and hong Kong, with additional certified locations expected in asia, europe and the americas. the company is committed to providing its customers with peace of mind through a completely certified network

delivering air cargo services under its CEVA Batteries Solutions.

Long-time experience in battery transport

CeVa has significant experience in transporting all types and sizes of batteries for customers in automotive, technology, healthcare, industrial and consumer & retail industries. In the automotive market, CeVa’s expertise in new electric vehicles (neV) batteries includes working with 14 of the 15 largest global automotive original equipment manufacturers.

with the new CeIV certification, CeVa is further demonstrating its regulatory and compliance expertise in transporting potentially dangerous goods through its CeVa Batteries Solutions. while the certification boosts CeVa’s air freight credentials for transporting lithium batteries, CeVa is able to support customers all along the battery lifecycle through a combination of contract logistics and freight management services in air, ground or ocean transport. CeVa Batteries Solutions are compliant,


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tailored, end-to-end global and local logistics services, ensuring the integrity of customers’ battery shipments.

CevA supports IATA industry knowledge sharing

Peter Penseel, Coo of air freight for CevA Logistics, is serving as a panelist during a wCS plenary session today to discuss the challenges and opportunities for transformation in the air cargo business. the wCS is the largest and most prestigious annual event of its kind and the only one to bring together key stakeholders from the entire air cargo supply chain.

CeIV lithium Battery is the fourth CeIV program from Iata and the

first CeIV certification received by CeVa logistics. Iata’s CeIV program portfolio includes three other specific certifications: CeIV pharma, CeIV live animals and CeIV Fresh. More than 300 companies across the logistics and supply chain industry have received certification under one of the programs.

Says Penseel: “Our automotive, healthcare and technology customers appreciate our ability to seamlessly deliver responsive logistics solutions no matter the destination or cargo type, like lithium batteries. Our experience in transporting a wide range of batteries made us an ideal partner with IATA in piloting their new CEIV certification. IATA continues to lead the way in providing

standards, regulations and guidelines to improve overall quality and safety in the air transport industry. This new certification gives customers even more confidence in our ability to safely and reliably transport their lithium batteries.”

Says Willie Walsh, Iata’s director general, “Congratulations to CEVA for becoming the first logistics company to achieve CEIV Lithium Battery certification in their Amsterdam and Hong Kong hubs. As a pioneer in the CEIV Lithium Battery program their customers will appreciate their dedication to safely handling their shipments and the industry will benefit from the quality benchmark that they are helping to set.”

The rewards harvest goes on for Liege Airport: “Best European Airport for 2021”

In its 8th edition, the payload asia awards recognises the industry leaders and forward thinkers in the

air cargo and logistics supply chain who are staying at the forefront of the innovations and setting new benchmarks in service excellence.

“We are very proud of being the winner and we would like to thank a fast-growing group of people: the Liege Airport Supply Chain Heroes. All the staff and partners of Liege Airport who are working 24/7, moving PPE shipment to hospitals all over the world,

moving vaccines to the most needed, handling e-commerce cargo to European consumers day and night. During this pandemic, we’ve all been reminded of the crucial importance of our industry, and we are proud to carry that flag,“ says Bert Selis, vP Commercial Cargo & Logistics.

“2021 is another exceptional historic year for our airport”, adds Bert Selis. “We are excited to share the news that last month we have passed 1 million tons of cargo, meaning a year–to–date growth of almost 40 per cent. Last year we’ve added 25.000 m2 of the first-line warehouse, and last month another 30.000 m2 warehouse became operational, operated by Cainiao & WFS. This growth in capacity supports and confirms our role as an e-commerce hub, serving for example the Double 11 e-commerce shopping festival of Alibaba”.

International awards continue to underline the excellence of Liege Airport. On October 1st, 2021, at its annual awards night in Singapore, Payload Asia crowned Liege Airport once more as a winner in the category “Best European Airport for 2021“.


AviaAM Leasing

Delivers Its First 737-

800 Boeing Converted

Freighter To The Lessee – Bluebird

Nordic

aviaaM leasing, a global aviation holding company engaged in tailored aircraft leasing and

trading services, has announced the delivery of the company’s first 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter to the lessee – Icelandic air cargo transportation company Bluebird nordic.

the 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter underwent the p2F conversion works at the taikoo (Shandong) aircraft engineering Company limited (StaeCO) facility in Jinan (tna), China. a subsequent C Check and a repaint of the airframe to match the future lessee’s livery were performed at Kaunas, lithuania.

when looking at the post-pandemic era, airlines and lessors are now more than ever focused on efficient cost management and best-possible turn-around-times (tat). these are fast becoming the key criteria when delivering aircraft in transition, and the main reason behind why Kaunas International airport (lithuania) was chosen for this particular project. the airport boasts unique infrastructure along with being the location of Fl technics, a global independent MrO service provider, and MaaS aviation,

world-renowned experts in aircraft painting. Both companies share adjacent purpose-built facilities for one-stop-shop aircraft transition services. Such a setup creates unprecedented flexibility and efficiency in terms of planning, scheduling, and delivery, while covering all required services, including; technical maintenance, engineering and design, along with its aircraft painting capacity – all of which is located in one convenient setting.

the 737-800BCF has already joined the fleet of Bluebird nordic, an expanding Icelandic air cargo transportation company. as both companies are part of avia Solutions group, the synergy between aviaaM leasing and Bluebird nordic made it possible for the aircraft to reach the client in record time, while receiving the same high-quality service that customers of aviaaM leasing are accustomed to.

“The delivery of the first 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter is a significant achievement for the company committed to expanding its presence in the air cargo market over the coming years.” – notes Tadas Goberis, the Ceo and Chairman at AviaAM Leasing.

FreIghter


On the MOVe

Karen Cox new Global Director Operations & Safety

Karen Cox was appointed global director Operation in July and reports directly to the CeO. her

role now also includes Safety. Karen will drive the operational transformation of Swissport and focus on further strengthening the global operations team. next to driving operational excellence, health and safety will be at the core of her agenda.

“we are pleased to welcome Karen Cox as our new global director Operations & Safety,” says warwick

Brady, president & CeO of Swissport International. “She is a true aviation expert with a proven track record in operational excellence, safety management, cost control and a strong commitment to exceeding customer expectations. Safety is part of our dna, and we work tirelessly toward the goal of zero accidents and zero work-related injuries and illnesses to prevent harm to our employees and to our customers’ property.

prior to joining Swissport, Karen was

with easyJet for 18 years as director of ground Operations and Customer Management Centers. In this role, she worked closely with Swissport, gaining operational insights from a customer perspective, which will undoubtedly help in her new role to further strengthen our focus on customer centricity.

richard Scott has been appointed as interim head of QhSe (Quality, health, Safety & environment). he will continue to develop the QhSe roadmap and report to Karen Cox.

Karen Cox has started as Global Director Operations & Safety at Swissport this week. Together with her team she will drive the transformation of Swissport’s global operations to provide operational excellence and a consistent service delivery to the company’s airline customers around the globe.

Magma Aviation appoints Conor Brannigan to CEO as Ross Wilson moves to Strategic Advisor to the Board

Magma aviation, the innovative air cargo solutions company, has promoted Conor

Brannigan, from deputy CeO to CeO, following him joining the business in July 2021.

ross wilson, former CeO, moves to the role of Strategic advisor to the Magma aviation Board of directors.

Since Magma aviation launched in 2010, ross wilson has been at the forefront of the business and instrumental in building it to the success it is today. he will continue to play an indispensable role in

developing Magma aviation further in this new role as Strategic advisor.

Conor Brannigan comments:“The commitment and dedication

from the amazing people we have here at Magma Aviation, has enabled the company to grow from strength to strength, and navigate the extremely complex environment the pandemic has created. I am excited and humbled to be taking on the role of Chief Executive Officer at Magma Aviation. We will continue to provide strategic solutions for our key customers and partners while increasing our efficiencies and leveraging group synergies across our business. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Magma Aviation for making me feel most welcome from day one, and particularly my thanks to Ross Wilson, Tom Wrigley and Tom Helyar for their leadership and guidance. I would also like to pass on my congratulations to Tom Helyar, Magma Aviation Chief Strategy Officer on his appointment to the Magma Board of Directors.”


New air cargo booking tool launched

a new online tool called CargoBooking.aero supports airlines and their general Sales

agents (gSas) to deliver instant air cargo quoting and booking with application programming Interface (apI) integration to freight forwarders.

the solution, powered by a global It service provider and software development company awery aviation Software, gives a consolidated view of all connected airlines and gSa prices on possible flight and truck routing options.

“The digital transformation of the air cargo industry is gaining momentum, enhancing efficiency and cost-effectiveness across the supply chain,” said Tristan Koch, Awery’s new Chief Commercial officer.

“Our in-house team has been working together for over 12 years to develop aviation software solutions to support the digitisation of the industry, and with CargoBooking, we are delivering a streamlined user experience connecting capacity and demand.”

CargoBooking provides information in real-time on flights and rates

facilitating an instant search, quote, compare, and book solution via a customer portal, by email, or apI.

Users can review combined filterable results of flight or truck all-in rates from multiple airlines and gSas with a detailed breakdown of surcharges.

Options include an instant booking request, a SpOt rate request, or saving the price as an option on the quote.

the instant booking request can be done on airline-integrated air waybill stock, and requests are validated and confirmed by the airline or gSa.

In case of no space, an alternative flight is offered to the client for review.

“CargoBooking brings together a wide group of skilled and experienced professionals to deliver a product that leads the way in helping the air cargo industry to embrace and benefit from its digital transformation,” said vitaly Smilianets, Awery Chief executive officer.

“Tristan has brought over 20 years’ experience in air cargo to the team supporting the work of our in-house developers to launch a solution, which

facilitates the full air freight business workflow.”

CargoBooking.aero supports customers of all sizes and includes a built-in track and trace facility.

teChnOlOgy

Bolloré transport & logistics has deployed prISM, its next- generation 4pl company

designed to meet the specific needs of customers engaged in transforming their supply chain.

prISM, present in every continent, offers digital solutions which can be customised and interfaced, either through its own lInK 4pl management system or through reversible solutions

Bolloré presents PRISM, a ‘next-generation’ 4PL

available on the market.prISM will contribute to the freight

purchasing strategy and provide end-to-end flow management, while seeking to optimise costs and time to market.

depending on the requirements specified, it will also implement optimised transport plans to reduce the carbon footprint of transport operations.

prISM is a global structure with a presence in every continent and offers

coverage across three time zones for 24/7 availability and greater customer proximity.

explained Alain Cohen, managing director, PrISM: “Businesses expect their strategic logistics providers to be committed to performance and able to manage operational risks effectively, within a partnership based on flexibility and transparency. “For this reason and in response to these issues, Bolloré Transport & Logistics has created PRISM, a neutral, independent company supporting its customers by committing to a performance obligation, particularly in terms of economic competitiveness and operational excellence.”

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Turkish Cargo

Qatar Airways Cargo

Etihad Cargo

Carried 100 million Vaccine Doses to All

Around the World

Launches WebCargo by Freightos throughout the

European region

and CargoAiagree to a worldwide

partnership

Emirates SkyCargoexpands pharma cool chain infrastructure in Dubai, enhancing vaccine transport capabilities

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T H E C O M P L E T E R E S O U R C E F O R T H E C A R G O I N D U S T R Y

Turkish Cargo

Air CanadaSwissport

Lufthansa Cargohas been carrying Turkish rose

products to all over the world for the last half-century

Cargo joins IATA cargo rates platform

celebrates its 25th anniversary

modernizes infrastructure for Road Feeder Services at Frankfurt hub

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www.cargonewswire is fast establishing itself as the leading online information source for freight forwarders, airlines, airports, cargo handlers, express operators and sales agents. Each day it is uploaded with the latest news from around the globe providing professionals with real-time access to the issues and events affecting their businesses. Cargo Newswire is also instantly available on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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