Qatar Airways will launch flights from its Doha hub to Caracas, Venezuela, and Bogotá, Colombia from July 22. It will be the first Gulf carrier to serve Venezuela, and the first airline to operate flights from the Middle East to Caracas and Bogotá. Flights to Caracas and Bogotá will operate twice-weekly and will offer connections through Hamad International Airport including Australia, China, Japan, Lebanon, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.
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DHL Express gets heavy
DHL Express has introduced a Heavy Weight Express (HWX) air solution for shipments up to 1,000 kilograms per piece and 3,000 kilograms per shipment in over 220 countries. It offers guaranteed express transit times, comprehensive shipment visibility at every stage, and is supported by the introduction of dedicated Heavy Weight Priority Desks around the world.
Specialized teams are responsible for proactive tracking, early exception detection, real time intervention, and direct communication with customers. Each heavyweight shipment receives dedicated case ownership. It also aims to reduce shippers’ dependence on fluctuating airline capacity and removing the cost variability of add on fees and handling surcharges.
Miami leapfrogs parcels hubs to become US no#1 for freight
Freight shipments at Miami International Airport rose 13.6% to nearly 3.5 million tons in 2025. According to Airports Council International figures, this made it the busiest freight airport in the Western Hemisphere, leapfrogging Louisville and Memphis – the global hubs for UPS and FedEx, respectively – and the busiest airport for total freight in the US.
Worldwide, MIA ranked third behind only the Asian cargo hubs in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
In the first quarter of 2026, MIA’s freight shipments continued to increase, by 15.7% over the same period last year.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, said: “Our sustained, industry-leading growth is the latest testament to the teamwork and dedication of our partner airlines, federal agencies, cargo logistics providers, and community organizations. As MIA continues to attract new business and expand into emerging markets, the sky is the limit for how high our global gateway can soar among the world’s best airports.”
MIA also rose by two spots to become the eighth-busiest passenger airport in the US, with 55.3 million travelers in 2025.
Emirates available on Pelicargo platform
Emirates SkyCargo is making its services available on the Pelicargo online platform for airfreight procurement and booking.
Over the last 12 months, the carrier says there has been a significant increase in US customers switching to digital channels such as eSkyCargo and third-party marketplaces, coupled with a decline in manual transactions.
Emirates SkyCargo’s five core products are available now on Pelicargo, including Fresh and Fresh Breathe, an integrated and responsive cool chain designed for perishables; Pharma, for temperature-controlled life sciences and healthcare shipments; Airfreight Priority for urgent shipments that depend on speed and reliability; and AirFreight for the quick and careful transport of general cargo.
Pelicargo is the fourth digital marketplace to host Emirates SkyCargo’s capacity, following cargo.one, CargoAi and WebCargo.
DHL has a vision of the future of customs declaration
DHL Express has launched AI-powered item identification, a first in the global express industry, it says. It uses computer vision to analyze customer-generated photos of shipments instantly generates a precise, customs-compliant description. Accurately describing shipment contents to meet customs requirements has traditionally required specialized knowledge and careful wording but, by embedding AI directly into the booking process, DHL Express says it has removed this complexity and makes international shipping more accessible and reliable for customers of all experience levels.
Customers photograph the item they intend to ship using any standard smartphone or connected device. The AI system processes the image via a server-side computer vision model, classifies the object, and generates a structured, customs-compliant item description aligned with international documentation standards — all within seconds. The suggested description is then presented to the customer who can review, edit or override the entry before submitting the shipment.
The international express industry has long relied on shippers to self-declare item contents without substantive assistance. While customs documentation tools have evolved in other respects, item description has remained manual, text-based, and dependent on the shipper’s knowledge of customs requirements.
The feature is now live in Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Spain and United Arab Emirates with further rollout is planned throughout 2026.
Geodis to open Manchester, UK pharma air hub
Geodis is to open a temperature-controlled GDP-compliant pharma warehouse close to Manchester airport in the northwest UK on 1 June.
The warehouse, which supports inventory management and cross-docking operations will offer 2,000 pallet positions for sensitive pharmaceutical products that require strict temperature management and regulatory compliance. It will include dedicated short-term storage zones such as a fully temperature-controlled area maintained at controlled room temperature (15–25°C) and chilled environments (2–8°C), with the option to introduce frozen storage if needed. There is also a designated returns area. Continuous temperature monitoring is supported by 24/7 alert systems to safeguard product integrity.
Located close to the M6 and M62 and near Manchester Airport, the site enables efficient nationwide distribution along with strong air freight connections. Manchester has a dynamic life sciences sector, making the city an ideal hub to support the growing demand for specialized pharmaceutical logistics services.
Operations will be supported by a validated Warehouse Management System (WMS) providing barcode scanning, batch traceability, full audit trails, and real-time inventory visibility.
The site meets international quality and security standards, including GDP/ WDA pharmaceutical compliance, as well as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001, TAPA, AEO, and Dangerous Goods certifications.
It also includes energy-efficient refrigeration systems, LED lighting, and waste-reduction initiatives.
New chief exec for Envirotainer
Coldchain airfreight specialist Envirotainer has appointed Aymeric Chandavoine as chief executive, succeeding interim chief executive, Niklas Adamsson.
Chandavoine brings extensive international experience in logistics and supply chain leadership, joining Envirotainer from Maersk, where he most recently served as executive vice president and president, Europe.
He said: “Pharmaceutical supply chains are becoming more complex and far less tolerant of disruption. As advanced therapies move across global networks, cold chain reliability is critical not only for efficiency, but for patient safety. Envirotainer is uniquely positioned to support this evolution, and I am excited to lead the company into its next phase of growth.”
Kuehne+Nagel opens Hyderabad pharma site
Kuehne+Nagel has opened a temperature-controlled airfreight cross dock pharma facility in Hyderabad, India. The city is a major centre for pharmaceutical manufacturing, contributing over 40% of India’s active pharma ingredients and vaccine production. The 248sq m facility operates across dedicated temperature zones, including +2°C to +8°C and +15°C to +25°C and complies with Kuehne+Nagel’s global HealthChain quality standard. The fowarder now operates two HealthChain-certified facilities in India, following the launch of its Bengaluru Cool Zone facility in December 2025.
Qatar Airways – Pharma’s flexible friend
Qatar Airways Cargo has introduced a Pharma Passive FlexTemp solution to manage dual-temperature requirements within shipment journeys.
Available as an add-on service for Pharma Passive and Pharma Critical Passive, it supports temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical and healthcare shipments as their thermal needs evolve during transit—particularly when single-use passive packaging reaches the end of its effective life cycle.
As the use of self-contained passive packaging continues to grow in pharma, so too does the complexity of temperature control. Many shipments begin their journey within a defined temperature range, secured by passive solutions, but then require a different transport temperature to preserve product integrity, a transition phase that has been largely unsupported until now, says Qatar Airways.
United springs into action after typhoon strikes
United Cargo and its partners arranged emergency transport and supplies to the Northern Mariana Islands on 14 April after Typhoon Sinlaku hit the region.
Airports shut down as 43,000 people across Mariana Islands dealt with power outages, water damage and shortages, and widespread destruction of buildings and facilities.
The carrier resumed its regular daily service to and between Guam and Saipan, as soon as conditions allowed, on April 20, and arranged additional flights on that day and April 22, to bring urgent relief supplies including drinking water, generators, cleaning supplies and medical items. United also carried hundreds of emergency responders to the impacted areas, and transported tourists out.
United Cargo works closely with relief organizations currently providing emergency shelters, medical care and hot meals to thousands of displaced islanders including the American Red Cross, World Central Kitchen and Airlink. In addition, it has launched a Miles on a Mission campaign to ensure that the much-needed support and recovery continues, pledging to match all donations made from now until May 31, 2026, up to a value of $75,000.
United Airlines was recently presented with the Silver Halo Award for Best Emergency/Disaster Response Initiative at the 2026 Halo Awards Gala in Palm Springs, California.