Kuehne+Nagel has put its first Boeing 747-8 freighter into operation under its long-term charter agreement with Atlas Air. The Swiss-based forwarder is chartering the entire capacity of the very last two 747-8F aircraft being delivered by Boeing. The plane, which will operate Transpacific and intra-Asia routings, was handed over at a ceremony at the plane-maker’s Everett Delivery Center.
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Antonov completes island AOG move
Antonov Airlines and broker Air Partner have moved an aircraft engine and critical tooling from Luxembourg to Lajes island in the Azores, on board one of the Ukranian carrier’s AN-124-100M aircraft.
The cargo weighing about 75 tonnes was loaded using the aircraft equipment and an external 48-ton mobile crane sourced by Air Partner which was also was loaded onto the AN-124-100 due to the lack of suitable equipment on the island.
The AN-124-100 then flew to Stansted airport with the unserviceable engine, empty stand and mobile crane onboard. The mobile crane was repositioned back to the base in the Europe, and the unserviceable engine and tooling trucked to Amsterdam for onward scheduled flights.
Antonov Airlines commercial executive, Serhii Bilozerov, said: “It was a very interesting and unusual project. Challenges we met during this transportation kept all the teams on a little stress. Thanks to Air Partner`s and Antonov`s highly professional specialists we successfully delivered the sensitive cargo to the destination.”
Swissport handles first Omani freighter
Swissport handled the inaugural flight of Salam Air Cargo at Muscat International Airport on 27 October, the first all-cargo flight by an Omani airline. Salam Air expects to operate several cargo flights per week from Muscat to destinations such as Dhaka, Chittagong, Mumbai, Istanbul and Khartoum. Its Airbus A321 passenger to freighter converted aircraft will provide a payload of up to 27 tons. It is the first low-cost airline based in Oman, and has been offering passenger travel to many destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe since 2017.
Swissport has been present in Oman since 2017 and operates at Muscat International Airport and at Mukhaizna Airport, providing passenger services and ramp handling at both airports.
Turkish Cargo signs up to Cargo.one
The Cargo.one digital marketplace has signed a global partnership with Turkish Cargo, bring the number of bookable airlines on the platform to40, or 50% of global air cargo capacity.
Turkish Cargo is now the fifth largest cargo carrier in the world, having ranked only 33rd in 2010. Major investments include the SmartIST cargo terminal at the new Istanbul airport, along with a comprehensive digitalization strategy that has helped increase business volumes to 9.1 million tonne kilometers in 2021.
Within weeks, cargo.one customers will be able to book capacity across Turkish Cargo’s network of more than 340 destinations including North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.
The carrier already operates 20 freighters and claims more international direct all-cargo destinations than any other airline, Turkish Cargo.
Logistics Plus’ new Poland offices ready to rebuild Ukraine
US-based Logistics Plus has opened two offices in Poland, in Katowice and Gdańsk. Logistics Plus has an existing third office in Rzeszow, opened in 1999.
The new Katowice office will be managed by Ola Kenig, who will oversee all of the “LP Poland” general operations while Gdańsk will be managed by Slawek Michalak, who will lead all special projects within the region.
Long-time employee Pawel Wronski manages the Logistics Plus Rzeszow office.
Senior vice president Gretchen Seth, said: “We feel like eventually, the Ukrainian conflict will end, and when it does, we want to be in a position to help with rebuilding efforts right away. Both offices give us more capabilities and flexibility within the region. Gdańsk is a major port city which will also help us move shipments into Ukraine.”
CargoLogicAir goes into administration
UK-based cargo airline CargoLogicAir has gone into administration. It follows the imposition of sanctions on Russian airlines imposed in the wake of the invasion Ukrain, despite the fact that its owner, Alexey Isaikin, is a Cypriot citizen.
He was however earlier involved with Russian all-cargo carrier Volga-Dnepr Group, operator of the AirBridgeCargo fleet, which is now banned from Europe and the US. CargoLogicAir operates two 747-400F freighters.
David Buchler and Jo Milner of Buchler Phillips Limited have been appointed joint administrators.
In a statement, they said that CLA, founded in 2015, is the only British all-cargo main deck freight airline. It employed more than 100 people before sanctions, made a profit of £41m on turnover of £149m in 2020.
However, they said that the company has been unable to trade effectively since its majority shareholder and former director was made the subject of UK government sanctions against businesses deemed Russian controlled. Although CLA was granted licences for minimal continuance of operations by HM Treasury, the company faced increasing difficulties with its bankers despite having considerable funds in its account.
David Buchler said: “The appointment of administrators at CargoLogicAir is a very unfortunate, unintended consequence of sanctions generally applied against British businesses perceived as Russian controlled. This is a unique British business performing a valuable commercial service to British customers trading overseas, employing British people and paying British tax.”
UPS completes Bomi buy
UPS has completed acquisition of healthcare logistics provider Bomi Group. UPS Healthcare will add temperature-controlled facilities in 14 countries, and 3,000 highly-skilled employees to its team in Latin America and Europe.
The company will operate as Bomi Group, a UPS Company. Chief executive Marco Ruini will join UPS Healthcare whose customers now have access to 216 facilities with a total of 17 million square feet of cGMP and GDP-compliant healthcare distribution space in 37 countries and territories.
“With the capabilities Bomi Group brings to our network, UPS Healthcare is confident that significant new services and synergies will come in Europe and Latin America from this acquisition,” said UPS Healthcare president Wes Wheeler.
Speedier salmon with Lufthansa’s north Norway freighter
Lufthansa Cargo has introduced a weekly A321 freighter flight to Evenes Airport (EVE) in northern Norway under a joint project between salmon producer Salmosped and exporter Nordlaks.
Evenes Airport near Narvik is the gateway to the Lofoten Islands, a major sourvce of fish and seafood. The new connection allows fresh produce to move directly to Lufthansa’s Frankfurt hub and from there to destinations served by international freighter and passenger aircraft, in some cases cutting delivery times from four to six days to less than 24 hours.
DHL leads the green fashion trend
Many logistics companies are involved in the movement of fashion goods but not every operator has initiated its own clothing label. However, DHL and Chinese fashion brand FMACM, have launched an exclusive ‘One Planet’ clothing collection.
It advocates sustainable fashion and includes eye-catching sweatshirts, hoodies and T-shirts that feature DHL’s distinctive red and yellow logo. The pieces are only available at FMACM’s official online shop. All international of course shipped exclusively by DHL Express.
Senior vice president commercial at DHL Express China, Rick Zhang, said: “The collaboration with FMACM highlights our joint efforts to realize the vision of sustainable development in the fashion industry. Our fast and flexible global logistics services provide strong support for start-ups and emerging brands to sell overseas, especially in the fast-growing e-commerce sector.”
The ‘One Planet’ collection is produced in an eco-friendly supply chain from design and production to purchasing and shipping. The unisex clothes are designed to reduce material waste in the production process and the simple yet vivid prints use elements of DHL’s biodegradable delivery boxes and tapes.
All shipments will additionally include a fragrance tag in the shape of the ‘Alice’ all-electric plane Alice, recently ordered by DHL to electrify its global aviation network.
“FMACM strives to develop eco-friendly concepts from production through to sales. We are delighted to be the first fashion brand to collaborate with DHL out of China,” FMACM founder Wu Wei added. “Based on our common pursuit of sustainable fashion, we jointly initiated the ‘One Planet’ collaboration and work to create a sustainable supply chain.”
DHL Express will be the exclusive logistics partner for all international sales of the collection and will minimize carbon emissions by using green packaging and eco-friendly logistics solutions wherever possible during shipping and delivery.
Cathay doubles Hong Kong pharma space – updated
Cathay Pacific has opened a 1,250sq m fully temperature-controlled pharma area at its Hong Kong cargo terminal, making it the largest facility of its kind at the airport and doubling the carrier’s existing cold storage capacity there.
Features include web-based real time monitoring with over 60 temperature sensors to ensure all handling is at 15-25°C, a temperature controlled dock shelter or lobby with inflatable shelters for virtually airtight sealing for vehicles and multiple charging points for active containers.
The centre uses non-ozone depleting HFC refrigerants and is directly connected to the Container Handling System to ensure prompt acceptance, storage and delivery
The centre has been built to IATA CEIV Pharma standards and is capable of processing 235,000 tonnes of pharmaceuticals per year.
Cathay Pacific Cargo is also consolidating all its solutions for the sector as Cathay Pharma. It is subdivided into two simplified headings – Active and Passive.
The Active solution uses ‘active’ containers with thermostatic mechanisms, while Passive uses passive coolants and insulation to maintain temperature. Bookings made under either option include expedited ground handling and priority tarmac transfers, to limit the risk of temperature excursions while shipments are exposed to ambient outdoor temperatures.
Cathay Pharma offers four transportation temperature ranges to suit the most common types of pharma shipments, including ERT – extended room temperature: +2°C to +25°C in response to demand from customers.
It also offers containers from seven supplier partners able to achieve specific temperatures in an operating range from as low as -80°C to +40°C.
Customers making a Cathay Pharma booking can follow their shipment’s progress and condition with visibility and 24/7 proactive mitigation from an operations control center.