FedEx has opened a facility in Vianen, near Utrecht in the Netherlands. It includes 5,865sq m warehouse space, ten dock doors for trailers – one equipped with a scissor lift and nine with loose load capabilities – 48 direct loading positions for vans and maximum sorting capacity of 3,600 parcels per hour.
There is also a parcel X-ray, a customs cage, a designated aviation security area for processing secure air freight and a caster deck to efficiently unload unit load devices from trailers.
The site also has 14 charging stations for electric vehicles and four charging points for the general public. The site is also equipped with LED lighting and automated lighting sensors to minimize energy consumption. FedEx has scheduled an initial three electric vehicles for deployment in 2025, as part of the company’s phased approach to electrification.
DHL Global Forwarding has appointed Michael Young as chief executive for the US, succeeding Robert Reiter.
Michael Young is currently chief executive of DHL Global Forwarding UK & Ireland and president of Global Motorsports. He has more than 30 years of experience within DHL Global Forwarding, having held senior roles at the country, regional, and global levels.
In his concurrent role as President of Global Motorsports, he has been instrumental in strengthening DHL’s long-standing partnership with Formula 1. He is also a trustee for the DHL Foundation in the UK, supporting underserved youth by helping them access meaningful employment opportunities.
DHL Supply Chain chief development officer and 20-year DHL veteran, Markus Voss is to succeed Uwe Brinks as the new chief executive of DHL Freight from 1 September. In his new role, Markus Voss will report directly to Tim Scharwath, chief executive of DHL Global Forwarding, Freight, and become a member of the division’s management board.
DHL is also establishing a new European Transportation Board to enhance cross-divisional collaboration in land transport among DHL Global Forwarding, DHL Freight, and DHL Supply Chain. It aims to deliver more integrated and efficient solutions. The new Board consists of the chief executives of DHL Global Forwarding Europe, DHL Freight and DHL Supply Chain EMEA.
French-owned forwarding and logistics specialist Geodis has appointed Laura Ritchey as president and chief executive of its Americas region. She will also serve on the group’s executive board.
Ritchey will oversee the management and growth of the region’s multiple business units across North and South America, including contract logistics, freight forwarding and transportation, leading a team of nearly 20,000 in the US, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Argentina and Brazil.
She brings 15 years in supply chain management for both retail and third-party logistics and was most recently chief executive of e-commerce firm, Radial.
She succeeds Mike Honious, who is retiring after 30 years, 20 of them at Geodis. He. will serve in an advisory capacity to assist in the transition and will continue to hold director roles with the Geodis Foundation and Geodis Compassion Fund.
Avia Solutions Group, the world’s largest Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance (ACMI) provider, has partnered with DHL Express to reduce Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions through the carrier’s GoGreen Plus service.
Through the GoGreen Plus Basic Model, Avia Solutions Group has already reduced GHG emissions by 12.61% associated with DHL shipments, which translates to 30.6 tonnes of emissions between January and April 2025.
DHL’s GoGreen Plus service enables customers to reduce GHG emissions caused by their shipments through the use of SAF, which is produced from alternative feedstock such as used cooking oil or waste. SAF can reduce emissions by around 80 % on average compared to conventional jet fuel.
The partnership involves a number of Avia Solutions Group subsidiaries across different sub-sectors.
Avia Solutions Group chief executive, Jonas Janukenas, said: “By utilizing SAF for our large-scale logistics needs, we can prove the viability of this approach and nudge other aviation companies to take bold steps in order to minimise their environmental impact.”
Yulia Celetaria is leading a new entity, Healthc’Air, that manages temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical shipments. It has two major launch clients ECS Group and GLOBAL GSA and says it has attracted the interest of over a dozen airlines at various stages of developing their pharma product offering.
Healthc’Air offers a multi-tiered approach – Launch, Advanced and Trust – allowing each airline to select the scope of services according to their needs: consultancy, auditing, full shipment management, training, process alignment, certification support, digital tools and AI, among others. Several service models will be trialled throughout 2025 to tailor the offering to market demand.
The organisation was created to tackle the lack of specialised expertise, regulatory complexity, process optimisation, risk management, digital transformation, and compliance with environmental standards in the subsector through an international team of pharma ambassadors, operational excellence experts and strategic partners.
Yulia Celetaria was previously senior vice president for commercial and strategy at GSA Cargo Crew and has previously worked in pharma-related positions in the healthcare and airfreight sectors, including 16 years at AirBridgeCargo Airlines.
AviaAM Leasing Service Centre is nearing completion of its Boeing 777-300ER passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion. The project, which is being carried out in collaboration with US-based Mammoth Freighters, is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
The converted aircraft will be capable of transporting up to 98 tonnes or 819 cubic meters of cargo over 5,000 nautical miles, including transatlantic operations.
Avia Solutions chief executive, Jonas Janukėnas, said: “This type of conversion of a popular passenger aircraft is a historic achievement for AviaAM Leasing. Boeing foresees air cargo operators will need more than 2,600 freighters over the next two decades to keep up with increasing global freight traffic. P2F conversions are one way to meet this growing demand.”
Vice president of sales and marketing at Mammoth Freighters, Brian McCarthy, added: “Once converted, the Boeing 777-300ERMF will be one of the most fuel-efficient long-range freighters available. Its impressive payload capacity and range make it an attractive option for cargo operators worldwide.”
AviaAM Leasing chief executive, Tadas Goberis, commented: “This represents the world’s first aircraft of this type – a prototype that marks a significant milestone in our company’s growth. We plan to convert several additional aircraft of this model in the near future. This project will help us strengthen our position in the cargo aircraft leasing sector, as these converted aircraft will enable logistics companies to expand their capacity.”
Global air cargo spot rates declined for a second consecutive month in June, down -4% year-on-year as supply of capacity overtook demand for the first time in 19 months, says industry analyst Xeneta. There are concerns over a more challenging second half of 2025 on the back of uncertainty over the prospects for international trade, according to the latest data.
Xeneta chief airfreight officer Niall van de Wouw, Xeneta’s called this market performance “unsurprising”’ adding that while politicians are continuing to trade economic blows over tariffs, the latest monthly intelligence also signals that consumers are ‘voting with their wallets’ and looking to save money on non-essential goods.
Global air cargo volumes were flat in June, up just +1% year-on-year, while available capacity measured over the same period edged up +2%.
Van de Wouw commented: “The air cargo market is losing altitude amidst so much uncertainty. For consumers who were already under severe financial pressure from the rise in the everyday cost-of-living, the added cost of tariffs means they are more likely to think twice about buying many of the types of goods which are exported and imported by air. ”
“When Xeneta reported April’s market data, we asked ‘how bad will it be?’ over the rest of 2025. That’s certainly top of mind now for airlines and forwarders, but also for shippers and consumers. Every economist will tell you that with tariffs there are no winners.
“It’s wrong to think falling air cargo rates on key trade corridors automatically represent a boon for shippers. With weaker consumer confidence, low rates are little comfort when underlying demand is deteriorating,” van de Wouw added.
Air cargo data for June comes against a backdrop of mounting uncertainty. The temporary suspension of new US tariffs is set to expire on 9 July for most countries – and on 13 August for China – clouding forward-looking demand. Simultaneously, a spike in crude oil and jet fuel prices, caused by conflict in the Middle East, has yet to lift freight rates because air cargo pricing remains more tightly tethered to market forces than to input costs, he said.
Compounding this trepidation is a weakening US dollar. As most airfreight contracts are denominated in local currencies, the greenback’s around -5 % depreciation (across several US dollar indices) has diminished the headline decline in dollar-based spot rates.
The global dynamic load factor for air cargo in June reflected the market’s downward trend, falling 2 percentage points year-to-year to 56%. Dynamic load factor is Xeneta’s measurement of capacity utilisation based on volume and weight of cargo flown alongside available capacity.
Despite this turbulence, air cargo demand for the first half of 2025 still grew by +3% compared to the same period a year earlier, but the industry is preparing for a less rosy outlook for the remainder of the year given the effects of looming tariffs and curbs on US de minimis exemptions for cross-border e-commerce goods.
“Last month we said sentiment was driving a downturn, but now market fundamentals are starting to kick-in. In this environment, at a certain moment, something’s got to give.
“We are starting to see the longer-term effects of all this uncertainty because a lot of damage has been done. This might be the new reality for the foreseeable future as the industry is facing a much more challenging second half of the year,” Niall van de Wouw commented.
((X-HEAD : )) Decline in June
Most airfreight corridors recorded year-on-year rate declines in June, underscoring a broad market slowdown. Routes from South-East Asia to both Europe and North America were particularly weak, posting double-digit drops in rates compared with the same period last year when prices had spiked.
In comparison, North-East Asia to Europe remained relatively steady. A surge in e-commerce volumes helped offset a shift in capacity toward the Asia–Europe market, keeping rates in balance. Backhaul routes from Europe and North America to Asia, however, continued their downward trend, reflecting persistent trade imbalances.
Only a handful of corridors defied the broader pattern. Rates from North-East Asia to North America climbed modestly, driven by jitters over the approaching end of the US’s 90-day tariff truce. Transatlantic routes also edged higher: both westbound and eastbound spot rates posted single-digit increases year-on-year.
Faced with this uncertain landscape, shippers have adjusted their procurement strategies. The second quarter, typically the peak season for tendering, saw a notable shift. The share of mid-term contracts (three to six months) rose by eight percentage points compared to a year earlier, largely at the expense of annual or longer-term agreements. Yet, compared to the first quarter, the share of three-month contracts declined 12 percentage points, suggesting that some tenders earlier in the year proceeded out of necessity, particularly for shippers who place a premium on service reliability.
Freight forwarders continued their cautious stance in June. Around 46% of their procured volumes remain in the spot market, reflecting a belief that rates may yet fall further. Their wait-and-see approach favours flexibility over long-term commitments – for now.
Abu Dhabi Airports has signed a joint venture with Jingdong Property – the infrastructure arm of e-commerce company JD.com – to develop and operate logistics facilities within Abu Dhabi Airports Free Zone. It will include construction of two warehouses, bonded and non-bonded, of over 70,000sq m. It will be JDP’s first development project in the UAE.
For the fifth year in succession, the U-Freight Group has been recognised as a Cebu Pacific Top Shipper for 2024, during which the forwarder handled over 2,300 tonnes of cargo with the airline.
The award was formally presented at Cebu Pacific’s annual Eagle Wings Cargo Awards Ceremony held in Manila with Joey Cheung, general manager (pictured) receiving the award.
