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Tom Lynch to build WFS presence in the Americas

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April 14, 2022

Tom Lynch to build WFS presence in the Americas

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has appointed Tom Lynch as senior vice president, commercial for the Americas by Worldwide Flight Services (WFS).

Based in Dallas/Fort Worth and reporting to executive vice president Americas, Mike Simpson, W he will build WFS’ sales capabilities, ensure successful implementation and ongoing operations with new and existing customers and challenge current practices to maximize profitability.

He brings 30 years of experience to WFS from across his previous B2B and B2C roles in industries including consumer goods, food and beverage, and waste disposal.

Tom Lynch said: “WFS has a strong and growing presence in the handling market in the Americas and I am excited to work with our sales team and operations group to identify the commercial benefits we can derive from demonstrating the scope of our network and the quality of our cargo and ground handling services.”

WFS operates 97 airport stations in North America – including the major hubs of New York JFK, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, and Houston – and a further 19 stations in South America (Brazil).

IAG launches Barcelona/LA route, returns to Frisco

Airlines

Chris Lewis

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April 13, 2022

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IAG launches Barcelona/LA route, returns to Frisco

IAG Cargo has launched a new route between Barcelona and Los Angeles and has restarted between Barcelona and San Francisco for the first time since the end of September 2021.

The routes operated by IAG’s LEVEL arm, fly up to four times a week to Los Angeles and four times a week to San Francisco using Airbus A330-200 aircraft, with a capacity of up to 14 tonnes of cargo.

One of the most popular commodities transported between the regions is fresh asparagus, from Los Angeles to Barcelona using IAG’s Constant Fresh service. Other traffics include textiles, electronics, automotive parts and biomedical technology.

Regional commercial manager for Spain and Portugal, Idoia Martinez, said: “These are important trade routes that not only offers customers more opportunities to transport cargo between Europe and the USA, but it also supports farmers in the region to get their perishables to Europe’s supermarket shelves. IAG Cargo already has an expansive Transatlantic network between Europe and North America with daily flights to destinations such as New York and Boston and Atlanta, so the addition of these routes offers greater capacity between the regions.”

LEVEL’s chief operations and digital officer Ricard Falomir, commented: “The US is one of the most strategic markets for the business as shown with the offer of these routes in the West Coast – our 2022 summer season now services four routes in the US.”

Larreur moves from Swissport to AGI

Chris Lewis

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April 13, 2022

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Airfreight handler Alliance Ground International (AGI) has appointed Roger Larreur as its chief commercial officer. Previously CCO, Americas at Swissport, he has over 30 years managed accounts for some of the world’s largest airlines and airports in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

AGI, one of the largest groups of privately-owned cargo, mail, and freighter ground handling companies in the US, recently expanded its facilities at New York John F. Kennedy Airport, opened new ramp and warehouse operations at Pittsburgh International Airport, and digitized handling processes at Chicago O’Hare.

Quick Cargo eyes eastern Europe

Forwarding

Chris Lewis

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April 13, 2022

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Germany forwarder QCS-Quick Cargo Service is to open a new office in Bucharest, Romania on 15 April as part of a wider expansion into Eastern Europe.

It has also appointed Lubos Lukac as central business development manager for the direction and expansion of offices in Eastern Europe while the new Bucharest office will be managed by Alina Moldovan.

Further offices are to follow soon, it says. QCS chief executive Stephan Haltmayer.

Explains: “We have targeted three countries where we would like to open offices. Bucharest and Cluj are at the top of our list and have already been dealt with, to be followed by Bratislava in Slovakia, Budapest in Hungary and Warsaw in Poland.”

Along with 12 offices in Germany QCS is also located in London, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Basle, Zürich, Copenhagen and Szczecin.

Haltmayer adds: “We expect a significant expansion throughout the industry in Eastern Europe, from which we as a service provider would like to profit.” For example, Hungary, has developed into an industrial hotspot, with suppliers for the automobile industry are strongly represented.

Recently the amount of freight at Budapest Airport exceeded the tonnage handled at Vienna Airport for the first time ever. “We want to develop Budapest into our hub for airfreight on routes between East Asia and Eastern Europe. We will feed freight shipments from neighbouring countries into Budapest to consolidate the locally generated volumes and send them together by airfreight”, Haltmayer explains.

Air France-KLM firms up freighter order

Airlines

Chris Lewis

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April 13, 2022

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Air France-KLM has converted a letter of intent for four Airbus A350F full freighter aircraft into a firm order and has acquired purchase rights for a further four.

The aircraft will be operated by Air France and based at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport.

Air France’s cargo capacity, currently consists of two Boeing 777Fs, along with belly space on over 100 wide-body passenger aircraft.

Air France-KLM will be among the launch operators of the A350F full freighter, which offers 11% more volume and a 15% reduction in fuel burn and CO₂ emissions.

The order comes with full substitution rights to Airbus A350 passenger aircraft.

Students get hands-on air cargo experience

Chris Lewis

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April 13, 2022

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Students get hands-on air cargo experience

Logistics and Supply Chain Management students from Auburn University got a behind-the-scenes air cargo familiarisation tour at Atlanta Airport on 25 March. They were given a tour of the Swissport warehouse and then taken airside to witness the arrival of a Qatar Airways Cargo flight from Doha and its subsequent offloading and reloading.

Hitting the spot in Malaysia

Chris Lewis

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April 13, 2022

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Kargo Xpress has become the first Malaysian carrier to implement CHAMP’s Cargospot portal to manage its capacity and provide control and visibility of flight profitability. It also provides cargo agent customers with real-time flight availability and price requests, booking requests and e-AWB submissions.

Second freighter conversion for Turkey’s MNG

Airlines

Chris Lewis

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April 12, 2022

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Second freighter conversion for Turkey’s MNG

Turkish-owned MNG Airlines is converting a second A330-300 aircraft into a freighter at theElbe Flugzeugwerke base in Dresden,Germany. It follows introduction of the operator and Turkey’s first passenger to freighter aircraft in November last year.With a 61-tonne payload the A330-300P2F aircraft offers higher capacity than older generation aircraft with a reduced carbon footprint. Conversion involves stripping the passenger cabin completely, reinforcing the fuselage and floor structure, plugging passenger doors and windows and installing a new wide cargo door.

Handler extends Heathrow site

Ground Handling

Chris Lewis

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April 12, 2022

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Dubai handling company dnata has extended off-airport cargo centre at London Heathrow airport with a 10,500sq m Phase II extension to its existing 22,500sq m Phase 1 facility which opened in September 2019.

It forms part of the company’s ‘dnata City East’ complex which dnata says is by far the largest off-site cargo handling operation at Heathrow.

Dnata will handle all Virgin Atlantic Cargo and Delta Cargo freight at dnata City East with exports remaining at the Phase I facility while the new Phase II site will cater for imports, significantly increasing handling capacity.

Both facilities offer carbon reduction initiatives, including the use of solar PV panels, air-source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging.

Union warns of Heathrow chaos

Ground Handling

Chris Lewis

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April 7, 2022

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The Unite trade union is warning of possible disruption to cargo handling at Heathrow Airport in the UK after announcing a strike ballot for members at Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) on 13-27 April, in a dispute over a pay freeze.

Unite is calling on WFS to match the pay awards of competitors, such as dnata and Menzies.

Unite members build up and break down freight pallets and containers and then truck them to or from the airport for loading onto airlines including Air China, American Airlines, Etihad, Singapore and Thai.

Unite regional officer Kevin Hall said: “Any industrial action will cause chaos to the freight operations of WFS’ clients, which include a number of prestige international airlines, such as American Airlines.”