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Third birthday for online air broker

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Croydon, South London-headquartered digital air cargo charter business CharterSync, is celebrating its third birthday in July.

Co-founders  Ed Gillett and Simon Watson – who are commercial pilots and flying enthusiasts –  say they have carved out a substantial share of the UK and European air cargo charter market since 2019 thanks to their technology-forward approach, connecting hundreds of freight forwarders, airlines and operators on five continents.

Simon Watson, said: “After achieving a six-figure turnover in year one of trading, our turnover has consistently risen by 84% year on year.”

He argues that digital transformation is long overdue in the air cargo charter market. Up to 2019, the air cargo charter booking process was 100% manual, and laborious for both freight forwarders and operators. Freight forwarders looking for air cargo charter services had no option except to make multiple phone calls to identify the best deal– and even when they did make a booking, price transparency was non-existent.

Much of CharterSync’s initial growth can be attributed to the demand for pharmaceutical/healthcare equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic; the company played a key role in keeping vital equipment flowing into the UK and Europe, flying more than 350 flights of PPE and test kits out of-China in 2020-22.

The company has been diversifying into a range of time-critical sectors, including automotive, oil and gas, fast fashion and pharmaceuticals

Watson explains: “Efficiency, price transparency and our focus on end-to-end logistics have kept freight forwarders and operators coming back to CharterSync, while dematerializing all documentation shaves valuable time off processing times. Since 93% of our air cargo charters are delivered on time, we can remove unwarranted uncertainty and stress from the supply chain process.”

DHL starts work on new Munich hub

DHL Express Germany has broken ground on its new Munich Airport facility. The building will boast a gross floor area of over 11,000sq m, almost seven times larger than the warehouse DHL Express currently rents at Munich Airport’s cargo centre.

The €104 million investment is in response to growing DHL Express shipment volumes at Munich.

Managing director DHL Express Germany, Markus Reckling explains: “our old processing area can’t keep pace with the growth in import and export volumes given current digitalization and globalization trends. The new gateway facility at Munich Airport not only represents the next important step in our infrastructure plan but also enables us to prioritize our customers by offering them an improved service.”

Once operational, the airside access allows aircraft parked on the apron to be reached directly from the new building. The gateway also has pick-up and delivery fingers than can handle up to 65 delivery vehicles simultaneously. For customers in the Landsberg-Ingolstadt region in particular, this will translate into faster pick-up and delivery times.

Turkish and Vietnam carriers sign cargo pact

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Turkish Airlines and Vietnam Airlines signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Farnborough International Airshow to strengthen bilateral cooperation, including cargo. The two carriers aid they would cooperate more closely in cargo transport through a codeshare partnership, which is expected to take effect in 2023. In the future, the two airlines will explore more partnership possibilities to strengthen the bilateral cooperation in this area.

UPS opens second India gateway

UPS has launched a five times a week Boeing 747-8 freighter flight to Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, India. It is the carrier’s second dedicated airport gateway facility in India after opening Delhi in 2020. The Bengaluru facility will provide in-house customs clearance and serve southern India, giving customers an extended pick-up time of up to two hours. It follows the launch earlier this year of a new logistics brand for the Indian market, MOVIN, a joint venture between UPS and InterGlobe Enterprises. The aircraft will complete a loop from Cologne through Shenzhen, Bangkok and Bengaluru four days a week. On Saturdays, it will connect Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport to UPS’s Intra-Asia Hub in Shenzhen and on Sundays will fly between Cologne and Bengaluru.

Quality mark for Hactl training

Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) has become the first cargo terminal and logistics corporation to have its training courses received accreditation under the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (HKQF). The courses covered are Hactl’s Certificate in Special and Temperature Controlled Cargo Handling For Supervisors (QF Level 3); its Certificate in Dangerous Goods Awareness Training For Handlers (QF Level 2); its Certificate in Conflict Resolution (QF Level 3); and its Certificate in Service Excellence (QF Level 3). The accreditations are valid for two years and subject to re-accreditation. HKQF was launched in 2008 by the HKSAR Government, covering qualifications in the academic, vocational and professional as well as continuing education sectors to promote lifelong learning and enhance the quality, professionalism and competitiveness of Hong Kong’s workforce.

WFS achieves IATA standard in North America

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has achieved IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) registration for its headquarters in North America.

ISAGO is an internationally recognised system for assessing the operational management and control systems of airline ground handlers. The ISAGO registration validates WFS’ Management System in North America, where WFS provides cargo and ground handling services for over 130 airlines at 114 airport stations.

The process includes a detailed headquarters audit as well as station audits to verify documented and operational conformance to over 800 standards across six different areas of discipline.

WFS reviewed its training programs, operational procedures manuals and management system processes.

The ISAGO registration covers ramp handling, aircraft ground movements, passenger services and baggage handling, cargo operations, load control, and quality and safety management.

DHL in African chimp rescue mission

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It goes without saying, of course, that chimpanzees should not be pets or forced to live with humans. Unfortunately, many of chimpanzee orphans at the Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection (LCRP) sanctuary are victims of the illegal pet trade, their mothers killed by poachers and now requiring around the clock care.

Recently, DHL Express Sub Saharan Africa partnered with LCRP to safely transport four vulnerable chimpanzees from Guinea-Bissau to Liberia. They arrived in their new home on 9 July, just in time to celebrate World Chimpanzee Day on 14 July.

Guinea-Bissau has no sanctuary to safeguard the four chimpanzees, prompting negotiations with LCRP, which partnered with the Governments of Guinea-Bissau and Liberia, several animal protection partners, and DHL Express SSA to ensure the safe passage, rehabilitation, and reintegration of the chimpanzees into a community in Liberia.

LCRP was founded in 2016 to rescue chimpanzees who are victims of illegal bush meat and pet trades and it aims to make sure that these wild chimpanzees are indeed kept wild.

The four chimpanzees were transported in an ATR72 LCD (large cargo door) aircraft, which minimised impact of on and off loading of the animals. The aircraft was also modified to ensure first-class treatment throughout the 2hrs 20minutes flight from Osvaldo Vieira International Airport in Guinea-Bissau to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport in Liberia. They were accompanied by veterinarian Jim Desmond, co-founder of Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection.

Billund flight to help Virgin tap into US e-commerce market

Virgin Atlantic Cargo is to introduce a thrice-weekly freighter flight between London Heathrow and Billund Airport in Denmark, operated by a Titan Airways Airbus A321F.

The flights, on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, will replace trucking links, and will have a capacity of 28 tonnes per flight says the carrier.

The new route will be aimed at Danish e-commerce exports to North America.

Head of cargo sales at Virgin Atlantic Cargo, Steve Buckerfield, commented: “We are very excited to bring this new dedicated all-cargo service, connecting our customers in Billund and the wider Scandinavian Region with Virgin Atlantic’s extensive route network via London Heathrow. We will be targeting urgent pharmaceutical, automotive and perishable cargoes destined for the US, Africa, Israel and the Indian Subcontinent.”

Billund Airport chief executive Jan Hessellund, added: “As a result of some good route development and great performance in our cargo centre, Billund Airport is once again chosen by an air freight operator. Virgin Atlantic Cargo is a large, recognized airline that will support the Danish e-commerce exports to the American market. We look forward to welcoming them.”

American Airlines puts US network on WebCargo

American Airlines Cargo is now offering customers full access to its US network through Freightos’ WebCargo and 7L Freight platforms. The carrier, which operates more than 5,000 daily departures from the US, says it now provides a larger network for flights in and out of the US on WebCargo than any other carrier.

DHL green tech is music to the ears for Music of the Spheres

DHL has teamed up with Coldplay as the official logistics partner Music Of The Spheres world tour – with a remit to minimise its carbon and reduce CO2 emissions by more than 50%.

DHL’s GoGreen Plus Service offers including use of advanced biofuels for ocean and air freight along with an extensive fleet of electric vehicles and trucks fueled with Bio-LNG liquified natural gas made from organic waste.

T rest of the supply chain is made climate neutral by full lifecycle emission compensation.

As for the shows themselves, every one will be powered by a mix of renewable energy (such as wind and solar energy) and certified renewable biodiesel. The band even harness fan energy through state-of-the-art kinetic floors and power bikes.

The band has also pledged to plant a tree for every ticket sold and to draw down significantly more COthan the tour produces through investment in a diverse range of carbon offsetting initiatives.

DHL and Coldplay’s shared hope is that the Music Of The Spheres Tour will provide lessons and best practices for other artists to build on and push the live music industry towards an ultra-low-carbon and sustainable future.