French-owned forwarder Geodis is moving to a new facility at Auckland Airport in October. The 5,700sq m facility includes temperature-controlled areas for pharmaceutical s at +15-25°C degrees and +4° C. The site also offers 5,000 pallet locations.
Kerry logistics opens in Peru
Kerry Logistics Network has extended its Latin America coverage with an office in Lima, Peru. Kerry Logistics Peru offers air and ocean freight, customs clearance and domestic transport. Its target markets include the mining industry, apparel, automotive, high-tech and pharmaceutical. For the mining industry, the Peru team will provide dedicated air and ocean freight for import and export as well as transporting of mining equipment and component parts. Kerry also has connections between Huntsville, Alabama, and Miami, Florida to Latin America.
IAG Cargo toasts record quarter
British-Spanish carrier IAG Cargo said its record quarter of 2021 was partly due to a very significant increase in the movement of Italian wine into the US – 95,000 bottles – along with increase e-commerce. Revenue was up 17.3% to €419 million for the period April 1 to June 30.
During the quarter, IAG Cargo and the passenger business launched additional flights as some governments eased restrictions. Activity from Spain to Latin America increased as a result, with additional frequencies to Sao Paolo and Mexico City and a resumption of services into Guayaquil and San Juan.
It also operated an extensive charter programme on top of its cargo-only schedule although the carrier continues to be impacted by passenger restrictions in the UK and Ireland.
Rhenus to take over C. Hartwig
Germany’s Rhenus Group is to acquire Polish freight forwarding and logistics company C. Hartwig from the OTL Group, including its US operations, subject to regulatory approval. It will add nine locations in Poland, plus New York, Felixstowe and Hamburg to the Rhenus network. C. Hartwig is active in sea and air freight, land transport, warehousing and project logistics. The takeover is expected to be completed in October.
DHL’s all-electric plane to take to the skies in 2024
DHL has ordered 12 fully electric Alice eCargo planes from Eviation. The express carrier says that Alice is the world’s leading fully electric aircraft, and is due for delivery in 2024.
It can be flown by a single pilot and will carry 2,600 lbs (1,200 kilos). It will require 30 minutes or less to charge per flight hour and could be charged while loading. It will have a maximum range of up to 440 nautical miles (815 kilometers).
Its electric motors have fewer moving parts than piston and turbine aircraft which will increase reliability and reduce maintenance costs while its operating software constantly monitors flight performance to ensure optimal efficiency.
Executive vice-president for global network operations and aviation for DHL Express, Travis Cobb, described Alice as: “A very important step in our decarbonization journey and a step forward for the aviation industry as a whole.”
The plane can be configured for cargo or passengers and is on track for its first flight later this year.
United back in full swing across the Pond
United Airlines said it would add a second daily flight from Washington DC to London Heathrow and would increase the Houston-London service from five times a week to daily, following the UK government’s announcement that the country would reopen to fully vaccinated travellers from the US from 2 August. The moves will give the carrier six daily flights between the US and LondonThe carrier added that it would resume additional London service in the coming months as well as launch a new service between Boston and London. The carrier also flies daily to London from Chicago, New York/Newark and San Francisco.
A rose by any other mode …would not smell as sweet
Turkish Cargo is playing a part in making high-end perfumes just a little more affordable, says the national flag carrier. It is an important carrier of rose products produced in Anatolia’s Lake District and Isparta to manufacturing countries around the world, including the US, as well as France, Germany and China.
Moving rose oil solid – a deep purple, creamy substance obtained from unfermented fresh pink roses – and rose water by air contributes significantly to the shelf life of the products, the carrier explains. Around three quarters of rose products from Turkey are moved by air rather than road.
DSV profits surge
DSV Panalpina said its figures for the first six months of 2021, published on 29 July, showed strong growth in EBIT before special items of 64.7% compared to the same period in 2020. This was driven by 18% growth in gross profit and high productivity across all divisions, the forwarder added.
Group chief executive Jens Bjørn Andersen, Group said: “The logistics markets continue to be characterised by tight capacity, congestion and low visibility, and we are doing our best to find solutions for our customers and keep their supply chains flowing.”
He added that he still expected to close the purchase of rival forwarder Agility in the third quarter of 2021.
A separate announcement about the launch of a new share buyback programme of up to DKK 4,000 million was due to be made later that day.
Cool new gang for Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways Cargo has joined the Cool Chain Association (CCA). The non-profit organisation, aims to reduce food wastage and improve the quality, efficiency and value of the temperature sensitive supply chain through collaboration, education and innovation.
CCA chairman Stavros Engelakakis said, “CCA members are focused on developing tangible programmes and backing projects which help reduce food waste and ensure that life saving pharma consignments safely reach their destination and this has never been more relevant than now.”
Qatar Airways has established innovative solutions for the air freight of pharmaceuticals and perishables. It has also invested considerably in quality handling, infrastructure, digitalisation, facilities, people and procedures at each of its destinations, including its Doha hub.
Airfreight plugs the gap for Austrian forwarder
Austrian-based forwarding and logistics company cargo-partner has launched a weekly part-load charter program from Vienna to Chicago O’Hare International Airport in response to customer demand. Vienna Airport serves as a hub for Central and Eastern Europe, with Chicago a strategic point the US Midwest, it says
Since the spring, cargo-partner has also been offering a new groupage service with weekly departures from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Munich, Frankfurt and Vienna, including pickup from any location in Vietnam and delivery to the final destination in Europe.
Cargo-partner has extended its scheduled charter services between Asia and Europe until the end of the year and has also introduced weekly charter flights from Frankfurt to Zhengzhou and back.