Air Canada is to resume flights between Delhi and Toronto and Vancouver, operated by a 787 Dreamliner with bellyhold capacity. It follows the lifting of Government of Canada restrictions on flights from India. The carrier said it would also launch flights from Montreal to Delhi and resume service to Mumbai “as market conditions allow”.
Lufthansa Cargo joins German federal high-tech program
Lufthansa Cargo has joined the Germany Ministry of Transport’s Digital Test Field Air Cargo coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics. The aim is to increase the efficiency and performance and competitiveness of air cargo in Germany by improving the networking of all the players involved and digitizing processes.
Digitalization or artificial intelligence are important prerequisites for improving performance and also make valuable contributions to climate and environmental protection
Within the project, Lufthansa Cargo is focusing on intensified data exchange between all partners in the transport chain, even beyond the roles that have been typical in the transport process to date.
For example, digital accompanying documents from manufacturers to consignees will be made available to all parties by using IATA’s new, open ONE Record standard in which Lufthansa Cargo had significant input. Likewise, temperature data, position data and photos of the entire transport chain are to be made available in order to identify and solve problems earlier.
Qatar Airways reaffirms USAID wildlife pledge
Qatar Airways has extended its participation in the USAID ROUTES (Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species) partnership to combat illegal wildlife trafficking.
Qatar Airways, one of the world’s leading carriers and a founding member of the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce, signed the original Buckingham Palace Declaration on 2016, which aimed to shut down the routes exploited by the illegal wildlife trade and, in May 2017, went on to sign the first Memorandum of Understanding with the ROUTES Partnership. In May 2019, Qatar Airways became the world’s first airline to achieve certification to the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Assessment which confirms that it has procedures, staff training and reporting protocols in place.
Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “The illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade threatens our global biodiversity, and poses a risk to health and safety, particularly in marginalised communities. We are taking measures to disrupt this illicit trade in order to conserve biodiversity and safeguard our delicate ecosystems. We remain committed with other aviation industry leaders to emphasise our zero-tolerance policy towards illegal trafficking of wildlife and its products, and we join the ROUTES Partnership in saying – ‘It Doesn’t Fly With Us’. We will continue to work with our stakeholders to raise awareness and improve detection of illegal wildlife activities to protect these creatures that we value.”
ROUTES Partnership lead Crawford Allan, added: “Through its actions on raising awareness, training and including wildlife trafficking within its policies, Qatar Airways has demonstrated its commitment to the Buckingham Palace Declaration and to the goal of the ROUTES Partnership. I am proud to see that Qatar Airways is continuing these efforts.”
Qatar Airways says that the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that wildlife crime is a threat not only to the environment and biodiversity, but also to human health. Despite restricted travel, reports of illegal wildlife seizures over the past year have revealed that traffickers are still taking their chances to smuggle contraband through the air transport system.
Qatar Airways has a zero-tolerance policy towards the transportation of illegal wildlife and their products. It also launched the second chapter of its sustainability programme WeQare: Rewild the Planet earlier this year, focused on transporting wild animals back to their natural habitat, free of charge.
US handler Pinnacle joins the WFS family
World’s largest Worldwide Flight Services air cargo handler has acquired US operator Pinnacle Logistics for an undisclosed sum. Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, Pinnacle focuses on specialist express cargo handling for e-commerce customers, a sector that WFS is keen to develop.
WFS executive vice-president Americas, Michael Simpson, commented:“The acquisition of Pinnacle Logistics enhances our core cargo and express cargo handling value proposition to customers, and Pinnacle’s established trucking logistics business further expands our service offering. Pinnacle’s people bring renowned experience and expertise, great service quality, and long-standing customer relationships with them to WFS. This acquisition is a strong strategic and cultural fit for WFS and we are delighted to welcome the Pinnacle team to WFS.”
Bold new look for Baltic courier
Baltic courier company Venipak, which recently launched its own freighter aircraft between Hong Kong and Riga, has also created a new visual identity, Marketing manager Asta Raudonienė, says it reflects the company’s strategic international growth which includes an expanding parcel locker network in the Baltics and a self-service platform, as well as the new air freighter operation. The company also has ambitions to launche freighter services to the US.
DSV opens Africa’s largest logistics hub
DSV has inaugurated its Gauteng HQ in South Africa, Africa’s largest integrated logistics centre. DSV Park Gauteng is situated near OR Tambo International Airport between Johannesburg and Pretoria and with easy access to the East and West Rand. The logistics centre consists of 130,000sq m of buildings and covers supply chain solutions from first to last mile controlled and managed under one roof.
The sprawling complex includes a logistics warehouse of 79,000sq m, a cross-dock facility of 41,000sq m² and office space. DSV’s Air & Sea, Road, Solutions and Shared Services divisions function will locate at the new centre while other specific units such as Healthcare and parts of Mounties and Solutions will continue out of their current specialised facilities.
Executive vice-president and head of group property, Brian Almind Winther, said: “With DSV Park Gauteng, DSV has developed a large-scale modern logistics centre which captures the essence of our consolidation strategy to create larger and more efficient facilities, enabling us to have many of our business units together under one single roof.
“We have packed the new DSV facility with solutions such as an innovative sorter that can handle 13,000 packages every single hour. Throughout the whole building process, we have also utilised our global experience to construct buildings where sustainability and resource optimisation have been fundamental in all processes.”
DSV worked closely with contractors and the local community to ensure they were included in the development of DSV Park Gauteng. The company partnered with accredited training service providers to provide various skills training courses to 117 candidates.
DSV is also building a consolidated logistics centre in the Western Cape. DSV Park Cape Town will be near the international airport, and close to the port and industrial and commercial hubs.
ATC extends Kuwait Airways coverage in Europe
ATC Aviation is to represent Kuwait Airways as Cargo general sales and service agent (GSSA) in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland and Slovenia, building on its long-lasting successful partnership in Austria and the Netherlands.
ATC will be responsible for all cargo sales in these countries. The national carrier of the State of Kuwait operates scheduled flights from Kuwait to the Middle and Far East, Indian subcontinent as well as Europe and North America with a current fleet of 30 aircraft.
ATC Aviation chief executive Ingo Zimmer, said: “The fact that a single partner covers a bigger number of territories will ease communication and create synergies to fill capacities in both directions. Furthermore, for Europe a centralized capacity control optimizes the space utilization and revenue management.”
Kuwait Airways said the agreement with ATC Aviation Services enables would allow it to further enhance and expand its cargo services as well as maintain its reputation for quality.
CargoAi moves into rates management
Users of www.CargoAi can now view and manage all cargo rates directly while an integrated Booking allows freight forwarders to make an e-booking request directly via the platform to all airlines.
Detailed cargo capacity booking requests with flight, dimensions and rates are sent to any airline or GSA via a standardised e-mail (or FFR in booking systems). For airlines and GSAs who don’t have an eBooking API available, this allows them to still achieve e-Bookings, saving time and cost.
Launched in 2019 by its founder and chief executive, Matthieu Petot, CargoAi is a software as a service application offering air cargo digital solutions to freight forwarders, airlines and GSAs.
He said: “Like all the features we are launching, Rate Management with the integrated Booking Request option is a further step towards the digitalisation of the entire air cargo distribution and procurement process. We developed it following feedback from users of www.CargoAi.co, who are seeking services which have a direct impact on their bottom line, while having a much better visibility and ability to manage their booking requests. Airlines and GSAs can still modify, confirm or reject a booking.”
All airlines’ schedules including cargo capacity are displayed in the application. Freight forwarders can check the flight schedules and compare rates. CargoAi offers a range of levels of integration for airlines, from APIs to emails.
Forwarders can request quotes and make bookings via the platform. The application allows airlines and GSAs to manage all quote and booking requests in one place. The tool also provides customers with data and analytics including 3D viewing of the shipment and capacity forecasts.
IAG Cargo strengthens customer team
IAG Cargo has promoted Pat Dobie from chief transformation officer to chief customer and infrastructure officer while George Efkolodis joins the business as head of customer experience.
Both appointees will focus on the end-to-end customer experience as the business continues to increase capacity on its network whilst offering cargo-only services and its charter product. The IAG group includes British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus toghther with low-cost carriers LEVEL and Vueling.
Pat Dobie has been with IAG Cargo since 2017 and brings over 30 years’ experience in the logistics and aviation sector. George Efkolodis has over 20 years’ experience in aviation, having held senior roles at Munich Airport International, Heathrow and IATA.
Pat Dobie commented: “The past year has been an eventful one for IAG Cargo, with many highlights. We celebrated our 10-year anniversary, transported more than 20,000 tonnes of PPE, delivered COVID-19 vaccines and created a new charter product – incredibly popular with our customers. Throughout the pandemic we have adapted for our customers as their needs evolved.”
George Efkolodis said his appointment “comes at an exciting and crucial time for the business…Our continued success depends on our customers and ensuring they get the most of out of IAG Cargo.”
United to fly Washington-Lagos
United Airlines will introduce a service between Washington DC and Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city and commercial capital from November 29, subject to government approval. It will be operated by Boeing 787 Dreamliners three times a week, departing Washington on Monday, Thursday and Saturday and returning from Lagos on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.
According to Routes Online, United served Lagos from Houston until June 2016 but suspended the route due to lack of profitability. Since then, Delta Air Lines has been the sole US carrier to operate nonstop between the US and Nigeria, currently flying daily to Lagos fron Atlanta and three time weekly from New York JFK, although, there are no flights listed on the latter route beyond the end of September, according to schedules filed with OAG.