WFS to handle SF in JFK

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December 20, 2022

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) is to handle SF Airlines’ new scheduled freighter services at New York’s JFK International Airport.

The Chinese airline is operating twice-weekly Boeing 747-400F flights from Hangzhou and WFS expects to handle 12 million kilos a year for SF, which previously operated only ad hoc charter services on the route.

WFS is also SF Airlines’ handling partner at Los Angeles and Huntsville International Airport, contracts awarded in October 2020 and 2022 respectively.

The two companies also partner in Liege, Frankfurt, and Paris CDG.

WFS was originally appointed to handle cargo onboard SF’s charter flights at New York JFK in 2019. WFS will handle SF Airlines at Building 73 is a 52,000sq ft facility housing a multi-tier ETV system and a connected ramp with parking for one Boeing 747 freighter. SF will join WFS’ ePic warehouse management system.

In Q3 2024, WFS will add a further 350,000sq ft of cargo capacity in New York, to add to its existing 650,000sq ft footprint, taking a tenancy in the first new cargo terminal to be built at JFK in 20 years. With a capacity to handle more than 350,000 tonnes, the new Building 260 will provide three more ramp parking positions for cargo aircraft.

European Cargo fleet ready to fly

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Chris Lewis

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December 20, 2022

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Bournemouth Airport-based European Cargo has received EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) certification for its Airbus A340 wide-bodied freighter conversion programme. The company plans to complete six freighters in early 2023, with options on a further six.

Two have already been completed and one more was in progress in late December.

European Cargo’s fleet is made up of former Virgin Atlantic and Etihad Airbus A340 passenger aircraft. Its first conversion is an ex-Virgin A340-600, once the world’s longest airliner stretching to 247 feet.

The EASA certification paves the way for a similar assessment by the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), with European Cargo hoping for the green light in the New Year.

The conversion process has involved the removal of all bulkheads, rear galley and toilets and replacing them with 39 pods in six different sizes. Each pod is covered by a fire containment bag tested to withstand a lithium battery fire for six and a half hours.

Managing director Iain Edwards (pictured, below) said: “EASA certification is a landmark moment in the development of our fleet. Our pod containment system has proven itself through a rigorous testing regime and means we are on track for full cabin utilisation, giving each aircraft a combined belly and cabin capacity of 77 tonnes or 450 cubic metres.

“With six freighters already at Bournemouth for conversion and a further six available to us, that catapults us into the No1 slot of UK-based wide-bodied carriers by some margin. And it makes Bournemouth Airport a huge contender in the UK air freight market.”

Managing director at Bournemouth Airport, Steve Gill, added: “Further CAA approval paves the way for the introduction of hundreds of tonnes of global freight capacity from Bournemouth in the New Year. Combined with our location just 90 minutes from London, we think 2023 will be a transformative year for air cargo operations at Bournemouth Airport.”

David McCown to lead Chapman Freeborn in the Americas

By

Chris Lewis

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December 20, 2022

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UK-based global air charter specialist Chapman Freeborn has appointed leaders in its Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and India, Middle East, and Africa regions

David McCown is president, Americas; Andy Hudson is now regional chief executive, APAC; Reto Hunziker is regional director, Europe; and Sharon Vaz-Arab is regional director, IMEA.

Chief executive Eric Erbacher said: “Chapman Freeborn’s 50th anniversary in May is fast approaching, and we are also celebrating the growth, direction, and success that we have mapped out in our plans for the coming years.”

McCown launched the world’s first online reservation system for the private jet industry in 1996. He said: “Chapman Freeborn has a long history of strength in the global aviation industry, driven by a highly experienced and capable team.

“I look forward to continuing to drive its rapid growth and make Chapman Freeborn the employer of choice in the private aviation industry.”

Japan’s ANA joins WebCargo

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Chris Lewis

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December 15, 2022

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Japan’s ANA Cargo has become the latest carrier to sign up to the Freightos WebCargo platform. Forwarders will gain access to its fleet of over 200 aircraft on 130. Freightos says that airlines representing over 50% of global air cargo capacity are now available for booking on WebCargo, the largest capacity availability on any platform.

Andy Hudson to run Asia-Pacific for Chapman Freeborn

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Chris Lewis

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December 14, 2022

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Air broker Chapman Freeborn, part of Avia Solutions Group, has appointed Andy Hudson as regional chief executive for the APAC region. He has been in the aviation industry for over 21 years, and his first charter broker position was in 2006. He then moved to aviation aircraft acquisitions and aircraft management, which lead to him launching his companies, Private Jet Central, PJC Aviation and Down-Route, in 2008, 2012 and 2015 respectively.

Broker adds south of France outlet

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Chris Lewis

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December 13, 2022

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Air Charter Service has opened a new office in the country, in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. The broker’s Paris office has grown into one of its most important following its opening 13 years ago. The office in Aix-en-Provence will be headed by Caroline Bourge, who joined ACS over eight years ago, with more than 20 years’ experience in the industry prior to that, at both charter brokerages and airlines.

IAG goes direct to CargoWise

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Chris Lewis

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December 13, 2022

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IAG Cargo is now directly integrated with WiseTech Global’s CargoWise platform enabling freight forwarders to choose, book, confirm and change shipments in real-time.
IAG Cargo uses the freight capacity of passenger aircraft of International Airlines Group (IAG), which consists of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Aer lingus and LEVEL.
Direct data connection with IAG Cargo’s operational data allows CargoWise customers direct access to schedules, dynamic rates, capacity and allotment bookings. The integration also allows CargoWise users to change digital bookings without leaving the application.

Lödige completes Hong Kong cool pallet system

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Chris Lewis

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December 13, 2022

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Lödige Industries has completed an automated cold chain pallet-cargo system at Hong Kong International Airport. Through its local office, the German company planned, manufactured and implemented the advanced system for AAT Coolport, the first on-airport cold chain facility in Hong Kong providing a complete temperature-controlled environment, operated by Asia Airfreight Terminal (AAT). Lödige Industries has worked on several projects in Asia, including Singapore and Chengdu and maintains a network of offices in the region.

The machines take over at FedEx Stansted

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Chris Lewis

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December 12, 2022

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FedEx Express Europe has unveiled new package sorting technology at its London Stansted Airport facility. Automated scanning and sorting speeds up the flow of exports with some 80% of shipments bound for international markets being scanned and approved by machines.

The upgrade is part of an ongoing redevelopment of the facility and follows a previous expansion of the building in December 2020. Work is also underway on a new FedEx import sort system expected to be completed in 2023 as part of a $25m total investment.

Located just 40 miles from London, Stansted is the UK’s third largest cargo airport and currently handles over 258,000 tonnes of cargo annually. It is currently the only London airport with the capacity and infrastructure to support increased demand for cargo aviation over the next 10-15 years.

Airfreight customers reluctant to commit

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Chris Lewis

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December 8, 2022

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Freight forwarders are taking a ‘wait and see’ approach before making long-term air cargo capacity commitments demand dropped 2% month-over-month in November , says the latest weekly market by Xeneta’s CLIVE Data Services.

Chargeable weight in November was down 8% versus the same month of 2021, although the 1% reduction in global air cargo capacity, as airlines adapted to winter schedules, contributed to a ‘dynamic load factor’ of 61%, on a par with the previous month.

Load factors, however, continued to sit well below last year’s extraordinary peak season. For instance, Europe to North America load factor in the week leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday sat at 74% this year, down 12% from the same week last year.
Amidst so much market uncertainty, shippers are increasingly choosing shorter-term deals as they wait to see how business trends unfold in the coming months. Commitments to over three-month contracts hardly exist in the fourth quarter this year.

Chief Airfreight Officer at Xeneta, Niall van de Wouw, said: “After such a big drop of -8% in air cargo demand in October, we saw a little stability return in November, so the market is not worsening, it’s just very hard to read longer-term. This is reflected in the rise in short-term contracts, with forwarders unwilling to commit to long-term deals.

“Shippers should see some benefit from this in terms of their air and ocean budgets, and falling rates may provide one glimmer of hope for cash-strapped consumers that potentially lower shipping costs in 2023 will make some goods more affordable. There are still so many influencing factors to consider, including the depreciation of the US dollar and its impact on trade.”