Air Charter Service chartered a Boeing B787-9 on 24 August to transport 20 tonnes of British government aid from London Heathrow to Haiti following the devastating earthquake there. Â Â
ACS London cargo director James Cristofoli, said the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office cargo included shelter kits and solar powered lanterns for up to 1,300 families, adding: “We expect to see more such support to follow over the next week or so. Our US offices have already arranged several additional charters with relief in support of the operation.”
Following the 2010 earthquake ACS arranged more than 100 flights as part of the humanitarian effort and a number of its staff spent time on the ground during the operation, “which makes our work particularly poignant”, he added.
ACS flies aid to Haiti
Urgent flight beats China blockage
With scheduled passenger flights cancelled due to Covid Delta variant outbreaks in Chinese cargo hubs, Bollore Logistics and AirBridgeCargo Airlines organised an urgent charter flight from Milan, Italy to Shanghai in China to move a large batch of diabetes treatments. The flight used a mix of Envirotainer and DoKaSch containers loaded on the main deck of the Boeing 747 freighter.
Global healthcare director of Volga-Dnepr Group, Yulia Celetaria, commented: “Even though the world has been slowly coming back to normal life, supply chain disruptions are still taking place. In times like this, we are always here to support our customers with timely and effective logistics solutions.”
Air broker expects early Christmas
Robert Jubb, UK head of freight at broker Air Partner says he is expecting an increase in demand for dedicated cargo flights in the lead-up to Christmas, due to the ongoing shortage of truck drivers.
He commented: “Recent complications to supply chains due to Brexit and a lack of available HGV drivers has seen our enquiries for air freight increase by as much as 60% to meet demand for orders typically fulfilled via sea or road transportation. Sea freight is experiencing significant delays in shipping, due to a short supply of available containers and costs are at their highest, which is driving further interest in air freight. Seafreight continues to run beyond maximum capacity and cargo aircraft are close to being fully-booked between September and the end of the year.”
He expects demand for air freight to surge in the short-term as retailers are recommending to customers to buy their toys and presents earlier than usual ahead of Christmas.”
US funds Alaskan air lifelines
The US Federal Aviation Administration has made $85 million in grants to 19 Alaskan airports through its Airport Improvement Program.
While many of the gateways are small, aviation is the backbone of daily commerce for many communities, including the delivery of food and life-saving supplies.
The projects announced today will not have to pay the usual local match thanks to nearly $100 million in President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act.
They include funds for snow removal equipment, to upgrade runways, taxiways and aprons, lighting, along with other improvements to airfields and seaplane bases.
Freight hub takes airports award
The airline industry acknowledged the importance of cargo when the Ohio Aviation Association named freight-focused Rickenbacker International Airport as its 2021 Airport of the Year. The award honors airports that have made extraordinary accomplishments in aviation.
Rickenbacker is one of the world’s few truly cargo-focused airports, and says it moves airfreight between planes and trucks faster than any other global gateway. Located within a 10-hour drive of half the US and a third of Canadian populations, it supports the world’s largest aircraft and offers services for all aircraft types.
Rickenbacker was recognized for its leadership during an unpredictable year that brought emergency PPE shipments, record-breaking shipments of international cargo and its first passenger aircraft converted for cargo.
It is one of the few non-passenger hub airports to accommodate passenger-freighters – otherwise inactive passenger aircraft used to carry cargo. In September, the airport expects to surpass 1,000 passenger-freighters since May 2020.
Rickenbacker has continued to increase its capacity in order to keep up with demand for PPE as well as consumer goods and manufacturing components. The airport broke records for international all-cargo arrivals in June 2020 with 120 flights, and again in June 2021 with 150 flights. A new pharmaceutical cargo transfer facility is scheduled to open later this year.
President and chief executive of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, Joseph Nardone, said:
“Not only did we weather the storm, but Rickenbacker came out stronger and we will continue to serve as a critical global air cargo gateway.”
Door-to-door for four-legged friends
American Airlines is offering easier travel for our furry friends in the US with a new add-on door-to-door service provided by My Pet Cab.
From 1 September 1, customers booking travel for their cat or dog through American can add a delivery ground transportation service to their reservation so they can welcome their furry companion at home instead of waiting at the cargo terminal.
Agents will provide an exact price quote for My Pet Cab’s services using the delivery address and can book air and ground transportation at the same time.
My Pet Cab drivers will provide real-time text messages to give customers peace of mind. Pets will also have access to My Pet Cab’s 24/7 on-call veterinarians.
Ceva flies urgent equipment to Indonesia
Freight forwarder Ceva Logistics has moved the first oxygen concentrators from Los Angeles to Indonesia via Singapore for an aid project organised by the Changi Airport Group.
With many Southeast Asian and Pacific countries affected by the highly transmissible Delta variant, medical supplies of all kinds are urgently needed. In total, 1,380 machines are being donated by the Changi Foundation together with more than 30 other airport partners, as well as individual airport employees.
Ceva was also appointed by General Motors in April 2020 to manage its entire ventilator production supply chain to support the US pandemic response and was responsible for delivering hundreds of parts to the GM Kokomo, Indiana, facility, settling up the entire supply chain in a week.
PPE lifts air broker to record result
Cargo was the main driver of record financial results for Air Charter Service (ACS), said the UK-based international broker. The company achieved sales of over $1.2 billion in the financial year ending January 2021, thanks largely to the effect of the Covid pandemic.
With up to 80% of air freight usually travelling in the belly of scheduled passenger aircraft, the cancellation of many passenger flights meant that charter solutions were needed to compensate, and ACS was in one of the strongest positions to provide them.
ACS moved a large amount of goods from China including PPE and test kits and, later on, more general cargo from reopening factories, through often overwhelmed airports. As well as using dedicated freighters, ACS’ group charter division also stepped in to source passenger aircraft for use as bellyhold freighters and, in some cases using space in the passenger cabin.
Gulf Air renews Cargospot deal
Gulf Air has signed renewed its agreement with IT specialist for CHAMP for its Cargospot suite, including airline, handling, and revenue accounting. The Bahrain-based carrier will also implement the newly developed ebooking engine, Cargospot Portal, as well as Cargospot Business Intelligence.
Covid hits China airfreight
Freight forwarder Woodland International is warning that airfreight shipments from China are being disrupted following a Covid case was reported at Shanghai’s Pudong Airport Cargo Terminal ( PACTL) All staff have been sent to take tests, and most flights handled by PACTL are expected to be cancelled over the next few days.
Pudong’s China Eastern Cargo Terminal is still operating but with significantly reduced manpower leading to cargo planes departing without being fully loaded.
Shanghai International Airport Services Co was already warning of limited ground handling services at cargo terminals due to drastically reduced staff numbers as a result of Covid cases and strict new regulations which again have resulted in many flights leaving without having been fully loaded or unloaded.