Lufthansa to say goodbye to the paper AWB in March

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February 17, 2022

Lufthansa Cargo says it will only use electronic air waybills from 27 March, with the few remaining paper AWBs digitized on acceptance.

Electronic AWBs will be mandatory on feasible lanes – those for which the regulatory basis for eAWBs is in place – for all forwarding companies. If local regulations require a paper AWB, Lufthansa Cargo will re-produce the AWB and it will accompany the shipment on the flight.

Chief commercial officer Ashwin Bhat says that most of the carrier’s customers already use eAWBs exclusively, adding: “With the new service, we can now easily take all customers with us on our digitization journey and enable them to take the step towards paperless transport as well.”

In 2020, IATA announced an industry goal to achieve 100% eAWB by the end of 2022.

Vice president global fulfillment management at Lufthansa Cargo, Dr Jan-Wilhelm Breithaupt, added: “We have implemented the eAWB process as an industry standard of IATA continuously and worldwide at Lufthansa Cargo since 2014. A five-year data quality initiative that de-cluttered the data interface between customers and Lufthansa Cargo was, among other things, an important cornerstone that enabled sustainable eAWB penetration and consistent top positions in global rankings.”

Singapore Airlines opts for Cargo.one

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Chris Lewis

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February 17, 2022

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Singapore Airlines Cargo is to make its services available on the Cargo.one digital booking platform. Freight forwarders can search, book, amend and track bookings in real time. The airline’s decision was based on Cargo.one’s technology, track record and collaborative approach.

Hermes makes a splash with data lakes solution

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Chris Lewis

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February 17, 2022

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Cargo Management Systems provider Hermes Logistics Technologies is offering a new iteration of its Business Intelligence and Data Lakes solution. Part of its software as a service suite of applications that within the Hermes New Generation system.

The upgrades improve the way the data is collected, extracted, and modelled for cargo handlers. Data ‘lakes’ have been created for operations and tonnage, service level agreement compliance, door and truck processing, finance, warehousing, and service delivery issues, all of which are ‘hydrated’ in real time.

Sitting within the Cloud, they can be accessed easily from anywhere and the app is encrypted to guarantee security.

WFS adds to Turkish Cargo business in Texas

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Chris Lewis

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February 17, 2022

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Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has extended its cargo handling partnerships with Turkish Airlines at Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston.

In Dallas it has started handling services for the airline’s four Boeing 777 passenger flights to Istanbul. The new contract at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport will begin in March and will cover 3-4 freighter flights per week plus daily B777 passenger services to Istanbul. WFS already has a freighter ramp handling contract with the airline in Houston.

WFS expects to handle some 31,000 tonnes of cargo a year for the carrier at the two airports.

Executive vice president Americas at WFS, Mike Simpson, said: “These contracts extend our existing cooperation in Houston, while Dallas/Fort Worth is a new station for WFS to provide service to Turkish Airlines.”

WFS handles over 245,000 tonnes of cargo annually in the two airports and provides warehouse and freighter ramp handling. WFS’ acquisition of US handler, Pinnacle Logistics, in September 2021 has also added road feeder services to its portfolio, connecting Dallas and Houston and other major cargo gateways in North America.

Etihad to transport at risk animals for free

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Chris Lewis

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February 17, 2022

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Etihad Cargo has launched a Forever Home policy to support not-for-profit transport of live animals at risk. It will consider requests from bona fide rescue and animal welfare organisations. Senior vice president sales and cargo, Martin Drew, said: “As one of the first airlines to sign the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce Declaration, Etihad Cargo has a strong track record in animal welfare. Forever Home expands that commitment to cover all animals – whether they are pets, racehorses, or exotic species. All rescue requests will be subject to due diligence and, if approved, the rescue organisations or individuals can be assured of specialised animal transportation at the best possible rate.”

The UAE’s national carrier recently earned IATA Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Live certification for its LiveAnimals service.

United to resume Cape Town flights

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Chris Lewis

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February 11, 2022

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United Airlines plans to resume flights between the US and Cape Town, South Africa from June 5. A 787-9 Dreamliner will operate three times a week between New York Newark and Cape Town International Airport, subject to government approval.

Austrian forwarder heads down Mexico way

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Chris Lewis

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February 11, 2022

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Austrian-owned forwarder Gebrüder Weiss has opened a new location at El Paso, Texas on the border with Mexico, in response to growing traffic to and from the US.

Gebrüder Weiss has been active in the US with its own national company since 2017 and now operates eight locations offering for air and sea freight, land transport and warehousing. It US head office is in Chicago with other locations comprising Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, El Paso, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.

Country Manager for the US, Mark McCullough, said: “Mexico’s position as a production location for the US automotive, steel, and textile industries is becoming increasingly important. With our new location in El Paso, we can now offer our customers cross-border transport services.”

With a population of around 700,000, El Paso is the sixth largest city in Texas and a major border crossing point. Its largest industries include textiles, automotive, biomedical and electronics.

DoKaSch gains Japan approval

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Chris Lewis

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February 10, 2022

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DoKaSch Temperature Solutions receives has gained technical approval by Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways for its Opticooler active containers. Forwarders can now use the packaging solution on all flights operated by Japan’s two largest airlines. The technical approvals allow the Opticooler to be used in the cargo holds of the two airlines’ fleets. The two carriers operate a hub at Narita International Airport where half of Japan’s total pharmaceutical trade is handled.

Emirates launches flights to Chicago’s Rockford International

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Chris Lewis

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February 10, 2022

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Emirates SkyCargo has started freighter flights to Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD), the first international scheduled cargo service to the Midwest gateway.

The Dubai-based airline will operate scheduled and ad-hoc flights to the gateway with a combination of Boeing 777-F full freighter and Boeing 777-300ER ‘preighter’, complenting existing services through the main city gateway, Chicago O’Hare and Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus.

Emirates divisional senior vice president Nabil Sultan said the new route would add “yet more connectivity to further boost trade between the US Midwest and the rest of the world.”

Executive director of Chicago Rockford International Airport, Mike Dunn, added: “Securing our first international scheduled airline air cargo service with a major global airline like Emirates marks a major milestone in the history of our airport.”

He thanked the team at Emirates for “the tremendous amount of hard work, professionalism and commitment they have shown in making this project happen. I also want to thank my cargo team and the team at Emery Air for stepping up and coming through a rigorous compliance process. We have all been on a long journey to get to this point, but is a journey that is now really only just beginning and where we look forward to developing a long-term relationship with Emirates.

“This exciting new air cargo service will provide added choice for importers and exporters looking to ship into and out of the Chicago Midwest market and wider catchment area, where this new network combination of Emirates and RFD can play a vital role in providing the flexibility, cost savings and efficiencies air cargo shippers are looking for as we enter a new era of air cargo operations.”

Rockford International is 68 miles northwest of Chicago O’Hare Airport and is the 17th largest cargo airport in North America. Currently, fifteen international airlines serve destinations around the world and the Airport is also home to UPS’ second largest hub in north America and is a major base for Amazon Air.

Releye RLP gets a big sister – the Releye RAP

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Chris Lewis

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February 10, 2022

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Envirotainerhas launched its Releye RAP temperature-controlled airfreight container, complemented by its new Control Tower managed service. With a five-pallet capacity, it is the largest of the company’s new generation Releye containers and is designed to meet the strictest requirements for pharmaceuticals. Integrated live monitoring gives insight into product condition, location and progress of the shipment, says Envirotainer.

Based on the same platform and technology as the three-pallet Releye RLP launched in 2021, the Releye RAP is the second in a family of temperature-controlled containers that Envirotainer is developing. Envirotainer says it offers the largest internal volume for temperature-controlled air freight shipments, and hence makes more efficient use of air cargo capacity, achieving the best total landed cost and the lowest CO₂ footprint in the industry.

The Envirotainer Control Tower service is a global team of operators that follow shipments’ every move, ready to respond within minutes to any critical event. The service is included with all Releye leases.

Swiss WorldCargo, a major carrier of intensive care pharmaceutical shipments, will shortly become one of the first carriers to shortly approve the Releye RAP container and add it to its portfolio. Its Head of cargo at Swiss International Air Lines, Lorenzo Stoll, said: “We really appreciate our close partnership with Envirotainer and are proud to be at the forefront to soon operate the new Envirotainer Releye RAP and welcoming it into our temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals solutions portfolio.

“The Releye RAP sets a new benchmark for temperature-controlled five-pallet solutions. It combines newest technology and reaches outstanding CO₂ reductions per shipment. This fully aligns with our own focus on sustainable offering and continued reduction of the carbon footprint.”

Envirotainer chief executive Peter Gisel-Ekdahl, commented: “When we launched the new Releye RLP in May 2021, we raised the bar in cold chain transportation to new heights of control, monitoring and autonomy. Now, with the launch of Releye RAP, we raise the bar yet another notch in terms of value and sustainability.”

Chief business development officer, Fredrik Linnér, added: “The COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing. Air cargo capacity is constrained and there’s a huge demand for intercontinental shipments. Organisations that qualify the Releye RAP will secure access to the most cost-efficient and sustainable solution for temperature-controlled airfreight.”