Emirates SkyCargo has become the first Middle Eastern carrier top partner with the PayCargo logistics payment platform. It simplifies the payment process through an online solution that connects carriers with freight forwarders and vendors on a single platform. Emirates SkyCargo customers in the UAE can now make instant payments via credit card or direct debit, ensuring same-day or next-business-day cargo release.
Kuehne+Nagel heads off global challenges
Switzerland-headquartered Kuehne+Nagel Group said on 24 July that it achieved solid operational performance in the first half of 2025, despite many external challenges.
Net turnover increased by 8% year-over-year to CHF 12.5 billion, or by 12% when adjusted for foreign exchange effects. EBIT totaled CHF 744 million, and earnings were CHF 555 million. Volumes increased significantly, particularly in Air Logistics.
Underlying earnings assessments and expectations for 2025 are unchanged and the forwarder now expects a recurring EBIT between CHF 1.45 billion and CHF 1.65 billion.
Chief executive Stefan Paul, said: “Our solid operational performance in the first half of 2025 once again demonstrated our resilience in a challenging market environment. The push of our strategic sales initiatives is proving to be highly effective. In Air Logistics, we increased volumes by 7% – that’s well above overall market growth.”
Kuehne+Nagel has meanwhile strengthened its collaboration with European aerospace firm Airbus in Spain, expanding its agreement to helicopter maintenance, repair, and overhaul activities.
The operations cover in-plant logistics, inter-site transport services, warehouse-to-line deliveries, supply fulfilment centre operations, and spare parts management. Over 900 employees of Kuehne+Nagel work at 16 sites in Albacete, Cádiz, Madrid, Sevilla Toledo, and Zaragoza.
Swiss WorldCargo joins United-Lufthansa cargo alliance
Swiss WorldCargo is to join its sister company Lufthansa Cargo’s and United Cargo’s existing joint business agreement for Transatlantic routes to and from Europe.
Lufthansa Cargo and United Cargo have cooperated in various areas over the past few years, including sales, customer relations and networks between the US and Europe.
Under the expanded joint business agreement, the three carriers will cooperate on cargo traffic between more than 200 destinations to and from the US and Europe.
Head of Swiss WorldCargo, Alain Chisari, said: “This agreement marks an important milestone in strengthening our collaboration, broadening our global network and offering our customers increased flexibility and connectivity. By joining this partnership, we reaffirm our commitment to delivering high-quality, reliable, and efficient air cargo solutions worldwide.”
Lufthansa Cargo chief executive, Ashwin Bhat, added: “The entry of Swiss WorldCargo into Lufthansa Cargo’s successful joint venture with United Cargo marks a significant milestone in enhancing collaboration and adding value for our customers. This expanded business agreement offers customers benefits, especially an even denser network and more seamless booking possibilities ensuring greater flexibility and reliability for their shipments.
“The combined synergies further enhance service quality and represent a step towards sustainable growth in a volatile and very competitive market for Lufthansa Cargo and its partners.”
And United Cargo president, Jan Krems, concluded: “We are proud to welcome Swiss WorldCargo into our transatlantic joint venture with Lufthansa Cargo and United Cargo. This expanded collaboration brings together three premium carriers with complementary networks, operational expertise, and shared values.
“By coordinating schedules, aligning handling processes, and streamlining booking and tracking systems, we’re creating a more seamless experience for our customers – offering greater capacity, more consistent service, and improved access across key US and European markets. This partnership strengthens our ability to meet growing demand and deliver smarter, more efficient solutions across the air cargo supply chain.”
Air Canada Cargo launches new-look platform
Air Canada Cargo has redesigned its eBooking platform. Customers can now get real-time feedback and validation, create batch bookings, e-AWB and submit release letters.
The interface has been made more user-friendly with a dashboard to keep track of shipments with dynamic booking flows and calculation fields.
Auto-confirmation is available for general cargo shipments of 50 kg (0.3 m3) or less.
It is also possible to submit feedback and questions directly from the dashboard and bookings can be saved as templates.
Swissport acquires London handler ASC
Swissport, a global leader in airport ground services and air cargo handling, has signed binding transaction agreements to acquire ASC, which provides ground handling and cargo services at London Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
It said that the move would provide additional capability and gives it access to additional cargo capacity at two warehouses at London Heathrow.
Warwick Brady, President and chief executive of Swissport International, Warwick Brady, said: “The UK is one of our core markets worldwide. Strengthening our presence in the country is a key pillar of our growth strategy. Swissport has a clear M&A strategy to enhance our platform in markets where we can optimise growth, margin and resilience across the portfolio.”
Karen Cox, Swissport’s chief executive for the UK and Ireland, commented: “Swissport and ASC share the same values of safety, operational excellence, customer focus and innovative technology solutions. This means brilliant opportunities for our employees as they are part of a growing, global company in a thriving sector. We are very much looking forward to welcoming ASC into the Swissport family.”
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.
ASC has 624 employees at Heathrow and Gatwick and handles 12,000 flights a year for 17 airlines.
Cargo.one brings power of AI to bear on airfreight quotation
The Cargo.one platform is now offering AI-powered quoting and rate management capabilities to help forwarders win more business.
AI automates extraction of shipment details and rate collection, eliminating manual data entry and quote preparation time, with a unified queue feature enabling team collaboration on quotations. Cargo.one now brings all rates, including ad hoc, together into a single workspace, allowing end-to-end quoting for every opportunity.
According to the platform, forwarders using the new capabilities report improved efficiency and faster quote turnaround times, leading to increased conversion rates.
The freight forwarding industry has long struggled with fragmented workflows that force teams to chase rates across different tools, and manually copy data. This slows down quoting processes and prevents teams from focusing on more worthwhile activities like building customer relationships and handling complex shipments or large tenders.
The latest product release addresses these challenges with three AI-powered automation to accelerate quoting, enhanced rate management system with all rate types needed for complete door-to-door pricing in one place, and integrated workflows that enable freight forwarders to work on opportunities and quotations from one central queue.
Freight forwarders receive hundreds of quote requests daily, with teams spending hours manually processing requests and logging data. Cargo.one uses AI to extract shipment details from incoming emails and collect relevant rates from its AI-native database.
Alongside the platform’s live and static rates, forwarders can now manually request rates from airline sales teams directly on the platform, while leveraging their own consol and gateway rates. Comprehensive rate coverage enables forwarders to compare all rate options, while ensuring full control over rate access by teams.
Freight forwarders using cargo.one can prioritize opportunities and quotes in a central queue, access every rate needed, and sync quotes directly to their system.
Saudia spearheads export campaign
Saudia Cargo has launched a ‘BEYOND’ campaign to promote its country’s exports, as part of Saudi Vision 2030.
It is a joint venture with the Saudi Export Development Authority and the “Saudi Made” program, which aims to stimulate national industries. Saudia Cargo’s exports have already enjoyed growth of 14% last year compared to previous years.
The carrier will use its capabilities to transport products, agricultural crops, dairy products, and other national exports and open up new horizons for local manufacturers and small and medium-sized enterprises. The company also seeks to increase exports to new trade corridors including Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Addis Ababa, Jakarta, and Cairo. Saudia Cargo also launched a new route to Zhengzhou in China this year.
Abu Dhabi launches vaccine hub
The Abu Dhabi Department of Health has (DoH) launched operations at the region’s vaccine distribution hub.
Operated by Rafed, a subsidiary of PureHealth, the hub was developed in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Investment Office, GSK, AD Ports Group, Etihad Cargo, and KEZAD Group. It designed to improve vaccine access across the region. It leverages Abu Dhabi’s strategic location, advanced cold-chain logistics infrastructure, and a regulatory environment.
Its opening follows an agreement signed between DoH and drugs firm GSK during Abu Dhabi Global Healthcare Week in 2024 to establish regional vaccine distribution capabilities in the emirate. The facility becomes GSK’s first vaccine distribution centre in the Middle East and the fourth worldwide.
The hub’s activation also marks one of the first major operational milestones under HELM – Abu Dhabi’s Life Science Cluster, which was officially launched in April 2025 during Abu Dhabi Global Health Week. HELM brings together government, industry, and academia to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position in precision health, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and biopharma logistics.
DoH undersecretary Dr Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, said: “More than a logistics milestone, this reflects our long-term vision to position Abu Dhabi as a trusted partner in global health where innovation and resilience translate into timely access and measurable public health impact. Through this hub, we are making vaccines more accessible to communities across borders and strengthening the UAE’s leadership in preventive, future-ready healthcare.”
The facility will manage a portfolio of more than 20 vaccines, supporting immunisation strategies across multiple markets. Designed for scalability, the hub can accommodate emerging vaccine technologies and increased regional demand.
GSK Gulf vice president and general manager, Boyd Chongphaisal, commented: “Through our strategic partnership with DoH and local stakeholders, we are combining scientific excellence with operational strength to ensure timely, efficient delivery of vaccines across the region. This initiative is a testament to Abu Dhabi’s position in the global value chain, strengthening its role in global health and innovation.”
Rafed, the operator of the facility, has deployed advanced cold-chain and smart distribution technologies that preserve vaccine integrity and ensure end-to-end visibility throughout the logistics process. The hub is fully integrated with Etihad Cargo’s PharmaLife network, which connects Abu Dhabi to more than 100 international destinations and offers time-sensitive, temperature-controlled freight services tailored for pharmaceutical products.
Its chief executive, Mohammad Mustafa Saeed, added: “The launch of this regional vaccine distribution hub is a tangible expression of our strategy to strengthen health systems, improve access, and build resilience across borders. By deploying advanced cold-chain and smart distribution technologies, we are enabling real-time, end-to-end visibility. We remain focused on supporting governments and health partners with confidence and reliability to achieve better health outcomes for communities from Abu Dhabi across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.”
The facility is expected to distribute millions of doses annually, shortening delivery timelines across the region and improving the integrity of vaccine supply.
Etihad chief cargo officer, Stanislas Brun, said: “Our network and specialised PharmaLife product play a critical role in transporting temperature-sensitive vaccines reliably and efficiently across the region. We are proud to support Abu Dhabi’s vision of becoming a global leader in life sciences and supply chain excellence.”
ACS keeps the beers flowing in Mexico
Air Charter Service’s Mexican office helped avert a brewery shutdown in June when it flew in half a ton of beer hops from Washington State.
was contacted by a leading alcoholic beverage manufacturer in Mexico, who was facing a brewery shut down and needed just over half a ton of beer hops transported from Washington State to Mexico City, a journey of more than two and a half thousand miles, within the next 24 hours.
Marco Circosta, ACS Mexico chief executive said that the broker was contacted by a freight forwarder customer in Mexico whose client urgently needed a delivery of hops to avoid a production line shut down. The hops needed to be in Mexico within 24 hours so ACS quickly got to work sourcing an aircraft and found a Falcon 20 available nearby and easily loadable, as it had a side cargo door that could fit the 561-kilogram load in on just one pallet.
However, a complication was that, as the cargo was not traveling under refrigeration, so customs, loading and offloading processes had to be expedited From initial phone call to completion of the charter was just under 20 hours.
Walden to sell healthcare interests to Yusen Logistics
Walden Group has entered negotiations to sell its Walden Health activities to NYK’s forwarding arm, Yusen Logistics.
Since it was founded in 1951, Walden has grown from a French domestic to a pan-European operator itself acquiring Movianto from Owens and Minor in 2020. However, it said that as the healthcare logistics market becomes increasingly global, the sale would allow Walden Health to expand its footprint beyond Europe, while building on Yusen Logistics Group’s global infrastructure and digital capabilities to enhance service quality and resilience.
Walden Group would meanwhile continue to invest in its Mobility division, including and Relais Colis Ciblex express delivery services.
Walden Health has operations in 12 European countries, serving pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesalers, and healthcare providers with some 5,400 employees.
Yusen Logistics Group chairman and chief executive, Hiroki Harada, said the move was: A significant step in our journey to become a leading healthcare logistics player and we look forward to welcoming Walden Health into our group. We have been expanding healthcare logistics for the past years by enhancing our capability worldwide to provide customers with various logistics services. We believe combination between Walden Health’s high professionalism with longstanding reputation and our global network can make our healthcare logistics service truly unique.”
Chairman of Walden Group, Stephane Baudry, added: “Thanks to Yusen Logistics Group, Walden Health will develop into a truly global player, capable of offering end-to-end services to clients, building on a strong innovative DNA focused on improving patient care with an unwavering commitment to quality. I am delighted to see the strong cultural and strategic fit of the two organizations and truly believe that Walden Health is set for continued success.”