Iraq first with dnata digital system

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February 8, 2022

Handling company dnata has implemented its ‘OneCargo’ digital processes at Erbil in Iraq, ahead of the advanced tool’s planned global launch.

OneCargo automates key business and operational functions, including safety and quality monitoring, reporting and ULD management, with an integrated, Cloud-based platform. AI-driven tools and analytics provide enhanced visibility of sales and business performance, allowing customers to match real-time demand with available capacity. It also eliminates manual check sheets.

Having launched the system in Iraq, dnata plans to gradually implement OneCargo at stations including Pakistan, Switzerland, UAE, US and Zanzibar. It says that, by 2023, OneCargo will have a user base of over 2,000 staff members at ten stations in six countries.

Divisional senior vice president for airport operations, David Barker, said: “The implementation of OneCargo in Erbil is a major milestone which paves the way for the global launch of this advanced digital solution. In addition to improving operational and commercial performance, OneCargo will help us drive synergies across our international network and ultimately offer more value to our customers.”

Turkish Cargo moves all operations to new Istanbul mega-hub

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Chris Lewis

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February 8, 2022

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Turkish Cargo is now handling all its Istanbul operations at the city’s new airport, following the transfer of freighter flights to its new SMARTIST facility.

The carrier moved its bellyhold cargo operations to the Istanbul Airport following its opening in April 2019, but continued to handle freighter flights at the old Ataturk Airport.

The relocation operation took 72 hours, performed by 50 trucks at the Relocation Control Center established at the Ataturk Airport. During the operation the trucks covered a distance of 16,000km, moving 4,125 pieces of equipment to Istanbul Airport.

Chief cargo officer of Turkish Airlines, Turhan Ozen, said: “During the last three years, we carried out a highly substantial operation in both of our hubs. While we made use of our freighters at the Ataturk Airport, we benefited from our passenger aircraft and the paxfre (cargo flights operated by a passenger aircraft without passengers on board) capacity at Istanbul Airport. We performed approximately 30 thousand flights, 23,000 of which were performed by making use of our freighters and 6,000 of which were by paxfre, and we transported more than 4 million air cargo shipments, 2.5 million tons of which were transported from/to the Ataturk Airport and 1.8 million tons of which were transported from/to the Istanbul Airport.”

“Now, we are gathering the air cargo operations which we have been carrying out on a dual hub basis without compromising our service quality, under a single roof at Istanbul Airport. Thanks to SMARTIST, our new home with all of its processes equipped with autonomous and robotic systems, we are now ready for the future.”

The SMARTIST facility will ultimately have an annual capacity of 4 million tons on an area of 340,000sq metres (3.66m sq ft) on the completion of all phases. It is equipped with technologies such as Augmented Reality, Automatic Storage Systems, Robotic Process Automation and Unmanned Ground Vehicles,

The last Turkish Cargo flight to take off from Ataturk Airport was TK6455 to Khartoum, Sudan, operated by an Airbus 330F.

DHL signs up for 33 million litres of green fuel from DHL

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Chris Lewis

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February 8, 2022

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DHL Global Forwarding has signed a deal with Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP) to buy 33 million litres of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), described as one of the most significant SAF purchases in the forwarding industry.

The initiative is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group’s Sustainability Roadmap, which aims to spend €7 billion on green technologies by 2030 and reduce all logistics-related emissions to zero by 2050.

When purchasing a DHL service, customers can select a sustainable option and the emissions reduction will be credited to their account. Since it is nearly impossible to physically track SAF from production to the aircraft, this ‘book & claim’ scheme offers a digital accounting system to track and transfer emissions reductions from sustainable fuels. As companies can own SAF by buying and selling it without physically tracing the fuel through the supply chain, this makes SAF accessible for all companies, says DHL.

AFKLMP has made a number of similar deals with customers including a pledge to use SAF on flights from Nairobi in Kenya to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, carrying Total Touch Cargo Holland agricultural and horticultural products.

Bolloré Logistics in Mexico and Air France KLM Cargo are also sponsoring up to 30% of clients’ purchases that use SAF.

Etihad learns to speak Chinese

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Chris Lewis

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February 8, 2022

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Etihad Cargo has launched a Mandarin edition of its website. With China contributing to more than 20 per cent of Etihad Cargo’s operations, the country represents one of the UAE national carrier’s biggest markets. All visitors to etihadcargo.com from China will automatically be routed to the Mandarin version of the site, where they will be able to access information about product offerings, as well as station capabilities, feedback options, and claims’ details in the local language.

TIACA appoints green awards jury

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Chris Lewis

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February 7, 2022

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The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has appointed a six-strong jury for its 2021 Air Cargo Sustainability Awards, run in partnership with IT solutions providers CHAMP Cargosystems. The two awards recognize outstanding businesses and industry initiatives to make air cargo more sustainable. – one for start-up/small business and the second for corporate and established businesses.

The jury comprises Chris McDermott, chief executive, CHAMP Cargo Systems, Jaisey Yip, general manager, cargo and logistics development, Changi Airport Group, Liana Coyne, director, Coyne Airways, Andrea Tang, international trade lawyer, FIATA, Patricia Varela, assistant manager operations innovation and change management, IATA and Hendrik Leyssens, vice president, global operations, cargo, Swissport.

The three finalists in the Start-up/Small Business category will be asked to share their initiative with the audience during the Executive Summit in San Francisco, March 22-25. The audience will then participate in the decision as to which initiative will receive the first-place prize of $10,000 USD and the two runner-up prizes of $2,500 USD each.

The winner in the Corporate category will be announced ahead of the event and recognized for their efforts in making air cargo more sustainable.

Women’s group launches mentoring scheme

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Chris Lewis

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February 3, 2022

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Women in Aviation and Logistics (WAL) has launched its mentorship scheme, matching 27 industry leaders – 16 women and 11 men – with aspiring female professionals around the world. The free-to-join programme will run until April, with mentors and mentees making a minimum four-hour commitment over four months. Participants will provide their feedback and lessons learnt at the end of their mentorship for further improvement of the programme.

The programme aims to empower female professionals who will be the future heads of cargo companies and board members.

Chief commercial officer of aviation software firm Awery, and WAL mentor, Tristan Koch: said: “I am delighted to be part of the WAL initiative and I hope that my experience of the air cargo industry will be helpful in ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity of succeeding in what is a vitally important global service. I was fortunate to be one of the inaugural mentors on the American Airlines’ mentorship programme promoting female development throughout the company.

“I saw the incredible success stories that emanated from that and am keen to take that to the wider industry.”

Megha Palkar, assistant manager at IATA’s Cargo iQ quality program and WAL mentee, added: “The mentoring programme and database of speakers are concrete steps that can change the tone of the entire industry. I am looking forward to learning from the experience of ‘people that made it’ and making air cargo a more innovative and equitable space for all.”

Over 50 delegates joined the WAL mentorship kick-off call hosted by Céline Hourcade (pictured top left) and Meantime Communications’ Emma Murray (bottom left).

Qatar signs up for Boeing’s new 777-8 freighter

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Chris Lewis

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February 3, 2022

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Qatar Airways is to be the launch customer for Boeing’s new 777-8 freighter with an order for up to 50 aircraft.

The Middle East carrier has signed a firm order for 34 jets and options for 16 more worth more than $20 billion at current list prices and the largest freighter commitment in Boeing’s history by value.

The 777-8F will be the largest and longest-range twin-engine freighter ever, with payload nearly identical to the four-engined 747-400 freighter and a 25% improvement in fuel efficiency, emissions and operating costs.

It has a range of 4,410 miles (8,167 km) and a maximum structural payload of 118 tonnes, helping operators to reduce stops and reduce landing fees on long-haul routes.

Under the agreement, Qatar Airways will convert 20 of its 60 777X family orders to the 777-8 Freighter. The carrier is also ordering two current 777 Freighters to capitalize on the buoyant air cargo market.

IAG restores Latin America routes to pre-Covid levels

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Chris Lewis

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February 3, 2022

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IAG Cargo says it now offers capacity to nearly every destination in Latin America which it operated pre-pandemic. It has has increased services Madrid, London and Barcelona to Colombia and Argentina from Madrid and is now offering daily capacity between Sao Paolo and Buenos Aires. The carrier – which comprises British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vuelling now serves 17 destinations in Latin America from.

Some 14 flights per week now operate between Madrid and Bogota, Colombia, compared with ten previously along with three existing flights per week to Cali. It has also increased flights between Madrid and Buenos Aires from 8 to 10 and between London-Heathrow and Mexico City from five to

IAG Cargo’s new service between Sao Paolo and Buenos Aires will not only provide cargo capacity between the two cities but offer the opportunity to fly freight across its network onto transatlantic routes. All services are operated wide-body aircraft.

IAG Cargo now operates over 250 weekly services to the region, all using wide-body aircraft. The service has proved particularly valuable to the automotive and manufacturing and to the medical sector. The extra capacity also benefits perishable exporters seeking to transport fresh produce into Europe and the UK, an important period in the run up to Valentine’s Day.

Rodrigo Casal, Regional Commercial Manager for Latin America at IAG Cargo, said: “These additional flights will provide a welcome boost to businesses trading between Europe, UK and Latin America. Additionally, we are delighted to be able to offer regular wide-body capacity between Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, on flights that feed into London and Madrid. Our global network allows customers a gateway to the world, connecting automotive freight to assembly plants in Europe, or perishables onto the supermarket shelves in the UK.”

IAG Cargo announced a new route from Heathrow to Guayaquil, Ecuador in 2021 along with increased flights to Sao Paolo, Brazil and Mexico City. Regular flights to San Juan, Puerto Rico and from Heathrow to Rio de Janiero were also re-started in 2021.

Lufthansa scores top marks in iQ test

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Chris Lewis

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February 2, 2022

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Lufthansa Cargo has been recertified by auditing company SGS to IATA’s Cargo iQ Standards for quality management. The carrier achieved three out of three for, among other things, implementation of the Cargo iQ milestone system, in particular for its performance in the Corporate Social Responsibility, Innovative Spirit and Contribution to the Cargo iQ Community. Cargo iQ is an IATA community of interest, connecting more than 60 members in the air cargo industry, including airlines, forwarders, ground handling agents and IT providers. It provides metrics and a quality management system to monitor and evaluate compliance with customer promises.

Online bookings nearly triple at AirBridgeCargo

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Chris Lewis

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February 2, 2022

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Volga-Dnepr Group ‘s AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) says its digital bookings increased by 274% in 2021 compared with 2020.

The company has been developing its eBookings and eFreight systems on its website as well as approaching online booking platforms.

The carrier says it was one of the first cargo operators to join online booking platforms back in 2019, starting with Cargo.One followed by WebCargo and CargoAi.

It has worked closely with the booking platforms to expand online booking capabilities for customers in China, Japan, South Korea and other Far East countries.

Commercial director Alexey Zotov said: “With customers becoming more digitally minded, we aim to adapt the same digital experience they have become accustomed to as consumers and transfer it in the business-to-business environment. We have been in close dialogue with our key accounts to see how we could increase online bookings and integrate our capabilities into their internal transport management systems. This will enable more seamless customer experience and open new opportunities for further cooperation, including in the area of integrated logistics solutions which we are set to expand”.

In 2022 and beyond, AirBridgeCargo and Volga-Dnepr Group plan to transform their internal cargo management system to create smoother booking and confirmation, but also offer customer relationship management (CRM), invoicing and revenue management.