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Hopping the Atlantic

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Broker Air Charter Service was recently entrusted with a critical mission – getting 104 tons of hops from Frankfurt to Mexico to keep seven breweries in the country running.

With a leading brewer facing supply chain issues, Air Charter Service stepped in to help with the delivery of from Germany.
ACS Mexico chief executive, Marco Circosta, commented: “We were contacted by our freight forwarder customer in Mexico whose client had seven of its breweries urgently requiring several tons of hops each for producing their beers. Their regular supply of hops comes from Germany, where there had been a wave of strikes in the weeks prior, meaning there was a huge backlog, which is why they required a whole charter.
“The hops needed to be in Mexico within four days of the customer first contacting us, so we quickly got to work sourcing a large enough aircraft, that was not only available, but could also obtain permits in the tight timeframe. An added consideration was that the temperature of the 136 pallets of hops had to be kept between 0 and 7 degrees Celsius throughout the operation.
“The six truckloads of cargo arrived at Liege Airport in Belgium, where the Boeing 747-400F that we had sourced was waiting. After the cargo was loaded onto the temperature controlled aircraft, it departed – via a fuel stop at New York’s JFK – for Felipe Ángeles International, just north of Mexico City, where it was met by refrigerated trucks and delivered well within the timeframe.”

Windracers to trial cargo drones in the Orkneys

Windracers, the maker of the Ultra self-flying cargo aircraft is trialling a drone delivery service in the Orkney islands in Scotland. It will run a scheduled service over 90 days in July and August with the twin-engine fixed-wing aircraft between Eday, Westray and North Ronaldsay a number of times each week.

The flight schedule will be integrated with the network pof Streamline Shipping Group, which handles over 90% of last-mile deliveries to the islands.

The trial is part of the Sustainable Aviation Test Environment (SATE) programme and is part-funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Flight Challenge. Its aim is to demonstrate that drones can transport meaningful payloads reliably, cost-effectively and sustainably in remote areas.

Windracers’ ULTRA will operate in segregated airspace, with the Civil Aviation Authority allowing it to fly autonomously within a number of temporary danger areas for the 90-day period. Longer-term, the company is looking towards non-segregated operations using Transponder Mandatory Zones, which would enable the system to ‘see’ and be seen by other air traffic.
Will Rodger, service manager at Streamline Shipping Group said: “As part of our path to net zero, we are running a number of trials including drone-based deliveries, unmanned seafaring vessels, and hydrogen HGVs. Drones present an opportunity to make more regular deliveries and collections – potentially increasing twice-weekly routes to become daily, which would have a massive impact on residents and businesses.”

The drones can carry 100 kg up to 1000 km and take off, fly and land safely without the need of a remote pilot thanks to autopilot technology. Its systems are dual or triple redundant to ensure it can fly safely in the event of a hardware or software failure. 

Jayne Golding, SATE manager at the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership added: “We’re delighted to reach this milestone for Windracers to trial the Ultra in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. These trials are essential for the programme and for our technical partners, demonstrating capabilities and indeed the opportunities. We look forward to engaging the community and wider stakeholders in the activity.”

Windracers is planning a further trial later in the year between Orkney and the Shetland islands, about 100 miles to the north.

Quick work keeps Chile plant working

Ukrainian-owned specialist carrier Antonov Airlines NEO Air Charter and Logwin have moved parts for a quicklime kiln from Italy and Brazil to a wood production plant in Chile.

The parts, totalling about 80 tons, needed to be changed during a shutdown in a strict timeframe.

The movement was organised from Italy via Brazil to Chile on an AN124 aircraft.

FedEx opens first European Life Science Center in Veldhoven

FedEx has opened its first European Life Science Center in Veldhoven, the Netherlands.The temperature-controlled facility joins a global network that can receive, store, kit, and pick, pack and ship healthcare products and is GDP (Good Distribution Practices)–licensed.

The 1,000sq m warehouse has four temperature-controlled rooms and freezers for temperatures ranging from -80 °C to +25 °C and is monitored 24/7, with each temperature zone having its own alarm system. It also includes specialised packaging, proactive monitoring solutions and value-added services such as labelling and reverse logistics.

FedEx already operates similar sites in Memphis, Mumbai,, Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo.

Vice president ground operations at FedEx Benelux, Marius Penninks, said: “As global demand for healthcare continues to rise, having a robust logistics solution is crucial for the safe, timely, and efficient delivery of medicines, clinical trials, and biological products. This new Life Science Center positions us perfectly to be the vital link in the medical transport supply chain, facilitating the timely delivery of care to patients.”

Veldhoven is in the ‘Brainport Eindhoven’ region which received a €2.5bn Government investment through the ‘Project Beethoven’ scheme to boost start-ups in innovative technology and biotech sciences.

Menzies renews key Dutch contract

Menzies Aviation has renewed its cargo and ground handling contract with Dutch flag carrier, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Menzies will provide cargo warehouse and ramp handling services for all KLM/Martinair freighter operations at AMS for the next five years, its largest contract at the gateway. The extension will see teams at the airport manage approximately 600 aircraft turns and handle almost 100,000 tonnes of cargo every year.

The renewal was announced at an official signing ceremony today at Menzies’ cargo facility at AMS with Miguel Gomez, EVP Europe and Dave Beekman, SVP Benelux from Menzies were joined by KLM Cargo’s Koen Bolster, vice president worldwide operations and Paul van der Wardt, general manager Martinair Cargo.

Miami to build four-storey airfreight hub

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The Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners has approved $400 million in private investment to construct a four-story cargo facility at Miami International Airport – the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.

When completed, it will increase the airport’s total cargo capacity by at least 50% or potentially up to two million tons annually. Scheduled for completion in 2029, the new facility will bring MIA’s total capacity to a minimum of 4.5 million tons of cargo and potentially 5 million tons, future-proofing the busiest US international freight airport until 2041. The airport is on pace for more than 2.9 million tons of cargo this year.

The Vertically Integrated Cargo Community (VICC) will be a 800,000sq ft facility on 11 acres of airport land. It is expected to create 2,500 new permanent and generate a minimum of $512 million in rent and business revenue to Miami-Dade County’s Aviation Department over the 40 years of the agreement.

The Board of County Commissioners approved a lease agreement with a private developer that will require at least 60% of the design and construction firms to be headquartered in Miami-Dade County, and for those firms to hire registered small businesses during all project phases.

VICC will have a silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and a silver certification from Global Infrastructure Basel under SuRe standards for sustainability and resiliency.

Miami-Dade County Mayor, Daniella Levine Cava, said: “This is great news for our community and our economy. MIA is our largest economic engine, generating thousands of jobs for our residents and significant income for many of our leading industries, from tourism to small businesses.

“With the construction of this unprecedented, state-of-the-art air cargo facility now on track, the sky is the limit for where MIA can lead the air cargo industry globally after consecutive record-breaking years in cargo growth since 2020.”

Miami-Dade County Commissioner, Raquel Regalado, added: “For the past three and a half years, we have prioritized expanding our cargo capacity at MIA and ensuring reliable supply chain access for our residents. The VICC will significantly enhance our airport’s cargo capabilities and establish a new sustainable, resilient infrastructure benchmark. I am proud to support this visionary project, which will drive economic growth and solidify Miami-Dade’s position as a global hub for commerce.”

Silk Way mounts whales rescue operation

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Azerbaijan-based cargo carrier Silk Way Airlines helped evacuate two beluga whales from an aquarium in Ukraine to a new home in Spain.

Due to the war in Ukraine, direct flights were not possible so the Belugas were transported by road to Moldova from where Silk Way Airlines flew them safely to Spain. The airline’s specialized team worked closely with animal care experts and veterinarians to monitor the whales’ health and comfort during the flight.

Air Partner acts quickly to get aid to Jamaica

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The cargo team at broker Air Partner was called into action to help send aid to Jamaica in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl that struck the Caribbean on June 29.

A chartered A321F freighter flew 50,000 lbs and 43 pallets with relief supplies, including family emergency kits, generators, and tarps. This crucial aid was successfully delivered even as the storm continued to rage.

The flight was authorized on July 5, just a few days after the storm made landfall on the island and took off within 27 hours of confirmation.

Cargo-partner moves fast in Mexico

Austrian-based forwarder Cargo-partner, part of the Nippon Express Group, has introduced an enhanced suite of emergency freight solutions in Mexico. They include air charter, on-board courier, next flight out, and expedited trucking.

They are aimed at customers who wish to avoid production shutdowns in industries such as automotive, aeronautics, fashion, and high-tech.

Mexico general manager, Luis Gomez, commented: “Our emergency freight solutions offer unparalleled flexibility and immediate availability, catering to extremely urgent shipments. Whether our customers require same-day collection or personal escorts, our Mexico team is equipped to provide the fastest and most reliable service.”

“Our NFO shipping service is a top-level priority option that guarantees our customers’ packages are dispatched and delivered in the shortest possible time. Our team is dedicated to providing the most flexible and immediate solutions to ensure that our customers’ freight reaches its destination without delay.”

Handler SATS and carrier SF Group sign global deal

Singapore-headquartered air cargo handling group SATS has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese express delivery and logistics service provider SF Group. They will combine their respective areas of expertise and service offerings as well as those of their affiliate companies, including SATS’ Worldwide Flight Services and cargo airline SF Airlines.

Initially they will  expand existing operations in Singapore and eCommerce handling in Liege, Belgium, to other global hubs including Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and exploring proof of concepts for eCommerce handling in Beijing and at New York JFK International.

They will also identify and build other network solutions or specialised services from more than 200 locations where SATS is present with SF Group’s extensive demand channels.