DHL Express has signed Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) agreement with US producer Phillips 66 for 240,000 tonners over three years. It is one of the largest SAF deals by a US producer and for the air cargo sector, and forms part of DHL Express’s broader strategy to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
It will reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 737,000 tonnes compared to conventional jet fuel.
Most of the fuel will be delivered to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), DHL’s US West Coast Gateway, but there are plans for deliveries to other West Coast airports where DHL maintains operations, such as San Francisco International Airport.
The SAF will be produced at Phillips 66’s Rodeo Renewable Energy Complex in California, one of the world’s largest renewable fuels facilities with a production capacity of 150 million gallons per year of neat SAF.
DHL Express has already secured SAF partnerships worldwide including in the Europe, America and Asia Pacific regions since 2021.
The agreement will contribute significantly to DHL’s GoGreen Plus service, which enables customers to reduce their Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions using SAF.
Ukraine-owned Antonov Airlines and forwarder Kuehne + Nagel have delivered urgent paper mill machinery parts from Tallin, Estonia to Chile on one of the carrier’s An124-100 aircraft.
The parts needed to get quickly to the mill during its scheduled shutdown period.
The airline’s commercial executive, Iryna Kyianytsia, said: “A special recognition goes to our load planning team, whose expertise ensured that every required piece was efficiently and safely accommodated within the aircraft. This achievement highlights not only the capabilities of the An-124 but also the outstanding professionalism and collaboration of everyone involved.”
To load and unload seven cargo pieces — the largest weighing about 20 tons — the rear door of the AN-124-100 was used in combination with the aircraft’s internal cranes.
Swissport has opened a 5,500sq m second-line e warehouse at Liege Airport. Dedicated to import parcel handling, it has a capacity of up to 300 tons per day and takes the handler’s total e-commerce footprint at the Belgian airport to 9,000sq m.
it is part of Swissport’s broader strategy to develop scalable e-commerce capacity across key global trade gateways and joins network of specialized e-commerce hubs in Brussels, Milan, Basel, New York JFK and Shanghai.
General sales agency ECS Group has appointed Girish Kunder as regional manager Indian Subcontinent.He will oversee operations in India and neighbouring markets through Globe Air Cargo and AVS, focusing on strengthening airline partnerships, expanding market reach, and accelerating digital transformation.
IAG Cargo is to handle MASkargo’s operations at its London Heathrow hub. All MASkargo shipments via London are now processed through the Premia facility at IAG Cargo’s Heathrow base. MASkargo currently operates twice-daily flights connecting Kuala Lumpur and London.
Chief operations officer at IAG Cargo, Adam Carson, said: “Heathrow is a prime gateway for MASkargo, and our hub offers exceptional airside access and world-class facilities, enabling us to deliver the reliability and service excellence that customers expect.”
MASkargo chief executive, Mark Jason Thomas, added: “This collaboration not only reinforces our commitment to delivering reliability and quality for our customers but also strengthens MASkargo’s presence in one of the world’s key cargo hubs. Through London Heathrow, we are able to offer smoother transfer experiences and wider access to major destinations across Europe and the Americas via our network of strategic airline partners.”
Lufthansa Cargo has further expanded its cooperation with Rome, Italy-based ITA Airways with the start of the winter flight schedule on 26 October.
The cooperation was agreed when the Lufthansa Group acquired a stake in the Italian airline. Since June, Lufthansa Cargo has been marketing ITA Airways’ cargo capacity on various routes.
Shipments can now be transported under Lufthansa Cargo’s own AWB number 020 on flights originating in Rome-Fiumicino Airport.
The move expands Lufthansa Cargo’s belly capacity by around 20% with Rome-Fiumicino serving as the German carrier’s fifth European hub alongside Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, and Brussels. It includes up to 30 additional weekly cargo connections to South America (Buenos Aires EZE, Rio de Janeiro GIG, Sao Paulo GRU) and up to 21 additional flights per week to Asia (Bangkok BKK, New Delhi DEL and Tokyo-Haneda HND.
However, connections to and from the US and Canada are currently still excluded until regulatory approval has been obtained
The hub also expands Lufthansa’s intra-European road feeder service.
South Korean cargo airline Airzeta has officially launched operations and selected Vienna Airport as its primary European hub following the signing of a memorandum of understanding.
The carrier was formed from the merger of Asiana Cargo and Korean Air and the subsequent spin-off from Air Incheon.
It is operating operate cargo flights six times a week between Vienna and Seoul-Incheon, Korea’s most significant air freight hub with a Boeing 747 freighter aircraft.
Oman Air Cargo has added five new general sales agent (GSA) partnerships and two new offline routes to Australia and Japan.
The routes will be serviced by GSA Australia Cargo and World Prime Services.
The other three new GSAs, Al Madinah Travel Company, MGH Logistics, and APG, will service online routes to Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia respectively.
Along with the new contracts, which will last two years, Oman Air Cargo has also renewed a number of GSA contracts for a year. To mark the event, the airline hosted 27 representatives from its GSA network at an event in Muscat, Oman.
As Hurricane Melissa swept through the Caribbean in late October, air charter specialist Chapman Freeborn transported personnel and critical equipment from the US directly to Jamaica hours after it made landfall.
The island bore the brunt of the destruction, with at least 32 fatalities reported and many more injured. Overall, some 600,000 people in Jamaica were affected, and relief operations are expected to last several months.
As Melissa was gaining strength, Chapman Freeborn was getting ready to deploy charters to the Caribbean. Pre-planning efforts included advance coordination with regional operators, liaising with Chapman Freeborn’s 24/7 Operations team in the UK for the latest Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), storm trajectory updates and risk notices as well as deploying project management personnel to Miami for real-time charter coordination.
Vice president of government and humanitarian – Americas, Cam Bolton-Wilson, said: “Before Melissa’s landfall, we had received requests from multiple customers in the public, government, commercial, NGO and defense sectors. We informed our clients about everything from airport status updates and aircraft availability to permit processes and potential schedules so we could respond as quickly as possible to any situation on the ground.”
One of the organisations that reached out was World Central Kitchen, which provides meals to communities impacted by natural disasters. Chapman Freeborn transported the NGO’s response team from Miami to Kingston on an ERJ-145 regional jet. The company also mobilized an S-61 heavy-lift helicopter from Michigan to Grand Cayman, before positioning it to Jamaica to support World Central Kitchen operations at the heart of the affected area.
Chapman Freeborn also transported rapid-response equipment to Jamaica on an Gulfstream G-IV, and had Airbus A-320s, CASA C-212, Antonov AN-12 and a wide array of regionally positioned turboprop and rotary wing aircraft available to support the evolving mission. The Antonov AN-12 was used to transport communications equipment while critical infrastructure was under repair.
“The nature of disaster response operations is significantly different from traditional charters,” Bolton-Wilson explains. “There’s no time to lose, so we have to be prepared to go into unstable or developing environments to provide the necessary assistance. We strive to operate ethically and ensure the best solutions possible, balancing schedule, cost and operational need against rapidly evolving operating environments.”
Chapman Freeborn not only offers instant access to project-specific aircraft, but also provides dynamic trip support and mission management. What’s particularly important in rapidly-developing situations is managing stakeholder expectations and explaining realistic capabilities, Bolton-Wilson notes:
“Even in dire situations, the regulatory environment still applies to air travel, so evolving needs on the ground cannot always drive airlift solutions. Our brokerage team matches aircraft to mission specifics, and provides essential stability and project control during what can be a chaotic planning phase.”
While many aircraft sourced by Chapman Freeborn were ultimately not required due to rapidly shifting needs, the company provided critical initial deployment solutions and support for relief efforts in Jamaica through the contracted S-61 heavy lift helicopter. The aircraft arrived within hours of the hurricane making landfall, and delivered versatile, high-impact airlift capabilities to World Central Kitchen and the people of Jamaica.
Aeromexico is to add more seasonal summer routes from its Mexico City hub to Europe in summer including Barcelona and Paris, reports Routes Online.
It will operate from Mexico City to Barcelona six times a week with Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, reinstating a route that last operated in 2019. The carrier already operates between, Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey to Madrid.
It is also adding a route between Monterrey and Paris CDG three times a week operated by 787-9 aircraft. Both routes will operate until late October.
