Lufthansa’s high-flying freighters to serve Rome and Algiers

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January 27, 2026

Lufthansa Cargo will add Rome-Fiumicino and Algiers to its A321 short- and medium-haul freighter network from 7 February. It has served Rome on an ad hoc basis to meet high demand since December but will now be included in the regular schedule.

The Algerian gateway will be served every Tuesday and, together with Beirut, Casablanca, Cairo, Yerevan, Tel Aviv, and Tunis brings total Middle East and Africa destinations to seven.

Lufthansa’s short- and medium-haul network now comprises 22 destinations, served by a fleet of four A321 freighters.

Flying horses to Hong Kong

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Chris Lewis

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January 27, 2026

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Cathay Cargo transported around 60 elite showjumpers from Europe to Hong Kong for the Longines Hong Kong International Horse Show on 30 January to 1 February.

Building on the success of last year’s event, Cathay Cargo’s specialist teams orchestrated a complex logistics operation to transport the equine athletes on a 12-hour journey from Liège in Belgium to Hong Kong International Airport aboard a chartered Boeing 747 freighter. The

Cathay Cargo’s Live Animal solution ensures proper ventilation, space and safety, optimised routing minimises stops and transit time and Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Live Animals certification upholds the highest welfare standards.

Horses benefit from priority ground handling and slow-speed tarmac transfers. In the air, CEIV-certified crew monitor and adjust cargo-hold temperature and airflow, while professional grooms accompany the horses with full access to ensure their welfare throughout the journey.

Education for all with DHL

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Chris Lewis

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January 27, 2026

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DHL Group has extended its global youth employability program, GoTeach by five years to mark the initiative’s 15th anniversary and reaffirming its partnerships with Teach For All and SOS Children’s Villages through 2030.

Launched in 2010, GoTeach was designed to address global youth unemployment. The program connects young people – particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds – with DHL employees who serve as mentors and role models and provide skills, confidence and networks.

GoTeach began in Madagascar, where the first partnership activities were piloted. What started as a local effort to bridge the gap between skills and the job market has since scaled into a global initiative. In Madagascar, the program has grown from an initial group of 15 youth to reach over 7,000 participants across five regions and serves as a talent pipeline: 40 participants have gained permanent employment at DHL.

In the Americas, the ‘My First Job’ initiative has gone beyond basic skills development since 2023, offering intensive one-year work placements that combine practical learning with professional experience. More than 25 participants have transitioned into permanent roles at DHL.

In Romania, GoTeach has collaborated with key corporate customers, including Paragon, Bumbu Toys, Aumovio Systems, and Aerostar, providing young people with practical insights into industries ranging from automotive technology to aerospace and defence.

Future plans for GoTeach include expanding the reach of the program through wider multi-stakeholder collaborations with like-minded partners and continuing to foster a culture of volunteering that empowers both the next generation and DHL employees worldwide.

“Providing access to quality education and career opportunities should not be a privilege, but a right for every young person,” said Thomas Ogilvie, chief human resources officer at DHL Group and Teach For All board member.

Japan sweeps the field in Hactl tournament

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Chris Lewis

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January 26, 2026

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Teams from ten international airlines t6ook part in the fifteenth Hactl International Forklift and Pallet Building Competition, held at Hactl’s SuperTerminal 1 in Hong Kong.

Some 300 spectators watched participants from Air Canada, Cargolux, China Southern Airlines, Emirates SkyCargo, EVA Air, Finnair, IAG Cargo, Japan Airlines, Nippon Cargo Airlines, SF Airlines as well as host Hactl compete for honours in forklift driving and pallet building.

Japan Airlines swept all the top honours, claiming Overall Champion and winning the Forklift Competition, Forklift Driving Safety Award, Pallet Building Competition and Best Cheering Team.

CharterSync launches AI tool

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Chris Lewis

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January 26, 2026

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Air cargo platform CharterSync has launched its first artificial intelligence (AI) deployment, extractCS. It can extract key details from freight forwarder communications and automatically populate CharterSync’s request process, reducing processing time to under a minute. It automatically extracts and populates the platform with data including airport origin and destination, cargo dimensions and payloads, as well as critical special instructions such as temperature requirements, UN numbers and class numbers.

Chapman-Freeborn appoints Canada cargo chief

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Chris Lewis

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January 23, 2026

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Chapman Freeborn has appointed Tyler Porteous as vice president of cargo – Canada. He brings more than 15 years of experience in air cargo and charter operations to the broker, having previously worked for one of the world’s largest freighter operators, where he was responsible for building and growing the charter division.

Emirates adds Liège-Chicago to freighter network

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Chris Lewis

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January 23, 2026

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Emirates SkyCargo has added Liège to its freighter network, the airline’s first new destination of 2026.

Emirates will deploy five weekly freighters, boosting available cargo capacity by 500 tonnes a week. Three will connect Liège with Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai to transport temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. The other two freighters will originate in Hong Kong and carry e-Commerce shipments to and through Liege.

The Belgian gateway is one of the world’s fastest-growing cargo hubs. In recent years, Emirates SkyCargo has served it with ad hoc freighters, shipping specialised products such as fresh-cut flowers and e-Commerce packages, as well as dedicated charters for horses travelling to global competitions.

Medical samples travel – so you don’t have to

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Chris Lewis

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January 22, 2026

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Brussels Airport has carried out the first test shipments of human cell and blood material for precision treatment for cancer and rare diseases on passenger flights to Dallas as part of the Precision Therapy Logistics Gateway (PTLG) project. The project means that patients in future will not need to travel themselves, which significantly increases accessibility of treatment.

PTLG aims to analyse how precision therapies can be transported safely and quickly and Brussels and its project partners aim to become the first airport to develop an internationally recognised standard for the air transport of these treatments. It is also exploring options for setting up a specialised logistics centre at the airport.

PTLG is a cooperation between Brussels Airport, Pharma.Aero, Air Cargo Belgium and the Antwerp ATMP ecosystem, at.las.

Since November, 10 test shipments of cell and blood samples have been sent from Brussels Airport to BioLabs Pegasus Park, a biotech cluster in with another 50 scheduled.

Precision therapies, including cell, gene and radioligand therapies, are personalised treatments for individual patients. They are highly sensitive, and require fast, reliable transport under strictly controlled conditions, including temperature and lead time.

Brussels Airport has extensive expertise and facilities for the transport of time and temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical goods, with 45,000sq m of temperature-controlled storage space.

Upon arrival at Brussels Airport, the test shipments go through customs control and are stored in a temperature-controlled zone while awaiting the flight. They are then transferred to the aircraft in refrigerated containers developed by the airport.

In Dallas, the material is transported to a laboratory at BioLabs Pegasus Park, where it undergoes a visual inspection before being returned to Belgium.

Sensors are used to monitor critical parameters such as lead times, temperature control and traceability and to identify potential risks and bottlenecks.

The results of the test project are expected in the first half of 2026. Based on these findings, the project partners, led by Air Cargo Belgium, will develop an internationally recognised standardised protocol for the logistics chain of precision therapies.

New year, new carrier for Saudi Arabia

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Chris Lewis

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January 22, 2026

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New Saudi Arabia carrier Riyadh Air has launched cargo operations. Riyadh Cargo will offer belly-hold capacity on its wide-body aircraft, of which it has over 120 on order. Riyadh Cargo has already carried cargo between Riyadh and London Heathrow, including garments, textiles, fresh flowers, seafood, tea and coffee.

The carrier has partnered with CHAMPS’s Cargo spot-neo platform and has invested in digitally tracked unit load devices in partnership with Unilode.

Ground handling and hub management are delivered in partnership with SATS Saudi Arabia Company at key including Riyadh, Dammam, and Jeddah.

It also provides centralized airwaybill control, with round‑the‑clock access to AWB stock.

Riyadh Air plans to increase its fleet to over 180 aircraft and reach over 100 destinations by 2030.

Global Head of Cargo, Pravin Singh, said: “Launching within a live environment allows us to test, learn, and continuously refine how we operate, while delivering real value to our customers from the get-go. The launch of the brand is a foundational step in building a cargo business that grows alongside our network expansion and supports Saudi Arabia’s broader logistics ambitions.”

Snooki the sea turtle takes to the air with a little help from ACS

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Chris Lewis

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January 22, 2026

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Air Charter Service was called on a wildlife rescue centre in North Carolina to get an injured creature to her new home. Snooki the sea turtle sustained a spinal injury several years ago, limiting her mobility and ruling out of a return to the wild. The rescue centre in North Carolina had been searching for a ‘forever home’ for her for some time, before a zoo in Minnesota fitted the bill – where she will enjoy a space almost 50 times the size of her previous home.

However, Snooki couldn’t be out of water for long and needed to be kept warm, so ACS sourced a Falcon 20F aircraft able to regulate the temperature through its internal heating system and ensured that heat packs and blankets were available onboard. It was crucial for her to be kept under moisture throughout the flight, so a handler travelled alongside her in the cargo bay with a hand sprayer, using the crew’s jump seat.

On the day of the charter, one of ACS’s New York team travelled to North Carolina to make sure the loading went smoothly. Snooki’s crate was carefully forklifted onto the aircraft and rigged with netting to give the handler access. Everything ran seamlessly and Snooki arrived in Minneapolis St. Paul Airport in good time, ready for her final short road trip before settling into her new home.