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United Cargo is flavor of the month with vanilla growers

By
Chris Lewis
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Vanilla, originally cultivated by the Totonac people of present-day Mexico, now makes its way from Madagascar and Mauritius to the kitchens, bakers and ice cream factories of North America, courtesy of United Cargo.

Today, much of the world’s output is grown on the two tropical islands, where vanilla orchids are carefully planted and cured through a delicate process that can take months before the beans are ready to ship.

After leaving Madagascar and Mauritius, shipments pass through Paris before being carefully transferred onto United flights bound for Chicago and Newark.

Its EXP (Express) service, together with its TempControl facility moves tons of vanilla cross the Atlantic each week. This year alone, the carrier has secured more than 280 tons of vanilla shipments, with hundreds more expected throughout the summer.

TAP joins Pharma.Aero

By
Chris Lewis
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TAP Air Cargo has joined the Pharma.Aero global community. The carrier operates an extensive international network through its Lisbon hub, connecting key pharmaceutical trade lanes and provides dedicated pharmaceutical logistics solutions. Director of products and services, Rita Rosário Garcia, said: “Joining Pharma.Aero represents an important step for TAP Air Cargo as we continue to strengthen our commitment to the pharmaceutical and healthcare logistics sector. With our extensive network connecting Europe, the Americas and Africa via our Lisbon hub, and our dedicated pharmaceutical solutions designed to ensure the highest standards of quality, safety and temperature control, we are well positioned to contribute actively to this global collaboration platform.”

Scots gateway gains Shanghai service

By
Chris Lewis
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Air China Cargo is switching three of its four weekly B777 services between Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Prestwick to Shanghai Pudong International, bringing a new route to the Scottish gateway. The carrier  will continue to operate 11 scheduled flights each week to and from Prestwick. Prestwick chief executive Ian Forgie said the new service would open a new trade lane for Scottish exporters, including premium seafood exporters.

TIACA award for Hactl packaging breakthrough

By
Chris Lewis
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Hactl – Hong Kong’s largest independent air cargo handler –won the Corporate Category at the 2026 TIACA Air Cargo Sustainability Awards for its ‘Redefining Cargo Packaging Through Circular Materials’ project.

It aims to reduce single-use plastics in air cargo packaging by developing aviation-grade polyethylene plastic sheets using post-consumer recycled (PCR) content. Hactl has become the world’s first air cargo terminal to successfully develop and lab-validate 100% closed-loop recycled plastic sheets that meet both mechanical and operational requirements.

Since 2022, Hactl has transitioned to 30-50% recycled content, but further progress was constrained due to technical constraints, as higher PCR content typically compromises tensile strength, elasticity and processing performance. To overcome this, Hactl collaborated with the Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI), which is now merged with the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, to develop an ecofriendly, multi-layer polyethylene film structure that preserves aviation-grade mechanical performance while increasing recycled content, creating a practical pathway towards fully circular cargo packaging.

The 100% closed-loop recycling target has now been achieved and can be set as a global standard. Used plastic sheets are collected from Hactl’s SuperTerminal 1, converted into reusable pellets and remanufactured into new films made entirely from 100% PCR material.

By breaking the 50% recycled-content ceiling, the project significantly reduces reliance on virgin petrochemical resins and their associated emissions, with the potential to divert approximately 700 tonnes of plastic waste from landfill annually. It also offers a scalable model for other sectors reliant on high-performance packaging, demonstrating how sustainability and operational performance can advance together.

Hactl acting chief executive Michelle Choi said: “The 100% closed-loop recycled plastic sheets is more than a material breakthrough; it offers a scalable model that combines environmental benefit, technical integrity and commercial viability, demonstrating how sustainable innovation can drive meaningful change across the air cargo industry.”

Cargo.one gives Yusen one-touch freight rates

By
Chris Lewis
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Japanese forwarder Yusen Logistics has teamed up cargo.one to enhance its global air freight sales and procurement, rolling out the technology provider’s AI-powered operating system for rate procurement and management, quoting, and booking functions, including inter-branch transactions. 

The platform enables teams to compare live, static, contract, and consolidation rates together with local and trucking charges in one standardized system. This, they say supports faster quoting, sharper pricing, and more data-driven decision-making across regions. Integration with Yusen Logistics’ Transport Management System (TMS) is planned to further enhance efficiency.

The partnership also includes a global managed network tailored to Yusen Logistics’ business needs with more than 100 branches worldwide having real-time access to the best rates and service options across the network.

Tricargo to offer neutral GSA platform

By
Chris Lewis
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FEDAGSA, the Federation of Airline General Sales Agents, launched Tricargo, a web-based service that connects sales agents with freight forwarders on 22 May.

It aims to address the problem that existing marketplaces and booking platforms are owned or operated by a participant with a commercial stake in the outcome and none offer forwarders a complete, neutral view of available GSA capacity.

FEDAGSA has partnered with e-commerce parcels company Mark 3 International to take the window to market after recognising that operating a global technology solution at scale requires capabilities and investment beyond those typically available to a federation.

Tricargo will operate as an independent business with structural protections for its neutrality. Mark 3 will have access to tricargo, but on the same terms as any other forwarder or GSA.

Tricargo and Mark 3 International chief executive, Matthew Ware said: “For many years, the air cargo market has been fractured, making it difficult for freight forwarders to easily access the right airfreight options, while GSAs have also found it hard to connect with the right forwarders. The air cargo market has been fragmented for a long time. Forwarders rely on the GSAs they already know; and GSAs depend on existing relationships for new business. Tricargo doesn’t replace those relationships, it makes the wider market visible alongside them.”

Tricargo is free for forwarders to use, and the first 100 GSAs to register will receive founding member status. FEDAGSA and FIATA receive a share of gross revenue under the agreement establishing tricargo’s independent operation and ensuring that tricargo’s success is returned to the community it serves.

Lufthansa gains corporate CEIV certification

By
Chris Lewis
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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has again certified Lufthansa Cargo to CEIV (Center of Excellence for Independent Validators) Pharma standard for time- and temperature-sensitive products.

In addition to airline processes, the certification for the first time also includes IATA’s corporate approach, specifically developed for global aviation stakeholders. It evaluates quality management centrally and across the network rather than limiting assessments to individual stations. Quality requirements such as processes, training and infrastructure are centrally defined, monitored and implemented locally.

In addition to the central pharma hubs in Frankfurt, Munich and Chicago, the certification also includes stations such as Atlanta, Washington DC, Mexico City and New York. Numerous independently certified stations operated by ground handling agents (GHAs) complement the network, giving Lufthansa Cargo access to one of the world’s largest pharma networks.

Lufthansa Cargo has been CEIV Pharma-certified for ten years during which time quality standards have been enhanced and the global pharma network expanded.

IAG to start Spain-Latin America routes

By
Chris Lewis
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IAG Cargo will launch routes from Madrid to Monterrey and Barcelona to Lima in June.

The new three-times-weekly service between Madrid and Monterrey will start on 2 June and will be first time that the carrier directly connects Spain with Northern Mexico. Monterrey is a major manufacturing hub, with strong automotive, aerospace and high-tech manufacturing industries, and plays a key role in nearshoring to North America.

Barcelona will also see the launch of a new three-times-weekly service to Lima, from 3 June, supporting trade between Spain and Peru, including perishables, pharmaceuticals and other high-value shipments.

Chief sales and marketing officer,  Camilo Garcia Cervera, said: “Latin America remains one of the most important regions in global air cargo, with strong and diverse trade flows connecting producers, manufacturers and consumers across continents. These new routes from Madrid and Barcelona expand the reach of our Spanish hubs and reinforce the role of Spain as a key gateway for cargo moving between the region and Europe. The new Madrid-Monterrey service in particular creates a direct link for the first time, supporting trade flows between Europe and Northern Mexico.”

Swissport to buy Morocco handler

By
Chris Lewis
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Ground handler Swissport International has signed a binding agreement to acquire Swiftair Maroc, subject to regulatory approval.

Swiftair Maroc operates a 3,700sq m airside warehouse at Mohammed V Airport, Morocco’s primary air freight hub in Casablanca including cold rooms for pharmaceutical products and perishable goods.

Morocco’s air cargo market has experienced steady growth, driven by the country’s expanding export base and strategic geographic position.

Swissport’s Maroc arm already provides ground handling services at 16 airports nationwide.

President and chief executive of Swissport International, Warwick Brady, said: “As a pivotal gateway between Europe, Africa and the Americas, Morocco supports strong export industries such as automotive, aerospace, agriculture and textiles, while also facilitating critical imports. At the same time, this agreement strengthens our cargo capabilities in the region and enhances our ability to support customers with efficient, high-quality logistics solutions.”

FCS opens Frankfurt Pharma Center

By
Chris Lewis
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Frankfurt Cargo Services (FCS) officially opened its new CEIV- and GDP-certified Pharma Center on May 12. With it, the largest airline-independent cargo handler at the Germany gateway has quadrupled its space for handling temperature-controlled pharmaceutical cargo. 
It centralizes all of its pharmaceutical handling operations across a space of just under 3,300 square meters, including receiving and dispatching temperature-controlled freight, storage, breaking down and reassembling pallets. This not only reduces travel distances but also completely eliminates transit times in an uncontrolled environment. In addition to accepting loose freight directly into a temperature-controlled storage area, it also enables the temperature-controlled assembly of entire pallets and the storage of containers  for which there are designated storage spaces with the appropriate power supply.

The new Pharma Center covers both the Controlled Room Temperature Storage segment, with a temperature range of 15 to 25°C, and Controlled Cool Storage, with a temperature range of 2 to 8°C.

FCS managing director Thomas Schürmann, said: “Pharmaceutical handling is one of the fastest-growing sectors in our industry. With our new Pharma Center, we now not only provide the optimal conditions to ensure a fully controlled environment at every stage of handling, but are also ideally equipped for further growth thanks to a significantly expanded facility.”

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