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American Airlines reaffirms wildlife pledge

By
Chris Lewis
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AmericanAirlines Cargo has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting endangered species and preventing the illegal trafficking of wildlife, hosting an awareness and training event at its Miami International Airport cargo facility. It brought together more than 100 team members alongside industry experts to deepen understanding of wildlife trafficking risks and prevention strategies.

The event featured speakers from United for Wildlife of which the carrier is a member – the US Fish and Wildlife Service, HSBC and Deloitte, and included an exhibit showcasing previously seized wildlife products.

United for Wildlife’s Transport Taskforce director, Jon Godson, said. “We commend American Airlines for their leadership in the fight against the illicit trafficking of animals and for delivering an event that provides a compelling model which can be replicated by other Transport and Finance Taskforce members. The USFWS exhibit of previously seized wildlife offered a powerful, tangible reminder of the scale of the threats our sector continues to face.”

American Airlines’ vice president of operations, Sam Mendenhall, added: “Bringing together leaders from across aviation, conservation and finance creates a powerful network of awareness and action. The engagement we saw in Miami demonstrates how education at every level of the supply chain can make a real difference in disrupting illegal wildlife trafficking.”

And Eric Mathieu, Managing Director of Customer Experience at for the carrier added: “Our team members are on the front lines of global logistics. By equipping them with the knowledge and tools, we are empowering them to be active participants in protecting wildlife worldwide.”

American Airlines became the first US carrier to join United for Wildlife in 2022. Since then, it has implemented the Buckingham Palace Declaration across its cargo operations and expanded awareness efforts throughout its global network. To date, educational materials and prevention resources have been distributed to more than 47 cargo stations worldwide.

Mark 3 appoints Asia expert

By
Chris Lewis
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UK/US parcels specialist Mark 3 International has appointed Chris Stevens as Asia business development executive. He has held senior positions at Swiss Post International and Bpost International, focusing on global cross-border ecommerce and in his new role will provide expert advice on digital solutions for cross-border shipping, data capture and enhancement, including HS Code classification, compliance, prohibited and restricted goods screening, duty, and tax calculation. In the last three months Mark 3 has acquired Tricargo – a global air cargo sales solution – and signed a strategic partnership with DPD UK, part of the GeopostGroup. Last year it added warehousing facilities at JFK airport in New York, and will soon be adding further capacity at LAX.

RAM ramps up chill space

By
Chris Lewis
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Royal Air Maroc Cargo is extending its temperature-controlled facilities at Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport. On completion, there will be three import and two export chambers with a combined area of 590sq m for fresh produce, flowers and pharma with import chambers at 2–8°C; 15–25°C and frozen while export facilities will be at 2–8°C and 15–25°C. Royal Air Maroc Cargo also operates cold storage facilities in at Fès–Saïs, Oujda, Rabat, Agadir and Marrakesh. 

Röhlig extends WeCare network

By
Chris Lewis
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Röhlig Logistics has extended its healthcare and life science GDP WeCare programme with certification of its branches in Toronto, Sydney and Melbourne and extending its network to 13 countries.

The programme has been developed in alignment with international Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidelines, including WHO and EU regulations. Going beyond standard GDP requirements, it enables the forwarder to proactively manage quality and compliance in an increasingly complex regulatory environment through market-specific compliance measures, enhanced training protocols, and proactive quality management.

The certification focuses on key pillars of pharmaceutical logistics compliance, including temperature-controlled transport, deviation management, supplier qualification, risk assessment, and documentation standards.

Global head of healthcare and life sciences, Juancarlos Cruz, said: “By implementing our own policy and programme, we ensure consistency across our global network while proactively managing risks and strengthening reliability for our healthcare customers.”

Röhlig plans to certify additional branches worldwide in 2026.

Lufthansa adds Asia-LA freighter

By
Chris Lewis
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Lufthansa will add an extra  transpacific freighter service from Ho Chi Minh City via Shanghai to Los Angeles in its summer schedule. The carrier says it is currently the only operator offering main deck capacity between Vietnam to China.

From May, it will also reintroduce Delhi to its freighter network with a weekly connection.

There will be 33 connections per week between Frankfurt and North America, serving eleven destinations in along with four destinations in South America, including an additional frequency to Toronto.

Lufthansa Cargo will shortly add Zurich to its short-haul A321F freighter network which  has also served Rome and Algiers once a week since February.

Lufthansa City Airlines has now been added to the belly portfolio, giving further options via Frankfurt and Munich. Long-haul connections from Frankfurt will be expanded including five weekly flights to St. Louis and Cape Town, six to Rio de Janeiro and Raleigh/Durham, and daily flights to Nairobi. Washington will even be served by two connections per day, and Minneapolis three times a week from April.

Munich’s services to São Paulo and Johannesburg will continue with three flights per week while ITA Airways is returning with two daily connections between London Heathrow and Rome. From June, Brussels Airlines will add two flights per week to Kilimanjaro International Airport and increase its connections to Freetown to six per week. Discover Airlines is launching year-round service to the Seychelles and increasing flights to Las Vegas to five per week. Austrian Airlines is also increasing its connections to the US with the resumption of daily flights to Los Angeles and a daily connection to Tokyo-Narita.

IAG Cargo to launch London-St Louis flights

By
Chris Lewis
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A new route between London Heathrow and St Louis is the highlight of IAG Cargo’s summer 2026 schedule. The new four-times-weekly service begins on 19 April and will be IAG Cargo’s 27th US destination and the only direct connection between London Heathrow and the Midwest hub.

Running from April through to October 2026, the schedule will also see an increase in frequencies between London and other US gateways, with services between Heathrow and Chicago and Washington Dulles both rising from 14 to 21 flights per week, while services to San Diego and Austin will double from seven to 14 flights per week.

In Canada, services from London Heathrow to Vancouver will grow from seven to 10 per week, rising further to 14 during July and August, while a new daily service between London Gatwick and Vancouver will operate between May and September.

The carrier, which includes Iberia along with British Airways, is also adding widebody capacity between London Heathrow and Madrid to enhance feed into transatlantic services from both hubs and increasing options between Europe, North America and Latin America.

Services between Madrid and San Francisco will resume whole flights (between London Heathrow and Tokyo Haneda will increase to double daily.

Chief sales and marketing officer Camilo Garcia Cervera,  said: “This summer schedule is focused on giving freight forwarding partners greater choice and flexibility across key global trade lanes. The addition of St. Louis opens up important access into the U.S Midwest, while increased frequencies across North America, expanded connectivity via Madrid and additional capacity to Haneda and Canada ensure we can support a wide range of time-critical and high-value shipments.”

IAG Cargo also includes Aer Lingus and its Dublin hub is also a key transatlantic gateway with around 100 weekly widebody rotations. Madrid and Barcelona together provide capacity on 275 weekly widebody connections to destinations across North America, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Next Flight Out storms ahead at ACS

By
Chris Lewis
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Air Charter Service’s IATA-accredited Next Flight Out (NFO) offering increased shipments by 175% in 2025 compared with 2024. NFO provides a more versatile and cost-effective solution than onboard courier OBC as it allows for larger shipments that are unaccompanied by a passenger and with recent supply chain disruptions is used by a wide array of industries. However, its OBC, or hand-carry, team also increased jobs by 85% last year, the most the division has dealt with in a year since it was launched ten years ago. ACS has a ground transportation department in the US, which has also grown, with 53% more bookings last year.
ACS Time Critical chief executive Robert Alleman, added: “We brought in the experienced Ash McCook a little under 18 months ago, who has a background in urgent logistics, which started in the armed forces more than 15 years ago – his focus on the NFO offering and team has really paid dividends.”

Keeping it cool in Basel

By
Chris Lewis
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Swissport has handled over 1,000 temperature-controlled containers at its cool+connect facility at EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg, opened in February 2025. It reflects strong growth in pharmaceutical volumes and Basel’s role as a key gateway for life science air cargo.   

Swissport says it has optimized the handling of +2 to +8°C shipments by consolidating them directly at the airport to be loaded into Active Cooltainers, maintaining  the cool chain. It also eliminates off-airport trucking loops, reduces handling times by around 70% and materially lowers CO₂ emissions.

Kale to speed perishables through Bogota gateway

By
Chris Lewis
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Cold chain forwarding specialist GAL Aviation has implemented Kale Logistics’ (Kale) Airport Cargo Community System to schedule cargo deliveries t at El Dorado International Airport in Bogota, Colombia.

GAL Aviation says the platform will strengthen collaboration among exporters, freight forwarders and transporters through structured appointment scheduling, improving cargo flow, reduced waiting times and better shipment visibility.

It has invited exporters, shippers, and logistics partners to complete their registration on the ACS platform to ensure a smooth transition.

GAL chief executive Juan Pablo Luchau, said:  “This initiative will help improve coordination throughout the logistics chain while strengthening the sector’s overall performance and competitiveness. We have already begun pilot testing at Bogotá’s El Dorado Airport, where a tool of this technological caliber is indispensable given the complexity of the station.”

Kale president and chief executive Amar More added: “Today, airports require smarter digital ecosystems to manage growing cargo volumes and complex interactions among multiple stakeholders.”

US forwarders in turmoil over Mideast crisis

By
Chris Lewis
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Most Airforwarders Association members are experiencing disruption from the conflict in the Middle East, while half report increased costs, according to a survey.

It found that more than three quarters are facing some level of disruption, with 29% reporting significant impact and 38% moderate impact.

Cost pressures are also rising, with more than two thirds of respondents reporting measurable increases, including 27% citing significant increases and 41% moderate increases.

Members reported volatile rates, flight cancellations, capacity constraints, and longer transit times as, alongside growing customer service pressures and space embargoes.

AfA executive director Brandon Fried, said: “Forwarders are adapting in real time, but they need a stable operating environment to keep goods moving efficiently. This data shows a sector under sustained pressure from global events beyond its control, with disruption, cost inflation, and uncertainty compounding daily operational challenges.” AfA is also calling for a resolution to the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which has been ongoing since February 13, and for policymakers to prioritise payment of Transportation Security Administration personnel to avoid further disruption to aviation operations.

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