Royal Air Maroc has launched its three times a week Boeing 787 Dreamliner Casablanca– Los Angeles service on 7 June, making it the only African carrier to directly connect the continent with the US West Coast. The new service also enables a round-the-world route linking Los Angeles (LAX) with Beijing (PKX) via Casablanca, building on its Casablanca–Beijing service launched in early 202, and its wider transatlantic network.
Emirates moves UAE’s first satellite to LA
Emirates SkyCargo has transported Altair-1, the UAE’s first commercial AI-enabled earth observation satellite on one of its Boeing 777 freighter aircraft from Dubai to Los Angeles. Scheduled for launch in October, Altair is a multi-sensor satellite constellation developed and manufactured in the UAE by Orbitworks. It will provide intelligence for applications including environmental monitoring, disaster response, land and coastal-use analysis, maritime domain awareness, and resource and infrastructure assessment. The satellite transported is the first of 10 that will form the Altair constellation.
Forwarder launches China-Rockford flights
Shanghai-based forwarder Rich Sale International has launched charter flights for e-commerce from Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport in China to Rockford International Airport.
Atlas Air will operate eight flights during August, followed by a twice-weekly scheduled service beginning in September.
Rich Sale president, Jacky Wu, said: “E-commerce requires fast and adaptable cargo operations, which cannot always be found at passenger hubs where cargo often plays second fiddle. When we assessed the best entry point for e-commerce cargo into the US, Rockford stood out for offering the dedicated, cargo-focused operation we need to serve our customers effectively.”
Ten trailers, arranged by Gateway Sales and Solutions, supported the unloading and onward transportation of the cargo to destinations across the Midwest.
Hactl upgrades Hong Kong e-commerce fulfilment
Hactl’s wholly-owned, value-added services subsidiary has launched a Hacis Storage Control System (HSCS) upgrade at its E-commerce Fulfilment Centre.
The new system integrates advanced automated storage and retrieval technology with high-speed tote stacker cranes and Automated Guided Vehicles working together to retrieve and deliver inventory to workstations for order processing.
Integrated with a neutral warehouse management system, HSCS also synchronises real-time data with customers’ enterprise resource planning systems and e-commerce platforms, providing visibility and inventory control throughout the fulfilment cycle. It will double daily outbound processing capacity while enabling faster turnarounds.
Mideast turmoil hits IAG cargo volumes
IAG Cargo reported first half 2026 revenue of €570 million down 9.4% on €629 million in the same period last year. Cargo tonne kilometres were down 12.3%, reflecting reduced capacity resulting from continued disruption in the Middle East.
During the first half of the year, IAG Cargo advanced the planned launch of its Global Cargo Joint Business with Qatar Airways Cargo and MASkargo, with operations commencing across 59 markets. Once fully launched, the Joint Business will provide customers with access to more than 400 destinations worldwide.
IAG continued to see strong demand across key trade lanes, particularly Asia Pacific and India, while demand for specialist logistics solutions remained strong throughout the first half of the year.
Volumes for Critical, IAG Cargo’s fastest service for urgent shipments, more than tripled compared with the same period last year.
In the first half of 2026, IAG Cargo launched new routes to Monterrey and St. Louis, its 27th US destination, giving direct access to key manufacturing and aerospace supply chains in the US Midwest and to one of Mexico’s most important manufacturing centres.
Air Canada gains CEIV for Lithium batteries
Air Canada Cargo has gained International Air Transport Association CEIV validation for Lithium batteries. It attests that the carrier meets internationally recognized standards for the safe handling, storage and transportation for a growing segment of market, including consumer electronics, medical technology, electric vehicles, and energy storage.
The process included an on-site assessment of its cargo facilities in Montreal. Key Air Canada personnel, including Dangerous Goods Specialists for Warehouse Operations, as well as representatives from the Air Canada Cargo Operations and Processing Management Team, also completed IATA’s specialized training on lithium batteries.
Forwarder adds US and Latin America Cool Corridors
Kuehne+Nagel has expanded its Cool Corridor temperature-sensitive healthcare service to include routes between Frankfurt and Atlanta, Chicago and Narita, Brussels and São Paulo, and Chicago and São Paulo. It increases the network to 12 airfreight lanes connecting major healthcare and pharmaceutical hubs. The Frankfurt to Atlanta route strengthens the network with dedicated weekly capacity on Kuehne+Nagel’s own Boeing 747-8 freighter, Inspire.
Designed for vaccines, peptides, biologics and other temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, Cool Corridors combine GDP-compliant handling with tightly controlled transfer processes to minimise Time Out of Range.
The forwarder says that traditional cold chain shipments often depend on active containers with built-in cooling systems to manage the risk of temperature excursions. Cool Corridors take a different approach by establishing GDP-compliant, temperature-controlled airfreight lanes where Kuehne+Nagel, airlines, and ground handlers follow strict protocols and handling procedures to keep healthcare shipments within defined temperature ranges.
Vice president global air logistics healthcare, Dorothee Becher, said: “Healthcare customers are looking for ways to maintain product quality while improving efficiency and sustainability across their supply chains. Cool Corridors provide greater control across the shipment journey, helping protect temperature-sensitive products. With more confidence in shipment conditions, customers can use lighter passive packaging, creating opportunities to reduce logistics costs and transport emissions without compromising product integrity.”
Swissport chills in Kilimanjaro
Swissport has opened a temperature-controlled cargo facility at Kilimanjaro International Airport, in Tanzania.
The 630sq m (6,780sq ft) building meets growing demand from exporters in Tanzania’s Northern Circuit, one of East Africa’s leading horticultural production regions and replaces the airport’s previous cargo facility, which dates from 1998.
It features four temperature-controlled chillers and one freezer, supporting storage temperatures from +2°C to +25°C, alongside dedicated frozen storage between -10°C and -20°C.
Designed to handle up to 13,000 tons of cargo annually, the facility can accommodate up to 36 built-up cargo pallets, equivalent to approximately 180 tons of cargo. There is an integrated weighing system connected to Swissport’s cargo management platform, mobile cargo scanning, and automated cargo tracking capabilities. It uses 90% electric ground support equipment, LED lighting and is certified to ISO 14001 environmental management standards.
Kilimanjaro complements Swissport’s operations in Dar es Salaam and its broader African cargo network including Johannesburg, Nairobi, and Accra.
Saudi carriers sign interline deal
Saudia Cargo has signed an interline agreement with Riyadh Cargo, the freight division of the Kingdom’s new national carrier Riyadh Air. The carriers aid it would support continued expansion of Riyadh Cargo’s network beyond current direct services to London, Dubai, Cairo, Jeddah, Madrid, and Malaga, including Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur, and Dhaka and support Riyadh Cargo’s long-term ambition to serve more than 100 global destinations by 2030.
Aeromexico starts Paris-Monterrey route
Aeromexico Cargo has started a Paris-Monterrey service in its summer schedule. It departs Paris for Monterrey on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday, after which it continues to Mexico City, increasing the airline’s Mexico connections to ten weekly flights over the summer period through to October 2026 and adding 35-45 tons of cargo out of France.
The carrier has operated Madrid-Monterrey flights since 2022, the first ever service between the Mexican city and the European Union at that time.
Aeromexico also resumed Barcelona-Mexico flights after a five-year pause in March. The service operates daily except Wednesdays, offering up to 60 tons of cargo capacity per week.
Senior vice president of Aeromexico Cargo, Alejandro Mendez, said: “There is now no need to truck cargo to Madrid first, to make the flight connection – a win for both speed and sustainability.”
Boeing 787 aircraft are operated on all routes, offering a cargo capacity of up to 16 tons per flight.
ECS Group subsidiaries, Aero Cargo France and GenAir Spain, are promoting the cargo capacity out of Europe.