Blog | Air Cargo Vision | Air Cargo News ACV Air Freight News Air Cargo Vision

AMI on the move in Cape Town

Forwarding

-

May 31, 2024

Wholesale freight forwarder Air Menzies International (AMI) has moved to a larger, modern facility in Cape Town, South Africa. Locateda short distance from the international airport, it offers faster transit times, reduced handling of shipments and is closer to airline handling agents.

It also offers additional warehouse space and features advanced cooler and freezer facilities equipped with temperature control loggers for perishable goods

The premises are monitored 24/7 with comprehensive CCTV surveillance and controlled access.

AMI chief executive Carlos Font said: “This impressive new facility is an important leap for AMI South Africa, as we continue to strengthen our value proposition and our ability to serve our clients.”

Environmental accolade for Turkish Cargo

Chris Lewis

-

May 30, 2024

0

Environmental accolade for Turkish Cargo

Turkish Cargo has gained LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum operations certification for its SmartIST cargo facility in Istanbul. The programme is designed to enhance the energy, water, material and interior quality and reduce environmental impact. The carrier’s chief cargo officer, Ali Turk, said: “We are committed to ensuring that the SMARTIST cargo facility not only enjoys its high capacity and cutting-edge technology, but also is a sustainable and people-oriented building.”

Emirates trains cargo managers of the future

Chris Lewis

-

May 30, 2024

0

Emirates SkyCargo has launched a bespoke training programme to equip the cargo leaders of tomorrow with commercial and leadership skills.

Two groups of 16 are being chosen from Emirates SkyCargo’s pool of cargo managers and include both Emirati nationals as well as others from the airline’s outstations. The 15 day programme includes six sessions, focussed on proactive preparation and strategic optimization of current and future operations, including artificial intelligence (AI). The candidates will graduate with a diploma endorsed by AviationNOW, a member of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA.

Training is hosted at Emirates headquarters in Dubai, and will be a mix of theoretical and practical sessions. Following the first schedule, Emirates SkyCargo plans to extend the training programme to other aspects of the business, including operations.

WestJet adds US and Korea routes

Airlines

Chris Lewis

-

May 29, 2024

0

Canadian carrier WestJet Cargo is launching services to Chicago (ORD), Moncton (YQM), and Incheon (ICN) in its summer schedule.

The Chicago route operates from Calgary three times a week but will increase to daily flights by June 17 and will continue to operate year-round. The 737 aircraft have cargo capacity of 2,700 kg per flight, focusing on perishables. WestJet already operates a weekly freighter into Chicago.

Flights to Moncton, Canada, will also operate year-round with a 737 aircraft, with daily flights to Calgary, 3- 4 weekly flights to Edmonton, and 3-5 weekly flights to Toronto. The primary cargo for this route is live animals.

The Calgary to Incheon route, launched on May 18, operates three days weekly with a 787 Dreamliner, offering a 60 tonnes capacity.

Air Partner flies aid to Gaza

Brokers

Chris Lewis

-

May 29, 2024

0

Air Partner’s cargo division has operated three 747-400 freighter flights with aid for Gaza, each carrying 85-90 tonnes.

Two of the flights took off from Liege airport in Belgium and the third flight left from Nairobi airport Kenya, all bound for Larnaca International Airport (LCA) in Cyprus. With the ongoing conflict closing borders, the aid was flown to Cyprus and then transported by sea to the floating pier constructed off the coast of Gaza.

Operating from international airports allowed for any potential issues with permit and traffic rights to be organised prior to the mission but the primary challenge was efficiently loading the cargo due to the need to palletise it, resulting in the aircraft reaching its weight capacity before its volume limit.

DHL renews CEIV Pharma

Forwarding

Chris Lewis

-

May 29, 2024

0

DHL Global Forwarding, DHL Group’s air and ocean freight specialist, has been re-certified to the CEIV Pharma Standard by IATA. CEIV is a globally recognized industry standard established by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to promote best practices and achieve globally accepted standardization in air cargo. DHL has certified its global stations to the standard since 2016.

WFS to run CBP Central at New York JFK

Chris Lewis

-

May 28, 2024

0

SATS subsidiary Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has won a five-year contract to operate US Customs and Border Protection (CBp)’s new Centralized Examination Station at New York’s JFK Airport, due to open in early 2025.

It will combine all CBP inspections, a first in the air freight sector, and will also be the first on-airport examination facility at JFK, processing import, export, and USDA (Department of Agriculture) goods. The nearest CES to JFK is currently at Newark Airport, on the other side of the Hudson River.

JFK is North America’s busiest international airport with over 85 international airlines moving around 1.4 million tons of cargo a year through JFK’s 20 on-airport air warehouses.

The CES will be at WFS’ Building 151 at with over 100,000sq ft of warehousing, offices and facilities. WFS said that being close to the ramp would provide fast airside access from the airside and shipments for inspection would be transported to the CES from airline facilities. This would help improve CBP’s efficiency as officers would no longer have to move around the airport to inspect cargo.

WFS will modify the building to CBP requirements and develop customised software, making JFK the first paperless CES. WFS already offers dock management software for processing trucks and digital dashboards to monitor the progress of shipments.

New York JFK is one of WFS’ biggest international cargo stations, serving 40 airlines at eight handling facilities and the handler will increase its cargo capacity by 20% when it opens a new 346,000sq ft terminal in 2025.

CBP port director at JFK, Salvatore Ingrassia, described the new CES said: “The efficiencies realized from this facility will allow CBP to optimise resources and enhance our enforcement efforts to keep bad things, such as dangerous precursor chemicals, goods that infringe on intellectual property rights, and imports that place the American people at risk for their health and safety, out of the commerce of the US.”

He added that the CES would also allow legally imported goods to move through JFK faster and more efficiently.

Chief executive of the Americas at WFS, Mike Simpson, added: “This partnership marks another exciting chapter for WFS and underscores our unwavering commitment to safety, security, and innovation in air cargo handling. We look forward to delivering exceptional service and contributing to the continued success of JFK and the air cargo industry.”

New chief for Virgin Atlantic Cargo

Chris Lewis

-

May 24, 2024

0

Virgin Atlantic Cargo has appointed Nick Diesel as its new managing director, effective 4 August, replacing Phil Wardlow who is leaving the airline.

Diesel has been at Virgin Atlantic for nine years and was most recently vice president, financial planning, with responsibility for post-pandemic recovery.

With a background in strategy and operations consultancy at Deloitte, Diesel has worked on high profile projects at Virgin Atlantic, including as finance lead for the expanded joint venture agreement with Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines.

He said: “Virgin Atlantic Cargo is one of the most important business units we have, and collectively this team delivered amazing achievements through the pandemic, enabling our recovery. The cargo division continues on a successful trajectory for 2024 and I look forward to building on this with the team.”

Chief commercial officer, Juha Jarvinen, said that he had played a fundamental role during the pandemic transformation, adding: “Our Cargo division offers fantastic opportunities for our people, and I look forward to working closely with Nick, as he leads the cargo team into its next phase.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Phil for more than twenty years of service at Virgin Atlantic and his exceptional leadership of the cargo team. We wish him all the best in his new endeavours.”

Menzies gains CEIV Pharma status in Nairobi

Ground Handling

Chris Lewis

-

May 23, 2024

0

The Menzies Aviation-Siginon Aviation partnership has been awarded IATA CEIV Pharma accreditation for its recently expanded facility in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the seventh Menzies Aviation location to be awarded the certification, and its first in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The cargo facility has been expanded from 15,000 to 21,000sq with cold room space increased from 90 to 250 aircraft pallet positions alongside new docking stations for refrigerated trucks. A new yard area has also been completed while additional security cameras and lighting have been installed.

American Airlines signs up to CargoMART

Chris Lewis

-

May 23, 2024

0

American Airlines Cargo has signed a partnership to increase booking capabilities on CargoAi’s CargoMART, platform.

It will give forwarders access to its routes through a streamlined booking process. It will complement the carrier’s own digital booking platform, aacargo.com.

CargoMART provides a range of features including real-time capacity and rate visibility, quoting, e-Booking, and Track and Trace. It can also compare flight options by carbon emissions, track CO2 emissions at shipment level and purchase sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) whenever required.