United to fly to four new cities in Europe

By

-

October 13, 2025

United Airlines is to add services from Newark-New York to Glasgow (Scotland), Split (Croatia), Bari (Italy) and Santiago de Compostela (Spain) in its summer 2026 schedule.

It is also flying for the first time between Washington-Dulles and Reykjavik, Iceland, and introducing a new year-round daily service from Newark to Seoul, South Korea, and four additional weekly flights between Newark and Tel Aviv, Israel.

United will also continue to serve all nine destinations from its largest expansion ever last summer including seasonal service to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Nuuk, Greenland; Palermo, Italy; Bilbao, Spain; Madeira Island, Portugal; Faro, Portugal. It will continue year-round service to Dakar, Senegal; Puerto Escondido, Mexico, and Kaohsiung.

WFS to roll out contour-checking system at three major hubs

By

Chris Lewis

-

October 10, 2025

0

Worldwide Flight Services is introducing CIND’s ContourCheck ULD measurement system at its largest air cargo handling stations at London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle airports in early 2026, as part of a global rollout.

WFS was the first air cargo handler to implement CIND’s 3D modelling software in 2024, and the technology is now in daily use at its handling stations in Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Madrid, and Toulouse.

For each flight, airlines receive a comprehensive digital report, complete with pictures, providing digital proof that each unit is fit to fly.

WFS senior vice president for operational excellence, Jimi Daniel Hansen, said:

“CIND’s ContourCheck solution is an important step in our journey towards automation and digitalisation. It allows us to digitally measure ULDs, ensuring all ULDs are 100% fit to fly, providing valuable data, and helping us optimise cargo space.

“None of the ULDs built using ContourCheck have been offloaded for contour issues.“

Etihad to fly to Kabul

By

Chris Lewis

-

October 10, 2025

0

Etihad Airways is to launch passenger flights from its Abh Dhabi hub to Kabul, Afghanistan, from 18 December. They will operate three times weekly with A320 aircraft. The UAE hosts one of the largest Afghan communities in the Gulf, with around 300,000 Afghans living and working in the country, according to the Afghan Business Council. The route also offers access to Etihad’s network across the GCC, Europe, Australia and North America.

ICAO condemns GPS jamming attempts

By

Chris Lewis

-

October 10, 2025

0

The International Civil Aviation Organization has condemned Russian and North Korean attempts to interfere with aircraft and ship navigation systems in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf region that occurred on 3-7 October.

ICAO has issued two resolutions condemning the two countries for the incidents, saying that they infracted the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation and urgently called upon both countries to comply strictly with their obligations.

Lisa Dyer, executive director of the GPS Innovation Alliance trade association added: “ICAO’s resolutions condemning GNSS interference are an important milestone in safeguarding global navigation systems. From aviation and maritime trade to freight and ground transportation, GNSS systems are the backbone of global navigation and trade. These operations rely on uninterrupted GPS signals for routing, scheduling, real-time tracking, and more.

“Governments should follow ICAO’s lead by taking action to modernize and secure GPS infrastructure to ensure navigation remains free from harmful interference in freight transport worldwide.”

Shipping operators have also reported malfunctions to navigation equipment in the Red Sea area.

De minimis is unfinished business, warns forwarding chief

By

Chris Lewis

-

October 9, 2025

0

The air freight industry is adjusting to the end of de-minimis customs concessions in the US, with tighter compliance and small-parcels giving way to heavier, consolidated shipments, Airforwarders Association (AfA) executive director, Brandon Fried (pictured, center) told the FIATA World Congress 2025 in Hanoi on 9 October.

He said that AfA members have reported higher duties, longer cycle times, and greater complexity in returns management since the de minimis thresholds ended on August 29.

“The industry has moved overnight from light-touch clearance to full formal entry,” he said. “We are seeing fewer parcels but larger, better-documented shipments. Fraud has dropped, but working-capital and compliance burdens have climbed sharply. “Realignment is far from finished.”

Fried urged forwarders to consolidate smartly, invest in master data and tariff governance, and design returns solutions through Free Trade Zones or Inward Processing Relief schemes.

He said forwarders must address duty cash-flow early and strengthen visibility across purchase orders to manage the post-de-minimis environment effectively.

Marshall Witt completes FedEx Freight team

By

Chris Lewis

-

October 9, 2025

0

FedEx has appointed Marshall Witt, formerly the chief financial officer of IT distribtor TD SYNNEX as senior vice president and chief financial officer of FedEx Freight.

Prior to joining TD SYNNEX, he spent 15 years at FedEx, primarily within the FedEx Freight finance organization, most recently as senior vice president of finance.

FedEx previously announced the appointment of John Smith as president and chief executive officer and R. Brad Martin as chairman of the board of FedEx Freight, with both appointments effective upon the spin-off of the company. Witt’s appointment completes FedEx Freight’s executive leadership team as it prepares to beconme an independent company:

Other appointments include Mike Rodgers as chief technology officer, Eddie Klank, as chief human resources and legal officer, Mike Lyons, chief specialized services and commercial officer and Clint McCoy, chief operating officer.

WFS adds Frankfurt e-commerce capacity

By

Chris Lewis

-

October 8, 2025

0

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), a SATS company has signed a long-term lease on two warehouses at Frankfurt Airport to enable it to expand its e-commerce services.

The handler will take over two warehouses and two office buildings on a 24,000sq m site within the airport’s Cargo City South.

The facilities will be equipped with ULD handling systems and volume and dimension scanners. When fully operational, it will give WFS capacity to handle up to 100,000 tonnes of import and export freight annually for E-commerce and forwarder clients.

WFS’ EFFH service makes freight Ready-for-Carriage, captures weight and cargo measurements and provides crating, repacking, security screening, consolidation, shipment labelling and transportation between forwarders and handling agents. It also includes import deconsolidation, sorting, preparing shipments for customs clearance, and onward transportation by road.

WFS also offers EFFH services in Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Liege, Madrid, Stockholm, and at 12 airports across France, including Paris CDG.

Geodis marks 500th Asia-Mexico freighter

By

Chris Lewis

-

October 7, 2025

0

Geodis celebrated its 500^th freighter flight from Asia to Guadalajara with a ceremony at the Mexican airport on 7 October. The forwarding and logistics company has signed a long-term partnership with Atlas Air to operate the route. Launched in 2019, it operates two weekly flights, one each from Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Geodis maintained the service through the Covid pandemic as well as the recent geopolitical disruptions.

Geodis Mexico managing director, Miguel Muñoz, said: “This milestone is a clear signal that GEODIS Mexico has strengthened its position in the local market, and it would not have been possible without the great collaboration between our teams in Mexico and Asia as well as our corporate headquarters in Paris and our regional headquarters in the US. We look forward to building on this momentum and are committed to reaching the 1,000-flight mark, continuing to serve as a growth partner for our customers.”

Dennis Christen beings animal expertise to Intradco

By

Chris Lewis

-

October 7, 2025

0

Avia Group animal transport arm Intradco Global has appointed Dennis Christen as global product manager for wildlife, zoological, and marine logistics.

He brings more than 35 years of experience in aquariums, zoological institutions, and rescue and rehabilitation programmes, and has managed large-scale animal transports as a client.

The transport of animals has evolved significantly over the past quarter century. Today, real-time visibility and data flows are non-negotiable, with zoological partners expecting welfare to be monitored and prioritised at every stage. Crates and unit load devices are no longer seen as containers but as mobile habitats, designed to provide safety, comfort, and species-specific needs.

Rhenus appoints North America air and ocean chief

By

Chris Lewis

-

October 7, 2025

0

The Rhenus Group has appointed Peter Nordstrom as chief executive for its Air & Ocean division in North America. In over 25 years in forwarding, he has held senior positions at Ceva Logistics, Geodis, Kuehne + Nagel, and was most recently the executive vice president of ocean freight Americas at DB Schenker.