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More Dreamliners for Etihad

Airlines

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February 23, 2024

Etihad Airways has taken delivery of three new Boeing 787-9 aircraft at Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport. They will further bolster the carriers fleet as it launches additional destinations including Boston, its fourth US gateway, on 31 March, together with Nairobi, Bali Nice, Malaga, Mykonos and Santorini.

Following the arrival of a Boeing 787-10 received in October 2023, the carrier added new routes to Osaka, Copenhagen and Dusseldorf in the fourth quarter of 2023, as well as Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram in the Kerala region of India on New Year’s Day.

In total, Etihad now operates 43 Dreamliners and a total fleet of 88 aircraft including the Airbus A380, A350, A320 family, and Boeing 777.

Rock-it pioneers digital ATA carnet in the US

Chris Lewis

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February 22, 2024

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Rock-it pioneers digital ATA carnet in the US

Rock-it Cargo a Global Critical Logistics (GCL) company, has issued and processed the first US digital ATA Carnet, oreATA Carnet. It was for a time-critical shipment of microphones from New York JFK to London Heathrow Airport.

The microphones were designed by Emmy Award-winning costume designer Perry Meek and were needed for the TPi Awards Ceremony in London on 26 February.

They were hand-carried to the UK by Rock-it and will be returned to the US after the show, celebrates excellence in the live events industry.

Chief operating officer at the US Council for International Business (USCIB), Declan Daly, said: “With the help of our partners, including US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the International Chamber of Commerce World Chamber Federation (ICC WCF), our service providers, and Rock-it Cargo, we’ve taken a crucial and exciting first step to finally bring the ATA Carnet into the 21st century.”

USCIB chose Rock-it Cargo to pilot the eATA Carnet because it is one of the largest ATA Carnet users in the US, moving time-critical freight for the live entertainment and TV and film production industries, which are highly dependent on ATA Carnets to ensure the show goes on.

The ATA Carnet permits the temporary, duty-free, and tax-free import of commercial goods and are essential to the success of live event tours, as they provide the ability to clear Customs in over 100 territories expeditiously and efficiently.

“Like other legacy paper processes, if the ATA Carnet does not modernize and become a digital solution, then touring artists and other traditional ATA Carnet users will no longer experience the positive benefits from using ATA Carnets” said Rock-it Cargo vice president of risk management and business affairs, Amanda Barlow (pictured, left). “We are grateful for the forward-thinking efforts of the ICC WCF, USCIB, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and other ATA Carnet guarantee associations who have created the digital ATA Carnet solution, and for their tireless efforts to achieve the implementation of the eATA Carnet across all accepting Customs administrations.”

Fellow GCL company, Dynamic International processed the UK’s first eATA Carnet at London’s Heathrow Airport in 2022.

Bangkok joins WFS certified pharma network

Chris Lewis

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February 22, 2024

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Bangkok joins WFS certified pharma network

Bangkok Flight Services (BFS), the joint venture between Bangkok Airways and Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) and a member of the SATS Group, has achieved Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification for its pharma facility at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

The award takes the number of GDP or IATA CEIV Pharma certified facilities available to WFS customers globally to 27, with two further locations in North America aiming for certification later in 2024. WFS, and other SATS subsidiaries now operate certified pharma handling facilities in locations including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bangalore, Beijing, Brussels, Dallas Fort Worth, Dublin, Frankfurt, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow and Gatwick, Miami, Mumbai, New York JFK, Paris CDG and Philadelphia.

BFS managing director, Stewart Sinclair, said: “BFS, WFS and SATS have a shared commitment to ensuring the safe and secure handling of temperature-controlled, life-enhancing pharma cargoes. This is evident by our investments in best-in-class pharma centres in Europe, Scandinavia, North America, the Middle East, India and Asia, and more certified facilities will join this network in 2024. These operations are vital to maintaining the integrity and compliance of pharma shipments as well as to supporting premium and special cargo products offered by our customers.”

BFS received its GDP certification from independent audit body Escem/TüV Rheinland following a stringent two-day assessment of the facility by Global Pharma Solutions.

The facility consists of three zones offering 120sq m (1292sq ft) of capacity including over 215 storage positions with temperature ranges of 15-25°C and 2-8°C. There are also charging stations for active cargo containers.

In 2024, BFS is investing to increase the capacity of its pharma storage to support growing customer volumes. Over 20 of the 80 airlines handled by BFS in Bangkok now regularly ship pharma cargoes.

BUD cargo set to blossom

Chris Lewis

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February 22, 2024

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A 10,000sqm extension to Budapest Airport’s Cargo City was officially opened on Tuesday 13 February, thanks in part to a multi-million-dollar investment by Menzies Aviation.

The expansion of the facility will increase Menzies’ cargo capacity from 49,000 to 85,000 tons per year. New temperature controlled, animal and valuable cargo rooms will also enable Menzies to diversify and provide secure cargo handling to its customers.

Menzies was one of the first occupants to lease space at BUD Cargo City when it was opened in 2019. The upgrade to Menzies’ facilities includes a 3,000sq m warehouse expansion, a 1,500sqm maneuvering area for truck and ground support equipment and a 300sq m office and social space. Following the expansion, the warehouse space available to Menzies has increased from 4,000sqm to 7,000sqm.

Menzies Aviation global head of cargo, Beau Paine, said: “BUD Cargo City has established itself as a key gateway to Central and Eastern Europe, and this exciting expansion cements the facility’s position at the heart of the regional cargo network. The increased capacity provided by this extension forms an important part of Menzies’ ambitious cargo expansion strategy, which has seen us build strong partnerships across the world. We’re excited to expand our cargo footprint across Europe and beyond over the coming months and years.”

Budapest Airport chief development officer and deputy chief executive, René Droese, added: “Thanks to nearly a decade of dedicated work, BUD is now one of the most dynamic airports in cargo traffic development in the CEE region. One of the keys to our success is the cohesive cargo community we have consciously built up, which gives us the opportunity to think together with our partners and develop fully in line with their needs. An excellent example of this forward-looking collaboration is the newly expanded Cargo Handling Building, which we implemented in close cooperation with Menzies.”

New cargo chief for Etihad

Chris Lewis

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February 21, 2024

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Etihad Airways has appointed Stanislas Brun as vice president cargo. He joins from Geodis, where he was senior vice president global airfreight. In his new role Brun will oversee all cargo commercial operations, including revenue management and network planning, reporting to chief operating officer, Mohammad Al Bulooki.

Vienna Airport signs Korean cargo pact

Chris Lewis

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February 21, 2024

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Vienna Airport and Korean Air have signed an agreement to expand their existing partnership to meet growing demand for air cargo services. Plans include joint market initiatives targeting freight forwarders and customers as well as an exchange of industry expertise. Korean Air has been regularly operating cargo flights between Incheon and Vienna since 2004. Vienna is a cargo hub for neighbouring countries such as the Slovak Republic, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

WFS is an Air China star in LA

Chris Lewis

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February 20, 2024

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Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), expects to handle over 20,000 tonnes of cargo a year for Air China Cargo in Los Angeles under a new three-year contract. WFS is providing ramp and warehouse handling services for the airline’s Boeing 777 and Boeing 747-400 freighter flights as well as bellyhold cargo on passenger services.

Air China Cargo currently operates seven freighter flights a week on a Shenzhen-Mexico City (Felipe Ángeles)-Los Angeles–Shenzhen-Shenyang-Los Angeles–Beijing routing.Four passenger flights a week connect Los Angeles to Beijing and Shenzhen.

Jose Canales, WFS’s senior vice president for commercial and business development in North America said: “This is a major contract win for WFS in Los Angeles, which is such an important gateway for Air China on the US west coast. It also extends WFS’ partnership with the airline to more than 10 stations globally, including New York JFK, Washington Dulles, and Paris CDG. This relationship spans over 30 years and with Air China’s fleet and network growth plans, we hope to extend this further based on our understanding of the airline’s service requirements and the operational excellence our teams deliver.”

WFS handles over 50 airline, freight forwarding, and ecommerce customers in Los Angeles, processing over 760,000 tonnes of cargo a year.

Miami cargo hits the heights

Airports

Chris Lewis

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February 19, 2024

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Miami International Airport (MIA) says its cargo operations achieved 1% growth in 2023 to a record 2.78 million tons. The Florida gateway says this was driven by 2.2 million tons of international cargo and 548,976 tons of domestic shipments. Additionally, 2023 was the third consecutive year that MIA handled more than 2.7 million tons of cargo.

MIAalso achieved its highest-ever annual passenger total, handling 52.3 million travellers in 2023, a 3.2% increase over the previous year’s record.

MIA director and chief executive, Ralph Cutié, said: “In April, the airport is set to welcome its 40th all-cargo carrier, China Cargo Airlines, further strengthening its position as a key player in global air cargo.”

AviaAM delivers latest addition to the Challenge family

Chris Lewis

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February 19, 2024

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AviaAM delivers latest addition to the Challenge family

AviaAM Leasing has delivered a Boeing 747-400F aircraft to Challenge Group’s Liege, Belgium hub. The latest addition to the Challenge fleet, which offers nose-loading capacity and a 120-tonne payload, was previously operated by Magma Aviation.

Challenge expects that the latest addition to its fleet will be deployed between Europe and the Far East.

Challenge Group offers air freight industry solutions including handling, air and ground logistics and aviation services. It employs over 1,000 people across three airlines (Challenge Airlines IL in Israel, Challenge Airlines BE in Belgium, Challenge Airlines MT in Malta), a commercial division (Challenge Air Cargo), ground handling and a European road feeder services in Europe.

Community is the key to efficiency, says Kale chief

Chris Lewis

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February 15, 2024

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Community is the key to efficiency, says Kale chief

Air cargo community systems are driving profitability and sustainability and accelerating digital take up in the industry, Amar More, Chief Executive of Kale Logistics Solutions told Air Cargo India convention.

Such systems are helping stakeholders to work together, he explained to delegates at the gathering n in Mumbai on 15 February.

Airport congestion and operational inefficiency can be alleviated through a common digital platform, More said.

“Air Cargo Community systems act as an ‘Air Cargo Single Window’, that facilitates ease of business and global trade by eliminating duplication of data entry, reducing unnecessary paperwork, tackling airport congestion issues, and bringing shipment visibility to all stakeholders,” More in a panel discussion on digitalisation.

“Delivering end-to-end collaboration through a single platform is imperative to ensuring our industry fully embraces digitalisation, as it is essential for facilitating better coordination, resource optimisation, and rapid information exchange between all parties involved.”

“The true benefits of digitalisation emerge only when an entire ecosystem embraces it – partial adoption falls short,” said More.

“Operational efficiency driven by faster processing and the ability to provide real-time visibility and accurate tracking are all perks now expected by customers, making adopting digital solutions a necessity to compete in our industry.”

Kale works with more than 100 air cargo stations to help airports become digitally connected logistics hubs and in May will unveil its CLEAR VIEW Air Cargo invitation-only event in Istanbul on 17-18 May, focusing on best practices for digitalising the supply chain