Air Transat has launched passenger flights between Istanbul and Toronto, the ninth new airline to start services from the Turkish gateway in 2025, and bring the total of scheduled passenger airlines now operating to 116.
It will operate year-round with Airbus A330-200 aircraft, from Toronto on Tuesdays, Saturdays, with an additional Thursday flight from May 2026, and in the return direction on Wednesdays, Sundays, with an additional Friday flight from May 2026.
Parcels firm DPD UK, part of the Geopost Group, has partnered with leading ecommerce logistics company Mark 3 International to help it navigate the new US import regulations, including the recent changes to de minimis exemptions.
It will focus on DPD UK’s US destination traffic with Mark 3 providing support for brokerage, B2C, B2B and DDU requirements.
During the last year, including Mark 3 opened a12,000 sq ft facility at New York JFK airport and plans to open a similar facility at Los Angeles airport.
DPD UK director of International, Darren Lawrence said: “We were very impressed with Mark 3’s expertise in the US logistics market. They helped us when the de minimis changes were introduced and we knew they could provide DPD UK with a solution that is best for our customers and is flexible enough to cope with the turbulent global trade environment in which we all operate.
“We are confident our US traffic will be handled efficiently and with the customer’s best interests at heart, which is the most important thing for us.”
Mark 3 chief executive, Matthew Ware, CEO at Mark 3, added: “At Mark 3, our approach is simple – customers need tailor-made solutions to navigate increasingly complex trading environments, especially when exporting to the US. As a result, we’re committed to understanding the specific requirements of each customer, and offering an outcome that best serves their needs instead of applying a blanket approach that is inflexible and inefficient, especially when global circumstances change. Our investment in infrastructure, tools and processes, means we can offer the best possible solution for anyone wanting to ship to the US.”
Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) has become the first operator in its region to receive the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification for its COSAC-Plus system and its supporting IT infrastructure. ISO/IEC 27001 is an internationally recognised standards for Information Security Management Systems, providing organisations with a mature framework of policies, processes, and controls designed to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information. Achieving the certification required extensive intra- and inter-departmental collaboration and re-prioritisation of planned projects and initiatives across the company to ensure total compliance.
The standard emphasises ongoing evaluation and continuous improvement and maintaining certification will require continuous effort, including ensuring Hactl aligns with evolving cybersecurity best practices, regular internal audits and annual external audits alongside continuous monitoring and enhancement of security controls.
Air France KLM Martinair Cargo has partnered again with DHL Global Forwarding to advance the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Building on the their initial 2022–24 agreement, both organizations have signed a new three-year framework contract covering 2025–2027. For 2025 alone, the partnership includes a reduction target of 35,000 tons of CO₂-equivalent, and the largest annual SAF partnership AFKLMP Cargo has signed to date. Additional SAF volumes and related emissions reductions for 2026 and 2027 will be defined as the partnership progresses.
DHL has embedded SAF into its GoGreen Plus service and has enabled its customers to make measurable progress toward their science-based carbon-reduction targets.
Air Charter Service has moved its Florida officefrom Miami to larger premises in Hollywood. The new office is three times larger than the pervious space and is closer to Boca Raton, Miami-Opa Locka, Fort Lauderdale Executive, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airports, all of which the broker regularly uses.
ECS Group’s Aero Cargo International France subsidiary says it has set a new industry benchmark with its campaign to deliver Beaujolais Nouveau to wine connoisseurs in 2025, moving 40% of all exports on DHL Aviation-operated flights to gateways in Tokyo and Osaka, the highest market share ever achieved. “This record achievement is a clear demonstration of what happens when operational excellence meets true partnership,” said ECS Group chief executive, Jean Ceccaldi.
Saudia Cargo has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Export Development Authority to support the competitiveness of local products and increase access to international markets. It also encompasses overcoming logistical and regulatory obstacles, facilitating and accelerating export operations, building capacities, conducting joint studies and developing innovative shipping solutions.
Lufthansa Cargo transported over 1,000 aircraft engines and numerous high-tech systems in 2025, along with some3,500 horses, 12,000 pets, 80 million ornamental fish, and 200 zoo animals, said the carrier in its review of the year.
Other shipments included a rare BMW classic car from Prague to Tokyo, 12 critically endangered Vietnamese crocodile-tailed lizards returning to their native habitat and specially trained sniffer dogs to South Africa for anti-poaching duties.
Perhaps most importantly, 10,000 corneal tissue transplants gave recipients the chance to see again in a collaboration with the Lions World Vision Institute, which coordinates donations worldwide.
Swissport has earned IATA CEIV Pharma status for its Dusseldorf facility, bringing its network certified warehouses to 24 globally.
The expansion builds on the aviation services provider’s ‘Cool and Connect’ air cargo facility launched in Basel in 2024, which set the blueprint for the company’s pharma-dedicated logistics, with a focus on 2-8°C cool container infrastructure.
Swissport has recently opened dedicated pharma facilities in Manchester, New York JFK and Shanghai, aiming to cater for the shift in pharmaceutical manufacturing toward biologics and temperature-sensitive therapies.
Swissport operates 65 pharma-capable warehouses and 24 warehouses certified for pharmaceutical logistics under industry standards including the Air Transport Association’s CEIV Pharma, the British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and Good Distribution Practice (GDP).
Airline service company Menzies Aviation has achieved Cargo iQ certification, following completion of a quality audit. It worked to align its global cargo operations with Cargo iQ’s globally recognised Master Operating Plan (MOP), the industry’s standard framework for end-to-end shipment planning and performance measurement. The MOP defines key milestones across the cargo journey and establishes consistent quality benchmarks for airlines, handlers and forwarders worldwide.
Cargo iQ executive director, Marie Seco-Köppen, said: “By gaining accreditation Menzies are demonstrating their commitment to continuous improvement, 2026 promises to be the year of action for Cargo iQ and it’s the members like Menzies that are helping to drive the quality journey for air cargo forward.”
