Etihad Cargo has launched an Instant Offer Rate (IOR) tool. Developed in collaboration with IBS Software, the IOR solution reduces pricing transaction times by up to 70% with prices generated based on five key booking and flight parameters, including density, departure day, direct and indirect flights, flight demand and requested servicesThe IOR solution is the latest feature to be added to Etihad Cargo’s booking portal, following the recent addition of features enabling the booking of cats, dogs and dangerous goods.
KN achieves pharma certificate again
Kuehne+Nagel said on 6 November that it had completed its third consecutive IATA CEIV Pharma recertification of its entire air logistics healthcare network. It also positions it as the first logistics company to achieve over 100 CEIV Pharma-certified stations.
Kuehne+Nagel’s dedicated healthcare solutions for Air Logistics are part of the company’s global healthcare portfolio including multimodal transport options and contract logistics. Earlier this year, Kuehne+Nagel announced its Roadmap 2026, of which healthcare is a key growth area.
In the US, meanwhile, Kuehne+Nagel’s Road team delivered some 150 pallets of flu vaccines to 40 Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals across the country. Within 36 hours of the initial customer call, the team arranged for three different carriers to pick up over 150 pallets of vaccines from 14 locations across Georgia, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. The vaccines were transported in 14 temperature-controlled trucks.
Kale has grand plan for Istanbul gateway
Kale Logistics Solutions is implementing a cargo community system at Istanbul Grand Airport (İGA), the first of its kind at a Turkish airport.
The ACS platform will help turn İGA into a transfer centre and will give agents, airlines, transporters, handlers, Customs, and security agencies access to all cargo-related information on a common platform.
Airport Kargo Paydaş Platformu (KPP), developed by Kale, will be implemented in collaboration with cargo digitisation specialist, TroyNet.
The airport’s deputy chief executive officer, Selahattin Bilgen, said: “Istanbul is a critical air cargo connection point and we are determined to develop and expand our air cargo network – the implementation of KPP is an important milestone in providing best-in-class services to our customers and stakeholders.
“We want to take our place as one of the world’s most important global transfer centres and with this system, we will encourage digital trade, facilitate business, and establish a digital infrastructure to ensure that cargo moves faster at the least possible cost.”
Director and co-founder of Kale Logistics Solutions, Vineet Malhotra (pictured), added: “For more than a decade, Kale has been combining its deep industry knowledge and experience of working with more than 100 air cargo stations to help airports transform into smart logistics hubs.
“Our next-gen ACS is transforming Istanlbul’s cargo operations with tech agility by supporting seamless customer experience, and optimising value chains for airports and nations at large.”
Swissport fills a hole in its Spanish network
Swissport International has opened an air cargo centre at Zaragoza Airport, in north-east Spain, its fifth in the country along with Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Valencia and Zaragoza. It offers over 4,000sq and provides cargo handling services for general and express cargo. The facility has 14 truck docks. Swissport has provided passenger services and ramp handling in Zaragoza since 2015.
Sally Meyer joins Sterling sales team
Airfreight trucker Sterling Transportation has recruited Sally Meyer to its sales team. Stationed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, she will play a pivotal role in expanding sales efforts not only in the Houston area but across the entire US. She brings over two decades of sales experience in the industry and her reputation is widely recognized within the airline and freight forwarding communities.
Vice President of Sales, Jaye Fenner, said: “I’m convinced there’s not a forwarder in the Houston area who isn’t familiar with Sally Meyer. Having had the privilege of working alongside her for more than 20 years, I’ve personally witnessed her remarkable achievements and had the pleasure of working alongside her over the years. Sally possesses an exceptional understanding of the industry and a keen awareness of our customers’ unique needs.”
Air Charter Service opens in New Delhi
Air Charter Service has opened an office in New Delhi, its second office in India and 33rd globally. The company opened its Mumbai office almost 12 years ago and last year enjoyed one of its best years in terms of charter numbers in India. The new office is headed by Aman Arora (pictured, front centre), who moves from his managerial position in Mumbai.
FedEx effect adds $80 billion to global economy
FedEx directly contributed more than $80 billion to the global economy in the 2023, financial year despite recent economic pressures, according to the express and logistics company’s annual economic impact report, released on 6 November.
Produced in consultation with data and analysis firm Dun & Bradstreet, the study demonstrates the positive impact FedEx has on individuals and communities around the globe, which it calls the ‘FedEx Effect.’
In Europe, the company’s impact included $2.4 billion in indirect contributions to the regional economy.
FedEx, which celebrated 50 years of operations on 17 April, claims the most extensive transportation network in the world, providing services to more than 220 countries and territories. It employs over 500,000 people across more than 5,000 facilities and moves approximately 14.5 million packages every day.
FedEx contracted with roughly 100,000 suppliers in FY 2023 — 90% of which were small businesses. It also continued to support trade policies favouring greater market access and efficiency such as de minimis customs allowances, which enable individuals and businesses of all sizes to import low-value goods without duties and taxes.
FedEx Express serves more than 45 countries in Europe, with air hubs at Roissy-Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris, France and Liège Airport in Liège, Belgium.
fedex.com/economicimpact
Rock-it men get Team Canada to Chile
Global Critical Logistics’ events specialist arm, Rock-it Global has handled the logistics for Team Canada at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile.
Rock-it transported food, medicine, and sporting equipment ranging from hockey sticks to sailing boats for the games, which started on 20 October. It also handled all customs, carnets, and tariffs arrangements and exemptions for the importation of goods, working with various government agencies.
Rock-it’s director, sports and broadcast, Josh Gordon, said: “Rock-it transports anything that helps the athletes feel at home, whether that be their favourite cereal bar, furniture, weight training equipment, or more obscure things like team signage and games for the athletes’ lounge. The cargo we’ve had to move comes in a range of sizes and shapes.”
The Rock-it team has been preparing for Santiago 2023 for over a year, with team members scouting the 12 event venues, driving through each route to identify potential risks or challenges, drawing up solid contingency plans, and arranging insurance coverage.
However, as Adam Tubaro, director sports and broadcast logistics, pointed out, having a ‘Plan B’ is vital: “Things on the ground rarely go as planned, and we have the advantage of being flexible and agile when contingencies need to be activated.”
Tower unveils US- and EU-compatible unit
Tower Cold Chain is offering a new lightweight temperature controlled container compatible with US and EU standards. The Evolution 1600 Tower Universal Pallet is a quarter of the size of a PMC pallet, allowing four containers to be transported per pallet. Following detailed analysis, Tower has reduced the amount of phase-change materials required to maintain a consistent internal temperature, resulting in significant weight savings and more space for product to be packed.
Lufthansa offers fastest-yet service
Lufthansa Cargo is offering a new high-speed cargo option. Td.Zoom is the fastest service for the most urgent shipments and is in addition to the existing td.Pro and td.Flash otpions.
The carrier claims “the fastest capacity access with no weight or size limitations” with special handling processes at its Frankfurt, Munich and Vienna hubs, with ramp supervision during aircraft loading and unloading, dedicated ramp transfer between the warehouse and aircraft as well as ‘tail-to-tail’ transfer on demand. The offer also includes 24/7 personal td.Zoom Customer Service to proactively monitor shipments.
A shipment from Shanghai via Frankfurt to Zurich takes 23 hours with td.Zoom compared with 45 hours with td.Pro and, 35 hours with td.Flash.
Customers can book Add-on Services such as Sustainable Choice at any transport speed to reduce the CO2 emissions of their shipments.