Qatar Airways Cargo has joined forces with Animal Defenders International to help rescue the world’s loneliest lion.
Ruben was left behind when a private zoo closed down in Armenia, in a tiny concrete cell with no contact with other lions and charity ADI could not find a suitable flight for him out of Armenia.
Qatar Airways Cargo orchestrated a 5,200-mile journey for the 15-year-old lion, where he is now re-discovering his voice and confidence as he roams the ADI Wildlife Sanctuary. Despite physical challenges from years of captivity, Ruben’s resilience and determination shine through, offering hope for a remarkable recovery.
Qatar Airways Cargo senior vice-president for cargo sales and network planning, Elisabeth Oudkerk, said: “We are committed to preserving wildlife and endangered species, that is why we launched our WeQare initiative: ‘Rewild the Planet’ back in 2020. We pledged to return wildlife and endangered species back to their natural habitat, free of charge and we will continue to do so.”
“There are a lot of logistics involved in moving animals like Ruben; from the logistics at the airports involved, the process for loading and unloading the animals from the aircraft, to ensuring the correct cages and wellbeing of the animals are in place. It takes a lot of effort from our team to organise such transport – but it is something we are all collectively very proud to be a part of, knowing we helped give back to our planet.”
ADI president Jan Creamer, added: “Ruben was really in trouble until Qatar Airways Cargo stepped up. ADI had been funding his care in Armenia since December and when we could find no flights for him we feared he could be stuck there.
“Then Qatar Airways Cargo ‘WeQare’ initiative stepped in, moving a larger aircraft with hold doors big enough for Ruben’s crate, into the scheduled passenger route out of Yervan. We are so thankful to Qatar Airways Cargo for all their support in helping get Ruben to South Africa.”
Freight forwarder Deugro has delivered 37 urgent pipe spools from eastern Thailand to the US on nine charter flights for the start-up of a new facility. The components were shipped from the factory in Rayong Province to U-Tapao Airport, and then from George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas.
The 213 tonnes of cargo (1,628 cubic meters) cargo would normally be shipped by ocean but in the event only air freight could meet the delivery schedule.
The forwarder said that with scarce heavy lift air charter capacity caused by the war in the Ukraine, the biggest challenge was locating and securing aircraft that could not only be available at the right place at the right time, but which also allowed for loading the oversized and complex equipment.
Global forwarder Dimerco has opened its second bonded warehouse in the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Free Trade Zone, aimed at semiconductor manufacturers.
Supplier inventory entering Taiwan can be stored duty and tax free until it is shipped out while finished goods being manufactured in Taiwan can be stored in the bonded warehouse duty and tax free until they are sold and shipped out.
The 48,000sq ft facility offers customizable shelving, 10 storage bays and a large floor space for picking and packing operations. Dimerco says it is one of the few 3PLs In Taiwan that serves as Importer of Record allowing it to offer a solution for international customers that do not have local presence.
Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), a Member of the SATS Group, says it has signed handling contracts with 20 airlines since opening its first Indian terminal at at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (BLR) at the end of May.
The cargo handler has started a 15-year license to operate an international cargo handing operation at Kempegowda in partnership with BIAL, Bangalore International Airport Limited. New airline customers for WFS Bengaluru Private have signed contracts of between 3-5 years.
WFS employs some 700 staff at two facilities, currently offering an annual throughput capacity of 120,000 tonnes, rising to 250,000 tonnes per annum following refurbishment. WFS is responsible for the development, operation, management, and maintenance of the operations, which include the only dedicated cold chain facility at the airport.
Lufthansa Cargo is increasing its flights to Asia, Africa and Mexico in its latest winter schedule.
The German carrier is increasing weekly connections to Mexico City from six to a total of seven weekly freighter rotations. In July, all freighter flights were transferred to Felipe Ángeles International Airport and truck shuttles introduced to transfer cargo between the now passenger-only Mexico City airport the designated cargo hub.
Lufthansa Cargo now operates to eight destinations in the US and Canada and six in South America.
It will also operate three weekly B777 freighter services to Tel Aviv and Cairo from October.
Frequency to Hong Kong will be increased from six to seven weekly flights by routing via Mumbai and, with a combined connection from Frankfurt via Riyadh to Taipei (it will add two new freighter destinations in November, served twice a week. Taipei will become part of the global route network for the first time, while Riyadh was served by Lufthansa Cargo up to 2020.
The planned entry into service of a fourth Airbus A321 freighter during September will soon result in further expansions in short- and medium-haul services.
Lufthansa Cargo chief executive, Ashwin Bhat, said: “The market for airfreight is and remains volatile, but Asia and Mexico continue to be attractive, economically strong regions for us. The additional capacity of our 17th Boeing 777F in our long-haul fleet offers opportunities to specifically adapt the flight offering to the needs of our customers in these markets.”
Lufthansa’s Boeing 777 freighter fleet will comprise a total of 17 aircraft with the addition of a new aircraft by the end of the year.
Canada’s Minister of Transport, the Honorable Pablo Rodriguez, recently announced an investment of up to C$11 million under the National Trade Corridors Fund. This investment will be used to build a new cargo facility for Canadian North, the Inuit-owned airline. To further enhance this commitment, Canadian North will be matching the Government of Canada’s investment, bringing the total combined funding for this project up to $22 million. This warehouse will be located on the grounds of Ottawa International Airport and will reduce delays in cargo handling capacity and increase connectivity between different modes of transportation at the airport. For example, the project would expand the truck loading area, where queues have created congestion in the past. In total, this project will also double the capacity for Canadian North in Ottawa. In addition, this new facility will adopt environmentally friendly technologies and expand energy-efficient refrigeration and freezing areas to reduce waste and preserve essential goods destined for the Canadian Arctic. The facility will also have a backup power system to ensure service continuity during severe weather events. The Government of Canada continues to invest to make the country’s supply chain stronger, to boost economic growth and to create more opportunities for our businesses to grow internationally. This represents another long-term commitment to work with stakeholders on important infrastructure projects to address congestion along Canada’s trade corridors.
Qatar Airways inaugurated its Gateway Star route linking Mexico to the Middle East at Huntsville International Airport (HSV) on 7 September. The Boeing 777 arrived in Huntsville from Mexico City to a water cannon salute at DSV’s International Intermodal Center at the airport, bound for Luxembourg and its final destination of Doha.
The Gateway Star route will fly twice weekly, and the venture is a collaboration between the carrier and DSV, which is responsible for cargo loading and management.
Port of Huntsville chief executive, Butch Roberts, said: “Huntsville will not only be DSV’s North American hub linking Mexico City and Doha, Qatar, via Luxembourg, this opportunity will facilitate swift, efficient cargo movement to the Middle East and beyond,” adding: “Our International Intermodal Center’s reputation as a convenient, economical choice to do global business is contributing significantly to this new venture’s success.“
The Gateway Star route also marks Qatar Airways Cargo’s first entry into Alabama airspace.
DSV executive vice president, Mads Ravn, commented: “By collaborating with Qatar Airways Cargo, we not only extend our market presence but also create avenues for seamless access to the Middle East with a keen focus on boosting our oil and gas vertical.”
The Port of Huntsville is an inland port facility comprised of Huntsville International Airport, the DSV-operated International Intermodal Center, Jetplex Industrial Park, and four contract operations including a Foreign Trade Zone. It has two parallel runways, one 10,000 feet and one 12,600 feet, with a 5,000-foot separation allowing for simultaneous operations during instrument conditions.
The International Intermodal Center is an inland port of entry for international air cargo flights and ocean containers arriving by rail while Jetplex Industrial Park, the IIC offers Customs & Border Protection clearance, on-site freight forwarders and customs brokers and a Foreign-Trade Zone.
Analyst Clive Data Services said that air cargo demand growth may be a few quarters away as August spot rates hit their lowest level in over three years.
The global air rate flattened to US$2.19 per kg in August, its lowest since the pandemic as another weak summer month saw chargeable weight edge -1% lower for a fourth consecutive month, according to the latest weekly market analysis from the airfreight arm of Xeneta.
While shippers and forwarders continue to benefit from the overall decline of general air freight rates, rising jet fuel prices should concern an already contracted market, with the US gulf coast jet fuel spot price jumping 21% month-over-month.
August saw global air cargo capacity rise 7% year-on-year, while Clive’s global dynamic load factor, which measures cargo load factor based on both volume and weight perspectives of cargo flown and capacity available, climbed one percentage point about the previous month to 56%. But the August global load factor continued to fall year-on-year, down 3% from last year’s level. Softened global demand and the capacity surge were the main reasons behind this.
Clive says that the data dampens some industry reports of a slight spike in demand in August, leading to hopes of a rise in volumes going into the final four months of the year.
“We are picking up signals that it could take another few quarters before we see more demand on a global level,” said Xeneta chief airfreight officer, Niall van de Wouw.
“August was very quiet, like July, and we see no meaningful signals from a qualitative or quantitative point of view of any kind of peak arising this year. There might be some early peak season charter requests floating around but they are backed up by very little demand. The (low) rates and the limited timeframe that the requestors are looking for signal that they are not too concerned at the moment about getting the required capacity when they actually need it.
“The market seems to have levelled out, but still holds a lot of uncertainty, and not just for airfreight. There was also no peak for the ocean market, which typically precedes the airfreight market by a couple of months. There are even blank sailings scheduled ahead of the Golden Week period.
“There is likely to be upward pressure on airfreight rates in the second half of October as capacity is taken out of the market, but it’s getting late in the game to positively impact the industry’s 2023 performance, and the signals for the rest of the year are not good given the macroeconomic outlook hasn’t improved.”
Average general airfreight rates in August dipped as low as $2.13 per kg in the first two weeks of the month. Of the major trade lanes, only China-US and Southeast Asia-US recorded growth, with spot rates up 3% and 4% respectively. This is attributed to a more resilient US economy with strong retail sales and, to some extent, also delayed recovery of US-China passenger bellyhold capacity, which is growing at a much slower pace than Europe-China.
Even so, due to capacity shortage triggered by various geopolitical issues, airfreight spot rates ex Northeast Asia to Middle East & Central Asia, Northeast Asia to Europe, China to the US and China to Europe remained highly elevated, still up by around 55% from their pre-pandemic levels.
Looking forward, the oceanfreight container market might shed some light on where the air cargo market is heading, as it tends to begin its yearly peak season a few months ahead of the airfreight cycle. So far, the global ocean container market has not shown any meaningful peak season trends.
“The air cargo industry is coming to terms with the market conditions and not even the current and planned restrictions we see on container ships moving through the Panama Canal are likely to provide a noticeable uptick to airfreight volumes. Whichever way you choose to look at it, demand growth simply does not exist in this current moment or for the foreseeable future.
“Shippers will no doubt be tempted to fix more longer-term deals because the levelling of volumes and the imminent drop-off of some capacity means the market may not get any better than it is right now for capacity buyers,” Niall van de Wouw said.
Icelandair Cargo has joined the Airforwarders Association (AfA). The carrier is adding dedicated freighters from Liege, in Belgium to multiple cities in North America as from September, via its base in Keflavik. AfA is extending its membership to include Europe-based companies with a US office.
AfA executive director, Brandon Fried, said: “With its strategic position midway between North America and Europe, the addition of Icelandair Cargo to the AfA community represents an important development for our global representation and strengthens our efforts to present a united front for the worldwide transport industry.”
“We hope that as we diversify our membership, AfA’s goal to bring compliance and harmonization to the sector will grow in tandem.”
AfA says it looks forward to welcoming further new members in the US and beyond as it nears its goal to pass new legislation to promote increased funding for US airport cargo infrastructure and protect the future of the industry.
German-headquartered forwarder Rhenus is expanding its presence in the Latin America (LATAM) market through acquisition of Colombia-based BLU Logistics and a taking 51%shareholding in Rotterdam-based LBH Group, including its six operations in the region.
BLU Logistics is present in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay as well as in Mainland China and Hong Kong. Headquartered in Bogotá, the company specializes in and air and sea cargo, warehousing, customs, and logistics services. It is the number one maritime transport company in Colombia with an import cargo volume of more than 180,000teu.
Founded in 1984 in Rotterdam, the LBH Group expanded its operations to include the transport of bulk commodities and opened branches in 24 countries as well as alliances in additional seven, with a strong focus on Australia and Africa.
The Rhenus Group itself already operations across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. It says that combining the BLU and LBH teams will increase its LATAM workforce by 2,200 employees.
Rhenus Group chief executive and chairman, Tobias Bartz, said: “Our strategic acquisitions allow us to further strengthen our global network and service portfolio in the LATAM region, where we see increasing demand for logistics services, especially for the e-commerce industry.
“In addition, the region’s proximity to the North American market fosters a robust environment for nearshoring, which aligns perfectly with our growth strategy. Together with BLU and LBH, we (will) create a unique position with the value of a family-business for our customers and people by offering a strong footprint in key markets to secure more robust supply chains globally.”
Rhenus added that the expansion would complement its position in the Asia-LATAM corridor, leveraging BLU’s robust trans-Pacific freight forwarding network while enabling BLU to extend its reach to European and Indian trade lanes. David Kassin, previously associated with BLU Logistics, will assume the role of chief executive for Rhenus Air & Ocean LATAM.
He said: “This is a win-win-win for BLU Logistics, Rhenus, and above all, our customers. The global Rhenus network gives us the possibility to further explore other regions and to expand our client base to new segments and geographies, especially to India and the Middle East, as well as Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America.”
