Air Charter Service has moved its Houston office to larger premises to accommodate growth plans in Texas.
ACS Houston chief executive, Dustin Roades, commented: “Last year was ACS Houston’s best, in terms of both charter numbers and revenue. On the back of what we achieved in 2022, we started looking to move to a bigger office space in order to aid further expansion of the team.
“We opened in Texas in 2014 and the office has steadily grown since then, culminating in our record year last year and a very strong first six months of 2023. This new office has more than double the amount of floorspace of our old one and we are in the process of hiring – with some of the new recruits starting imminently, now that we have space for them.
“This is an exciting time for ACS in Texas and I look forward to this next chapter and to celebrating our tenth anniversary next year.”
We have lift-off, says ACS Houston
Two new faces for Dachser USA
German-owned forwarder Dachser USA has reorganized management in the Northeastern US. It has appointed Andreas Kayser as new general manager, responsible for branches in New York, Boston and Baltimore and Robert Crimmins has been appointed branch manager for Boston.
Kayser (main picture) has been with Dachser in Germany since April 2022, acting as a National Account Manager within the Air & Sea Logistics (ASL) EMEA business unit and before joining the company, was director global airfreight at Forto Logistics. He is based at the branch in New York, close to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Robert Crimmins (pictured below) brings over 28 years of experience in the industry and, prior to joining Dachser, was general manager for CH Robinson in Miami and east region director of sales at Morrison Express.
Rally cars rocket across Brazil with new logistics deal
Entertainment and events specialist Rock-it Global has become the new logistics partner of Rally dos Sertões and will transport vehicles, motorbikes, and team equipment for the Americas’ biggest rally until 2026.
Rally dos Sertões is a cross-country off-road competition that has been held in Brazil since 1993 and is named after the Sertão region.
“Rock-it is providing transportation of team equipment, vehicles, and support equipment from any location worldwide to the rally, and back again after the event,” said Rock-it regional manager for motorsports and business development, Alex Amaral. “One of the many challenges of this rally is that it goes through many small towns throughout Brazil with very little infrastructure.
“Rock-it has employees on the ground that can coordinate and manage this and get any equipment needed throughout the entire rally route.
“Rock-it also deals with all requisite documentation including customs clearance and carnets for the teams.”
Rock-it will also use its reputation in motorsports logistics to help Rally dos Sertões grow the event both in terms of participation and global stature.
The Rally’s chief executive, Joaquim Monteiro, added: “It is a pleasure to have Rock-it on board with us. What started more than 30 years ago as a romantic adventure has turned out to be, as the years go by, more and more professional and global.
“Brazilian teams are relying more on world-class material, which puts a high emphasis on logistics and freight.” The 31st edition of the rally is currently underway, with rally cars, motorbikes, and off-road vehicles racing between five Brazilian cities.
Chapman Freeborn sets up emergency aid arm
UK-based charter broker Chapman Freeborn – part of Avia Solutions Group – has set up an Aviation Emergency Services (AES) arm. It introduces solutions including crisis management, assisting organizations in effectively preparing for unexpected emergency situations, and security and risk management to proactively detect and mitigate potential threats related to security, terrorism, and natural disasters.
Chapman Freeborn’s humanitarian efforts over the years include cargo and passenger charters during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina in 2006, Cyclone Nargis in 2008, earthquakes in Pakistan, Haiti, Nepal, Turkey and Syria, as well as supporting ongoing and post-conflict crises in Yemen, Darfur, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Group chief commercial officer, Neil Dursley, said: “For five decades, Chapman Freeborn has aided countries, governments, and NGOs during crises. Just in the last few years, we repatriated pandemic-stranded crew members, relocated Afghan citizens post-ISAF withdrawal, and supplied PPE and COVID-19 vaccines globally.
“We aided Pakistan’s flood victims, helped tackle Greece’s wildfires, and chartered many flights to assist after the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, partnering with operators, governments and aid agencies. No challenge is too great, and no location is too difficult for our expert Air Emergency Services team.”
Chapman Freeborn has meanwhile appointed Marcel Kolb as vice president government and humanitarian Europe. He brings extensive experience including 12 years in the military – where he was part of a NATO mission in Afghanistan – and almost four at freight forwarder DB Schenker.
The Silk Way to LA
Central Asian all-cargo carrier Silk Way West Airlines has started a scheduled route between its hub in Baku, Azerbaijan and Los Angeles
It says that the addition of the California hub – one of the world’s largest gateways – will cater for a wide range of general cargo, perishables, oversized and e-commerce goods.
The new route complements Silk Way West Airlines’ flights to Houston, launched in April, as well as the previously established regular flights to Chicago and Dallas.
Silk Way West vice president Americas, Fadi Nahas, commented: “The new route will greatly benefit our West Coast customers by providing freighter nose cargo load capacity and shorter transit times for US destinations west of the Continental Divide.”
Jettainer appoints innovation chief
ULD management services company Jettainer has appointed Christine Klemmer as chief innovation officer. The newly established department aims to enhance services through cutting-edge technology, strategic AI applications and tracking solutions.
In addition to her new role, she will remain responsible for strategic development at the ULD specialist and manage Jettainer’s project portfolio and corporate communications. Christine Klemmer joined Jettainer in 2019 to further develop the ULD sharing platform skypooling. Previously, she held several international management positions in air cargo where she was responsible for business development, operations as well as quality and process management.
UPS adds India to Healthcare network
UPS Healthcare has expanded its UPS Premier service for critical time- and temperature-sensitive shipments to India. The offering includes ‘first-in, first-off’ prioritization, built-in service recovery features, advanced sensor technology, 24/7 control tower monitoring and real-time visibility, down to 1-2 meters enabled by a mesh sensor affixed to the package.
India is a leading producer of drugs, vaccines, medical devices and biologics and its pharmaceutical industry is expected to grow at 12% a year, reaching $130 billion by 2030, of which over 60% will be exported.
India is also has the largest number of US-FDA compliant plants (more than 262 including) outside the US itself.
UPS Healthcare president, John Bolla, said: “India is one of the fastest-growing healthcare markets in the world and UPS Healthcare’s investment in the market adds industry-leading services for a wide range of customers, from pharmaceutical companies to hospitals and clinics.
“UPS Premier provides the visibility and traceability that are essential to prioritizing the life-saving medications our customers ship and their customers need.”
DB Schenker’s detection dogs are a howling success
German-owned forwarder DB Schenker says its UK arm is using free running explosive detection dogs on a daily basis to detect prohibited items in airfreight. The dogs are a variety of breeds and chosen for their sense of smell and include Spaniels, Labradors, German Shepherd or Golden Retrievers.
They receive between six and twelve months intensive instruction before they become part of the team and are particularly chosen for their ability to detect explosives. A new cohort is currently also in training to be able to sniff out lithium batteries.
They are operating at Heathrow and Manchester and, soon, Glasgow.
Not only are the dogs used to search regular airfreight shipments, but also outsize shipments which are too large to pass through an X-Ray machine. The dogs can discover anything untoward much faster than a manual search by humans
DB Schenker UK aviation security manager, Ian Dallow said: “The speed and accuracy of the screening they undertake has become an essential part of our operation and they give us a reliable method of detecting certain items which would otherwise prove difficult using other approaches.”
Cargo-partner launches Chicago-UK air consol
Austrian forwarder Cargo-partner has launched an air freight consolidation service from Chicago to London Heathrow in the UK.
Cut-off date for goods arriving into its Chicago warehouse is Thursday each week for a Sunday departure. Traffic is routed by air from Chicago O’Hare International Airport via Toronto Pearson International Airport and then on to Heathrow.
President cargo-partner USA and regional director Americas, Ralf Schneider, said: “We’re excited to continue to expand our global network and create reliable air capacity for our customers between the US and the UK. Introducing this regular air consol to the market will support businesses on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean with a cost-effective, flexible air freight solution.
“Our goal is to provide a reliable service for general cargo shipments originating in the Midwestern US. Thanks to our extensive network and expert in-house customs teams, we can also offer customs, brokerage and final mile services at competitive rates.”
National Air renews postal interline deal with Etihad Cargo
National Air Cargo Group’s National Airlines arm has signed a new interline agreement with Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Cargo to successfully roll out the ICAIR23 program for the United States Postal Service (USPS).
Under phase 1 of ICAIR23, US flag carrier National Airlines will dispatch USPS civilian, military and diplomatic mail using Etihad Cargo services on a number of lanes in 2023 -2027.
Phase 1 of the ICAIR23 program was due to launch in August 2023 and continue through August 2027.
National Air Cargo Group chairman, Christopher Alf said: “It’s our honor to once again be part of the ICAIR program for USPS. This time it brings us much pleasure in collaborating with Etihad Cargo, a dynamic and rapidly growing global airline. We are looking forward to this association and hope to provide best-in-class mail delivery experiences to customers around the world through this program.”
Etihad Cargo vice president, commercial, Tim Isik, added: “Etihad Cargo’s partnership with National Air Cargo Group will enable the two airlines to join forces to enhance international USPS mail deliveries, providing greater connectivity to destinations across Etihad Cargo’s global network, and provide customers with an efficient service.”
National Airlines offers worldwide cargo charters and logistics movements. Its parent company offers global end-to-end logistics solutions with a fleet of eight B747-400Fs, A330-200 and B757-200 aircraft.