DHL Aviation, the in-house airline of DHL Express, is launching a new optional GoGreen Plus service for its air cargo product. From June, it will allow customers to reduce (‘inset’) the carbon emissions associated with their cargo using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). They can also tailor the CO2 reduction they want to achieve and the amount of SAF they use. SAF is produced from waste oils and can provide greenhouse gas emission reductions of up to 80% over its lifecycle compared with the conventional jet fuel it replaces.
Dallas takes first steps towards cargo revamp
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has started redevelopment of its 19th Street cargo facility.
It says it will apply state-of-the-art technology that addresses labor shortages, airport congestion, and sustainability while increasing safety, efficiency, and security across the cargo ecosystem.
The project is slated for completion in late 2024 and will add about 350,000sq ft of new warehouse space and seven ADG VI (large cargo aircraft) parking positions.
DFW has also “tentatively selected” Menzies Aviation and Dnata USA to operate new cargo warehouses. , subject to final approval by its board of directors, who will join a future design-build contractor to create and operate the facility.
DFW’s executive vice president, global strategy and development, John Ackerman, said: “We selected these tenants for their commitment to excellence in cargo handling and their long-term business strategy, which supports our business priorities in developing DFW as a transit hub in the global supply chain connecting Asia and Latin America.
“This will also support our goal of being a hub for the fastest growing markets, including pharma and other perishables, as well as cross-border e-commerce.”
Menzies Aviation executive vice president of cargo, Robert Fordree, added: “We are looking forward to partnering with Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on this new cargo initiative, increasing our footprint at the airport as we already have a well-established cargo business. This new cargo opportunity will allow us to showcase our investment in innovation and make the new DFW cargo facility one of the most technologically advanced in North America.”
David Barker, Dnata’s regional chief executive officer Americas, said: “We are proud to have been selected to partner with DFW as they embark on this extensive redevelopment project. Dnata continues to invest in cutting-edge, state-of-the-art technologies and digitization, to further enhance efficiencies across our operations.
“This includes the use of innovative autonomous drones in our existing warehouses at DFW. Our long-term commitment to sustainable operations, including the construction of new, LEED-certified buildings, also aligns with DFW’s plans for the 19th Street Cargo redevelopment. We look forward to working closely with DFW to ensure the project’s long-term success.”
Virgin enhances digital offering
Virgin Atlantic Cargo has launched myVS, an expansion of its digital platform, which enables customers to quote, book, manage, and track their cargo shipments online. It is part of the airline’s overall digitisation program and will initially be launching in the UK and South Africa, for General, Pharma, and Fresh services. Further rollouts to customers in the US and other regions will be coming soon.
Cargo First launches Bournemouth-China freighter
UK all-freighter airline Cargo First has launched a service between its Bournemouth Airport based and Chengdu Shuangliu International in China, in partnership with Shenzhen Sharing Express Logistic-Tech.
The new service is operated by European Cargo A-340 wide-bodied freighters, with a capacity of 70 tonnes.
Initially, there are three flights per week, with plans to gradually increase the frequency to five flights per week in the future as SSELT strengthens its global network.
The new route is supported by the China Council for the Promotion of National Trade and China Post, and aims to help China’s cross-border e-commerce sellers to reach the UK market. SSELT is also targeting UK exporters on return legs.
Cargo First says that with only 90 minutes from the capital, shipments can get to customer warehouses in half the time of going through a London hub airport.
Bournemouth Airport managing director Steve Gill, added: “We can save customers a lot of time in a time-sensitive market. Working with European Cargo we’ve proven Bournemouth as a viable alternative gateway to London and the South East for commercial air cargo. Cross border e-commerce continues to experience strong growth and we are seeing a lot of providers like SSELT scouting for alternatives to the London hubs because they want airports that can handle that growth into the future.”
European Cargo’s chief executive David Kerr said: “We have extensive experience of the China market and this new route from Chengu to Bournemouth establishes an exciting new trade corridor that ensures the timely delivery of e-commerce goods from south west China to UK consumers. It also creates significant opportunities for UK exports back to China and is among a range of potential routes that we are looking to grow.”
European Cargo has been converting its Airbus A340 long haul freighters with a bespoke in-cabin pod containment system to add to belly capacity. It expects up to six conversions this year with more in the pipeline in 2024, making it the largest UK-based wide-bodied carrier.
In the last few months the freighters have received certification from both EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) and the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK.
Cool new zone for Hong Kong’s e-commerce
Hong Kong Air Cargo Industry Services (Hacis), the value-added logistics arm of Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl), has opened a new Cool Zone climate-controlled facility to cater for increasing volumes of perishable and temperature-sensitive e-commerce traffic. Hacis’ new Cool Zone – located within its E-commerce Fulfilment Centre – provides a total, climate-controlled handling solution for goods such as fresh fruit and chocolates, speeding up the handling process and avoiding the potential cost and delays of transferring goods to downtown facilities for processing, before delivery to the agent’s warehouse or the final customer. Cargo arriving in Hong Kong can be processed and delivered to local customers the same day.
It offers a handling area with temperatures down to 15°C, and is equipped with storage racks, and work tables for pick and pack and labelling. Cool Zone can integrate with agents’ own IT systems to feed direct status updates and stock information.
Hacis also provides storage for chilled, fresh and frozen commodities ranging from +25°C to -25°C.
The Cool Zone is directly linked to Hactl’s SuperTerminal 1 automated Box Storage System (BSS), enabling it to cater for loose cargo, while minimising transit times.
Early users of the facility have been importers of fruit, yoghurt, snowy mooncake and chocolates, with most traffic inbound from Asian counties. Typical shipments comprise 100 pieces weighing between 1 to 5 kilos each.
Chapman Freeborn appoints cargo leasing expert
Chapman Freeborn has appointed Roy Linkner as vice president cargo ACMI leasing. He brings over 35 years of valuable industry expertise in passenger operations and commercial air cargo with companies including British Airways, Delta Airlines, Martinair, Southern Air and Airborne Global Solutions. In his new role, Linkner will work with Chapman Freeborn’s ACMI teams globally to develop the ACMI business with a focus on cargo.
Etihad flies freighters to Wuhan
Etihad Cargo has added weekly freighter flights from its Abu Dhabi hub to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport. The airline also operates five passenger flights to Shanghai, Beijing Daxing and Guangzhou each week. The flights to Wuhan, in Hubei Province in central China, also improve access to other destinations, including Shenzhen, Dongguan, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Nanjing, via SF Airlines’ road feeder service trucking network.
Qatar hounds illegal battery shippers
Qatar Airways Cargo has teamed up with ground handler Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals to offer detection dogs to sniff out hidden lithium batteries in air cargo.
The service is being provided by MSA Security. The dogs are specially-trained to detect specific odours, in loose, palletised or containerised cargo. In proving trials at Hactl, an MSA dog successfully detected packages containing lithium batteries in PCs, and a single power bank, located on pallets containing other general cargo.
Qatar Airways Cargo and Hactl are the first carrier and cargo handler in Hong Kong to utilise trained sniffer dogs for lithium battery detection. They say that X-ray detection alone cannot reliably identify lithium batteries, particularly for e-commerce shipments containing multiple types of product in small packages.
MSA dogs are trained at one of the company’s eleven canine training centres in the US, and housed locally in a dedicated kennel in Hong Kong. Further dogs are constantly being trained, and can be made available at short notice in the event of increased demand.
Hactl is already conducting trials with another major operator, and plans to offer the technical detection dog service option to all of its customer carriers.
Gebrüder Weiss opens in Miami
Austrian forwarder Gebrüder Weiss has opened an air and sea freight office in Miami, Florida. The new location is close to the international airport and currently employs six, headed by Marcin Gonzalez.
Miami primarily handles imports from Asia for onward transport to South and Central America, as there are only a few direct routes from Asia.
Opening in Miami follows a move to a larger head office in Chicago and opening of another logistics warehouse. Gebrüder Weiss operates five warehouse locations in the US and employs 130 people in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, El Paso, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco as well as Miami.
Country manager Mark McCullough, said: “Miami is a central logistics hub for transports to and from Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.”
Airforwarders call for risk-based approach to screening
Air cargo must align its security programs and push for a more risk-based approach to screening if it is to maintain secure supply chains, Airforwarders Association (AfA) chief, Brandon Fried, told an IATA panel at its World Cargo Symposium on 26 April.
He said that the industry must present a united front, despite the sometimes disparate goals across the various segments of the supply chain, to streamline regulations in order to help foster cost-effective trade, said Fried.
He added: “The more we align, the simpler our lives will become, but we need to continue to push for this alignment – that’s why AfA engages with other associations as well as global regulators at every opportunity to make sure our voice is heard.”
Fried highlighted a discord between global aviation security programs, citing IATA’s recently implemented Preloading Advance Cargo Information (PLACI) program in the EU, which mirrors the US Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS) program.
With regulatory demands set to increase over the next five years, Fried said he expects to see increasing focus on cybersecurity issues, as well as greater emphasis on employee background checks and more stringent minimum standards.
Despite these expected increases in regulation, Fried said the AfA will continue to push for a more ‘risk-based’ approach to air cargo security.
“Our industry has done a great job over the past 15 years since putting the 9/11 Commission Act in place, which has led to a ‘shorter leash’ regarding inspection, compliance, and enforcement – but we must continue to meet these high expectations to avoid facing greater challenges,” said Fried.
“We hope to see new and better screening technology approved, such as advanced CT X-ray, as well as the wider use of canines as an efficient and effective cargo screening method.”
AfA also hopes to see the widespread adoption of EU canine screening programs, he added, which are capable of screening larger cargo pieces.
AfA is also working with the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on a roadmap for security to help untrained and inexperienced regulatory policy makers to fully understand all the nuances of a complicated industry, he added. “We are pushing to better align all US cargo security programs, and encouraging the TSA to help promote the Certified Cargo Screening Program (CCSP) within the shipper community.”