New interim chief for Netherlands’ Maastricht

By

-

September 1, 2023

Maastricht Aachen Airport, the Netherlands’ second-largest cargo hub, has appointed Former Schiphol airport director Jonas van Stekelenburg as interim chief executive for an initial term of nine months, taking over from Jos Roeven. The changes come as part of a strategic initiative following the joint investment commitment of the Provincial Council of Limburg and the Royal Schiphol Group.

Former chief executive Jos Roeven, said: “My initial plan was to lead MST for five years when I started in 2017. That journey extended to six and a half years ¬– a period during which our team achieved remarkable milestones in cargo and passenger volumes.”

Swissport gains CEIV Pharma status in Liège and Toronto

By

Chris Lewis

-

September 1, 2023

0

Swissport has gained IATA’s CEIV Pharma certification for its cargo centres at Liège Airport in Belgium and Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada. The handler now operates 21 Pharma Centers and more than 70 pharma-capable air cargo facilities worldwide.

Liège is Swissport’s second CEIV Pharma-certified facility in Belgium after Brussels and Toronto the second in Canada. It gain certification at Montréal-Trudeau International Airport in 2018.

The Pharma Centre in Liège comprises two temperature-controlled storage units which operate at 02-08° C and 15-25° C, each with an area of 180sq m and able hold up to 15 ULDs. Facilities in Toronto are similar.

In June, Swissport opened a new 400sq m facility for temperature-controlled cargo at Dublin Airport in Ireland and in May renewed its CEIV Pharma certification in Barcelona. While the facility aat Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, was expanded to include a new 750sq m cold storeroom.

Emirates achieves green and wildlife standards

By

Chris Lewis

-

August 31, 2023

0

Dubai-based Emirates has gained IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) Stage One and IEnvA Illegal Wildlife Trade certifications. The carrier has implemented Stage One of the IEnvA environmental management system, covering its flight operations and corporate activities, along with the Wildlife module that supports its commitment to preserving animals and habitats. Employees undertake wildlife awareness training which has also been extended to employees in passenger services. It has also committed US$200 million to research and development projects focussed on reducing the impact of fossil fuels in commercial aviation.

Etihad boosts bellyhold across the board

By

Chris Lewis

-

August 31, 2023

0

Etihad Cargo will add 29 weekly passenger flights to new destinations and add 90 flights to existing routes in its winter schedule. The Abu Dhabi-based airline will offer capacity to two new European gateways with four flights a week to Copenhagen in Denmark and three to Düsseldorf in Germany, bring its total number of services to Germany to 28 per week, including four freighter services to Frankfurt.

In Asia, it will operate five passenger flights per week to Osaka, its second Japanese gateway, add three more flights per week to Beijing and four to Shanghai. Etihad Cargo recently announced a new freighter service to the freight-orientated Ezhou Huahu Airport in China. New passenger routes operate to Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram in India, along with seven new flights to Chennai, eight to Kochi, two to Islamabad, seven to the Maldives, five to Cairo and seven to Phuket per week.

Lufthansa launches Detroit upgrade

By

Chris Lewis

-

August 30, 2023

0

Lufthansa Cargo and handling partner Avflight are upgrading cargo operations at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

The German carrier has moved into a temporary warehouse on the apron pending construction of a new warehouse in the near future.

It says that the new location make for more streamlined operations and shorter distances for loading and unloading aircraft.

With currently more than 500 tons of cargo handled per year on seven weekly passenger flights and multiple truck connections to Chicago, Detroit is an important location for Lufthansa Cargo in the automotive region of Michigan with potential for expansion.

Lufthansa Cargo is now operating out of a former aircraft hangar converted into a temporary cargo warehouse. The more direct location allows for shorter handling times and offers opportunities to meet the requirements of special cargo shipments, such as animals, valuable cargo and dangerous goods shipments.

In the second phase of the project, Lufthansa Cargo will support Avflight in designing a new cargo facility next to the existing structure, which the handling partner is under contract with the airport to construct. The goal is for this to be operational by the end of 2024.

Henry Julicher, Lufthansa Cargo head of sales and handling Michigan and head of sales Midwest said: “In Detroit, there is a great demand for secure and professional transport solutions, for example, urgently needed components in the automotive sector. There is a lot of weekly freight traffic here between Michigan and the world, including destinations in Germany, Europe, South Africa and Thailand.

“Our dedicated ground handling agent, Avflight, is providing us with significant support in these endeavors.”

((Pic – Detroit))

Sea-air solution shaves day off Singapore-Dongguan transit

By

Chris Lewis

-

August 29, 2023

0

Freight forwarder Dimerco has partnered with Cathay Cargo to pilot an air-sea solution from Singapore to Dongguan, China via Hong Kong, shaving up to a day off the established air-truck schedule.

The Dimerco team worked closely with Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) to optimize the transit time for a shipment of integrated circuits for a leading semi-conductor distributor. Originating in Singapore, the shipment travelled by air to HKIA, then by sea to the port of Dongguan (DGM) and by truck to DGM Logistics Park and on to the delivery destination. Total journey time was three days.

After the cargo was released from the air terminal without the need for customs clearance, it was towed to the seaport. The sea portion of the operation provided a more cost-effective alternative to trucking, and Dimerco had identified that, with the planned introduction of more frequent sailings, transit time could be reduced by between 12 and 24 hours.

The three participants in the pilot – the Airport Authority, Cathay Cargo and Dimerco – analyzed the outcomes of the pilot and identified further efficiencies, including the documentation procedure and customs data integration. This will improve the process flow for future operations.

Pallet-building tech to optimise Etihad cargo flights

By

Chris Lewis

-

August 29, 2023

0

Air services company Dnata has partnered with logistics technology solutions provider Speedcargo to deliver services to Etihad Cargo at Singapore Changi Airport.

Following successful trials, Speedcargo’s artificial intelligence (AI)-based Cargo Eye and Assemble solutions installed at Dnata’s facilities will help optimise cargo capacity for the carrier’s daily flights from Singapore.

Cargo Eye uses advanced, vision-based 3D technology to scan and capture exact cargo dimensions, volume data, images, and labels. This information is then fed into Assemble which creates a digital plan, advising Dnata’s cargo handling teams of the optimal method of building a pallet. Charles Galloway, dnata’s regional chief executive, airport operations – Asia Pacific, said: “Working alongside Speedcargo, Cargo Eye and Assemble will enable us to provide Etihad Cargo and its customers with digital audit trails of how their cargo has been handled, improving efficiency and providing a quality end-to-end service.”

Emirates goes live on CargoMART

By

Chris Lewis

-

August 29, 2023

0

Emirates SkyCargo is now live on CargoAi’s CargoMART marketplace solution. It is being launched in the Netherlands, Spain and France, and will open up to customers in select countries across Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Far East and Australasia in the coming months. Customers will be able to access Emirates SkyCargo schedules, tariff and contract rates, along with real-time access to available capacity and make immediate bookings. Once the system is fully operational, over 10,000 freight forwarders on CargoAi’s database will have access.

WFS to build fifth Madrid terminal

By

Chris Lewis

-

August 24, 2023

0

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), a member of The SATS Group, is to open a fifth cargo handling terminal at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport.

WFS aims to begin operations from the6,500sq m (69,965sq ft) facility by the end of the first quarter of 2024, increasing its total cargo facility footprint in Madrid to 17,000sq m (183,000sq ft).

WFS has been present in the Madrid cargo and ground handling market since 1998 and serves 39 airline customers, as well as providing trucking services connecting other key airports in Spain and across the EU.

The new building will offer 17 landside truck and van docks, two build-up-pallet lanes and docks, four airside truck and dolly docks with tilting and 20-foot ULD handling capabilities, a secured refrigerated cargo acceptance area, 2-8°C and 15-25°C loose and mechanised temperature-controlled cool rooms and a mechanised handling system connecting the landside and airside docks.

Like WFS’ other cargo terminals in Madrid, it will be powered by 100% renewable energy, including solar panels located on the roof. Indoor AGV (Automated Guided Vehicles) will also be introduced into the facility in the second half of 2024.

Digitisation initiatives will include the launch of Cargospot mobile warehouse technology, the CargoKiosk system to automate and expedite truck processing times, and a Warehouse Workflow Monitoring System.

Managing director of WFS in Spain, Humberto Castro, said: “Madrid is such a strategically important cargo market as a hub for Central and South America to and from the EU and connecting the Middle and Far East markets. This new cargo terminal will help to future-proof WFS’ service offering by increasing our handling capacity by 60% for our current and future airline customers.

“This will enable us to accommodate strong organic growth and support the significant increase of inbound e-commerce traffic from China.”

We have lift-off, says ACS Houston

By

Chris Lewis

-

August 23, 2023

0

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.”