Swissport has upgraded its cargo center at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) with a new 750sqm interconnected cold storeroom with direct access from the perishables hub to the airside. The new storeroom can hold up to 110 aircraft pallets, equivalent to just over three B747 freighter loadss. It is equipped with a flatbed with a ball-mat roller for easy maneuvering of shipments in the warehouse. Four of the six cold storerooms are dedicated to perishable cargo (+2 to +8°C), while the remaining two are assigned to pharmaceuticals (CRT +15 to +20°C and COL +2 to +8°C).
Forwarding chief predicts end-of-year upturn
The air cargo industry should expect a strong peak season in the fourth quarter despite lower Q1 volumes, said executive director of the US-based Airforwarders Association (AfA), Brandon Fried.
According to World ACD, global air cargo chargeable weight flown in Q1 2023 was down 11% compared with a year earlier, but Fried attributes recent lower volumes to post-Covid normalization rather than decline.
“We’re coming down from the lofty volumes seen during the pandemic, which we all know were not sustainable long term, but we’re not crashing, we’re normalizing,” said Fried. “We need to be bullish in the second half; consumers are still out there spending and passengers are flying.”
Overall tonnage in Q1 dropped by 16% for Asia Pacific and 18% for North America.
He added that current freight rates are artificially lower than supply and demand would dictate because airlines are operating more aircraft than necessary in anticipation of an uptick, he said, and to accommodate swathes of passengers waiting to fly.
“This will benefit freight forwarders in the long run because airlines want to tailor pricing to attract business,” said Fried.
“It also indicates a departure away from the traditional freighters we saw during the pandemic, and we can expect some of the older freighters to be phased out.
“Now’s the time for freight forwarders to really show their creative strength because they have to anticipate what’s coming around the corner.”
Fried urged the same fighting spirit to contend with ongoing labor shortages and union negotiations, which have been casting a shadow over US supply chains and global trade flows.
Fried expects air and ocean freight demand to improve in 2024. “We have a new baseline, and we need to stop comparing to before the pandemic.
“It’s a new world, we’re seeing a new geopolitical order: the war in Ukraine, rising labor costs, Chinese manufacturers moving out of China to elsewhere in Asia, South America, Mexico.
“Manufacturers are diversifying, and we can expect to see regionalizing of supply chains in the US and globally.
“A different political structure will have a significant impact on supply chains.”
Air Canada launches freighter routes
Air Canada Cargo operated the first of its twice-weekly 767 freighter flights into San José, Costa Rica, on 19 May. They are the latest addition to the carrier’s worldwide freighter network, following recently launched freighter services to Basel, Liege, Dallas, Atlanta and Bogota.
Vice president, cargo, Jon Turner, said: “The start of our freighter operations into Costa Rica builds upon Air Canada’s passenger service to the country and bolsters the cargo presence to offer consistent year-round capacity for our key customers in the region.”
The carrier has also operated its first weekly B767F freighter flight into Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Ukraine carrier still delivering the goods
Ukrainian carrier Antonov Airlines has delivered Intelsat commercial satellite to Cape Canaveral on one of its AN-124-100M aircraft. It flew the components from Moffet Federal Airfield in California, to NASA’s Shuttle Landing Facility in Titusville, Florida, USA, for a launch by the US aerospace company SpaceX.
The 55,000kg cargo consisted of eight pieces, including the satellite and its payload, the AN-124-100 being the only aircraft available able to handle the pieces – which it can do without special ground support equipment to load and unload the cargo.
Despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Antonov’s fleet of five AN-124-100 aircraft continue to fly worldwide from a temporary base in Leipzig, Germany.
IAG Cargo boosts Caribbean and Latam space for the summer
IAG Cargo is offering more capacity between Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean for the summer season, including the restart of services between Barcelona and Chile. The carrier’s network today includes 33 destinations and in Latin America and the Caribbean, up from 25 in 2019
Flights between Madrid and Bogota increase from 14 to 18 weekly services and in Lima four more connections will be added, offering 11 weekly flights. Panama will have between five and seven weekly connections throughout the summer, and daily services from November onwards. There is also a daily service between London and Mexico and flights between Barcelona and Chile are restarting.
In the Caribbean, services between Madrid and Havana increase to five per week and Puerto Rico to six per week in August. Flights between London and Bermuda have increased to daily.
Air France KLM extends Sustainable Flight Challenge
Air France KLM Martinair Cargo is operating two more flights under the second edition of its Sustainable Flight Challenge.
The first Sustainable Flight Challenge was organised in 2022 as an initiative of KLM, organised under the SkyTeam alliance umbrella with affiliated SkyTeam airlines and their partners joining forces to operate the most sustainable flight possible as a collective knowledge-generating exercise.
In the latest phase of the challenge, KLM operated a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner flight from Amsterdam to Los Angeles on 17 May, while Air France is due to operate an Airbus A350-900 from Paris to Atlanta on 23 May.
This year’s sustainable flight challenge will see 24 affiliated and non-affiliated partner airlines joining the Challenge to conduct flights in the most sustainable manner possible. All knowledge and insight acquired will be shared with the stakeholders, fostering cooperation and enabling the industry to work together to create a more sustainable future.
UPS launches freighter link to Ireland and UK
UPS has launched a freighter flight from its Worldport air hub in Louisville, Kentucky to Dublin and East Midlands in the UK and returning to the US. The Boeing 767 operates every weekday and is expected to carry healthcare and small package goods between the three countries. UPS is making significant investment in the UK and Ireland. It recently opened a sortation and delivery centre in Telford while its Dublin healthcare facility is also expected to open in early 2024.
Virgin launches Cargo.one presence
Virgin Atlantic Cargo is to offer its capacity on the Cargo.one digital booking platform, used by 15,000 freight forwarders in over 75 countries. Customers can customize handling, speed, priority, and price, choosing from Classic, Priority, and Express rates on Virgin Atlantic’s network including US, India, China, Nigeria, South Africa, Israel and the Caribbean.
Virgin Atlantic Cargo managing director, Phil Wardlaw, said: “We anticipate that by 2025, a significant proportion of bookings will be completed online. This meant it was important for us to partner with the leading marketplace that continues to expand the choice for our customers, so they can book cargo their way.”
Air Canada and Emirates interline to Asia
Air Canada Cargo has expanded its recently announced cooperation with Emirates SkyCargo by expanding its interline capacity and network reach into India, and Southeast Asia, through key European hubs.
Air Canada Cargo customers can book shipments on Emirates flights via AirCanadaCargo.com, WebCargo, Cargo-One and CargoAI or by direct connection.
The move follows the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in February between the two airlines and builds on the broader strategic commercial partnership between Air Canada and Emirates announced last year.
ATC and Aerocharter sign Viva Aerobus Ecuador deal
General sales and service agent ATC Aviation Services has signed a cooperation deal with Mexico based Aerocharter de Mexico to develop and manage cargo sales and operations for Mexican carrier Viva Aerobus in Ecuador.
Viva Aerobus operates flights to more than 50 domestic and international destinations across Mexico, the US and South America with a fleet of Airbus A320 and A321neo aircraft. It also operates a cargo division, Viva Cargo for which Aerocharter provides total cargo management.