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Air Canada flies first Basel freighter

Airlines

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April 20, 2023

Air Canada Cargo’s first 767 freighter flight from Montreal to Basel touched down in Switzerland on 20 April. Connecting one of Europe’s premier pharmaceutical hubs to its North American network, the flights will operate twice per week.

Managing Director, commercial, Matthieu Casey, said: “We are excited to be returning to Basel, this time with our freighters, to serve a key market in Europe for pharmaceuticals. The capability of our freighters, combined with our temperature-controlled containers and cool chain facility at our Toronto global hub position us to serve this critical market with reliable, year-round service, and ensure these important shipments can move safely and in a timely manner throughout our global network.”

Trio sign up to Sustainable Engine Alliance

Chris Lewis

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April 19, 2023

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German forwarder Kuehne+Nagel, Atlas Air, and aircraft maintenance firm SR Technics Group have signed up to a Sustainable Engine Alliance, which pledges to set new industry standards for low-carbon aircraft engine supply chains.

The alliance members aim to reduce their collective environmental. Some of the first joint initiatives include deployment of sustainable fuels, engine stand management solutions and a global digital interface for emission transparency, reduction and avoidance. The initiative is expected to reduce engine supply chain related scope 3 emissions ahead of the aerospace 2050 sustainability targets.

Global head of aerospace at Kuehne+Nagel, Erik Goedhart, commented: “Collaboration is key to industry-wide improvements in aerospace sustainability. With the Sustainable Engine Alliance, we will set new standards for responsible sourcing and engine transportation, while creating further awareness within the industry to minimise environmental impact of engine supply chains jointly. I am confident that together with Atlas Air and SR Technics we will pave the way for future sustainability efforts in aerospace. And we invite other value chain companies to join us.”

Tower signs Saudia deal

Chris Lewis

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April 18, 2023

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Saudia Cargo has added Tower Cold Chain to its approved roster of temperature-controlled containers for shipping pharmaceutical, biotech and life science products, with a new global rental agreement.

Tower containers ensure up to 120 hour protection for products that require an internal temperature between -80°C and +20°C.

It follows a similar deal signed earlier in April between Tower and Cathay Cargo.

Antonov Airlines keeps the home fires burning in Germany

Chris Lewis

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April 17, 2023

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Antonov Airlines keeps the home fires burning in Germany

Antonov Airlines and German forwarder Rolf Riedl moved a power supply skid for an LNG terminal from Tekirdag, Turkey to Hamburg, Germany on one of its AN-124-100-150 aircraft – the biggest single piece transported by the Ukraine-owned carrier in 2022.

To load and unload the 19m long, 4.24m wide and 4m high unit Antonov used a special loading ramp, in conjunction with external cranes.

The carrier’s commercial executive, Volodymyr Goncharov, said: “A floating LNG terminal was scheduled to go into operation in Elbe port at the beginning of 2023 to ensure uninterrupted gas supply to Germany so that German households are warm and cozy. We are grateful to Rolf Riedl for entrusting with the important task of transporting the equipment and look forward to continuing to provide excellent service in the future.”

Sterling opens bigger, better Texas site

Chris Lewis

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April 14, 2023

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Sterling opens bigger, better Texas site

Sterling Transportation has opened a new facility in Coppell, just north of Dallas Forth Worth Airport.

The new building boasts 14 dock doors, 54,000sq ft of space, and capacity for over 8,000 pallet positions.

It will also be a certified Container Freight Station with full transloading capabilities.
“I’ve heard it said many times, ‘Everything is bigger in Texas.’ That statement is very true for our new DFW facility,” said vice president of sales, Jaye Fenner.

Puerto Rico launches air cargo life science community

Chris Lewis

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April 13, 2023

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Puerto Rico launches air cargo life science community

Puerto Rico (PR), the number one bioscience manufacturing hub in the US by export volume, is launching a Government-backed Life Sciences Air Cargo Logistics Community.

It will bring together all parts of the supply chain with the objective of making the US territory the most important Life Science hub in the Americas. The Caribbean island lies about 2,000km west of Miami.

The PR Air Cargo Community, supported by the PR Department of Economic Development (DEDC), will include airlines, airports, forwarders, integrators, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, ground handlers and hauliers. It will work to improve the quality of cargo handling and market Puerto Rico’s capabilities in the Life Science sector around the world.

A number of companies who will be joining the new Community have already started the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) certification process as part of the initiative.

Secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DEDC), Manuel Cidre, said: “We aim to put Puerto Rico firmly on the map as the best quality airfreight hub for life science in the Americas. The new Community is open for everyone in the supply chain to join and our group will also act as the Voice of the Industry with legislators and other stakeholders.”

Twelve of the world’s 20 top-grossing pharmaceutical companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, and Abbvie operate on the island, manufacturing eight of the 15 globally top-selling biopharmaceutical products.

“We truly believe we’re heading in the right direction,” said David Olan, transportation lead, PR operations at Johnson & Johnson. “The new Air Cargo Community will give us the forum to define our opportunities to drive a consistent and solid Supply Chain logistics on the island.

“We will be able to create a more reliable and quality-oriented ecosystem that is aligned with our Life Science and Healthcare sector and at the same time, it will help us to meet and/or exceed our customers’ demands.”

Twelve out of the top 20 medical device companies also manufacture on the island, including Medtronic, CooperVision, and Boston Scientific, manufacturing products such as pacemakers and implantable defibrillators, surgical instruments, lab devices, dental equipment, and vision correction goods.

PR is designated by the US Department of Transportation as an international air trans-shipment hub, which allows unencumbered trans-shipment at its three international airports.

The community will initially aim to improve the overall quality of airfreight operations in PR by adopting best practices and a standardised way of operating, represent the community, lobby on its behalf with legislators and authorities and raise awareness internationally about PR’s airfreight capabilities and life sciences expertise.

“We have a well-trained, highly adaptable, bilingual workforce and decades of experience in manufacturing life sciences,” said Cidre. “We have the full backing of Customs, and, through cooperation and a focus on sustainable, state-of-the-art, standardized air logistics, we will improve all parts of the shipment journey.”

A Community Board will include, along with community members, the DDEC, Invest Puerto Rico, the Industry University Research Center, Aerostar Airport Holdings, and the Port Authority of PR.

The new Community and Board will meet for the first time in April to plan its next steps.

ACS opens in Mexico City

Brokers

Chris Lewis

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April 12, 2023

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Air Charter Service has opened a new office in Mexico City, its 12^th in the Americas and 30^th in total. It is headed by Marco Circosta, who joined ACS nine years ago, and has worked in multiple ACS offices around the world, along with focussing on the Mexican market for the past two years.

Encore settles arguments once and for all

Chris Lewis

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April 12, 2023

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Encore settles arguments once and for all

Air cargo quality standards group Cargo iQ has updated its Encore management platform to give ground handling agents visibility over specific time commitments for shipments in their care in order to meet service level agreements.

Technology and product manager Chris Davies (pictured) said that this not only means that shipments are more likely to arrive on time, but it also helps to protect the integrity of time-critical shipments and protect stakeholders from incurring unfair penalties.

For example, when an airline agrees that a forwarder can collect a shipment within a specified timeframe after landing, this data is input into the system and is used by the Cargo iQ Data Management Platform (CDMP) to create the route map for the shipment’s journey, which can then be monitored.

Discrepancies in actual versus planned process times can lead to disputes between handlers, airlines and forwarders but with GHAs now able to view the service agreement data in ENCORE, there is a single place for referencing offsets, making it easier to meet targets.

FAA certifies compact Opticooler

Chris Lewis

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April 12, 2023

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The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has certified DoKaSch Temperature Solutions’ Opticooler RKN container (pictured, left). It follows earlier certification of the larger Opticooler RAP (pictured, right).

Both containers have already been used for active air cargo transportation on US routes by non-US airlines. First technical approvals are currently in process by US based airlines.

While the Opticooler RAP offers space for four CP 1 pallets (or five Euro pallets), the Opticooler RKN holds one CP 1 pallet (or any standard US pallet, up to max. 48 inch x 48 inch).

Redundant systems for electrification and full air-conditioning enable precise heating and cooling without dry ice.

Silk Way to Houston

Chris Lewis

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April 12, 2023

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Baku, Azerbaijan-based Silk Way West Airlines is operating new weekly flights to George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, alongside existing regular flights to Chicago and Dallas. Vice president commercial, Fadi Nahas, said: “Our growing presence in the Americas demonstrates our commitment to providing reliable and efficient cargo solutions for our customers in this region. This new route will also enhance our ability to connect customers to key markets in Central Asia and the Middle East.”