September 2015


Information Technology Supplement

  • Thai 2nd largest forwarder making e-progress

    Thailand’s second largest air forwarder, Trans Air Cargo Co Ltd (TAC) is pushing ahead with electronic air cargo operations after having begun their transition to e-AWBs earlier this year and is now sending 400 to 500 AWBs per month electronically.... Read More

  • Kalitta Air opts for CHAMP’s Weight & Balance

    CHAMP Ca rgos ys tems has announced that Kalitta Air has become the latest airline to select CHAMP’s next generation Weight & Balance application to manage load planning across its fleet of B747 freighters.... Read More

  • DHL Express opens new Singapore centre of excel

    DHL Express has opened a new facility in Singapore that will combine a range of global operations activities in the South Asian trade hub. The new facility will serve as a centre of excellence for global service quality and business IT activities at DHL Express and will host a new global Quality Control Center.... Read More

  • SpiceJet taps SmartKargo to power its cargo ops

    Indian low cost carrier, SpiceJet, has become the first airline in India to deploy SmartKargo’s cloud-based air cargo management solution for its in-house and international cargo operations.... Read More

From the Editor

  • Cecil, a catalyst for change

    By now everyone has probably heard in one form or another of the fracas over the killing of a tagged lion in Africa by an American trophy hunter. The killing of Cecil the lion, who had been GPS-tagged for scientific study, awoke the ire of global netizens after the story went viral.... Read More

Gateways

  • AmSafe Bridport contains battery fire

    AmSafe Bridport has successfully conducted a full scale test withstanding a lithium-ion battery fire, within their certified Fire Containment Cover (FCC) System and their new Fire Containment Bag (FCB). The subsequent fire was successfully suppressed for over six hours.... Read More

  • Silk Way West kicks off SIN, KMQ

    Azerbaijan-based Silk Way West Airlines has taken delivery of its third B747-8F (with two more on order) with the carrier saying it will use the new freighter to launch services to Singapore (SIN) and Komatsu (KMQ) in Japan.... Read More

  • Surging Chicago cargo market fills Virgin’s bellies

    Virgin Atlantic Cargo recorded a record month for tonnage from Chicago in June, boosting its monthly average volume on the route by over 30 per cent to more than 860 tonnes.... Read More

  • Air Partner acquires Baines Simmons

    Air Partner, the global aviation services group, has announced the acquisition of Baines Simmons Limited, a world leading Aviation Safety Consultant for a total net cash consideration of up to £6.0 million (US$9.4 million).... Read More

  • IAG, Finnair sign freighter sharing deal

    IAG Cargo has partnered with Finnair Cargo to increase the reach of their respective networks by entering into a block space agreement on freighter capacity operating between London Luton and Helsinki. Operated by an A300-600 cargo freighter, the new air bridge joins the two carriers’ networks together and will provide IAG Cargo customers with greater network reach.... Read More

  • Turkish Cargo revenue down in first half 2015

    Turkish Airlines as a group has reported strong second-quarter and first-half figures for 2015 but the picture was less rosy for the carrier’s cargo division which saw revenue fall in both periods ending 30 June.... Read More

  • IAG, Qatar extend capacity partnership

    IAG Cargo has announced a significant extension of its capacity partnership with Qatar Airways, one year on from the signing of their landmark freighter deal. In addition to an indefinite contract extension, IAG Cargo and Qatar Airways have created what they say is one of the broadest collaborations in the cargo industry by expanding the number of destinations the deal covers to nine routes.... Read More

  • IAG sees Q2 revenue up, yields down 3%

    IAG Cargo today announced its Q2 results from 1 April to 30 June 2015, reporting an 8.8 per cent increase in commercial revenue to €259 million versus the same period last year. ... Read More

  • Swiss, Lufthansa rejig rate structure

    Swiss WorldCargo and Lufthansa Cargo have announced a rejigging of their pricing structure which will see overall pricing remaining the same. ... Read More

  • Qatar expands network in Africa, Indian Subcon

    Qatar Airways is continuing its rapid growth across Africa and the Indian Sub-Continent with an increase in flight frequencies to Asmara, Eritrea, and to Dhaka, Bangladesh. ... Read More

  • Emirates announces new service to Panama City

    Emirates has announced plans to launch services to Panama City (Tocumen International Airport (PTY)), beginning 1 February 2016. ... Read More

  • Oman Air, Cargolux add 2nd India freighter

    Oman Air and Cargolux, who launched a strategic partnership in April 2015, will be introducing a second frequency to Chennai from 11 August 2015. The addition of Chennai to the Oman Air Cargolux network is the cooperation’s latest step in expanding its air freight services from Oman to India.... Read More

  • Qatar takes delivery of first B747-400BCF

    Qatar Airways Cargo’s first B747 freighter has joined the carrier’s expanding fleet, having completed its first flight from Doha to Hong Kong.... Read More

  • Qatar launches d2d, on-board courier services

    Qatar Airways Cargo will launch an express airfreight service for door-todoor and time-critical shipments. The new QR On-Board Courier service will be rolled out across the cargo carrier’s global network on 1 August 2015, enabling customers to book time-definite airfreight delivery solutions.... Read More

  • IndiGo firms up 250 A320neo order

    India’s largest domestic airline by market share, IndiGo celebrated its ninth commitment and ordering 250 A320neo Family aircraft. ... Read More

  • PAL to add direct A340 service Cebu-LA

    Philippine Airlines announced plans to launch direct flights between the Philippines’ second largest city of Cebu City and Los Angeles. ... Read More

  • Reunion Island debris confirmed to be MH370

    Malaysia’s prime minister confirmed in early-August that debris found on the Indian Ocean territory of Reunion Island last week is from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, missing for nearly a year and half in what remains one of the biggest mysteries in the history of aviation.... Read More

  • Cebu Pacific sees 1H net profit jump 64%

    The Philippines’ Cebu Pacific and its wholly owned subsidiary Cebgo (formerly Tiger Air Philippines), posted a 64 per cent rise in net income of P5.2 billion (US$111.6 million) for the first half of 2015, over the P3.18 billion earned in the same period last year. ... Read More

  • Garuda back in the black with US$29.3m net profit

    PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. has booked a US$29.3 million net profit in the first half of 2015, representing a 114.5 per cent jump over the same period last year, which was a negative US$201.3 million. ... Read More

  • Bad weather hampers Indonesia crash recovery

    Bad weather hampered efforts to recover the bodies of 54 passengers and crew killed when a plane operated by Indonesian carrier Trigana Air crashed in remote eastern Indonesia.... Read More

  • JAL sees cargo fortunes rise in Q1

    The JAL Group (JAL) has announced its volume of international cargo in terms of Revenue Cargo Tonne Kilometres (RCTK) in the first quarter (1 April to 30 June 2015) increased by 9.4 per cent year-on-year and international cargo revenue increased by 5.1 per cent to 14.7 billion yen (US$117.8 million).... Read More

  • Vietjet awarded IOSA certification

    Vietjet has received the certificate of IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) from the International Air Transportation Association (IATA), putting it in the top 16 per cent of the world’s airlines which have achieved that standard. ... Read More

  • Jetstar adds three SEA destinations

    Jetstar Asia is expanding its coverage in Southeast Asia with the launch of direct flights to three new destinations using A320 equipment. ... Read More

  • SIA Cargo sees revenue decline 7.2% in quarter

    The Singapore Airlines Group earned an operating profit of S $111 million (US$80.9 million) in the carrier’s first quarter (April-June) of 2015, S$72 million higher than the same quarter last year. ... Read More

  • Singapore, ICAO renew training partnership

    Singapore and the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) have renewed their long-standing Developing Countries Training Programme (CDTP) MoU for another three years until 2019. ... Read More

  • SIA’s cargo load factor drops 4.1% in July

    Singapore Airlines (SIA) has released its July system-wide statistics indicating an overall cargo load factor 4.1 percentage points lower, year-onyear, as cargo traffic (measured in freight-tonne-kilometres) declined 5.0 per cent against capacity growth of 1.6 per cent.... Read More

  • Singapore opens two ATM research centres

    The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) marked a significant milestone in its vision to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Air Traffic Management (ATM) with the inauguration of the ATM Research Institute (ATMRI) and MITRE Asia Pacific Singapore (MAPS).... Read More

  • Virgin Australia, Delta get green light

    Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines have gained final regulatory clearance for their alliance on routes between Australia and the US. The final approval from the ACCC on Friday for Virgin’s other alliance with Delta for a further five years falls short of the 10 years that the airlines were seeking.... Read More

  • Qantas posts best profit since before the GFC

    Qantas today announced its strongest profit since before the Global Financial Crisis and an order for eight B787 aircraft, to be delivered from calendar year 2017 to gradually replace five older B747s to start a “new era” for Qantas International.... Read More

  • China’s Uni-Top takes delivery of first A300-600F P2F

    China’s Uni-Top Airlines has taken delivery of its first A300-600 freighter, following a passenger to freighter conversion with EADS Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EADS EFW) in Dresden, Germany.... Read More

  • China Southern kicks off Nairobi service

    China Southern Airlines on Wednesday made its maiden flight to Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, as it kicked off direct three-times weekly flights from Guangzhou-Nairobi using A330-200 aircraft.... Read More

  • Qingdao Airlines to rebrand as Xinlong Air

    Qingdao Airlines is set for a rebranding to Xinlong Air following plans to massively restructure its shareholding at the end of August. State-backed Qingdao Transport Development Group Co. announced plans to dispose of its 25 per cent stake for CNY251 million (US$40.4 million).... Read More

  • Sichuan Airlines to begin Dubai service in Sept

    Sichuan Airlines has announced it will expand its international network next month, with the launch of its first ever flights to the Middle East. ... Read More

  • Air China continues expansion with Mumbai

    Air China will commence Beijing- Mumbai nonstop service on 25 October 2015. As the forthcoming only service from Mainland China to Mumbai - the economic capital of the country - the airline said the seven hour non-stop will negate the need for stopovers in Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok.... Read More

  • Marginal cargo growth continues for Cathay

    Cathay Pacific Airways today released combined Cathay Pacific and Dragonair traffic figures for July 2015 continuing the trend of strong year-on-year growth in the number of passengers carried but only a marginal increase in the volume of cargo and mail uplifted.... Read More

  • Air China to open two Africa routes

    Air China will start Beijing- Johannesburg nonstop service using B777-300ER aircraft from 29 October 2015, which will be the first air link offered by a Chinese carrier between Mainland China and South Africa and also Air China’s first route to Africa since the 1970s when it had one nonstop service to the continent.... Read More

  • China Southern joins IAG partner programme

    China Southern Airlines has become the latest airline to join IAG Cargo’s Partner Plus Programme. ... Read More

  • Cathay Pacific sees six-fold rise in 1H net profit

    The Cathay Pacific Group has reported an attributable profit of HK$1,972 million (US$254.4 million) for the first six months of 2015. This compares to a profit of HK$347 million in the first half of 2014. Revenue for the period decreased by 0.9 per cent to HK$50,388 million.... Read More

Logistics

Express & Mail

  • Integrators not changing course on hunting trophies

    The shipment of big game hunting trophies is still acceptable to UPS and FedEx with a UPS spokeswoman telling The Washington Post that the global shipping giant follows US and international laws, not public opinion, in determining what it will and won’t ship.... Read More

  • DHL Express opens new Melbourne facility

    DHL has opened its new DHL Express Melbourne Gateway facility to better support regional businesses operating in and out of Australia.... Read More

  • FedEx’s acquisition of TNT enters Phase II

    FedEx Corp. has confirmed today that the European Commission has initiated a Phase II review in connection with FedEx’s intended public offer to acquire all the issued and outstanding shares of TNT Express N.V. This is the next step in the process where the European Commission conducts an in-depth analysis under the EU Merger Regulation before coming to a decision.... Read More

Airports & Ground Handling

  • Amristar perishables centre collects dust

    At a time when airports across India are crying out for cargo facilities, one airport – Shri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport in India’s northwestern city of Amritsar – boasts a specialised perishable cargo facility that lies unused because of lack of connectivity.... Read More

  • United launches ground handling subsidiary

    United Airlines has announced the launch of a wholly owned ground handling subsidiary, United Ground Express, to provide ground handling services including cargo handling at select, smaller airports in the US.... Read More

  • London Stansted sees busy July

    London Stansted enjoyed a busy July with cargo operations benefitting from the chaos at the Channel Tunnel and the passenger side seeing busiest July in seven years, as the launch of Thomas Cook’s trio of new long haul flights and the summer holiday season helped contribute to over two million passengers passing through the airport.... Read More

  • Frankfurt sees 2% cargo decline in July

    Cargo (airfreight and airmail) dropped by two per cent to 177,840 tonnes in July 2015 compared to a year earlier, while 6.2 million passengers set a new record for Frankfurt Airport .... Read More

  • Gerry’s dnata opens up three new Pakistan locations

    Gerry’s dnata (the Pakistan arm of Dubai-based ground handler, dnata) has ramped up its scale of operations in Pakistan with the commencement of its service at three new airports in the country, investing over US$4 million in the new locations. These include Multan International airport (MUX) on 1 May, Quetta International (UET) on 11 June and Faisalabad International (LYP) on 11 July.... Read More

  • Polar launches new freighter service to Singapore

    Polar Air Cargo Worldwide landed its inaugural flight at Singapore Changi Airport on 17 August, linking Changi’s freighter network to a new city link – Cincinnati, Ohio. Polar will operate a weekly Cincinnati–Anchorage–Incheon– Singapore–Hong Kong service with the B747-400F aircraft. Polar is majority owned by US-based Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings and minority owned by DHL Network Operations (USA). Through Polar and its Atlas Air sister company, Atlas Air Worldwide operates the world’s largest fleet of B747 freighters.... Read More

  • Hactl wins accolade following 12% carbon reduction

    Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd (Hactl) – the largest cargo handler at Hong Kong International Airport – has received a Carbon Reduction Certificate from the Environmental Campaign Committee (ECC), awarded under the Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence scheme, in recognition of Hactl’s success in reducing its carbon footprint.... Read More

  • SATS to set up e-commerce hub at Changi

    Singapore-based ground handler, SATS Ltd. and Singapore Post Limited (SingPost) have announced a commercial agreement for SATS to provide airmail consignment handling services to SingPost. The new automated facility, to be called SATS eCommerce AirHub, will improve efficiency and space utilisation, as well as enhance the consignment handling capabilities for both SATS and SingPost, the two said.... Read More

  • Dnata acquires Aviapartner cargo ops in Amsterdam

    Dnata has announced it has reached an agreement with Aviapartner to acquire its cargo handling operations at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. As well as full cargo handling operations, this facility includes several specialist product lines including the Schiphol Animal Centre and Temperature Control Centre, as well as its Freighter Ramp Handling operations.... Read More

Cover Story

  • Liège Airport flying high

    Looking at Liège Airport’s cargo statistics – with a phenomenal 13 per cent growth in cargo tonnage and 11 per cent more freighter capacity along with improved load factors in the first six months of this year – it’s easy to forget that much of the industry is still struggling along a flat line cargo growth trajectory and the mere mention of ‘freighters’ is considered a dirty word by many. But clearly the situation at the Belgian cargo airport is patently different. By Donald Urquhart.... Read More

By The Numbers

  • Asia-Pacific airports see 1H cargo growth of 3%

    Airports in the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East maintained steady growth in June 2015, reporting year over year passenger growth of +4.9 per cent and +6.1 per cent respectively, while air freight continued to be impacted by slowdown across Asian export markets.... Read More

  • Cargo growth remains flat: AAPA

    Preliminary traffic figures for the month of June released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) confirmed softening air cargo markets while international passenger demand continued to grow.... Read More

  • Yields down as much as -41% since 2008: WorldACD

    With the topic of yields dominating any discussion about the current business environment, WorldACD has clearly demonstrated the dismal state of affairs through a comparison of USD-yields between June 2008 and June 2015, with not one single market showing a yield increase over that period.... Read More

Bellyache

  • Dumb, dumber and dumbest

    Before we start, we would like to sincerely apologise to the ‘big two’ aircraft manufacturers for featuring the Facebook posts of two intellectually challenged ‘experts’ discussing the merits of Airbus vs Boeing in the aircraft stability (otherwise known as the ‘shake-shake’ department), cockpit computerisation and aircraft safety! We also have to confess that one of the post-ees is a former colleague of ours (not from the aviation sector… obviously).... Read More
    Dumb, dumber and dumbest