Air Astana has made Paris CDG its newest destination in Western Europe, with the launch on 29 March of thrice-weekly flights from the Kazakh capital Astana (TSE). The route will be flown by the airline’s B757s. Air Astana already serves Frankfurt and London Heathrow with its 757s. “The new service to Paris is a major step in developing Air Astana’s European network and serves to strengthen economic, diplomatic, cultural and tourism links between France and … [Read more...] about Air Astana launches Paris route
air freight
Boeing, Air India celebrate 20th 787 Dreamliner
Boeing and Air India celebrated the airline’s milestone delivery of its 20th 787 Dreamliner from Boeing's final assembly facility in North Charleston, South Carolina. “Taking delivery of our 20th 787 Dreamliner marks an important day for Air India," said Rohit Nandan, chairman and managing director, Air India. "With this [aircraft] we are building on the success of our other 787s, which are providing an exceptional experience to our passengers while allowing us to expand our … [Read more...] about Boeing, Air India celebrate 20th 787 Dreamliner
Thinking out of the box!
Trolling the web, as the Belly Achers frequently do (shh, don’t tell the boss this is really what we’ve been up to almost everyday!), we came across this gem of a story that we just have to share with you. We also reckon it might just be the perfect way of testing security in the air cargo supply chain – and hey if you manage to do it a couple of times, you’ll be a ‘Known Shipper’ already! So the story (and it’s a true story) goes something like this: Reg Spiers, a promising Australian … [Read more...] about Thinking out of the box!
The new Silk Road
Today, a new land route dubbed the ‘New Silk Road’, or probably more accurately the ‘New Silk Rail’, follows a similar path, pieced together by railways in six countries and taking half the time to transport goods between China and Europe than by ocean shipping. “Transportation in the past between Asia and Europe meant choosing between air or ocean,” said Joost Van Doesburg, air freight policy manager at the European Shippers’ Council during the … [Read more...] about The new Silk Road
EASA certifies 242t MTOW A330 version
The latest variant of Airbus' A330 – the new 242 tonne MTOW A330-300 – has achieved certification from the European airworthiness authorities (EASA) following a 100 hour flight-test campaign. Certification from the US authorities (FAA) is also expected soon. Airbus said that in the near future, the smaller A330-200 model will follow the -300 by benefiting from the 242t take-off weight capability. To date 11 customers have selected their new A330s to have a 242t capability. Eric … [Read more...] about EASA certifies 242t MTOW A330 version
Food for thought
Having recently returned from IATA’s World Cargo Symposium has provided much food for thought. The event could be criticised for being repetitive in one particular regard – navel gazing. It seems the last few editions of the annual event have seen a fair degree of not just navel gazing, but hand wringing. But to be fair, the industry has clearly been struggling – a lethal combination of changing market circumstances and severe foot dragging on issues that should have been dealt … [Read more...] about Food for thought