SpiceXpress, the cargo division of SpiceJet, helped transport cargo from Dakha in Bangladesh to Spain via Kolkata and New Delhi as part of a road-air operation.
The cargo, which amounted to 48 tons and included fashion garments, was transported from Dhaka to Kolkata airport via road and then to New Delhi on Airbus A340 freighter.
From New Delhi, the cargo was then transported to Spain on a SpiceXpress Airbus A340 with the seats removed (pictured).
The task was carried out in collaboration with India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, and AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company.
The Indian airline said the initiative gives impetus to the government’s vision of making India a transshipment hub.
It is not the first operation to road freight cargo to India before flying it to destination.
In 2018, bonded cargo from Bangladesh was flown out of the Indian airport of Kolkata after EFL created a tailor-made logistics solution to handle the very first bonded, cross-border, land-air transhipment between the two countries.
Exports from Dhaka have faced difficulty in the past, with security restrictions and capacity constraints causing issues.
Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director of SpiceJet, commented: “We are extremely proud to launch our first-ever multimodal cargo movement between Dhaka and Spain via Kolkata and New Delhi with the help of Ministry of Civil Aviation and AAICLAS. Multimodal cargo service will actively and effectively contribute in streamlining cargo shipment across various domestic and international sectors, reduce cost and ensure self-reliance, helping realize our Prime Minister’s vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat.”
“With the government’s continued support, I am sure this initiative will foster the logistics industry to be a key driver in making the country a $5trn economy by 2024.”
In December, SpiceXpress, launched a pharma service to support the widespread global distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.
The launch of Spice Pharma Pro followed SpiceXpress helping to transport essential goods and medical supplies into and around India throughout the pandemic, as well as helping to maintain the country’s supply chains.
As part of its efforts to transport Covid-19 vaccines to every part of India, as well as outside of the country, SpiceJet partnered with Brussels Airport, GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo, Om Logistics, Snowman Logistics.
CEVA Logistics has relocated its Thailand head office to Bangkok, as it continues to expand in Asia.
The announcement follows CEVA moving its Thailand airfreight team to a new office at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The company’s Thailand head office is now located in a 28-story building close to the city’s two airports and one of its major ports, providing connectivity its customers. The head office is also close to the Thai Customs office.
More than 250 employees will be based at the 12,000 sq ft of office space.
Russell Pang, managing director Thailand and emerging markets at CEVA Logistics, commented: “This new headquarters will be a tremendous asset for the Thai team with its excellent public transport links and focus on a modern working environment where they can be even more productive. We will use the relocation to further grow our multimodal business in one of Asia’s leading gateways.”
Earlier this week, CEVA Logistics was awarded a contract to manage production supply for Airbus at the aircraft manufacturer’s assembly site in Hamburg, Germany.
The forwarder will be responsible for production supply for the A320 family structural assembly and the equipping of fuselage sections as well as the manufacturing and equipping of the A330 and A350.
TECHNOLOGY consultancy Nexshore, creator of the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) ONE Record data-sharing solution, has unveiled a new bespoke, customizable air cargo software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, which streamlines messaging systems and substantially improves efficiency in the air cargo industry supply chain.
The ONE Record Nexshore SaaS replaces those unwieldy, antiquated classical methods of sharing airfreight data, such as the industry’s Cargo-Imp and XML legacy messaging systems, and promises to slash transmission costs, accelerate communication and enable the adoption of modern web standards – “that can help grow revenues and offer superior customer experiences,” a statement explains.
It focuses exclusively on the track-and-trace functionality of more than 90 airlines currently representing 80 per cent of the global air cargo volumes that flow between all major international airports. After capturing all relevant airfreight information, including track-and-trace data, it communicates the digital information quickly, securely and accurately, thereby bringing every stakeholder in the supply chain onto the same communication chain regardless of their size.
It analyses metrics such as delivery success rates, off-loading, re-bookings and provides daily and weekly reports containing a selection of those metrics which are then e-mailed to customers. “It is a powerful air cargo teambuilder,” the company insists. “Everyone in the supply chain gets clear communications on a live shipment from the time an airwaybill is created to the time it is delivered to the consignee.”
IATA’s ONE Record, which comes via a standardized and secured web application programming interface (API), proffers a single-record view of each individual airfreight shipment, and replaces those inefficient antiquated legacy systems with a smarter, unified digital air cargo ecosystem.
Last September, London’s Heathrow Airport reached a digitalization milestone with its first trial of the ONE Record server created by Nexshore enabling any user to communicate via a computer.
Pramod Rao, chief executive of Nexshore, outlines: “The ONE Record solution enables e-commerce service providers to process data at a pace needed to successfully communicate and fulfil orders for when you start receiving 8,000 to 10,000 house bills in a single master airwaybill, disseminating information transparently with cargo drivers coordinating cargo pick-ups, trucking times, whilst also alerting warehouses and customers on the status of each shipment.”
Nexshore unveils air cargo’s first all-embracing data-sharer
Monty Clark, president at Nexshore
The system has come just in time in the changing airfreight landscape. Newly-won e-commerce customers will quickly disappear from airfreight suppliers if they are not kept informed with the speed and accuracy they demand. “Adopting ONE Record by Nexshore provides that capability for businesses of all sizes,” Rao points out.
The ONE Record Nexshore SaaS is also available as a hybrid, which allows customers to fully integrate and customize their own individual air cargo systems and easily align them with the ONE Record specifications by IATA.
Monty Clark, president at Nexshore, asserts: “ONE Record is the most important technology development for the air cargo industry in decades. Sharing data on a modern web platform is the most powerful feature of Nexshore’s ONE Record.
“It allows anyone to effectively communicate with anyone else in the air cargo supply chain through an open-standard published by IATA by simply setting up an account. Once an account is set up, networking is as easy as sending connection requests to partners and accepting incoming connection requests.”
“The SaaS takes care of everything else by setting up communication channels in the background that allow you to instantly receive air cargo information so vital to your business. ONE Record is a truly disruptive technology,” Clark believes.
GROUND operator Dnata has secured a multi-year extension to its existing cargo handling contracts at Sydney Airport (SYD) and elsewhere in the region with Philippines’ Cebu Pacific Airline (CEB), one of Asia Pacific’s largest low-cost carriers.
The new agreement with CEB also includes cargo, ramp and passenger handling services from a highly specialized team at Melbourne Airport (MEL) and Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), writes Thelma Etim.
Cebu Pacific, which operates from its hub at Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport with other bases at Mactan-Cebu International Airport and Francisco Bangoy International Airport, has established a network of domestic and international services within Asia and the Middle East.
The news comes just days after the Emirates Group promoted Steve Allen, its current divisional senior vice-president of ground handling and cargo operations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to the role of executive vice-president of dnata.
Dirk Goovaerts, regional chief executive for the Asia Pacific region at dnata, points out: “After five years of a successful partnership in Sydney, we are proud to become the ground handler of choice for Cebu Pacific Air at two additional airports in the region.
“These contract wins demonstrate our valued partner’s trust and confidence in our quality services, as well as the dedication and agility of our skilled team. We continue to work hard to consistently provide service excellence to CEB and their customers across the region.”
Michael Ivan Shau, chief operations officer at Cebu Pacific, adds: “As we continue working towards being a world-class airline, we are always on the lookout for transformative opportunities. Last year, we commenced a network-wide review of our supply chain arrangements, including our airport, ground and cargo handling contracts.
“As a result of these recent bids, we are pleased to commit a significant part of CEB’s ground handling business to dnata across the Asia Pacific region. We believe this move to consolidate contracts across the region with a trusted partner will further support our path towards recovery,” Shau insists.
The COVID-19 crisis is putting Vienna Airport to the test, just like the entire aviation industry. Vienna Airport is functioning as a reliable airfreight center for Central and Eastern Europe during the crisis thanks to years of investment into its logistic center.
“Vienna Airport offers its customers fast turnaround times and is well prepared for current and upcoming challenges due to years of investment in airport infrastructure, its excellent geographical location and its 24-hour operating license,” says Julian Jäger, Member of the Management Board of Flughafen Wien AG.
With the ability to handle all types of aircraft, Flughafen Wien AG employees proved their adaptability during the Corona crisis. One example is the handling of ‘preighters’ – passenger aircrafts used solely for air cargo. Flexibility is also provided to airline customers by 24-hour operations of all facilities, such as customs, border control, and health authorities. With its Pharma Handling Center built in 2018, Vienna Airport is ideally equipped for time and temperature-critical transports of medical goods.
Despite the crisis, the airport’s logistics and handling facilities were able to maintain their function as a hub to Eastern Europe for goods from the electronics and automotive industries. There was growth in important aid goods such as masks, coronavirus tests and protective suits as well as in production goods, urgently needed pharmaceutical products and in the e- commerce sector.
“In the current very dynamic market environment with rapidly increasing freight volumes in Europe, Vienna International Airport is well-positioned with its existing capacities. Although there is a decline in belly cargo due to the lack of passenger aircraft, we have been recording increases of up to 30 percent for months, especially in unloads/import cargo,” explains Michael Zach, Vice President Sales & Finance, Ground Handling & Cargo Operations at Vienna Airport. Vienna Airport offers advantages as a European freight hub for road transport, too: the catchment area of the dense road feeder network for air freight extends far beyond neighboring countries and the major European hubs to the Balkans, Ukraine and Poland.
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