Bauer Aviation Advisory (BAA), the aviation and strategy consulting firm, has appointed four new aviation leaders in the Middle East to its advisory board.
The advisory board’s members include former President and CEO of Royal Jordanian, Stefan Pichler, Laila Hareb Almheiri who led the transformation of the General Civil Aviation Authority in UAE, Aya Sadder, the former Incubator manager of Intelak, the MENA region’s first aviation, travel and tourism incubator, and former Lufthansa senior executive and training captain, Tilmann Gabriel.
Linus Benjamin Bauer, managing director at Bauer Aviation Advisory, said: “As the aviation landscape evolves, we have put together a distinguished and diverse group of industry professionals to form our new advisory board as we gear up to accelerate our long-term business growth in the Middle East.
“With the advisory board’s vast experience and expertise, not only will our clients gain immense value, but it will also help us build on the foundation set by our consultants who are increasing our market presence and working to shape a sustainable future for aviation.”
Stefan Pichler has developed a stellar reputation for his strategic turnarounds of airline businesses. As CEO of Royal Jordanian, he helped the airline return to profitability in 2017 and post positive financial results in 2018 and 2019. Pichler was also previously CEO of Jazeera Airways and worked closely with Etihad Airways as CEO of airberlin after signing restructuring deals with the UAE’s national carrier. Pichler also served as the CEO of Fiji Airways and Thomas Cook as well as the CCO of Virgin Australia and Lufthansa.
Pichler is joined by Emirati aviation leader, Laila Hareb Almheiri, who has more than 28 years’ experience in the industry. Almheiri is recognized by the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International Aviation Women’s Association as one of the top 70 Women Inspiring Generations of Aviation Professionals in the world. Previously, Almheiri managed UAE Candidacy campaigns for a seat on the ICAO executive council and increased UAE air connectivity by securing multiple bilateral agreements that facilitated the growth of four major UAE carriers: Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways, FlyDubai and Air Arabia.
“Having members like Stefan Pichler and Laila Hareb as part of our advisory board boosts our company’s reputation and long-term credibility in the marketplace. Their strategic expertise in organizational restructuring and strategic turnaround management will motivate clients to rethink how they can optimize their business models at a time when the industry recovery picks up pace. I’m very much looking forward to working closely with the advisory board and bringing an innovative approach to expert advisory that will shape the future of the aviation industry,” added Bauer.
Chapman Freeborn has appointed Allen Liu as cargo director, North Asia.
With 15 years’ experience in aviation, Allen begun his career in 2006, gaining industry knowledge at several air cargo businesses before taking on a senior role as cargo manager China at Chapman Freeborn in 2013.
After five years generating and developing business in the Chinese market for Chapman Freeborn Allen joined Air Bridge Cargo in 2018.
However, the success of his time at Chapman Freeborn pulled him back, and Allen has now re-joined the company.
Allen’s role is to develop the North Asian market, working to expand Chapman Freeborn’s presence in Japan and Korea, as well as in Hong Kong and China.
Allen comments: “We can see that North Asia has so much untapped potential and looking to the future when the pandemic is over there will be an increase in opportunities. I’m going to ensure that as well as seeing Chapman Freeborn has a strong presence here, our prospective and existing clients continue to receive a first-class service. I will be developing strategic growth plans and putting them in place to support the increasing demand for cargo charters in North Asia. There is potential to really develop the business here. “
First Choice Staff, recruitment specialists to the Freight, Logistics & Distribution industries in the UK, is expanding its offering to Airport Services, Cargo and Ground Handling companies following the appointment of Colin Blusch as Aviation Business Development Manager.
Based at First Choice Staff’s head office close to Heathrow Airport, Colin brings over 20 years’ experience in the aviation and handling sectors, having previously held senior management roles with Plane Handling/dnata and Worldwide Flight Services (WFS). He spent 18 years with dnata in the UK as both Cargo Business Commercial Manager and Transport Business Manager and, prior to joining First Choice, the last five years with WFS, initially as Terminal Operations Manager and, latterly, General Manager at Heathrow.
Chas Dowton, Director, of First Choice Staff, said: “With over 28 years of service to clients in the UK, we have regularly been asked to recruit Temporary and Permanent staff for Airport Services, Cargo and Ground Handling customers but given the size and potential of the sector, we know there is significant growth potential for us at UK airports. The key has been to find someone to lead this division who understands what customers in these sectors really need, who speaks their language, and has the contacts to open doors for the full scope of recruitment services we provide. I am, therefore, delighted we have been able to secure Colin’s services. He is already well-known and respected by companies we are keen to work with and is a valuable addition to our growing team.”
With a network of branch locations covering London & the South East, Bristol and the South West, Essex, the UK Midlands, Manchester, the north of England and Scotland – and the ability to offer recruitment services in the Europe and US markets – First Choice will offer a total recruitment solution for Airport Services, Cargo and Ground Handling businesses.
“The scope of the aviation industry from a recruitment perspective is virtually unlimited, “Colin Blusch added. “Based on my own experience of working in these sectors, I am confident companies will immediately recognize the value of working with First Choice Staff. It is already a leading brand in its existing markets, with a team of outstanding recruitment professionals. Our aim is to replicate this in the aviation sector and provide the one stop shop which will include specialized arears within the Airport industry. The industry as a whole continues to go through unprecedented times caused by Covid-19 but it will recover and adapt to new market conditions. We expect the UK market to begin a positive recovery as vaccines take effect and travel restrictions are lifted. Consequently, companies in the industry – and candidates seeking work – will need the services of a knowledgeable, agile and responsive recruitment partner as passenger and cargo demand grows, so our expansion in the market could not be a more timely one.”
The heads of Deutsche Post (DP) DHL and Kuehne+Nagel (K+N) are both expecting airfreight capacity to remain constrained for the rest of the year.
Speaking to analysts following the announcement of K+N’s 2020 financial figures, the forwarder’s chief executive Detlef Trefzger was asked whether he expected airfreight rates to collapse this year.
In response, Trefzger said the market is currently driven by a lack of belly capacity, which is down by around 90% compared with pre-Covid levels, due to coronavirus related travel declines.
“We do not expect this capacity to be back and available before 2024, 2025,” he said, later adding: “We might see the first signs of yield slight decline, as of 2022. It really depends on alternative capacity, which is belly capacity.”
Trefzger added that air cargo demand is being boosted by issues in container shipping, with customers having to wait at some ports, Long Beach in the US for example, 16 days to have containers unloaded.
“That is causing an additional demand,” he added. “And the capacity is still tight, we don’t see any change in capacity.”
Frank Appel, DP DHL group chief executive, was similarly cautious on when air cargo capacity would return to previous levels.
He said that people may initially be reluctant to travel and this will hold back the re-introduction of belly capacity.
“Regional travel probably will recover much faster, but intercontinental travel will take longer,” Appel said in an investor call following its full year results announcement. “So this year, we will not see a massive rebound of belly space capacity, maybe next year.”
He added that if capacity does start to come back next year, it would happen over a couple of quarters, rather than there being an instant increase.
“There’s enough demand already to fly more, but it’s mainly driven because consumers or citizens will not change their mind so rapidly to travel long distance again,” he added.
Looking further ahead, Appel would not be drawn on his expectations on capacity given the current market dynamics, although he did expect people to begin flying again at some point.
“We are still human beings,” he said “We have not changed; we want to see our friends and we want to go on vacation. Of course, we have to play a role as well in our company to see the people on the ground and say hello and give them a hug once in a while.
“Our fundamental needs as human beings have not changed due to Covid-19. So that’s the reason why I believe we will go back. Is that the same capacity in 2024 or even more or less? I think that’s a little bit looking into the glass ball.”
Japan-based Nippon Express launched a new halal-certified domestic airfreight product.
The forwarder said it launched the service after observing an increase in demand for halal products in Japan.
Currently, Japan has a Muslim population of around 200,000.
“With an increase in foreign visitors/residents from a diversity of cultural backgrounds anticipated, demand for halal products in Japan is expected to rise,” the forwarder said.
The halal service is incorporated into the logistics firm’s ‘Express Hi-Speed’ domestic airfreight product, thereby enabling rapid transport of halal goods.
Features of the service include: improved visibility of halal products being transported, by using special labels affixed to the cargo; halal training for staff; tailored delivery modes specific to the requirements of the cargo; easy-to-use product design; and status tracking through a centralized management system.
Nippon Express said the launch of its service follows it becoming the first Japanese company to obtain halal logistics certification in Malaysia in 2014.
“After obtaining its first halal certification for warehousing in Japan in 2016, the company introduced halal-only roll boxes for consolidated transport of small-lot cargo amounting to less than a full truckload as well as halal-only rail containers for large-lot cargo into its warehouse-based transport services as it expanded its handling of halal products,” the company said.
German airline, Condor has awarded a five-year unit load device (ULD) supply and management agreement to Unilode Aviation Solutions.
Condor currently operates a fleet of more than 50 aircraft including 15 wide-body and 30 narrow-body aircraft. The airline offers scheduled and charter passenger flights worldwide, in addition to recently initiated cargo flights to European destinations.
Unilode will supply, manage, digitalize and repair Condor’s containers and pallets in a hybrid ULD fleet management model, which consists of ULDs dedicated to the airline’s use and assets shared with other carriers in Unilode’s pool.
Bernd Bechtel, commercial director cargo & airport relations & ground handling procurement, Condor, said: “We are delighted to partner with Unilode as we highly value their customized solutions and personalized approach to ULD management.
“A reliable supply of ULDs is essential for the recovery in our core business of flying passengers, and supports new revenue opportunities, such as our cargo flights. We look forward to growing our operations and working with our new ULD management partner for many years to come.”
Marc Groenewegen, chief commercial officer, Unilode, added: “We are proud that Condor has decided to entrust Unilode with the management of its ULD fleet. Unilode’s customer-focused way of doing business and providing its airline customers with bespoke solutions continues to be at the heart of everything we do.
“Condor’s ULDs will shortly be equipped with Unilode’s digital Bluetooth tags for enhanced visibility and efficiency. We are pleased with our new partnership and welcome Condor to our customer portfolio.”
Etihad Guest has entered a new partnership with FARFETCH, the leading global platform for the luxury industry.
The partnership allows members to earn and spend miles while shopping online. Members will have a variety of lifestyle benefits including early access to discounts and the latest seasonal edits.
To earn and spend miles, shoppers will need to download the Etihad Guest app, an all-new way of experiencing loyalty, and register up to five of their Visa payment cards issued in the UAE. Shoppers can then use any of those linked cards on FARFETCH.com to earn and spend miles.
Kim Hardaker, Head of Loyalty & Partnerships, Etihad Airways, said: “Fashion continues to be a key pillar of our lifestyle partnerships. As more members are shopping online for the latest fashion trends, we want to offer them the choice to collect Etihad Guest Miles for their next dream holiday or staycation, or shop with FARFETCH”.
Edward Sabbagh, managing director at FARFETCH Middle East, added: “We are very excited to announce this partnership with Etihad Airways. To be associated with one of the biggest carriers in the country and internationally is an honor for us and we look forward to seeing how our partnership evolves.”
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced the arrival at London’s Heathrow Airport of the first traveler using the IATA Travel Pass app to manage their travel health credentials.
“The successful implementation of IATA Travel Pass in this trial with Singapore Airlines passengers demonstrates that technology can securely, conveniently and efficiently help travelers and governments to manage travel health credentials. The significance of this to re-starting international aviation cannot be overstated,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO.
JoAnn Tan, acting senior vice president, marketing planning, Singapore Airlines, said: “Digital health credentials will be essential as borders reopen and travel restrictions get progressively lifted worldwide. The successful implementation of the IATA Travel Pass reflects Singapore Airlines’ goal of using secure digital solutions to verify health credentials, and support a safe and seamless travel experience for our customers.”
“Today’s success is a big win for many parties. It gives travelers a one-stop-shop to help them comply with the new rules for travel. It shows that governments can efficiently manage these travel requirements with complete confidence in the identity of the passenger and the veracity of the travel credentials—importantly, avoiding long queues. And it’s a purpose-built means for airlines to manage the new travel requirements without drowning in inefficient and ineffective paper processes,” said de Juniac.
“Airlines understand that their ground operations will grind to a halt if they have to manage COVID-19 travel requirements—test results or vaccine certifications—with paper documentation. The same is true for border authorities. The UK is ahead of other governments in mapping a way to re-starting international travel at scale. This real-life proof of concept should give all governments confidence that industry has a workable digital solution that will ease the pressure of incorporating health certificate checks into the travel process, including at borders. This trial is an opportunity for us to work with the UK government to demonstrate that the solution works and to share the results with others as we build a robust and efficient system that will help the world get moving again,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president airport, passenger, cargo, security.
The COVID-19 pandemic has refocused IT spending priorities for airlines and airports in 2020 as revenue plunged and the industry faced new health and operational requirements needed to keep flying, according to SITA.
Among the key findings from SITA’s 2020 Air Transport IT Insights, published today, was an accelerated investment in automated passenger processing focusing on touchless and mobile services. There was also a strong focus on virtual and remote IT services that allowed employees to work from home while ramping up communications with passengers. Cybersecurity and cloud services – that helped automate operations and drive new efficiencies – were key.
In 2020, SITA data showed that flight volumes plunged 44% year-on-year due to the pandemic. As a result of this impact on demand, IATA forecast the airline industry’s full-year loss at $118 billion.
David Lavorel, CEO SITA at airports and borders said: “The severe slowdown in 2020 forced the air transport industry to focus on driving new cost efficiencies. Adding to the pressure, airlines and airports had to rapidly incorporate new health measures such as touchless passenger processing and the handling of new health information and protocols, including PCR testing in many destinations. These efforts have been made in a market that continues to face rapid changes in air travel regulations that make operational planning volatile and last minute.
“To solve these challenges, the industry has turned to technology and, in many cases, reprioritized where they invested in 2020. The good news is that airlines and airports were able to capitalize on existing trends to automation and have made significant strides in implementing new solutions that will bring new improvements for the passenger now and into the future.”
Making the check-in process completely touchless is now the main priority for airports and airlines to help protect passengers and staff, improve the passenger experience, and drive efficiency.
Biometric technology is the focus for airport investment with 64% of airports aiming to roll out self-boarding gates using biometric & ID documentation by 2023, three times as many as in 2020. Airlines have doubled implementations and plan to double investment for self-boarding using biometric & ID documentation by 2023 (82%).
Similarly, airlines are prioritizing a completely touchless check-in process, and most want mobile touchless payment options for all services provided. The majority (79%), is focused on enabling self-bag drop for passengers. All essential customer services will become contactless from booking to arrival, including automated lounge access and mobile delayed baggage reporting.
Airline mobile applications for passenger services is a priority with nearly all (97%) of airlines having major programs and R&D in place by 2023. By 2023 the majority of airlines plan to send passengers real-time notifications on their mobile devices about their bags and plan to provide real-time bag-tracking information for staff.
In response to the pandemic, most airlines and airports are investing more in in-house virtual and remote IT services allowing employees to work in a more agile and effective way while speeding up communications with passengers. Almost three-quarters of airports and airlines will continue to invest in data exchange, cloud services, cybersecurity, and business intelligence to accelerate their digital airport processes. This includes increasing services on passenger mobile apps and ensuring staff services are accessible via mobile or tablets.
Cargo-facility developer Aerotem has completed a new 50,400 sq ft air cargo facility at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG).
The facility is suitable for air cargo, ground support equipment and other terminal support users, such as flight kitchens and commissaries.
Features of the hub include: 6,000 sq ft of available space and the option to expand by 120,000 sq feet in future phases; insulated precast walls with structural steel framing; direct access to aircraft apron and ground support equipment-rated concrete tie-in for equipment storage and freight staging; and an integrated airport security system.
Aeroterm said the facility was implemented to “meet the additional capacity needs at the airport as the demand for shipping grows”.
Alexi Lachambre, the company’s vice president of investments and development, commented: “There has been a strong increase in cargo volumes and GSE [ground support equipment] support needs at CVG Airport in recent years and this expansion project is a direct response to that increasing demand. It was a privilege to work on this project and we look forward to our continued partnership with CVG to support their growing needs.”
Other logistics facilities at CVG include a DHL base and Amazon’s new Prime Air cargo hub, which is expected to complete in 2025.
Aeroterm is implementing airfreight hubs at John F. Kennedy International Airport, Miami International Airport and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. It is also in the latest phase of development of a hub at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
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