DSV Panalpina has this week launched a new air cargo charter network covering four continents as it prepares for the ‘peak of peak seasons’.
The new network offers flights between Hong Kong, Zhengzhou, Istanbul, Liege, Chicago Rockford and São Paulo’s Viracopos.
The service, dubbed Globetrotter, will be run utilizing a dedicated nose loading Boeing 747-400 freighter operated by Turkey-based ACT Airlines under a year-long contract.
DSV Panalpina executive vice president and head of global airfreight procurement Mads Ravn said that the company decided to launch the new network in anticipation of a busy peak season, ongoing capacity constraints and uncertainty in the market.
He said that DSV Panalpina has previously operated a dedicated charter service out of China but on a shorter term basis and that the company had been hesitant about launching a service over a longer period of time.
However, Ravn said that since the company started discussions on the possibility on launching Globetrotter the market had gone ‘absolutely crazy’.
DSV now expects the current capacity crunch to last at least into the summer of next year.
The lack of availability of short-term deals also played a part in the decision.
“Our anticipation is that the peak season will be the peak of peak season,” Ravn said.
“All indicators are looking in that direction with continuing shutdowns in China and you also see Covid cases rising in Vietnam.”
He added: “I can’t see how the situation will resolve itself anytime soon. It is not like we are lacking cargo out there.
“As a matter of fact most of the big shippers out there are asking us ‘how much can you do for us?’ and they continue to convert ocean freight into airfreight.
“Even though [the amount being diverted to air] is a very small fraction of the total ocean freight it is enough to tip over the airfreight capacity to a point where the industry can’t keep up.”
Ravn added that the network was primarily created to support customers: “This aircraft is arranged to help our existing customers first of all who will get first priority.”
“But with that said, this is a multi-customer service meaning it is not sold for any customer specifically. If there is any capacity left over we will market it and there are certain routes where we could potentially take new customers on as well.”
Ravn also pointed to the unpredictable nature of the market at the moment, adding that the initial plan had been to operate the service to Pudong.
However, the recent Covid outbreak at the world’s third busiest cargo hub resulted in the service switching to Zhengzhou.
“We want to be open and honest with our customers and tell them what we are seeing and what we anticipate, but who could have anticipated Pudong being shut down a few weeks ago, right before the peak season.
“It just goes on and on,” he added. “Who could have predicted that New York City would have been flooded for the first time ever, shutting down cargo terminals – or the Suez Canal.
“What’s going to be next? Who knows, but it doesn’t look good in Asia with the Covid situation and that is our main concern right now as that will create ripple effect into the rest of the market.”
However, Ravn said that the operation is set up to provide some flexibility if there are any unexpected incidents.
“If you have a scheduled service there is little flexibility to move into another airport for various reasons but in our case we have made a block-hour agreement and not on an A-to-B agreement so we do have some flexibility.
“That said we cannot switch from Shanghai to Singapore, for example, overnight – it needs a couple of weeks to plan – but we have the possibility to do that. For that reason we consider our charter network relativity flexible.”
Asked whether the service could last more than a year, Ravn said that the company plans to scale back the operation once bellyhold capacity returns to the market as the forwarder is “not here to compete with our [airline] partners”.
Cargo volumes at Leipzig/Halle Airport (LEJ) have steadily increased this year, as it continues to support the global fight against Covid-19.
The hub processed 133,873 tons of cargo in July this year — a 9.1 % increase on the same month a year earlier.
Year-to-date, LEJ has handled 899,682 tons — 18.9% higher than the first seven months of 2020.
In 2020, the airport handled more than 1.38m tons of cargo, ‘setting a new record’.
LEJ said in a statement: “The airport is acting as a transhipment center for medical supplies and protective equipment in the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It has therefore regularly handled freight charter flights during the past few months – in addition to regular traffic.”
LEJ supports express, e-commerce and pharma operations, and also has facilities for live animals transportation.
“The airport is DHL’s largest hub anywhere in the world and is the first regional air freight center for Amazon Air in Europe,” LEJ added.
Currently, 82 carriers operate at the hub, which records around 1,300 flight movements per week for freight operations.
Crane Worldwide Logistics has invested in a warehouse facility near Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands.
Located at the Schiphol Logistics Park, the facility will help Crane to increase its supply chain solutions in continental Europe, as it has direct links to Rotterdam port and mainland Europe.
Crane’s Schiphol facility runs a 24/7 aircraft on ground (AOG) operation and is “ideally located to serve aerospace and aviation clients”.
Gulhan Isik, managing director at Crane Worldwide Logistics Netherlands, commented, “During the last six months, we have received an increase in requests for additional storage capacity in Amsterdam as well as our other facilities in Holland, such as Tilburg. There is certainly a notable shift in interest that is favorable to us here in the Netherlands.
“As an AEO certified logistics provider, we are excited to expand our capabilities to our clients with additional warehouse space and value-added services such as kitting, bundling, packing, labeling, and customized solutions for our clients.”
Jason Stretton, regional vice president Europe, Middle East and Africa at Crane Worldwide Logistics, added: “Peak season is expected to start early this year; we already see early signs of increased demand for air freight due to the troublesome scenario facing ocean freight shipments.
“With capacity challenges into Europe from China, it has made sense for our clients to increase inventories in mainland Europe. In the past year, we have opened four new contract logistics sites and are grateful to our clients and employees for their continued support. Crane Worldwide Logistics will continue to invest where our clients need additional services at this challenging time.”
Cargo handler Alliance Ground International (AGI) is opening a new airfreight facility near Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey, US.
The 76,000 sq ft handling center will process imported freight, trucked from the airport — located five minutes away.
Features include 19 cargo bay doors, active ULD charging stations, ULD storage and cold storage, pharma handling areas, security and easy access to major highways.
AGI is also relocating from its existing space on the airport site to a 24,000 sq ft facility. The on-airport site will be used to handle export cargo.
“An AGI in-house shuttle service will seamlessly connect cargo handling at the two facilities,” the company said.
Jared Azcuy, chief executive at AGI, commented: “Our dual-facility solution increases our air cargo handling capabilities while reducing wait times and truck congestion on the airport service roads.
“It is a solution we have tried and tested at our other locations, and it will speed up processing, making for a more efficient and cost-effective operation.
“Our new facilities and digital solutions mean that AGI is more than ready to support customers in New Jersey.”
AGI is the largest independently owned ground handling company in the US. It offers domestic and international services, as well as priority products, special commodities and USPS Postal Operations.
Rémi Ayikoué Amavi has been appointed as the new managing director of Bolloré Transport & Logistics Mali. He succeeds Éric Dupuis, who has retired after 29 years with the Bolloré Group.
Amavi, a Beninese national, joined Bolloré Transport & Logistics in 2006 at the company’s Equatorial Guinean subsidiary, where he was in charge of the commercial development of logistics activities. He then became managing director in 2017.
He said, “I am honored by the trust that the company I joined 15 years ago has placed in me. With the help of all the teams in Mali, we will make our modest contribution to the socio-economic development of the country and offer our customers innovative logistics solutions in line with Bolloré Transport & Logistics’ policy.”
Amavi has a degree in Management and Business Strategy from ENACO-Lille. He will use his experience to develop logistics activities in Mali. In particular, he will draw on Bolloré Transport & Logistics’ network in 109 countries and the expertise of his employees to improve services to the country.
dnata appoints Charles Galloway as its regional chief executive officer for the Asia Pacific region.
In his new role, Galloway will oversee dnata’s operations at 13 airports in four countries, including Australia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia, managing 4,800 aviation professionals. He will be based in Singapore and report to David Barker, dnata’s divisional senior vice president for airport operations. His appointment is effective immediately.
Galloway has over 20 years of experience in the global aviation, travel and logistics industries. He has been with dnata for over three years, previously leading the commercial development of dnata’s international airport operations division globally. He has also been a board director of dnata USA since 2020. Prior to joining dnata, Galloway held various senior leadership roles at Swissport International and Thomson Airways in both Switzerland and the UK.
David Barker said: “In recent years dnata has significantly invested in infrastructure, equipment and technology, earning the trust and loyalty of dozens of new airline customers across the Asia Pacific region. Charles’s broad experience and passion for quality and customer success will help us cement our leading position in this strategic market. We stay focused on consistently delivering world-class services and safety at all dnata airports globally.”
Gatwick Airport has appointed American Airlines’ ex-head of cargo Jim Butler as its new chief financial officer.
Butler took up the new role in September and also joined the board of Gatwick Airport Limited.
He has more than 20 years’ experience in the airline industry, with several years spent in leadership roles in cargo.
Until March of this year, Butler occupied the role of senior vice president – airport operations and cargo for American Airlines.
Previously, he spent four years as president of American Airlines Cargo and he was also managing director for commercial planning and performance.
“Since joining American Airlines in 1996, he worked in several departments and developed an extensive background in sales, marketing, pricing, operations, and finance,” the airport operator said.
“He was a member of the IATA Cargo Committee and the A4A Cargo Executive Council and has served as a member of the board of directors for the UK Board of Airline Representatives and the Joint Steering team at London’s Heathrow Airport.
“He was also an executive sponsor of Professional Women in Aviation employee resource group and the Board President of the American Airlines Family Fund.”
Gatwick Airport, chief executive, Stewart Wingate said: “I am looking forward to Jim joining the executive leadership team and Gatwick Airport Ltd Board as chief financial officer.
“He has extensive experience in the aviation industry which I know will be invaluable to us as we build back the business after the decimating impact the pandemic has had on the industry.”
The news comes as the airport reported a £244.6m loss in the first half of the year as a result of the pandemic.
It has been a tough year for the UK airport – one of its top ten customers, Virgin Atlantic, said in May that it would end its operation at Gatwick as the airline adjusted operations as a result of the Covid pandemic.
Eleven global innovators have been selected to partner with 15 leading Nigerian companies to pilot cost-effective, climate-smart technologies to strengthen the country’s temperature-controlled logistics supply chain, as part of IFC’s award-winning TechEmerge program in partnership with Kobo360.
In December 2020, the program has announced an open call for innovators from around the world to bring climate-smart, temperature-controlled logistics (TCL) cooling solutions to Nigeria to help the country address food waste challenges, support its health sector, and reduce its energy consumption.
The Sustainable Cooling Innovation program in Nigeria is funded by the UK Government’s International Climate Finance and offers a total pool of $1 million in grant funding to support field-testing over the next 12-18 months. The program also provides advisory support to help innovators mitigate financial and operational risks, reduce adoption risks for local firms, and facilitate market-entry and tech transfer.
The 11 innovators, which include four Nigerian companies, were competitively selected by IFC, Kobo360, and TechEmerge’s independent advisory panel of cooling experts. The 15 local partners come from the agriculture, food and beverage, retail, refrigeration, engineering, and logistics sectors.
“Kobo360’s business mission is driven by ingenuity and innovation, and we are proud to be partnering with these new TechEmerge participants to prove that temperature-controlled logistics can be affordable, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly too, while growing vital sectors of the Nigerian economy and opening up new business opportunities across Africa,” said Ike Abiakam, Kobo360’s founding partner and head of value added services.
If the pilots are successful, the local companies and innovators may decide to enter into commercial contracts. IFC also evaluates financing needs and may invest in companies to scale game-changing innovations.
Handheld Group, a leading manufacturer of rugged mobile computers, introduced the RS60 ring scanner, a hands-free scanning solution for use in warehouses, retail, distribution and other situations requiring highly mobile scanning. This device is the second in the newly introduced wearable line from Handheld following the SP500X ScanPrinter which was released earlier this month.
“The new RS60 ring scanner is all about efficiency and mobility. It can be worn on either the right or left hand so workers can maximize productivity while keeping their hands free,” said Johan Hed, Handheld director of product management. “Rather than holding a scanning device, a ring scanner is wearable and lets warehouse workers simply point and click, leaving them free to also move products and packages.”
RS60 ring scanner key features:
The efficiency of a traditional scanner and the convenience of a hands-free wearable solution
Super-fast 2D-imager accurately captures barcodes on the move
Tap to pair with any NFC enabled device or scan a barcode to connect
BT class 1 let workers stay connected to devices up to 100 m (300 feet) away
IP65 dust and water resistance, operating from 0°C to 50°C and can survive multiple drops to concrete
Up to 11 hours runtime
Enterprise-focused accessories, including a four-slot charging station and an eight-slot battery charger.
“Enterprises have increasingly seen the value of equipping their workers with tools to maximize efficiency and mobility. Our new wearable line is designed to fit those needs,” said Thomas Lofblad, CEO, Handheld Group. “Handheld has always been about mobile computing, and we will be expanding our wearable product line further in the future.”
Southwest Cargo said the introduction of SwaCargo came after it developed and implemented a tracking facility service with airside scanning.
Currently, online airfreight bookings through SwaCargo are available on routes within the US, Hawaii, San Juan and Southwest Cargo’s interline destinations. It is not currently available for international routes.
Wally Devereaux, managing director of Southwest Cargo, commented: “Our new online booking capability answers the call from customers desiring an easier, quicker, and more customer-friendly booking experience to move their products from coast-to-coast.
“Shippers can now secure space on thousands of daily domestic flights in advance providing peace of mind, and also an improved and expedited experience in our Cargo facilities.”
Kevin Kerns, chief executive of Hangar A, added: “In collaboration with the Southwest Cargo team, Hangar A designed and implemented a state-of-the-art online cargo booking platform that enhances the Southwest Cargo shipping experience. We’re thrilled to bring this best-in-class platform to Southwest Cargo and its customers.”
Technology has made the world smaller and faster.Real time communication with people from all over the world at different time zones through phones and gadgets
