MASkargo has become the first airline and cargo terminal operator in Malaysia to adopt IATA’s Dangerous Goods AutoCheck (DG AutoCheck) platform for the acceptance of dangerous goods shipments.
DG AutoCheck enables airlines, ground handlers and freight forwarders to automatically check the compliance of the shipper’s declaration for Dangerous Goods (DGD) against all relevant provisions of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations.
MASkargo said that on average it handles more than 50,000 tons of dangerous goods annually.
“As cargo types get more sophisticated and complex due to customers’ demands and needs, this digital tool will greatly assist MASkargo in improving the dangerous goods handling procedures,” the airline said.
The carrier added that the move was part of efforts to operate a fully automated warehouse.
Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president for operations safety and security, said: “The air transport industry handles more than 1.25m dangerous goods shipments on an annual basis.
“The adoption of modern and harmonized standards is essential to facilitate safe, secure and efficient operations, particularly in relation to carriage of dangerous goods.
“DG AutoCheck allows users to improve safety, enhance handling processes and reduce costs, especially those related to non-compliance of shipments.”
Southwest Cargo has launched a new digital airfreight booking platform, developed in cooperation with technology firm Hangar A.
The tool, called SwaCargo, enables freight forwarders to search for available capacity and book next-flight-guarantee (NFG) shipments up to 10 days in advance. NFG shipments are weight-limited to up to 100 lbs.
The carrier’s cargo customers can also get instant booking statuses and view their online transaction history.
Jas Worldwide has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire Swedish-headquartered forwarder Greencarrier Freight Services International.
Jas Worldwide said that when complete, the acquisition of Greencarrier Freight Services International will be its fourth this year — each in a different region — marking an ‘important phase’ in its history.
Marco Rebuffi, chief executive of Jas Worldwide, commented, “Through the acquisition of Greencarrier Freight Services, Jas is making a strategic acquisition to add to its position in the Nordic, Baltic and Eastern European regions, and strengthen existing operations in UK and China.
“Our respective organizations have enjoyed a longstanding partnership, and we fully expect this to be a continuation of that great atmosphere of cooperation and shared entrepreneurial spirit.”
Mikael Forsberg, chief executive of Greencarrier Freight Services, added, “This is a great match of businesses, and we are excited to continue the journey with our long-term partner, Jas Worldwide. The two networks combined will enable us to offer our customers an even higher service level, broader solutions and access to a truly global network.”
Stefan Björk, owner of Greencarrier Group, said, “In an ever-evolving freight market it is my true belief, that scale, resilience and a multi-market approach will be key to more success in the future. That is why I am sincerely happy about handing over the torch to Jas Worldwide and the Greencarrier Freight Services leadership team to continue the good work and take care of our customers and employees.”
Baxter Freight will continue its recent recruitment drive after reporting an increase in revenues at the half-year point.
The Nottingham UK-based logistics firm saw revenues reach £12.9m in the first half, up from £7.7m a year ago. For the full year, the company expects revenues to reach £28m against £18.m in 2020.
The company said that by the end of the year it will employ more than 100 people for the first time and it plans further recruitment, including within its forwarding business.
“Baxter Freight is now progressing its Fast Forward growth plan, projecting turnover of more than £35m by the end of 2022, helped by employing an additional 50 people,” the company said.
“Further developments include investing in its Air and Sea teams, reflecting the UK Government’s policy of developing overseas trade,” the company added. “This move, coupled with the newly founded around-the-clock, 24/7 Customs Support team developed for Brexit, has doubled the number of people in operations roles since December 2020.”
Peter Isler, managing director, said: “While the pandemic caused unexpected delays to our Fast Forward plans, we’re delighted to see not only the recruitment drive, but also our predicted figures coming back to life as we bounce back bigger and stronger than before.”
UPS has opened its expanded air hub at East Midlands Airport (EMA) in the UK, doubling its capacity at the airport.
The expanded hub measures 36,000 sq. m and can process 22,500 packages per hour, which is twice the capacity of the previous facility.
The facility also features automated scanning and sortation systems and the project came at a cost of £138m.
“Our investment at East Midlands Airport shows our confidence that UK businesses of all sizes are poised to make the most of export opportunities now and in the future,” said Jim O’Gara, president, UPS UK Ireland & Nordics.
“Our message to companies large and small in the region is that the world is at their fingertips, and we’re here to make doing business internationally as easy as doing business at home.’’
The airport is home to UPS’s largest UK air gateway and its second largest air operation in Europe after its Europe Hub in Cologne, Germany.
UPS operates six daily freighter flights from the airport utilizing B767 capacity.
Scan Global Logistics (SGL) has entered into a binding agreement to acquire New Zealand forwarder Orbis Global Logistics as it targets a top 15 spot in the air cargo market.
SGL said the deal, which is set to be completed in October, will “significantly strengthen its position in the Pacific region, targeting significant growth in the coming years”.
SGL and Orbis present a “solid match sharing an identical customer-centric business model rooted in providing entrepreneurial transport and logistics solutions to a diverse portfolio of customers”.
Orbis founders, Troy Hageman, Stuart Kingdon, and Stephen Fredricson, will continue to run the company.
Hageman said the deal would help the New Zealand company expand: “The SGL acquisition of Orbis represents the next chapter in our dynamic growth in the NZ market. SGL is the perfect fit for us on a cultural level.
“It also gives us the ability to utilize their extensive network and infrastructure to expand within the Pacific Region and beyond, to the benefit of our customers and staff alike.
“The Orbis Team and Directors look forward to our next chapter with SGL, remaining focused on providing our customers with the service and care that they are accustomed to, and with the additional capability that SGL brings.”
SGL group chief executive Allan Melgaard added: “The Pacific region remains a key market for SGL in the years to come, where we expect significant growth and see strong demand.
“While we share a similar business approach, most importantly, we see a perfect match with our company DNA and the virtues we value.”
In August, SGL global chief operating officer for sea and airfreight Mads Drejer said the company had plans to become one of the world’s top 15 airfreight forwarders over the next five years.
Drejer said SGL is currently in the top 40 air forwarders with volumes of around 100,000 tons per year.
In line with this ambition, SGL has purchased around 10 companies over the last five years.
SGL’s most recent acquisition came three months ago when it purchased Grupo Contenosa, a Spanish family-owned logistics service provider with a presence in the Mexican market.
The forwarder has also entered new markets in Poland, Czech Republic, Mexico, Peru, and Myanmar.
SGL also opened its first office in France in April, although it already had extensive business in the country through agents.
In January SGL signed a definitive agreement to acquire the air and ocean activities of US logistics firm Werner Enterprises.
Other investments this year include Chicago-based Expedited Solutions, Atlanta-based Trans ATL and Boston-based Precision Worldwide Logistics.
Kuwait-based low-cost carrier, Jazeera Airways has announced a new record in its cargo business having successfully carried one million kilograms of cargo in the month of July 2021 alone, it’s highest ever since the launch of its cargo operations in April of 2020.
The airline has transported fresh meats, fresh fish, fruits and vegetables, medical supplies, pharmaceutical equipment, flowers, courier and garments.
Jazeera made its fleet available for full cargo flights from the beginning of the global pandemic, enabling Kuwait to secure its needs in produce, medical supplies and other commodities.
Jazeera Airways chief executive officer, Rohit Ramachandran, said: “This is a new milestone for Jazeera, and another testament for its resilience and flexibility in adapting to changing fundamentals in the aviation industry. Our team did a phenomenal job at securing the necessary certifications from Kuwait-Directorate General of Civil Aviation and from Airbus, and at operating the cargo flights. We would also like to compliment our cargo partner, World Cargo Solutions, for their great cooperation and support.”
Qatar Airways Cargo has been awarded by Nepal Freight Forwarders Association (NEFFA) for achieving the highest export tonnage (2850 tons) out of the country for 2020.
The award was handed over in Kathmandu during the annual Nepal Cargo Day celebration organized by NEFFA in July 2021.
The awards are held every year by the association to honor the top three carriers for their roles in supporting the country’s exports. Qatar Airways Cargo has been securing the first position for the highest uplift from Nepal for more than a decade.
Guillaume Halleux, chief officer cargo at Qatar Airways Cargo commented, “I am proud and humbled to receive the award for highest exports from Nepal. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all our teams who go above and beyond to support our customers. Their dedication and team work especially during the challenging times of the pandemic last year has been vital. We also appreciate the trust and support of our customers, local authorities and business partners.”
Manchester City has teamed up with long-standing partner, Etihad Airways in the international transportation of two player statues from across the world to Manchester.
The large scale statues of club legends Vincent Kompany and David Silva have travelled 5,778 miles from the United States to Manchester ahead of their installation at the Etihad Stadium later this week.
Glasgow born and raised, but now operating from his studio in Philadelphia, Sculptor Andy Scott was appointed by the Club 15 months ago to bring the player legends to life in sculpture form. Uniquely, the entire process from commissioning, to design and build has been conducted remotely due to travel restrictions relating to the global pandemic.
Following completion of the statues in Philadelphia, the complex work of logistics and transportation began with Etihad Cargo exclusively providing dedicated and end-to-end service throughout the entire process. Carefully separated into four parts and meticulously packaged, these sizeable statues were trucked from Andy’s studio in Philadelphia to Chicago, loaded onto a Boeing 777 Freighter and flown to Frankfurt and then transported by road to Manchester.
Etihad Cargo’s expertise in special delivery together with the utilization of their extensive global network ensured that the statues were delivered on site and on schedule, ready to be installed for the Club’s unveiling on 28th August.
Commenting on Etihad’s support in the delivery process, Manchester City’s Director of Infrastructure Ed Dalton, said:
“These statues are bespoke and premium pieces of art that have been 15 months in the making. The precious nature of the pieces together with their sheer size and weight, meant that their transportation across the world to Manchester was always going to be a challenging and complex process.
It was vital that we had an organization with the appropriate logistical know-how, a global network and a team of people with the requisite experience and expertise to take on a project of this kind.
Etihad Cargo’s dedicated team have worked with the Club closely throughout this process and have been the perfect partner – highly organized, professional and collaborative and we are extremely grateful for their invaluable assistance.”
Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Sales and Cargo, Etihad Aviation Group, added, “The Etihad Cargo team is extremely proud to have been chosen by Manchester City to transport this unique cargo shipment.
As partners to Manchester City for more than twelve years, we have watched at close quarters and in admiration at what Vincent Kompany and David Silva have achieved for the Club. Our team was therefore even more excited by this unique opportunity.
The complexity of this operation involved months of planning and technical expertise in close cooperation with the Club. The successful delivery of this highly-confidential consignment demonstrated the teamwork capabilities within the Etihad network.
We are all excited to see these statues unveiled having delivered them safely to what will become their permanent home.”
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