Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is no longer accepting paper declarations as part of efforts to speed up the cargo handling process.
In April, the airport switched to Automated Nomination which digitalizes the declaration paperwork, allowing shipments to be processed before they arrive.
Prior to Automated Nomination, ground handlers at Schiphol Airport would have to wait for the freight to arrive and review the corresponding paperwork before a forwarder could be nominated to handle the shipment.
“Ground handlers at Schiphol are now informed about incoming shipments much sooner, reducing the time required to process cargo, while the elimination of manual processing has minimized the possibility of human error and shipment mishandling,” the airport said.
David van der Meer, cargo partnerships director for the Smart Cargo Mainport Program (SCMP), Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, said: “We have been piloting Automated Nomination with growing success since October 2021 and are proud to have now rolled it out officially as a mandatory process at Schiphol Airport.
“We aim to have every shipment nominated automatically, which offers benefits for every stakeholder in the cargo supply chain.
“Automated Nomination creates a better connection between the air waybill (AWB) and the receiving forwarder.”
Developed by the SCMP team, Automated Nomination is an algorithm that predicts which forwarder will collect a shipment using only AWB, airline, and shipper data, with a 99% accuracy rate.
In order to be compliant for Automated Nomination, a digital station declaration is required.
“Handlers, forwarders, and Schiphol Airport, in collaboration with Air Cargo Netherlands, have introduced a digital station declaration, marking the end of the decades-old paper freight station statement,” the airport said.
The number of forwarders participating in Automated Nomination has meanwhile increased from 60 to 140, with numbers still growing.
Oman Air Holidays, the tour operating arm of Oman Air, has launched a digital platform giving locally owned and operated SMEs in travel and tourism sector greater online presence in front of a broader range of international customers.
Helping local SMEs digitize their offer is a commitment Oman Air Holidays has undertaken in recent months to help empower local tour operators, guides, hotels, and other small business and solopreneurs in Oman’s growing leisure and hospitality ecosystem.
“Empowering Omani SMEs through digitization initiatives brings them out of the shadows and into the spotlight where they can truly shine as local service and product providers,” said Mundher Yaqoob Al Shaikhani, Senior Manager Oman Air Holidays.
“Creating opportunities where SMEs can flourish is a key component of the tourism pillars contained in Oman Vision 2040, and Oman Air Holidays is proud to do its part to help. Our platform is connected to a truly global audience and we know it will give local SMEs a step up in the right direction as we continue our efforts to attract more inbound tourists to Oman.”
The new digital platform now connects local SMEs to a larger, growing network of international partners associated with Oman Air Holidays.
In 2021, Oman Air Holidays partnered with several international travel operators, including WebBeds (a division of Webjet Limited), to enhance its digital booking experience and to provide more choice, flexibility and convenience to guests in search of innovative custom holiday packages. It also introduced stopover packages offering the flexibility to discover some of the most desirable tourist spots in and around Muscat.
Michael Lamia has been appointed senior vice president of GEODIS MyParcel, a direct-to-customer cross-border small parcel shipping service. Lamia brings over 30 years of experience overseeing global supply chain and logistics networks in Fortune 500 settings to the company to further enhance and expand the GEODIS MyParcel service.
Before joining GEODIS, Lamia most recently served as the executive vice president of Operations at UrbanStems where he oversaw the end-to-end supply chain network from sourcing procurement to fulfillment logistics, among other responsibilities. Lamia also previously held the position of Vice President of e-Commerce Global Network Operations at Pitney Bowes Inc. where established and led direct-to-consumer e-Commerce global network operations specifically for the North American, European and Asian markets. Additionally, Lamia has held senior-level roles at companies such as UPS, Avon and LG with deep expertise in areas such as global operations and transportation, strategic sourcing initiatives, and e-Commerce and direct-to-consumer services.
“Throughout Michael’s impressive career, he has led international shipping efforts for some of the biggest online brands in the world and established the logistics strategies needed to support the growth of international outbound networks,” said Eric Douglas, executive vice president of technology and engineering at GEODIS in Americas. “We are thrilled to have Michael join the team and bring his proven track record of industry expertise and knowledge to GEODIS MyParcel to successfully develop the service in accordance with our long-term growth strategy.”
As senior vice president of GEODIS MyParcel, Lamia will be responsible for further enhancing and expanding the new service, which was initially launched in 2020. Currently, GEODIS MyParcel offers B2C cross-border small parcel shipping service from the U.S. to 26 European continental countries, the UK and Canada with guaranteed delivery within 4-6 days. In early 2022, GEODIS announced the expansion of GEODIS MyParcel into Canada, with the goal of progressively expanding globally into new geographic areas in the future. Lamia will lead the GEODIS MyParcel team as the industry continues to experience record cross-border e-Commerce demand largely as a byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lamia joined GEODIS on March 29, 2022. Prior to his more than 30-year career, Lamia earned his B.S. in industrial engineering from Penn State and MBA in finance from Manhattan College.
Mesfin Tasew has been appointed as the new Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines following the sudden resignation of Tewolde GebreMariam for health reasons.
Former CEO, Girma Wake, has been announced as Ethiopian Airlines’ new president and board chairman.
GebreMariam, who served the airline for 37 years and took over the helm in January 2011, had been in the US for the past six months receiving medical treatment. He had been working remotely leading weekly management meetings.
In a statement, the airline wished GebreMariam well and hoped for a speedy recovery. It praised him for the magnificent work he had done in growing the airline group fourfold during his tenure.
Tasew has served Ethiopian Airlines for 38 years. He joined Ethiopian in 1984 as an associate engineer and progressed through the ranks, serving in supervisorial and managerial positions in the technical areas.
In 1997 and 1999, he was appointed as director operations & technical systems support and chief information officer respectively. In 2006, he became vice president maintenance and engineering and, in November 2010, Ethiopian chief operating officer.
Since 2021 he has been CEO of Asky Airlines, the Togo-based airline managed by Ethiopian Airlines. He will soon hand over his current position to return to Addis Ababa.
Wake, meanwhile, was the CEO that began the transformation of Ethiopian and mentored GebreMariam to take on the key role when he retired.
He joined Ethiopian in 1960 but worked with other airlines, including Gulf Air, where he headed the cargo business, before being invited back to Addis in 2003, aged 60, to become Ethiopian CEO.
It was a role he continued until 2011, when he handed over to GabreMariam, his deputy.
Wake also served as chairman to the ambitious and growing RwandAir until 2017.
Mehmet T. Nane, who has been serving as CEO of Pegasus Airlines since 2016, has become a Member of the Board of Directors and was elected vice-chairperson of the Board.
Güliz Öztürk, who has been serving as the company’s CCO since 2010, will succeed Mehmet T. Nane as CEO. Mehmet T. Nane and Güliz Öztürk will officially begin their new roles from 1 May 2022.
The first woman CEO in the air transport industry in the history of Turkish civil aviation.
Mehmet T. Nane said: “I am delighted to be passing the CEO baton, which I received in 2016, to Güliz Öztürk, who has made significant contributions to the growth and development of Pegasus for many years. I wholeheartedly believe that she will continue to wave the flag of Pegasus brightly in the skies. This appointment holds great value and significance also as Güliz Öztürk is to become the first woman CEO of an airline in the history of Turkish civil aviation,” He continued: “The aviation sector has gone through a very challenging period both domestically and globally due to the pandemic. As part of the framework of my continued role as President of Turkish Private Aviation Enterprises Association (TÖSHİD), and my role as IATA Chair of the Board, which will commence in June, I will fight for the sustainable development of the civil aviation sector; whilst in my new role at Pegasus Airlines, I will continue to work tirelessly to reinforce the position of Turkish civil aviation as a rising star in the world, and to support the growth of our company as we forge solidly ahead.”
Güliz Öztürk said “I am honored to receive the baton from Mehmet T. Nane. As Pegasus Airlines, we have accomplished many firsts and pioneering projects under his leadership since 2016, and we have made our country proud many times in the international arena. Together with all my colleagues, we will work tirelessly to progress our company further and crown its achievements. Investing in two important areas will continue to be the architect of our success: technology and people. As Turkey’s digital airline, we will continue to offer digital technologies and unique innovations that will enhance the travel experience, with our approach that focuses on guest experience.
Without compromising the basic principles of our business model, we will continue to manage our operations and activities with a sustainable environment approach. One of the issues on which we will also be most focused will be gender equality. We will make every effort, institutionally and individually, to contribute to the equal participation of women and men in all areas of social life and to enable women to express their full potential. As a company, we have been committed to gender equality for many years, and we have been at the centre of the struggle. This change is also proof of the importance our company attaches to gender equality.”
Ground handler dnata has continued its expansion in the UK with the opening of a new facility at Heathrow Airport on behalf of customers Virgin Atlantic Cargo and Delta Cargo.
The new dnata City East Phase 2 facility measures 10,500 sq m and will operate in conjunction with the adjacent 22,500 sq m Phase 1 facility that opened in September 2019.
The Phase 2 facility will handle import cargo while the Phase 1 facility will take care of exports.
dnata has been rapidly expanding its cargo operations in the UK over recent years and has opened seven new facilities, including six new builds since 2014.
dnata now operates 13 cargo centers at six airports in the UK. The company is able to handle more than 800,000 tons of cargo annually across the country.
Alex Doisneau, managing director of dnata UK (Airport Operations), said: “We are excited to announce the completion of dnata City East, a truly world-class facility. Our newest cargo complex offers bespoke solutions, industry-leading technology and enhanced cargo capacity supporting our customers in achieving sustainable growth at the UK’s busiest airport.”
Philip Wardlaw, managing director of Virgin Atlantic Cargo, added: “The opening of the import facility comes at a time where we have extended our cargo handling contract with dnata for a further five years, signaling our continued strong and highly valued partnership.”
The opening of the new facility is the latest in a series of investments in cargo over recent years.
Operations at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) remain constrained as it largely handles pre-lockdown air cargo and supply chain operations are still limited.
This is according to the latest advisory from UK-based logistics, freight forwarding & supply chain specialist Woodland Group.
Commenting on how Shanghai is coping with its extended Covid lockdown, Woodland said PVG is ‘open and operational’ but added “freight being handled is mainly clearing of cargo that was delivered pre-lockdown”.
The airport continues to see the impact of the city-wide lockdown in Shanghai, with Woodland noting there is a “shortage of trucks available to deliver cargo to the airport”.
Efforts to keep the workforce active at the airport include some terminals provided sleeping facilities, however, with a number of workers locked down at home there is still an operational impact, added Woodland.
Meanwhile Shanghai-headquartered electric vehicle company Nio said it was suspending production and delaying delivery of its cars after suppliers in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Jilin stopped production due to the pandemic.
Guangzhou has also enforced new Covid restrictions after cases rose in the city. This is expected to hit the automotive, petrochemical, and, electronics industries based in Guangzhou, further adding to supply chain delays and bottlenecks.
The airfreight industry is continuing to monitor capacity and rates, prompting UK-based Westbound Logistics Services to assesses whether the industry should prepare for high rates to be the new normal.
Westbound said that even if the wider world can meet the challenges presented by the pandemic, “it is impossible to see everything returning back to pre-covid levels in the next couple of years, if at all”.
It added: “To hang on to a hope of significant rate reductions in the short to medium term is almost certainly a flawed business strategy”.
The Asia market, to both Europe and North America, has been the most affected by airfreight rates in the past two years.
In addition to Covid, supply factors contributing to the high rate levels include port congestion, equipment turnaround and schedule disruption. “For example, Northern China is currently experiencing a higher degree of equipment shortages and therefore rates are significantly higher than the rest of China,” said Westbound.
It added: “Demand may also impact rates levels as we move forward in the months to come, these include a lack of low value product volumes, alternative sourcing and inflation.”
To add to this, North America is battling both port and warehouse congestion, while European trade is still seeing the fallout from Brexit.
Billund Airport in Denmark and Danish pension company PensionDanmark are collaborating to more than double airfreight at the airport from 77,000 tons of goods per year to 160,000 tons per year in 2040.
The long-term strategic collaboration to create ‘Airport City’ aims to construct infrastructure such as hangars and logistics and storage facilities on the airport’s 700-hectare site. The deal is worth billions of kroner, according to Billund Airport.
“With the development of Airport City, Billund Airport can become one of Northern Europe’s most attractive hubs for airfreight,” said Jan Hessellund, chief executive officer of Billund Airport. “We expect to more than double the volumes in airfreight, so the collaboration with PensionDanmark is of course a historic milestone for the airport.
“We are already well into the dialogue with several prominent logistics companies that have expressed clear interest in taking advantage of the opportunities in Airport City. Most recently, Maersk Air Cargo has announced the choice of Billund Airport as their European air freight hub.”
PensionDanmark and Billund Airport expect to establish a joint company at the end of 2022 or the beginning of 2023 that will be responsible for the development of Airport City by 2040.
The agreement between PensionDanmark and Billund Airport initially involves the development of warehousing and cargo, but, may in the long term also include offices, hotels and other airport operations.
With more than 25 years of marketing experience on his career portfolio, US Coast Guard veteran Adam Tetz joined Peli BioThermal seven years ago.
The US-based Peli BioThermal has the widest range of temperature-controlled packaging and service solutions for the global life sciences industry and Adam’s job is to tell its story, create its brand identity, product launch and communication strategy for its increasing markets worldwide.
“This is the first time I’m leading a marketing department so it has been challenging and fulfilling in many ways. I have previously been a product manager but being a department head has been a good professional achievement for me and it’s enjoyable,” Adam told Air Cargo Update.
“I have managed people before in previous roles but my current position is much more in-depth, dealing with legal teams on trademarks and all the classic marketing elements, including website development and managing public relations,” added Adam who has two adult daughters and lives in the Twin Cities of Minnesota in the US.
Adam is a veteran of the United States Coast Guard. He has studied at the University of Minnesota and completed his BA in Advertising and MBA in Marketing at the University of Saint Thomas.
He spends his free time, biking around Minnesota and elsewhere in the US, even during extremely cold weather conditions.
“I bike year-round, including when there is ice and snow on the ground and I have special bike which has studs on its specialized tires. I enjoy cycling, reading and computer gaming, which isn’t surprising since I have a background in software. I have a list of World War Two American warships that I have been travelling to visit across the US and so far, I have made it through all of the Iowa class battleships and most of the aircraft carriers.
“I don’t have a deadline for visiting all of these vessels. On last year’s East Coast trip, I took a combination of a flight, train and car trip to see four of the vessels. I made the trip with my fiancé so it was a combination of vacation and effort to go and see the ships. There are around 50 on my list and so far, I have visited about a third of them.
“I am a big PC gamer and currently I am playing a World War Two strategy game”.
Adam loves to unwind by cooking steaks on his grill and having martini, while listening to Frank Sinatra.
The marketing executive’s favorite quote is from earlier in his career by his previous boss, “We need to make our mistakes faster”—which he believes is a widely spread quote within the business community.
Adam’s favorite poem is ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ by Dylan Thomas.
“I have a metaphor for his poem as a tattoo on my left arm. Another poignant quote, which I have on display in my office, which I discovered when my eldest daughter was born, is by William Shakespeare – “Ruin hath taught me thus to ruminate. That time will come and take my love away. This thought is as a death, which cannot choose. But, weep to have that which it fears to lose.”
STUTTGART, Germany – As the number of victims and destruction in the Russia-led war against Ukraine mounts, the world stands strong with its people whose lives were turned upside down.
Daimler Truck and its employees from all over the world are among them, sending a multitude of strong signs of solidarity with the people of Ukraine in this difficult time of war.
As an immediate measure, the Executive Board of Daimler Truck had already approved a monetary donation of one million euros to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Furthermore, the company is providing trucks and buses as well as touring coaches for aid deliveries free of charge, as well as donations in kind and personnel support for targeted support campaigns. Currently, employees can donate and the company will match the amount collected at the end.
Employee donations campaign for UkraineAt the end of March, the Executive Board, the General Works Council and the World Employee Committee of Daimler Truck launched a worldwide employee donations campaign: The approximately 100,000 employees in all regions where the company operates want to show their commitment. In this campaign, ending in mid-April 2022, they can donate money via a central page. After the end of the appeal, Daimler Truck will match the total amount of money that has been donated up to that point.
The matched total from the employee donation campaign will go to UN Refugee Aid, the national partner of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), in order to help the people in Ukraine directly affected by the war as well as those fleeing and displaced due to the war.
In addition to distributing food, blankets, mattresses and other humanitarian supplies, UNHCR’s activities in recent weeks have included supporting local authorities in setting up transit and reception centers in Ukraine and neighboring countries. With the money raised from the employee donation campaign, Daimler Truck is helping the organization to further expand its activities and capacities throughout the region.
Jürgen Hartwig, Member of the Executive Board of Daimler Truck AG for Human Resources, emphasizes the solidarity between the company and its employees in order to jointly support the people in Ukraine: “At Daimler Truck, it is very important to us to help the people in Ukraine. Because in many cases, the attack on the country has changed their entire lives from one day to the next. We know that there is a great willingness among our employees worldwide to help the refugees from Ukraine. In a joint effort by companies and employee representatives, we are therefore launching a global fundraising campaign that will benefit UN refugee aid. We hope for a large turnout and look forward to matching the amount raised at the end. With this donation, we are expanding the relief efforts already initiated for the people of Ukraine.”
Michael Brecht, Chairman of the General Works Council of Daimler Truck AG, says he’s pleased about the straight-forward cross-border initiative: “The war in Ukraine is bringing great suffering to the population and is a humanitarian tragedy. The joint donation initiative by the company, the General Works Council and the global employee representation gives us the opportunity to make our contribution to the people in Ukraine and at the same time demonstrates the global solidarity of our employees.”
As an immediate measure, the Executive Board of Daimler Truck had already approved a monetary donation of one million euros to the United Nations Children’s Fund. From the urgently needed donations, UNICEF buys items including food, clean drinking water, first aid kits, toys and winter clothing for the children affected by the war.
In the Humanitarian Aid Ukraine task force, employees from a wide range of divisions at the globally active commercial vehicle manufacturer coordinate the aid campaigns; because many volunteers from all Daimler Truck sites, branches, and national companies worldwide are involved in a large number of central and local aid projects that have been launched for the people in Ukraine since the beginning of the war.
The company provides trucks and buses as well as touring coaches for aid deliveries free of charge, as well as donations in kind and money for targeted relief efforts. One example of this is the Daimler Truck aid convoy with five Actros semitrailer trucks that started in mid-March: It set off towards Poland from the commercial vehicle center in Würzburg via Neumünster and Eisenach. The vehicles transported 105 pallets of medical supplies to care for patients in the hospital in the Ukrainian city of Lviv.
The cargo included water, disinfectant, hygiene products, food and medical equipment such as ultrasound machines. Near the Ukrainian border, in the Polish town of Tomaszów Lubelski, relief supplies were reloaded onto Ukrainian trucks for further transport to Lviv.
The convoy has been carried out in cooperation with the “Freunde helfen! Konvoi gGmbH” organization, which operates a well-functioning network in the neighboring countries. The organization’s volunteers have been organizing comparable aid convoys for many years and were able to contribute with valuable experience.
However, the company has also been involved in other joint campaigns: With the participation of numerous companies, Große-Vehne (Stuttgart) and Keller Group (Ditzingen) logistics providers also organized a relief convoy with a total of three 40-ton trucks to the Przemysl region in eastern Poland in mid-March.
Daimler Truck supported the aid convoy with two trucks, donations of relief supplies, and volunteer drivers. The humanitarian supplies and food on board the trucks were then picked up by the “SEKH DOBROTY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION” aid organization and brought to the Lviv region. From there, they were distributed to the most affected areas of Ukraine.
In order to support the people in Ukraine with a short-term relief campaign, Daimler Truck employees from the Stuttgart area joined forces with the Ukrainer in Stuttgart e.V. association and collected relief supplies. Three relief convoys to the Polish city of Zgorzelec with the donated goods – sleeping bags, flasks, diapers, canned food, noodles and much more – had been organized from the beginning of March with a Mercedes-Benz Atego provided by Daimler Truck. A Ukrainian forwarder has taken responsibility for the further distribution in Ukraine.
In addition, the European subsidiaries of Daimler Truck and Daimler Buses are organizing a variety of local aid activities in their home countries. Many are providing buses and touring coaches to transport people and trucks to transport food, medicine and other much-needed supplies. In the countries directly bordering Ukraine, they are often also offering vehicle parking spaces and accommodation for the aid convoys from Germany.
Just as important as delivering aid is transporting people fleeing Ukraine to safe arrival destinations without any threat of war. For example, Daimler Truck’s Bus division has donated five Setra and Mercedes-Benz touring coaches to the German Red Cross.
Daimler Buses has also provided several bus and touring coach companies with demonstration buses and touring coaches free of charge. They were used by touring coach operators such as Bayer Reisen, Missel Reisen, Theos Reisen and Ruhrtalbus to transport medical and other urgently needed relief supplies to the Ukrainian borders.
On the way back, they took the people from Ukraine arriving in the border regions of Slovakia and Poland. In the meantime, the campaigns have helped take many women, children, senior citizens and sick people to safe shelters and state-run refugee centers in Germany.
Another aid convoy is currently in preparation. As early as Friday of this week, five fully loaded Actros semitrailer trucks will set off to Poland. On board this time are once again medical supplies destined to help the population in the embattled city of Lviv. The trucks from Mercedes-Benz CharterWay and other divisions are being driven by Daimler Truck volunteers. (Photos & Story: www.daimlertruck.com)
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
