Calgary, June 13, 2023
Bike’Air offers specialized transportation options and tailored logistics solutions for motorcycles. The service which started operating two months ago, is available both on domestic and international flights connecting Canada to the USA and Europe. Destinations include Miami, Los Angeles, Barcelona, Dublin, Edinburgh, Paris, Rome London Gatwick and Heathrow. They can be reached from four stations in Canada – Calgary, Halifax, Toronto and Vancouver.
On this occasion, WestJet Cargo has chosen to support the trip of Bike’Air’s ambassador, Canadian photographer David Goldman. The author of multi-media portrait series entitled ‘The Motorcycle Portraits’, where he photographs individuals, whose lives are deeply connected to motorcycles, including builders, racers, collectors, and world travellers. He uses his motorcycle as a mobile photo studio.
By flying David and his 2019 KTM 790 Adventure from Halifax to Dublin on June 2nd, WestJet Cargo gave him a great opportunity to enjoy the comfort of Bike’Air’s premium service and to embark on the next stage of his project: an impressive journey throughout Europe. Kirsten de Bruijn, WestJet Cargo’s Executive Vice President is thrilled about the tour: “We are proud to contribute to David’s exciting journey in Europe. It is aligned with WestJet Cargo’s values of creativity and adventure. WestJet Cargo recognizes the potential of motorcycle tourism and is determined to support its growth and culture, by making it even more accessible and appealing to riders.”
David expressed his excitement about his inaugural flight with his motorcycle, highlighting the smooth experience facilitated by the dedicated WestJet Cargo team. He considers it a privilege to travel with his beloved bike, which holds the same significance to him as his camera. As “The Motorcycle Portraits” aims to portray the inclusiveness of motorcycling, this journey provides an excellent chance for David to explore Europe and connect with local biking communities.
The photographer plans to document his entire experience by posting on his and WestJet Cargo’s social media throughout the summer. “There is not a lot of information readily available for flying bikes. I hope to change that,” David adds.
Through this new endeavour, WestJet Cargo aims to offer riders unforgettable adventures on the open road, providing them with remarkable experiences.
DOHA, Qatar – Qatar Airways Cargo, a global leader in air cargo transportation, along with its ground handling partner Qatar Aviation Services (QAS) Cargo is proud to announce its latest achievement – the IATA Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators in Perishable Logistics (CEIV Fresh) certification. With this certification, the cargo carrier reinforces its position as a reliable partner for customers seeking safe and efficient transportation solutions for perishable cargo. The IATA CEIV Fresh standard encompasses the entire supply chain, including both operational and technical aspects, ensuring that perishable goods maintain their freshness, quality, and integrity throughout the transportation process.
This remarkable milestone not only sets a new benchmark for excellence in the industry but also establishes the cargo carrier and its ground handler in Doha as the first and only airline worldwide with its GHA to have attained the complete suite of IATA CEIV certifications – CEIV Fresh, CEIV Lithium Batteries, CEIV Live Animals, CEIV Pharma, IEnvA registered and United for Wildlife programme.
Mr. Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways said: “Qatar Airways Cargo and QAS Cargo’s achievement of the IATA CEIV Fresh certification reflects our pursuit for excellence and our unwavering commitment to our customers, keeping them always at the heart of everything we do. Being the first and only airline worldwide along with our GHA to achieve the complete suite of IATA CEIV certifications is a testament to our dedication and hard work to delivering the highest standards of quality and reliability in air cargo transportation.”
“We congratulate Qatar Airways Cargo, along with its ground handling partner Qatar Aviation Services (QAS) on successfully obtaining the IATA Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators in Perishable Logistics (CEIV Fresh) certification, further showcasing their commitment to maintaining high global standards. This certification is a boost to their service offerings, demonstrating efficient and high-quality handling of perishable goods. Qatar Airways Cargo and QAS Cargo are the first companies globally to complete the full suite of IATA CEIV certifications, reinforcing their position at the forefront of air logistics,” said Brendan Sullivan, IATA’s Global Head of Cargo.
CEIV Fresh certification demonstrates Qatar Airways Cargo’s sustained commitment to the highest standards when handling and transporting perishable goods. This is achieved through quality and risk management, trainings for staff handling the transport of perishables, transparent and open communication as well as collaboration with its partners and stakeholders. By obtaining this esteemed accreditation, the airline and its ground handler, QAS Cargo, have proven their ability to meet the stringent requirements for the transportation of all kinds of fresh produce and perishables such as fruits, vegetables, seafood, meat and flowers.
Qatar Airways Cargo has consistently invested in state-of-the-art facilities, cutting-edge technology, and robust quality control measures in the industry. This achievement reflects the firm dedication of Qatar Airways Cargo and QAS Cargo teams in providing superior service to their customers while prioritising the safety and well-being of any cargo being transported and offering a seamless cool chain for all perishable products.
Between 1 April 2022 – 31 March 2023, the cargo carrier transported more than 285,000 tonnes of perishables. The cargo carrier is an elected member of IATA’s Perishable Cargo Working Group (PCWG), IATA Live Animals and Perishables Board (LAPB) and is also a member of Pharma.aero and a board member of the Cool Chain Association since 2021, making significant contributions to improve the temperature-sensitive supply chain while reducing food loss and waste in the perishables sector.
DOHA, Qatar – The world’s leading cargo carrier relaunched services to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport last week. The reintroduced passenger flights bring the total weekly tonnage available to and from Japan to 600 tonnes each way. General cargo makes up for the vast majority of exports from Tokyo, followed by vulnerable cargo and dangerous goods. As for imports, they consist of general cargo, fish, seafood, fruits and vegetables.
From 30th May, the carrier also commenced four weekly passenger Airbus A320 flights from Doha to Sarajevo with six tonnes of weekly cargo capacity. Commodities mainly consist of general cargo and also include vulnerable cargo and pharmaceuticals.
The carrier relaunched passenger flights to Nice earlier on 9 May with exports comprising of general cargo, dangerous goods, pharmaceuticals while on the imports front, general cargo, dangerous goods, vulnerable cargo and other types of cargo are flown in to Nice. With freighters to Lyon and Paris and belly-hold flights to Nice and Paris, the cargo carrier’s weekly cargo capacity to and from France increases to 1,100 tonnes each way.
Daily flights to Bahrain started on 25 May, providing cargo customers with 11 tonnes of cargo space on the A320 passenger flights each week, each way. In addition, Qatar Airways Cargo has also expanded its network in the Middle East, effective May. The airline introduced two Boeing 777 freighters to Dammam, bringing the weekly tonnage to 350 tonnes each way. A new freighter frequency was also introduced to Riyadh, bringing the total frequencies to five Boeing 777 freighters each week on top of the quadruple daily passenger flights, providing over 850 tonnes of cargo capacity each way to and from Riyadh.
Mr. Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways said, “Customer-centricity has always been at the core of our business. Through such expansions, reintroductions and capacity increases via our Next Generation strategy and VISION 2027, we are bringing enhancements to our services and operations globally. The relaunch of flights to these destinations as well as the increased frequencies offer our customers direct and increased capacity to these destinations.”
The world’s leading air cargo carrier recently launched its first hub in Kigali in partnership with Rwandair, where customers of both airlines benefit from enhanced service levels, cost synergies and from a reliable intra-African network through Kigali.
Qatar Airways Cargo won three prestigious awards in May, Cargo Airline of the Year and Air Cargo Industry Marketing & Promotional Campaign at the 2023 Air Cargo Week World Air Cargo Awards and Sustainable Cargo Airline of the Year 2023 by Freight Week.
Paris, June 05, 2023: With the opening of its first Asia-based Squair Service Center, ECS Group is increasing its capabilities related to the AWB Verification service offering (known as “Verify”). As demand for AWB verification outsourcing is increasing, the new team in Mumbai, India, will perform the AWB data capture activity for existing Squair customers and allow for future growth opportunities, especially in Asia.
“There is a growing interest amongst airlines to maximise efficiency in their processes. AWB verification is a necessary, resource-intensive, yet non-revenue-generating activity,” says Adrien Thominet, Executive Chairman of ECS Group. “ECS Group recognised this opportunity for a new service offering early on and is the first and only GSSA to offer AWB verification as a full quality “ability” since 2019. India is the perfect location for our Verify service expansion as it offers an abundant and skilled workforce with competitive unit costs and increases our time zone coverage”.
“Our Squair team in India underwent two months of intensive training from December 2022, using ECS Group’s internal training platform, Discovery, as well as through a thorough cross-training by their Squair colleagues based in Bulgaria” Ian-Alexandre McMartin, General Manager of Squair, explains. “Squair India officially started operating on 01 February 2023, carrying out AWB verification on behalf of a leading airline operating from Spain.” The team since then took over the AWB verification activity from that same airline in the Netherlands and is preparing to extend the geographical coverage in more European countries as the year progresses. “We offer a flexible service that allows for weekend and evening shifts matching our client’s SLAs on AWB verification,” he adds.
“Five new members joined our team in March, enabling this ramp up of operations, and we aim to treble the size of our Squair team in India to 20 by early next year,” Dimitri Arnaudin, Managing Director of Squair, outlines. “In the initial phase, our team in India is building on the “Verify” expertise of our team based in Bulgaria, where they are familiar with the specifics of the European markets. The long-term plan, however, is to establish dedicated Verify support for airlines located in and serving the Asian markets, operating in the same time zone as our Indian Squair Service Center.”
Frankfurt am Main/Munich—WestJet Cargo and Jettainer have agreed on a long-term extension to a partnership dating back to 2015. Canada’s second largest airline and the international leader in outsourced ULD management announced the contract extension at the recently held air cargo Europe in Munich.
Over the coming years, Jettainer says it will continue to manage and maintain WestJet’s entire ULD fleet, providing additional main deck containers as the airline now launches its first freighter services.
“Since years, Jettainer has been a trusted provider of ULD management services for WestJet and has continued to improve and innovate its services. Even during Covid and post-pandemic, and despite high fluctuations in our ULD requirements, we could always count on Jettainer for the availability of the ULDs needed. Outsourcing ULD management allows us to fully focus on cargo sales, knowing that we have a competent partner taking care of our growing container and pallet needs. As we now launch and scale up our cargo division, Jettainer’s niche expertise will play a key role in our development. We look forward to many more years of successful partnership,” said Kirsten De Bruijn, Executive Vice-President Cargo WestJet.
Kothari Shailendar, Managing Director of Jettainer Americas Inc., states when announcing the contract extension at air cargo Europe, noted, “We could not be prouder of the trust expressed through this renewed contract extension. Our long-standing partnership with WestJet is a prime example of how we focus on our customers’ individual needs. Our dedicated teams, openness to innovation, and the highest level of transparency help companies be successful in the long term. We are very much looking forward to accompanying WestJet in realizing its ambitious development plans.”
WestJet currently operates a Boeing fleet of over 100 737-700, 737-800, 737 MAX 8 and 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. 2023 will see a significant expansion to its cargo operations with the inclusion for the first time of four 737-800BCFs in its fleet.
Three Boeing converted freighters have already entered service and the fourth one will join in due course. Customers will benefit not only from WestJet Cargo’s additional capacity, but also from connections between Canada and the Caribbean, Europe, Japan and the United States. Flight punctuality and meeting the promise to its customers is top of WestJet Cargo’s management agenda.
As it builds its cargo airline subsidiary from scratch, WestJet’s newly hired team of experienced and motivated cargo staff will focus on tapping into the ever-growing e-commerce business along with other valuable commodities that the region offers, such as perishables. April 22, 2023 saw the successful first freighter flight in WestJet’s airline history take off, kicking off a rapidly expanding network of pure cargo services, complementing its long experience in belly freight operations.
Jettainer provides highly efficient and reliable ULD (Unit Load Device) management service to WestJet, with a fleet of more than 1,000 containers and pallets for baggage and freight. The container fleet has consisted predominantly of lightweight AKE units and has now been expanded to include freighter specific main deck containers. Additional equipment needed at short notice has flexibly been supplied via the lease&fly service.
Dubai, UAE—Emirates SkyCargo customers can now easily find and book interline cargo shipments into prime Canadian destinations, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary, on Air Canada flights via key Emirates European gateways.
The enhanced online booking capabilities now live, enable Emirates SkyCargo customers to book shipments that will travel on Air Canada Cargo flights on an interline basis via e-SkyCargo, WebCargo, and Cargowise, the cargo airline announced. Adding, in the coming weeks, Air Canada Cargo is working to implement similar direct booking capabilities for its customers to more easily access and book interline shipments that will travel on Emirates’ flights across its global network.
“We’re delighted to team up with Air Canada Cargo to offer expanded access to more destinations in Canada via our European gateways, all bookable online creating a seamless digital experience. We’ll continue to work closely with Air Canada to ensure smooth transfers and connections, so that cargo arrives promptly and in excellent condition,” said Nabil Sultan, Divisional Senior Vice President, Emirates SkyCargo.
“This arrangement with Air Canada will benefit many of our customers, particularly those in West Asia, Middle East and Africa seeking to transport agricultural equipment, machinery, aircraft parts, as well as perishables and general cargo into Canada and other points in North America,” he added.
This latest development follows the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in February between the two major airlines to provide more benefits to their air freight customers worldwide. It also builds on the broader strategic commercial partnership between Emirates and Air Canada, which was announced last year.
The partnership expands Emirates SkyCargo’s reach to over 60 cities in Canada and more than 150 cities across five continents through Air Canada Cargo’s fleet of Boeing 767 freighters and the belly-hold capacity of Air Canada’s scheduled passenger flights.
In return, Air Canada Cargo has access to Emirates SkyCargo’s high frequency distribution network through the belly-hold of Emirates scheduled passenger flights to over 150 global destinations, as well as the additional capacity offered by 11 freighters currently in the Emirates fleet.
London, UK –Turkish Airlines recently signed a multiyear commitment to leading air transport global software and technology solutions provider,Accelya, to empower its commercial department with its Industry Insights solution.
Accelya said it will provide Turkish Airlines with market intelligence across more than 100 countries globally.The solution is designed to improve market share and ensure competitiveness.
Through this agreement, Turkish Airlines will rely on Accelya’s data and analytics capabilities to obtain accurate market intelligence across its main markets, helping the carrier identify targeted opportunities.
Trusted by airline station managers and sales teams worldwide, Accelya’s Industry Insights solution provides instant information on an airline’s market share against its competitors. In just a few clicks, the web-based solution enables superior decision-making to improve market share and ensure increased competitiveness.
“We’re delighted to extend our partnership with one of Europe’s leading carriers and look forward to empowering Turkish Airlines’ commercial department with accurate industry insights for many more years,” commented Artur Farinha, SVP of Industry & Analytics at Accelya. “With complete coverage of the main markets of Turkish Airlines, we’re confident that Accelya’s Industry Insights solution will continue to unlock new revenue opportunities for the airline.”
“Over the last six years, Accelya’s robust and reliable services have ensured our sales leaders delivered on budget and could create additional value for the airline,” added Ali Fuat, VP of Sales Analytics & Online Channels at Turkish Airlines. “As we continue to see strong demand on our domestic and international routes, Accelya’s accurate industry insights, and their integration with other Accelya portfolio solutions, will play a key role in enabling a smooth user experience across our commercial department.”
Beek, the Netherlands, Thursday 1st June: Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST), the second largest cargo hub in the Netherlands, has been given an award for excellence by one of its global clients, Turkish Cargo. MST has been ranked second best among more than 300 of Turkish Cargo’s international warehouse and ramp operation partners for its 2022 performance.
The air cargo airline presented Maastricht Aachen Airport’s handling team with a glass plaque to mark the achievement in a ceremony held at the airport on Tuesday 30th of May.
“Maastricht’s operational excellence, collaborative ability, and customer-oriented approach help us to improve the quality of service we provide to our customers,” said Turkish Cargo’s Operational Performance Management department.
“We are proud to present this award to Maastricht’s handling team and look forward to witnessing more of airport’s operational success.”
Turkish Cargo has expanded its operations at MST in recent years, with the airport currently upgrading its runway with plans to extend its operational length to 2,750 meters by 2025 to allow for larger freighter capacity.
“We’ve been working with Turkish Cargo for more than 25 years, and this award demonstrates the strength of this partnership and the quality of service that MST can offer,” said Jos Roeven, CEO, Maastricht Aachen Airport.
“Our entire team, from those in the warehouse and on the ramp to those in the office, have worked tirelessly and this is recognition of their dedication.”
Maastricht Aachen Airport serves as the European hub for Turkish Cargo along with other internationally renowned carriers including Emirates SkyCargo, Qatar Airways Cargo, SAUDIA, and Royal Jordanian
Starting 1 June 2023, Air France will be offering its La Première and Business customers with Flying Blue Ultimate status brand new Porsche hybrid vehicles for all their ground transfers at the airport.
SUVs or coupés, these prestigious vehicles will be driven by Air France staff. They will be dedicated to ensuring optimum conditions for customer transfers from the airport lounge to the door of the aircraft, during a short connection between two flights or to and from the airport and hotels close to the terminals.
This dedicated service will enable Air France to offer its most privileged customers total comfort at every stage of their trip.
In total, the airline will have 29 Porsche hybrid vehicles in Air France colours at its disposal, which will operate mainly in “electric” mode and will be used at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Nice-Côte d’Azur airports.
Charles, Commercial Director at BIFA member company, Unsworth, who has been Vice-Chair for the past two years, was appointed a director of BIFA in 2019 and chairs the trade association’s Surface Policy Group.
Alongside Charles will be Keith Baguley, UK Import Manager at Atlantic Container Line (ACL) who became BIFA’s Regional Chairman, Merseyside in 2018, and has now been elected as Vice-Chair.
Rachel Morley becomes Immediate Past Chair for a two-year term, and Sir Peter Bottomley, MP, remains as BIFA president.
BIFA Director General Steve Parker comments: “In welcoming Charles and Keith into their new positions, I wish to express my appreciation for the contribution made by Rachel Morley over many years; and pleasure that Sir Peter has agreed to continue in office.
“Charles and Keith’s’ wide-ranging experience and senior roles in successful freight forwarding companies will ensure that BIFA and its members will benefit greatly from these new appointments.”
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