Ashwin Bhat is set to be appointed as new CEO of Lufthansa Cargo. Subject to the pending resolution by the Supervisory Board of Lufthansa Cargo, he will take over his new position as of 15 April 2023. In his new role, he will continue to be responsible for product and sales.
Dr. Michael Niggemann, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Lufthansa Cargo, said:
“I am very pleased that Ashwin Bhat, a very skilled manager and internationally experienced logistics and cargo expert, is taking on this responsible task. As a member of the Executive Board, he has played a key role in achieving Lufthansa Cargo’s most successful years so far. As CEO, he will further develop the company and expand its strong market positioning.”
Lufthansa Cargo will continue to be managed by a three-member Executive Board. The appointment of the third Executive Board member combined with a new distribution of responsibilities will take place as soon as possible.
Ashwin Bhat, born in 1969, studied Chemistry at the University of Mumbai, India. He began his professional career at Airline Financial Support Services in India. In 1999 he joined the former Swisscargo, where he held various positions in revenue management, transport management and global area management. From 2015, Ashwin Bhat headed the cargo business segment at Swiss International Air Lines. In 2021 he was appointed to the Executive Board of Lufthansa Cargo AG as CCO.
New Delhi, India; March 29, 2023: Cargo Flash Infotech, a leading provider of logistics
software solutions, successfully hosted the first TIACA (The International Air Cargo
Association) Regional Event-India between March 27-29, 2023, with Co-founder and Director
Mr Jasraj Chug leading the way. Along with Gautam Mandal, Director of Products, and the
rest of the Cargo Flash team, he oversaw a successful start that included a ribbon-cutting
ceremony and participation from notable dignitaries. Cargo Flash Infotech’s participation as
the host sponsor further solidifies the company’s position as a leader in the logistics software
solutions industry.
Hosted at the ITC Maurya, New Delhi, the TIACA Regional Event- India assembled global
Air Cargo professionals, providing an opportunity for networking, learning, and
collaboration. With Cargo Flash Infotech as the ‘Host Sponsor’, attendees were treated to an
exceptional event that showcased the company’s expertise and commitment towards the
industry.
During the welcome address, Mr Jasraj S Chug thanked the entire ecosystem for their
significant contributions in their areas and to the nation, collectively, followed by India PM’s
initiatives of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ initiatives and expressed his
satisfaction with the event’s success, saying, “We feel humbled to have hosted this event. We
look forward to continuing to support the industry and providing cohesive, collaborative and
real-time solutions to our clients seeking transparency.”
The event saw continued success for Cargo Flash, with the senior management taking part in
important discussions. Mr.Jasraj contributed to the round table discussion on the ‘challenges
and opportunities present in the Indian Air Cargo market post-COVID’. As an industry
leader, he shared his insights on the topic, providing valuable information to attendees. “The
sector may not be withstanding the short-term distortions as passenger capacity is bouncing
back and yields decreasing however, there isa sturdy future for Air Cargo for the next 20
years,” he shares and further states, “Looking at essential capacity, wherein the world, India
is a country that can feed its 1.4 million people itself and is self-sufficient enough apart from
oil resource.”
During the panel discussion focused on digital innovation and its role in enhancing industry
efficiency and service offerings, which explored the possibilities of digital innovation in
meeting the sophisticated demands of shippers for fast, effective, predictable, and transparent
solutions; Gautam shared his expertise on the subject, highlighting the possibilities through
technology for digitalization through some use cases where CargoFlash helped its airline
customers capture new revenue opportunities including enabling an airline to cater to the
exponentially fast growing e-commerce cross border market, and how to achieve this without
any major investments on assets of infrastructure and actually using technology to control the
entire business model outsourced; thus upgrading the airline to become a ‘Virtual Integrator’.
Gautam also updated how the upcoming platform; Octoloop by Cargo Flash is going to
change the way how air cargo booking process is happening today. Octoloop is a neutral
distribution platform for both airlines and freight forwarders that provides real-time and
automated rate and route and capacity updates, as well as predictive analysis for seamless
digital cargo booking. The platform helps address one of the big pain areas of airlines, which
is the interline contract and payment settlements, through digitalizing the entire process.
Overall, Cargo Flash’s participation in the event was a great success. With their leadership
and expertise, The Team provided valuable insights into the industry and showcased the
company’s commitment to innovation and excellence. The event was a testament to the
company’s continued growth and success in the air logistics software solutions sphere.
Menzies Aviation is continuing its expansion in Latin America with new ground and air cargo services in Costa Rica and Chile.
In Costa Rica, the recently acquired Menzies has been awarded licenses to operate ground services at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), the country’s largest airport and primary airport for international travellers, and at Liberia Guanacaste Airport (LIR).
Additionally, Menzies is expanding its portfolio at SJO with a cargo facility in partnership with TerminalesUnidas (TUSA).
Menzies said it is the “only aviation services provider operating in SJO Costa Rica that offers the full suite of ground, air cargo, and security services, and is focused on developing and growing all three services at airports across the country”.
Meanwhile in Chile, following the acquisition of a controlling stake in Agunsa Aviation Services last year, Menzies Agunsa has now secured permits which enables it to provide air cargo services to the market.
The recently formed Menzies Agunsa partnership will operate a 65,000 sqft on-airport cargo warehouse at Santiago de Chile Airport (SCL), which can handle import cargo and courier products.
This builds on Menzies existing ground services business at SCL where it serves several airlines including United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Qatar Airways.
John Redmond, EVP Americas, Menzies Aviation, said: “We have experienced rapid growth in Latin America over recent years where we have grown our operations from two countries in 2019 to six. We now have operations across Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Chile. We are very excited about these latest additional opportunities in Costa Rica and Chile, and look forward to further strengthening our network in this attractive market.”
Earlier this month, South African Airways (SAA) Cargo appointed Menzies to provide air cargo services at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, Cape Town International Airport, and Port Elizabeth International Airport.
UPS Healthcare has opened its first dedicated healthcare logistics facility in Germany as it seeks to further capitalise on pharmaceutical trade.
The 27,200m2 GMP and GDP compliant facility in Giessen will house over 30,000 pallet positions capable of supporting storage of a range healthcare products at 2C to 8C, 15C to 25C and up to -20C degrees.
UPS said of the facility: “Its proximity to UPS’s European air hub at Cologne Bonn Airport and UPS Healthcare’s European hub in Roermond also provides customers with shorter domestic and global transit times, potentially increasing production windows and offers next-day delivery to 80% of Europe as well as access to major ports including Rotterdam, Antwerp and Amsterdam.”
The facility will also support hospital & pharmacy distribution across Germany.
This new facility is a part of UPS Healthcare’s continued investment in Germany, where it recently launched UPS Premier, a service that can prioritise and track critical shipments within 3m of their location anywhere in UPS’s global network.
“We have created a truly pan-European cold chain network, capable of providing end-to-end range of quality specialist storage and handling services,” said John Bolla, president, Global Logistics and Distribution, UPS Healthcare.
“In opening our first facility in Germany, we can provide greater visibility and control to ensure our customer’s patient-critical products are delivered where they need to be, at the right time and at the right temperature.”
The roof of the facility features a solar system that produces more than 850,000 kWh of electricity annually – more than the facility consumes. The building also meets the Gold Standard of the German Sustainable Building Council.
Throughout 2023, UPS Healthcare plans to add over 200,000 m2 of warehouse space, of which about half will be in Europe. This new facility will add to the existing 217 facilities in 37 countries and territories.
Through these investments, UPS Healthcare anticipates it will have more than doubled its presence in dedicated healthcare facilities in 2023 compared to 2020.
Digital insurance startup Breeze, which has developed an online platform specifically for forwarders and logistics companies, has appointed industry veteran Patrizia Kern as its chief insurance officer.
Kern has over 30 years’ experience in senior roles across the marine insurance industry, most recently at Swiss Re Corporate Solutions’ global marine division, where she headed up the unit’s cargo and hull business.
“Breeze is at the forefront of the digital revolution in marine and cargo insurance,” said Kern.
“Combining new technology, data and machine learning will completely transform the marine and cargo insurance industry, to provide a level of transparency and efficiency in freight management that will ultimately make shipping more sustainable, more profitable, and safer.”
She added: “Breeze has built in a very short time what the industry has been talking about for years now, and I am looking forward to using my knowledge of the market to accelerate the industry’s transformation through impactful end-to-end, digital, and data-driven insurance offerings.”
Kern has extensive experience of using technology and risk intelligence to drive the global maritime insurance industry towards sustainability.
She is the chair of the Poseidon Principles for Marine Insurance (PPMI), an initiative launched in 2021 to accelerate the shipping industry’s decarbonisation, and chairs the Big-Data and Digitalization Forum and Nominating Committee of the International Union of Marine Insurance (IUMI).
Kern is also an advisory board member for the Global Maritime Forum (GMF), Lloyd’s Register, and the ICC Digital Standard Initiative.
She is still collaborating with Swiss Re Corporate Solutions’ chief executive office as a consultant for marine sustainability.
Most recently, Kern has become a mentor for Women in Aviation and Logistics’ (WAL), a not-for-profit which supports the career aspirations of women professionals and aims to reduce the gender gap in aviation and logistics.
Specifically tailored for freight forwarders and logistics companies, Breeze is fully automated, free-to-use and “provides instant shipper-interest, all-risk, cargo cover in a way that is fully embedded in existing operational workflows”, said the company.
“Current estimates are that around 70% of global trade is either un-or-under insured,” said Matthew Phillips, chief commercial Officer at Breeze, which has just opened its first US office after a successful UK scale-up.
“With the growing number of risks affecting supply chains, it is more important than ever that cargo is properly covered.
“In many cases shippers are not even aware that they are not insured by their forwarder or logistics provider, and with Breeze forwarders can seamlessly offer shippers the coverage they need.
“Patrizia’s experience and energy will be a huge asset to our growing team, and we are excited that she is joining us.”
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Etihad Airways, says it will offer increased capacity to the European market via two new gateways with the introduction of two new routes from its Abu Dhabi hub to Copenhagen in Denmark and Düsseldorf in Germany and additional services to Frankfurt.
Etihad Cargo currently operates 7 passenger and 4 freighter flights per week to Frankfurt. From 1 May 2023, it will increase weekly flights from 11 to 15 with the introduction of 4 new services.
From 1 October 2023, Etihad Cargo will provide cargo capacity out of Denmark with the introduction of four weekly flights. The reinstatement of three weekly flights to Düsseldorf, in combination with the airline’s widebody passenger and freighter flights to Frankfurt and Munich, will offer additional cargo capacity out of Germany. The flights will be operated via state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
“Etihad Cargo is pleased to introduce cargo capacity out of Copenhagen, a new addition to Etihad’s ever-growing network, from October. Denmark is home to a number of major international pharmaceutical companies and the country has become an established biotech and pharma hub in Europe. Via Etihad Cargo’s IATA CEIV Pharma-certified product, PharmaLife, the carrier will provide the reliable and robust transportation of Denmark’s packaged medicaments to markets around the world,” said Martin Drew, Senior Vice President – Global Sales & Cargo at Etihad Airways.
“The relaunch of flights to Düsseldorf and additional flights to Frankfurt will further expand the carrier’s operational footprint in Germany, reinforcing Etihad Cargo’s commitment to the European market and giving customers greater flexibility and options when it comes to transporting their cargo.”
The 11 new flights, in combination with the carrier’s existing European services and increased frequencies that will be launched in 2023, will bring the total number of flights to European destinations to 700 per month.
Etihad Cargo currently offers four dedicated freighter services from Abu Dhabi to Amsterdam and two weekly freighter flights to Frankfurt, which connect to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in the US. Additionally, its customers benefit from cargo capacity across Etihad’s extensive passenger network. The carrier also provides seamless connectivity to offline destinations in Europe via its road feeder service network.
FRANKFURT, GERMANY—Using synergies and providing unbureaucratic help together: That is the goal of the relief alliance of leading transport and logistics partners SunExpress, DPD, FIEGE, time:matters, CB Customs Broker GmbH and Lufthansa Cargo.
SunExpress, the joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, had brought the companies together to maintain an air bridge from Germany to the crisis region in the coming weeks. More than 1,000 tons of relief supplies are to be transported to the crisis region as part of the “Wirhelfengemeinsam” (“We’re helping together”) initiative.
As of February 17, 2023, two Boeing 777 freighters operated by Lufthansa Cargo brought urgently needed relief supplies such as blankets, hygiene articles and food to the crisis region.
From February 20, 2023, SunExpress used flights under flight number XQ8881 for cargo-only transport every Monday and Tuesday. SunExpress has received an exemption from the relevant authorities for these so-called cargo flights. SunExpress also flies daily from Frankfurt to Antalya and will load relief goods on these flights.
DPD parcel stores accept relief packages
People are very willing to help those affected in the earthquake zones. With this joint initiative, the companies involved also want to give private donors the opportunity to help quickly and easily. Relief packages containing urgently needed aid supplies can be handed in in the 7,500 DPD stores from Monday, February 20, 2023.
The initiative works closely with the aid organization AFAD in Turkey, which provides information on which relief supplies are urgently needed at any given time. At the moment, aid packages up to a maximum of 20kg with the following contents can be handed in: Unused or as good as new winter clothing for babies, children, men and womensleeping bags, blankets,scarves, diapers,Baby bottles and nipples for babies, gloves;Food (dry products like bread and cookies; baby food); Hygiene boxes (soap, shampoo; no liquids!);Sanitary pads.
A parcel slip must be printed out in advance, which is free of charge for donation parcels. The link to this and further information can be found on the initiative’s website at www.wir-helfen-gemeinsam.de.
Companies can also make an important contribution and support the Airlift as sponsors or with donations in kind. Interested companies are asked to contact the initiative directly. Contact details can be found on the initiative’s website.
“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all partners,” said Max Kownatzki CEO of SunExpress Airlines. “Thanks to their flexibility and willingness to help, it was only possible at all to set up this airlift and put it into action within a few days. Now, together, we can do what is most important to all of us in the coming weeks: provide targeted help on the ground to at least somewhat alleviate the suffering of the people affected by the tragedy. The airlift is an important extension of our previous commitment in the form of rescue and evacuation flights as well as the free transport of cargo, which we have already been offering since February 6.”
“This disaster affects us all. Many of our colleagues are from Türkiye. At the same time, we feel an overwhelming willingness to help – among us in the team as well as among people throughout Germany. From Monday, relief packages can therefore be dropped off in our DPD Parcel Shops,” says Andreas Thams, Chief Sales Officer at DPD Germany.
“Countless people have been affected by the earthquake disaster in Türkiye and Syria. The terrible pictures and news make stunned and sad. Many colleagues in our FIEGE team have relatives and friends in Türkiye or Syria. For us, it goes without saying that we are helping in this emergency situation,” says Felix Fiege, co-CEO of FIEGE, who runs the family business together with his cousin Jens Fiege in the fifth generation.
Jens Fiege adds, “By collecting the donations in our warehouses and packing and loading the relief supplies, we want to do our part for the airlift – and hope that in this way we can alleviate the suffering of the affected people in the earthquake areas at least a little.”
“The enormous willingness of people to help those affected in the earthquake zone is overwhelming. As an airfreight company, we can make a concrete contribution to supplying the people on the ground and at the same time support the many private initiatives in their desire to help. I would like to thank all employees whose work made the implementation of the airlift possible so quickly,” said Dorothea von Boxberg, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Lufthansa Cargo AG.
The need for aid in the earthquake zone is so great that a stable and continuous transport process between Germany and Türkiye is essential to ensure that the people on the ground are supplied. By utilizing synergies and the expertise of the individual parties involved, the enormous private willingness to help on the part of the population is being reliably channeled as part of the airlift.
The private donations received in the DPD stores are distributed via the logistics centers of the FIEGE Group, coordinated by the logistics service provider time:matters, cleared through customs by the customs service provider CB Customs Broker and flown to Antalya several times a week by air freight from SunExpress and Lufthansa Cargo.
In Antalya, the relief supplies are transported to the earthquake areas with the help of the local disaster management authority AFAD and the logistics partners DSV and Celebi.
Dubai, UAE—Emirates SkyCargo’s humanitarian airbridge transporting urgent relief and medical supplies to earthquake-ravaged Turkiye and Syria are rolling with the cargo carrier committing as much as 100-ton cargo space to help in the rescue efforts and the survivors.
Following the devastating February 6 earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria, Emirates has set up an airbridge with the International Humanitarian City (IHC),to transport urgent relief supplies, medical items and equipment to support on-ground aid efforts and search and rescue activities in both countries.
The first shipments flew out on February 10, consisting of high thermal blankets and family tents from UNHCR, followed by World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Food Programme (WFP) relief cargo of medical kits and shelter items, co-ordinated by the IHC in Dubai. More consignments of blankets, tents, shelter kits, flash lights, water distribution ramps and trauma and emergency health kits are expected to be transported on Emirates.
Emirates SkyCargo says it will dedicate cargo space for around 100 tonnes of humanitarian relief goods over the course of the next two weeks across its daily flight operations to Istanbul. The critical emergency supplies carried on Emirates will then be delivered by local organisations to affected areas in southern Turkey and northern Syria, supporting on-ground responders and providing much needed aid to the hundreds of thousands of people impacted by the earthquakes.
“We stand with the Turkish and Syrian people and are working with experts like the International Humanitarian City to help provide urgent relief to those affected and displaced by the earthquakes, as well as support the complex recovery efforts on the ground. Emirates has extensive experience in supporting humanitarian relief efforts, and through its three daily flights to Istanbul will offer regular and consistent widebody capacity for relief items and medical supplies. Emirates also supports the UAE’s ongoing humanitarian efforts to support Turkey and Syria, and Dubai’s unique position as the world’s largest international aid logistics hub means that we can efficiently reach disaster-stricken areas and the most vulnerable people as quickly as possible,” said HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates’ Chairman and Chief Executive.
His Excellency Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Supervision of IHC, commented: “The IHC remains committed to providing the people affected by the earthquakes with the humanitarian support and resources they need. We are taking urgent action by facilitating airlifts of vital medical supplies, shelter items and other relief goods from the UNHCR, World Health Organization (WHO) and World Food Programme (WFP) to address the pressing demand for aid in the affected regions.”
The freight division of Emirates has a long-standing partnership with the IHC, enabling the airline to nimbly and quickly lead on numerous relief missions, deploying humanitarian supplies to communities around the world impacted by natural disasters, medical emergencies, global outbreaks and other crises.
In 2020, the airline facilitated relief efforts to Lebanon in the aftermath of the Port of Beirut blasts. In 2021, Emirates set up a humanitarian airbridge between Dubai and India to transport urgent medical and relief items to support the country in containing the COVID-19 outbreak. Last year, the airline offered cargo capacity to organisations working with the IHC to transport critical equipment and supplies directly to five cities in Pakistan devastated by flooding.
Over the years, Emirates has also supported humanitarian flights in partnership with the Airbus Foundation, and since 2013, Emirates A380 ferry flights have transported over 120 tonnes of food and vital emergency equipment to those in need.
MALTA—Following a comprehensive and highly professional evaluation process, the international air cargo consortium Challenge Group says it has selected the MRO software AMOS for Challenge Airlines BE, Challenge Airlines IL, Challenge Airlines MT and Challenge Technic.
Challenge Group says its decision to adopt AMOS is further proof of Swiss-AS’s position as an ideal technology partner that can assist the Challenge Group with its digital transformation efforts.
AMOSmobile/EXEC and cloud hosting bring optimal value
The AMOS Airline Edition will enable the airlines to streamline operations, increase efficiency, and reduce overall maintenance costs by improving and digitizing internal aircraft maintenance procedures.
As part of the paperless maintenance process, the use of AMOSmobile/EXEC, a touch-optimised add-on to AMOS, will enable the paperless execution of all line and base maintenance activities.
To complete the service package, Challenge Group has chosen Swiss-AS Cloud Hosting, which includes the proven AMOS Operation Services. With the use of secured VPN connections, their AMOS environment will be easily accessible from all their international operational bases. The hosting services are an effective method of eliminating the need for the group to maintain a technical infrastructure on site and enabling it to operate in compliance with the latest security and IT standards.
AMOS to support group harmonisation
In order to address the complex implementation project that has already begun, AMOS will be implemented in phases, due to the amount of AOCs that will be migrating from different legacy systems to AMOS.
Challenge Group is aiming to unify all its different entities on a single AMOS environment which will enable the different entities to maximize the synergies and ensure a complete harmonisation of all the processes and data between them. The first phase of the project will focus on the Part 145 organisation, and the second phase will include the different CAMO (Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation) organisations going live one by one.
“Challenge Group has defined an ambitious holistic digital innovation strategy for the coming years. The choice of AMOS to accompany our digital transformation in this specific aera of our activity is a new step and we are happy to be able to count on a reliable partner who understands our needs and shares our vision,” said Yossi Shoukroun, Chief Executive Officer of Challenge Group which handles more than 300,000 tons of cargo per year.
Chicago, Illinois, USA and London, UK—London-headquartered Coyne Airways announced it has started listing freighter capacity with Airblox.com, an online marketplace enabling brokers, freight forwarders, and airlines to trade cargo capacity in the form of standardized electronic Block Space Agreements (eBSAs™).
The fintech platform currently lists over 2000 lanes, providing predictive analytics and pricing forecast on major cargo routes.
Coyne Airways is a leading cargo airline providing specialized all-round solutions for transporting pharmaceuticals, fresh produce, live animals, and heavy and oversized shipments.
“Coyne Airways is delighted to partner with Airblox, which is an exciting innovation for the airline industry to help airlines and customers optimize capacity and increase efficiency,” said Larry Coyne, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Coyne Airways.
“We, like Airblox, are dedicated to providing consumers with the air capacity they require on the terms that best suit them – whether on a block space or per kilo basis. We look forward to providing access to our scheduled lanes and empty legs on the platform.”
The airline, which was established in 1994, specializes in services to Armenia, Georgia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and a growing number of African destinations, together with charter services worldwide.
Through its extensive interline network, Coyne is able to move cargo between virtually any global gateway and its network destinations on a single IATA air waybill, providing reliable and secure air cargo services to some of the world’s most difficult to reach destinations.
Airblox has been expanding its customer base and has signed on Vietnamese freight forwarder HPW Cargo as well as French air charter expert Avico to its platform this year.
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