Saudia Cargo and China Cargo Airlines, amidst evolving global trade dynamics, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the World Cargo Symposium, forging a strategic alliance to enhance trade between Saudi Arabia and China.
The partnership aims to optimize export operations, provide advanced logistics services, and capitalize on growing global market demands, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 and China’s Belt and Road Initiative, ensuring resilient supply chains in today’s interconnected world.
The MoU establishes a framework for enhanced collaboration, with both parties committed to strengthening interline cooperation, building upon existing and future SPA agreements. This includes joint marketing and promotional activities, the execution of joint marketing strategies, and a focus on harmonizing cargo service operations, pricing, and the provision of specialized cargo handling for sensitive goods.
Loay Mashabi, CEO and Managing Director of Saudia Cargo, said”: “This MoU with China Cargo Airlines represents a significant milestone for Saudia Cargo. We are setting our sights on elevating shipping capabilities and broaden our export footprint in the Chinese markets. By optimizing export operations and delivery advanced logistic services that cater to evolving global market demands, we are confident that this partnership will not only strengthen our position as a leading global cargo carrier but also contribute significantly to the realization of Vision 2030.”
Wang Jianmin, President of China Cargo Airlines, added: “We are delighted to embark on this strategic journey with Saudia Cargo. We firmly believe that by uniting our strengths and resources, we can generate substantial value for our customers, enhance trade connectivity between Asia and the Middle East, and play a key role in the success of both Saudi Vision 2030 and the Belt and Road Initiative. To ensure the effective execution of this MoU, we will establish an executive team comprised of representatives from both organizations, fostering seamless collaboration and driving impactful results.”
The agreement builds on the success of Saudia Cargo’s “Landing in China in 24” campaign, launched last year, which generated significant engagement from key partners and underscored the growing demand for efficient logistics solutions connecting the Kingdom with key Chinese markets.
China stands as Saudi Arabia’s primary merchandise trading partner, with exports reaching 16.1 billion SAR in 2023, representing 17% of the Kingdom’s total exports. This underscores the increasing importance of this trade corridor and the potential for further growth.
TCE is the first and only company in the industry to offer airlines and GSAs a comprehensive portfolio of independent outsourcing and supervision services relating to all areas of operational air cargo safety, security, and quality. It looks back on six highly successful years of delivering ‘Total Cargo Expertise’ to the air cargo market.
Increasing demands for security, compliance, and efficiency in the air cargo industry led to the founding of TCE, six years ago. The idea was to enable the outsourcing of all operational, compliance, and security aspects to an expert air cargo team, so that airlines and GSAs could continue to focus fully on their core business in a rapidly changing environment.
“TCE was designed to eliminate major obstacles in air cargo management,” says Sarah Scheibe, Managing Director of TCE. “Increasing cargo volumes make managing flows more complex. Add to this the risk of cargo security incidents through certain commodities, mishandling or theft and damage, and constantly evolving customs regulations, and airlines are often faced with a lack of internal resources and expertise to cope with these challenges. With TCE, we seek to solve these problems, taking away the risk of cargo or customs non-compliance, ensuring proper handling of sensitive cargo, and minimizing errors and delays through careful handling and loading supervision.”
TCE has since established itself as a highly competent service partner catering to airlines, GSSAs, and logistics and air freight companies, and delivering professional solutions in the areas of quality, safety, and security. Located at Frankfurt/Main Airport, one of the world’s key cargo hubs, its team of fully certified ground control experts provides 24/7/365 support for a comprehensive portfolio of operational air cargo processes. These include supplier or handling management, customs reporting (ICS/ACE/AMS, etc.), security filing (PLACI/ACAS/ICS2), regulatory compliance, audits, risk assessments and quality assurance, training and certification support, sensitive cargo management, load plan creation and loading compliance, contract management, claim management, and cargo charter coordination, to name but a few. Certain functions, such as operational supervision, are offered both on-site at hub stations, and remotely. TCE ensures full security and regulatory compliance in all its services.
A steadily growing number of airlines, GSAs and air cargo logistics providers have placed their trust in TCE over the past six years. Today, the dedicated team of experts annually carries out more than 80 supplier and process audits and supervises around 225 cargo aircraft on site. On the customs side, it annually processes over 105,000 AWBs to 27 countries across 5 continents, with France, United States, Netherlands, Germany, and Canada heading the top of the list. In addition, TCE declares 4,000+ flights each year, and supervises around 86,000 AWBs and an annual average of 160,000 tons of cargo being moved through its 230+ contracted and audited handling agents at more than 230 airports around the globe. Over the years, shipments entrusted to TCE have flown to over 380 different destinations, of which the top 5 cargo airports are Frankfurt (FRA), Punta Cana (PUJ), Amsterdam (AMS), Bogota (BOG), and Cancun (CUN).
Also Read: Aerios Teams Up with GTA Air, Boosting Software Adoption.
“TCE is a completely neutral and independent business partner that can be relied upon to deliver professional air cargo support for a wide portfolio of services,” Sarah Scheibe, Managing Director of TCE, explains. “As an example of our scope: in just the past three years, aside from general cargo, TCE has also been responsible for the safe and stress-free transport for over 6,200 animals, more than 850 tons of pharmaceuticals, and 82,000 tons of flowers and other perishables. We are the only company in the air cargo industry to provide fully outsourced services on both operational tasks and supervision, resulting in smoother and more efficient cargo operations. And we are continuously improving to become even more dynamic, innovative, and customer centric. After all, every service quality enhancement translates into lower costs, greater efficiency and allows our airline and GSA clients even more time for their core business.”
Aerios, the air cargo charter software company and member of CargoTech is proud to announce Texas-based carrier GTA Air as its latest partner airline, following the recent partnership announcement with award-winning airline Cargojet.
GTA Air has integrated Aerios’ Carrier App platform into its operations, showcasing the system’s adaptability for both large, wide-body carriers and smaller, narrow-body operators. This collaboration underscores Aerios’ vision to build a flexible product that caters to the whole cargo charter market.
Operating in the fast-paced U.S. domestic on-demand charter market, GTA Air has realized significant benefits from Aerios’ platform including:
“Aerios has fundamentally changed how we quote “GO NOW!” trips. In this business, being fast isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity,” said Ben Gunderman, President at GTA Air Inc. “We’re now able to turn quotes around in record time, confident they are accurate and competitive. It’s a massive advantage in the time-critical US charter market.”
“Every second matters when you’re competing in the U.S. domestic on-demand market, so helping reduce the quoting time by several minutes can have a large commercial impact and help increase the chance of conversion,” said Simon Watson, Founder and CEO of Aerios. “Working with the team at GTA Air has been fantastic. Their team has put our system through its paces and proven it works just as well for smaller, fast-moving operators as it does for major intercontinental wide-body carriers. It’s an exciting validation of the system’s flexibility and positive real-world impact on speed.”
Also Read: 4RCargo Opens Bratislava Office, Expands in CEE Region.
The Alpha Program offered forward-thinking carriers like GTA Air early access to Aerios’ evolving platform, allowing them to contribute directly to its development and refinement.
As we continue to roll out the Carrier App to further Airlines, we are excited to move forward with our vision to connect the cargo charter market as we begin working with brokers and charter professionals in the market.
Carriers, brokers or charter professionals interested in finding out more about the Aerios product suite can go to www.aerios.app/book-a-demo and register for a demonstration.
ECS Group has announced that its Group IT department has achieved ISO 27001 certification. This marks a significant milestone in the company’s commitment to information security and operational efficiency. As a certified service provider, ECS Group’s IT tools and systems now operate under a globally recognized standard for information security management. This ensures that all affiliated entities benefit from enhanced protection, compliance, and performance.
ISO 27001 is considered the gold standard in information security. It demonstrates ECS Group’s dedication to implementing best-in-class technical and organizational measures. By adopting the Group IT solutions and applying the ECS IT Security Policy, entities across the network achieve alignment with the standard’s security objectives. These objectives include access control, data protection, business continuity, and risk management.
By achieving ISO 27001 certification, ECS Group strengthens its IT security and aligns with GDPR requirements. This ensures robust data protection through strict access controls, regular risk assessments, and full compliance with EU privacy standards.
This certification positions ECS Group as a reliable partner for airlines and logistics providers who require robust cybersecurity postures and compliance with international standards. “More and more airlines are requiring their partners to demonstrate compliance with ISO 27001 and other security frameworks,” says Jean Ceccaldi, CEO of ECS Group. “Our certification provides immediate assurance to clients and partners that we take information security seriously — and that we’re fully equipped to meet their expectations”.
The certification also enhances the reliability and resilience of ECS Group’s digital tools and operational processes. Certified IT services allow for predictable and efficient service delivery, reduced system downtime, and quicker incident response times. These are all critical components in ensuring business continuity and securing customer data.
Also Read: Etihad Cargo Boosts Main Deck Capacity 18% for China
In addition to ISO 27001, ECS Group also undergoes a regular SOC 2 Type 2 audit, further reinforcing its commitment to operational excellence and data protection. ISO 27001 focuses on building and maintaining a strong information security management system. SOC 2 Type 2 attests to the ongoing effectiveness of security controls. Together, these standards position ECS Group as a trusted partner for airlines and logistics companies worldwide.
This milestone reflects ECS Group’s broader digital strategy and ongoing commitment to continuous improvement. Through the implementation of internationally recognized standards like ISO 27001, ECS Group demonstrates its commitment to excellence. This approach continues to reinforce its leadership in the air cargo industry. It does so by delivering secure, scalable, and forward-thinking digital solutions to its partners and customers worldwide.
Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Etihad Airways, has expanded its capacity to meet increasing customer demand in Greater China. The carrier has increased its total flights to and from China from 11 in 2024 to a planned total of 18 in 2025, strengthening trade links between key global markets.
Etihad Cargo’s capacity will be supplemented by a wet-lease 747-F and will support increased freight movements on high-demand routes and provide customers with greater flexibility in shipping cargo to and from key markets.
To accommodate growing market demand, the airline’s cargo division has added three additional weekly freighter flights to Shenzhen and two additional weekly flights to London. The expanded operations will improve/strengthen connectivity between China, Europe, and the Middle East, offering increased capacity for the transportation of e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, perishables, and other critical shipments.
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The increase in capacity aligns with Etihad’s cargo and logistics arm’s strategy of expanding its global network to provide reliable, customer-centric solutions. The carrier remains committed to delivering efficient and flexible freight services while strengthening Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading global logistics hub.
Stanislas Brun, Chief Cargo Officer at Etihad Cargo, commented: “Etihad Cargo continues to invest in expanding its network and capacity to support the evolving needs of global trade. The introduction of the additional capacity and flights to Shenzhen and London Stansted demonstrate our commitment to meeting customer demand with increased availability and connectivity across key trade routes.”
By strengthening its presence in China and increasing links to Europe, Etihad Cargo is providing additional capacity to facilitate the movement of goods across international markets.
Saudia Cargo has unveiled two major trade routes connecting Zhengzhou in China and Liège in Belgium. This marks a strategic step to enhance its global logistics network. These new connections are expected to significantly increase cargo capacity between Asia and Europe. This development will strengthen the airline’s position as a key player in the rapidly evolving international freight landscape.
Zhengzhou, located in central China, has become a major logistics hub in recent years. This growth is particularly notable in high-demand sectors such as electronics and e-commerce. By launching a dedicated service from this city, Saudia Cargo is tapping into one of China’s most dynamic markets. The route strengthens the airline’s footprint in Asia. It also enhances its ability to support time-sensitive cargo movements, particularly for industries driven by rapid delivery expectations.
Liège, on the other hand, is a pivotal cargo gateway in Europe. It is known for its efficiency and strong infrastructure tailored for air freight. Establishing a direct connection to this key European hub underscores Saudia Cargo’s intent. It aims to streamline the movement of goods into and out of the EU. This caters to businesses looking for reliable and fast cargo services. This route is also expected to support the increasing volumes of e-commerce and pharma shipments flowing between Europe and Asia.
Both routes reflect the airline’s broader ambitions to align with global trade demands and optimize its cargo operations in response to shifting market dynamics. By focusing on high-demand trade lanes, Saudia Cargo aims to offer greater connectivity and flexibility for its clients, particularly in sectors that rely on consistent, efficient, and scalable logistics solutions.
Also Read: BOC Aviation Orders 70 Airbus A320NEO Aircraft.
The aircraft deployed on these routes—Boeing 747-400Fs and 777 freighters—are tailored for high-volume, long-haul operations, ensuring that Saudia Cargo can meet the capacity requirements of businesses moving goods between continents. These freighters are equipped to handle a wide range of cargo types, from general freight to sensitive and oversized shipments.
With the addition of these two strategic routes, Saudia Cargo is reinforcing its position as a global logistics enabler, supporting trade across major economic corridors. The expansion also aligns with the broader objectives of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which emphasizes the country’s role as a logistics and transportation hub connecting East and West.
CHAMP Cargosystems has deepened its partnership with CMA CGM AIR CARGO, a division of the CMA CGM Group. The collaboration aims to boost the safety and efficiency of its air cargo operations. Through the adoption of CHAMP’s AI-driven Cargospot Weight & Balance solution, CMA CGM AIR CARGO has significantly optimized load planning and enhanced operational safety across its global fleet.
Cargospot Weight & Balance is a leading, industry-approved software solution designed to maximize flight safety through precise and efficient load planning. It instantly generates safe, fuel-optimized load plans to ensure optimal aircraft performance.
Using advanced algorithms and Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cargospot Weight & Balance can produce an optimized load plan in mere seconds. Its unique “Autoload” feature makes this possible. These innovations allow the load master to reduce the time of manual load planning from over one hour. With a single keystroke, it now takes just a few seconds.
The successful implementation of Cargospot Weight & Balance comes shortly after CMA CGM AIR CARGO adopted numerous CHAMP products. These include Cargospot Airline, Cargospot Portal, Cargospot Business Intelligence, and Traxon cargoHUB.
Khaled Chamsuddine, Product Manager Weight & Balance from CHAMP said “It’s our pleasure to support CMA CGM AIR CARGO’s operations. By leveraging our software, CMA CGM AIR CARGO delivers fast, safe, and fully optimized flight load plans, contributing to reducing fuel burn. This results in saving costs and achieving environmental sustainability goals.”
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David Linford, VP Sales and Account Management from CHAMP Cargosystems adds, “We are incredibly proud to be working with CMA CGM AIR CARGO. CHAMP’s Cargospot Weight & Balance continues to be particularly suited for freighter operations and is a natural fit for the innovative CMA CGM AIR CARGO to add this to their tool kit and by leveraging our solution, CMA CGM AIR CARGO can ensure extreme accuracy, ease, and safety for air cargo flights.”
WestJet Cargo celebrated a successful 2024, achieving strong growth driven by rising belly cargo demand and expanded network routes and partnerships. The airline also embraced digital innovations to enhance the customer experience.
“WestJet’s belly cargo business has emerged as a key driver of success for WestJet Cargo, with a 60 per cent year-over-year increase in revenue,” said Kirsten de Bruijn, WestJet Executive Vice President, Cargo. “We’ve seen strong performance on key routes like Narita-Calgary Incheon-Calgary.”
The airline recently confirmed it will eventually phase out its four dedicated freighters. However, it remains committed to expanding belly cargo opportunities. This includes markets where WestJet operates passenger service, as well as offering cargo on new routes.
“As WestJet welcomes more aircraft to its passenger fleet, WestJet Cargo will grow alongside,” said Julius Mooney, WestJet Director of Commercial Cargo. “Supported by a strong logistics and operations team, WestJet Cargo is poised to continue its successful growth in the competitive belly cargo sector.”
Building global connections with Virgin Atlantic
Last month, WestJet Cargo announced a Block Space Agreement with Virgin Atlantic on the Toronto–London route, increasing capacity between Canada and the UK. The deal boosts cargo capacity between the East Coast of Canada and London. It also extends connectivity across Virgin Atlantic’s global network. It strengthens trade links between Canada and key destinations across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
Digital innovation enhances service
The company has rolled out a revamped website and digital platforms, streamlining the booking and tracking processes for guests. Integrated with digital freight platforms cargo.one and cargoAI, the organization has improved accessibility and operational efficiency radically over the last year. Through this, WestJet has also been able to add new product offerings such as Campus’Air service for university and research cargo.
Also Read: Skyway Airlines Launches Freighter Services to Hong Kong.
With the successful growth of the belly cargo business on track, and the strategic decision to exit the freighter business, WestJet reached a turning point. Following this shift, Kirsten de Bruijn, a seasoned cargo and aviation leader, announced her decision to leave the airline.
“Building out this important growth opportunity for WestJet was very rewarding,” continued de Bruijn. “Unfortunately, the freighter business came with timing delays and additional complexity that no longer made it the right commitment for WestJet.”
DHL Group has unveiled a major €2 billion investment plan over the next five years. The investment aims to strengthen its logistics services for the life sciences and healthcare sector. This move supports the Group’s “Strategy 2030” and reflects its goal to help healthcare companies grow, innovate, and serve patients more efficiently across the globe.
The investment will enhance DHL’s infrastructure, cold chain capacity, and digital systems. It aims to create faster, more resilient, and patient-focused logistics solutions. Half of the funding will support developments in the Americas, with 25% each allocated to the Asia Pacific and EMEA regions.
DHL plans to upgrade every logistics touchpoint—from storage and fulfillment to global shipping and last-mile delivery. The company will set up new GDP-certified Pharma Hubs for multi-temperature shipping and expand its temperature-controlled vehicle fleet. It will also improve packaging solutions to support safe and sustainable deliveries.
With growing demand in clinical trials, biopharma, and advanced therapies like cell and gene treatments, DHL is investing in specialized cooling infrastructure to handle ultra-low temperature requirements. The Group will also roll out advanced IT systems to provide real-time visibility and ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity.
Under the new sector brand DHL Health Logistics, the company will unify its expertise in life sciences and healthcare. This will offer clients a seamless end-to-end service, simplifying the management of complex global supply chains. The new structure is tailored for pharmaceutical, biopharma, and medical customers needing agile and integrated logistics.
“Our investment reflects our customers’ mission: to deliver life-saving products to those in need,” said Oscar de Bok, CEO of DHL Supply Chain. “We’re building smart, integrated logistics solutions that are as reliable as the medicines our clients produce. Our goal is to ensure every patient gets the right treatment at the right time.”
In 2024, DHL Group generated over €5 billion in revenue from life sciences and healthcare. It expects to double that figure by 2030. The company currently operates nearly 600 healthcare logistics sites in almost 130 countries, covering over 2.5 million square meters of temperature-controlled warehouse space.
Also Read: DHL Group Acquires CRYOPDP to Boost Health Logistics Division.
To support this expansion, DHL has also acquired CRYOPDP, a specialty courier focused on clinical trials, biopharma, and advanced therapies. This acquisition strengthens DHL’s Pharma Specialized Network and expands its reach in critical healthcare logistics segments.
Through this bold investment, DHL is deepening its commitment to healthcare logistics and advancing its mission to support global patient care.
LOT Cargo, the air freight division of Poland’s national carrier, LOT Polish Airlines, has unveiled a new partnership. It will make the airline’s worldwide capacity available on cargo.one, the leading platform for digital air freight procurement and sales.
In the coming weeks, LOT services will be offered to cargo.one’s vast user base. This includes thousands of freight forwarding branches in every major cargo market. Doubling down on digital sales with cargo.one enables the carrier to elevate its brand presence and market agility. The carrier also benefits from digital best practices cargo.one has earned from digitalizing sales for over 65 airlines globally.
LOT Cargo offers sizable intra-European connectivity. It also provides direct, wide-body long haul capacity from Central and Eastern Europe to important hub airports in the United States, Canada, China, India, Japan, and South Korea. LOT leverages a modern cargo terminal at Warsaw Chopin Airport and extensive road feeder services. It offers forwarders fast and flexible services, as well as its renowned quality assurance. As part of its impressive growth strategy, LOT will grow its fleet from 75 to 110 aircraft in the upcoming years.
Forwarders in all corners of the world will shortly secure LOT Cargo’s extensive global capacity. They will do so using the most user-friendly booking and quoting method. With the widest choice of carrier and market combinations, cargo.one enables forwarders to win more shipments. It also helps increase their working speed and better deploy their teams.. Users also benefit from expert support and innovative tools for managing their shipments with ease.
Michał Grochowski, Head of Cargo and Mail at LOT Polish Airlines, commented, “As a go-to booking and quoting method with freight forwarders worldwide, cargo.one delivers LOT Cargo valuable opportunities to grow our sales and enhance the digital experiences we provide. As a partner, cargo.one offers uniquely strong technology and valuable digital procurement expertise, supporting LOT to ensure the very strongest end to end service delivery.”
Moritz Claussen, Founder & Co-CEO of cargo.one, added, “We continually bring to cargo.one the best available air capacity options, and it is great news for all forwarders that LOT Cargo services are now within user-friendly digital reach. cargo.one teams will play an exciting role in shaping the sales growth and evolution of LOT Cargo in the global market.”
Also Read: CargoMART Interline Revolutionizes Air Cargo Booking.
Expanding its digital sales with cargo.one enables LOT to greatly extend its distribution reach. The platform’s global footprint of 134 countries allows this at a low acquisition cost. cargo.one’s digital sales experience will equip LOT to raise efficiencies, make optimal use of sales teams, and respond dynamically to market-fit opportunities in all relevant markets.
From today, forwarders in the United States, Canada and Poland using cargo.one can quote and book LOT Cargo’s global capacity for general cargo shipments up to 1000 kg to popular destinations including London, New York, Miami, Tokyo, Seoul, Delhi, and Dubai. It is planned to launch additional markets and capacity products including perishables in the coming months.
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