AD Ports Group, a leading facilitator of global trade, logistics, and industry, has signed a Foundation Agreement with SEMURG INVEST LLP (Semurg), the owner and developer of the Sarzha Multifunctional Marine Terminal at Kuryk Port, Kazakhstan.
The partnership has commenced constructing a greenfield grain terminal at Kuryk Port. Following the completion of phase one, this grain terminal will have the capacity to handle 570,000 tons of grain cargo per year. With the construction of phase two, the terminal’s capacity is set to expand further, reaching 1.5 million tons per year.
Sarzha Grain Terminal will see a total investment of just over USD 50 million over the two phases, with AD Ports Group contributing around USD 30 million.
Scheduled for completion in the second half of 2026, Sarzha Grain Terminal will enhance global food trade by connecting Kazakhstan to Europe via the Transcaspian International Transport Route and a network of sea and dry ports in Central Asia.
Abdulaziz Zayed Al-Shamsi, Regional CEO of AD Ports Group, said: “Our partnership with Semurg marks another key milestone in AD Ports Group’s Middle Corridor strategy and reinforces our commitment to global food security and the UAE’s National Strategy for Food Security. This investment demonstrates our Group’s dedication to expanding our presence in Central Asia, and in Kazakhstan in particular.”
Al-Shamsi further added, “Sarzha Grain Terminal will not only boost grain trade and handling at Kuryk Port but also, by leveraging modern technologies and sustainable practices, we aim to establish a resilient and reliable food supply chain to meet the growing demand of the global population. This project embodies our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and strategic growth.”
Also Read: MEDLOG to Signs Agreement with Egypt to Build Dry Port and Logistics Centre.
Nurzhan Marabayev, General Director of SEMURG INVEST LLP, stated, “Our partnership with AD Ports Group boosts the Middle Corridor’s development and aligns with our commitment to the 2030 roadmap.” He added, “The project aims to diversify Kazakhstan’s export routes, enhance the Transcaspian route’s potential, and develop the Mangystau region’s economy.”
Announced in August 2023, AD Ports Group aims to boost global resource transport, connect regions, and foster economic growth.
ECS Group has achieved a major milestone by landing a historic Total Cargo Management (TCM) contract with JetSMART Airlines, the leading low-cost carrier group in South America.
JetSMART Airlines operates under four national AOCs: JetSMART Airlines Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina. The airline offers a broad range of domestic flights within these countries, along with international routes connecting them to each other, as well as to Brazil, the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
This four-year partnership, beginning January 1, 2025, covers JetSMART Airlines’ operations across these four countries, marking the first-ever TCM agreement with a regional airline in South America. As a member of the Indigo Partners group, JetSMART Airlines boasts a modern fleet of A320 and A321 aircraft.
ECS Group will manage nearly 25,000 flights annually and significantly develop domestic markets for JetSMART Airlines’s four national AOCs.
Adrien Thominet, Executive Chairman of ECS Group, highlighted the significance of this collaboration: “This partnership is a landmark achievement for ECS Group. Being entrusted by JetSMART Airlines reinforces our reputation as a global leader in Total Cargo Management. It reflects our proven expertise, innovative digital solutions, and ability to deliver exceptional results across continents. We are proud to see airlines worldwide placing their confidence in our capabilities.”
ECS Group will establish dedicated commercial and operational teams in each country, all coordinated through its state-of-the-art control tower in San José, Costa Rica. Under the TCM contract, JetSMART Airlines will leverage ECS Group’s Total Cargo Expertise (TCE) to ensure unparalleled quality, safety, and security in cargo operations. In addition, JetSMART Airlines will benefit from ECS Group’s close collaboration with CargoTech, gaining access to advanced digital tools, including eBooking via CargoAI, capacity management, and revenue optimization platforms. These cutting-edge solutions will streamline operations, maximize efficiency, and enable JetSMART Airlines to optimize its cargo potential across domestic and international markets.
Also Read: NAV AERO Expands Airline Portfolio with LOT and Oman Air Cargo Partnerships.
By focusing on high-demand commodities such as salmon, perishables, minerals, and mail services, this new venture positions JetSMART Airlines as a key player in strengthening South America’s cargo connectivity to global markets. This agreement also represents the first TCM contract outside Europe with a local airline, further cementing ECS Group’s position as a trusted leader in Total Cargo Management worldwide.
Cathay Cargo has announced the appointment of Siddhant Iyer as its new Head of Cargo Global Partnerships. Iyer, who has over 15 years of experience with the company, will focus on strengthening and expanding the airline’s global partnerships. His extensive regional expertise is expected to enhance relationships with key stakeholders worldwide.
Iyer began his career with Cathay Cargo in Bengaluru, India, as Area Services Manager and has since held various roles, gaining a deep understanding of the air cargo sector. He succeeds Chris Bowden, who will transition to a new role as Group General Manager of Safety & Quality at Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (HAECO) in March 2025.
Also Read: ECS Group Signs First-Ever TCM Contract with JetSMART Airlines in South America.
Cathay Cargo expressed its gratitude to Bowden for his contributions, stating, “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Chris and wish him every success in his new position at HAECO. With Siddhant succeeding him, we are excited for the future of Cathay Cargo and the continued growth of our global partnerships.”
Iyer’s appointment marks a significant step for Cathay Cargo as it continues to enhance its position in the global air cargo market. “Siddhant’s wealth of experience in the region shall prove invaluable in building further on the relationships with our global partners,” the company added.
DHL Express has significantly bolstered its aviation network and ground facilities across the Asia Pacific region over the past year. The company reported a 6% increase in shipments between Asia Pacific and the rest of the world in the first three quarters of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, underscoring the region’s growing role in global trade.
Ken Lee, CEO for Asia Pacific, DHL Express, stated, “Asia Pacific markets are facing significant growth boosted by diversification of global supply chains, structural tailwinds, and e-commerce. Thanks to our forward planning, we are well-positioned to respond to these shifts in demand with the timely and strategic enhancements we have made across the region.”
Southeast Asia’s Rising Trade Demand
Southeast Asia is emerging as a key player in global trade, attracting international traders with its skilled workforce and trade agreements. DHL Express has expanded several facilities in the region, including upgrading the South Asia Hub near Changi Airport, Singapore. The hub, part of DHL’s multi-hub strategy, now features enhanced X-ray screening and material handling systems, increasing scanning and sorting capacities by 30% and 40%, respectively.
The hub is supported by five DHL-owned Boeing 777 freighters operated by Singapore Airlines, offering over 1,200 tons of additional payload capacity and reducing carbon emissions by 18% compared to older models.
In October 2024, DHL Express opened an advanced gateway in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with a EUR60 million investment. The facility spans over 13,000 square meters and features a fully automated sorting system, supporting Malaysia’s prominence in electronics manufacturing.
Peter Bardens, Senior Vice President for Network Operations & Aviation – Asia Pacific, DHL Express, said, “We take a proactive approach to continuously adapt our network and enhance our service quality. Our robust international network will help connect customers to global markets and drive new growth opportunities in the region.”
Strengthening Oceania’s Connectivity
DHL Express has enhanced connectivity in Oceania with a dedicated flight route between Sydney and Hong Kong, offering next-day delivery to several Asia-Pacific countries. The company also opened new ground facilities in Adelaide and Newcastle, Australia, improving transit times and providing direct air freight access.
Also Read: ECS Group Signs First-Ever TCM Contract with JetSMART Airlines in South America.
In New Zealand, DHL Express will open a new gateway in Christchurch, marking its largest investment in the country. The facility will be DHL Express’s first 100% carbon-neutral site in New Zealand, featuring a line sorter conveyor system to process up to 6,500 parcels per hour.
Scaling Capacity in North, East, and South Asia
DHL Express inaugurated the Hong Kong West Service Center, enhancing the region’s connectivity with a facility capable of handling over 50,000 shipments daily. In early 2024, DHL Express and Japan Airlines expanded their air network, connecting Japan, Seoul, Shanghai, and Taipei.
In India, DHL Express opened its first automatic shipment sorting hub in New Delhi, supporting the country’s growing export market. According to the DHL Global Connectedness Tracker, India is among the countries with the largest increases in its share of world trade.
These strategic enhancements position DHL Express to support its customers during peak seasons and cater to the evolving demands of global trade.
With more than 60 million Air Waybills (AWBs) typed and compared by hand, CHAMP Cargosystems has partnered with Metamaze to launch A2Z Scan to digitalize the processing of paper Air Waybills reducing the average human error rate and generating time savings of up to 80%.
CHAMP A2Z Scan was designed to give airlines and ground handling agents (GHAs) the ability to bypass this time-consuming manual labour, instead uploading digital AWBs to a specially designed AI scanner, which turns the image into text and compares the data automatically.
Boosted by CHAMP’s open neo cargo platform and leading API program, CHAMP A2Z Scan automatically looks up any corresponding AWB data in your cargo management system – such as Cargospot – and automates the comparison between the two. The system then highlights any discrepancies for manual adjustments.
From these manual adjustments, the AI software compiles new information which it can apply to future AWB scans, reducing the need for future manual corrections.
“We are delighted to have partnered with CHAMP Cargosystems on this joint venture,” says Jo Cijnsmans, partnership manager at Metamaze. “Together, we have created a solution that is future-proof for our customers, significantly freeing time and resources for their day-to-day operations.”
“CHAMP and Metamaze had a joint vision to enable our customers to scan all documents travelling with each shipment and have it all automatically processed by artificial intelligence,” says Lucas Fernandez, VP Innovation and Insights at CHAMP Cargosystems. “Through our collaboration, our customers have an efficient and innovative solution that no longer requires manual data capture, enhancing the way they operate.”
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.
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
