TNT adds Venice freighter call

Parcels carrier TNT is launching a five-times a week B737-400 freighter service between Venice and its Liege air hub in Belgium, aimed at exporters and importers trading with north-east Italy.
The morning flight from Liege arrives at Venice Airport Marco Polo (VCE) at 6:00 am and continues onto Ljubljana (Slovenia) before returning to Liege.
Five weekly flights from Athens to Liege will stop in Venice on the northbound leg, departing VCE at 11:00 pm.
Said TNT: “To ensure smooth connections between air and road operations, the air gateway is located in the existing TNT Marcon depot, near Venice. It is TAPA-certified and can handle up to 10 air freight containers (or ULDs) with a loading capacity of 2,000 kg each.”
Opened in 2013, TNT's Marcon depot uses advanced automated scanning and sorting equipment. From February 2015, the air gateway and the depot will use a new, fully automated sorting machine, which will speed up the sorting of export shipments by two hours. This equipment is being rolled out across TNT Italy depots.


Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/tnt-adds-venice-freighter-call.html

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Transaero Launches cargo service to Beijing

Russia’s leading carrier, Transaero Airlines, has launched a freighter service to China.
Transaero delivered 22.4 tonnes of mail on the first flight between Beijing and Novosibirsk using one of the airline’s pair of new Tupolev Tu-204C aircraft. The year old aircraft will be regular performers on the route.
The airline is seeking closer links with China having recently entered into a partnership agreement with the country’s largest Bank, ICBC, both to attract future funding and, through ICBC Leasing, to facilitate the purchase of Airbus A321 aircraft.
“We regard the launch of scheduled cargo flights to China as another step in facilitating the development of business links between the two countries,” said Transaero chief executive Olga Pleshakova.

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/transaero-launches-cargo-service-to-beijing.html

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IATA figures find fair weather for freight flow

IATA’s November Airlines Financial Monitor finds good news for much of the air cargo sector as freight volumes continue to expand steadily and load factors improve on the back of growth in demand.
Air freight volumes increased in October compared to September, with recent improvements driven by progress in Asia Pacific and North America due to expanding trade volumes, bouncing back after weaker performance earlier in 2014.
Asia Pacific’s improvements were blunted somewhat as Chinese carriers were hit by a depreciating local currency, leading to a combination of weakness in cargo revenues as well as rising cost pressures.

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/iata-figures-find-fair-weather-for-freight-flow.html

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ANA and Lufthansa Cargo JV hauls first shipment

The cargo joint venture between All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Lufthansa Cargo has carried its first shipment.
Sent by forwarder Schenker-Seino and booked via Lufthansa Cargo, three pieces of general cargo weighing 153kg were transported by ANA on a direct flight from Tokyo to London.
The forwarder was able to receive the shipment approximately 16 hours earlier than by choosing the transfer connection via Frankfurt.
On the same day, a Lufthansa Cargo freighter flight carried the first shipment booked through ANA. The load weighed 1.8 tonnes.
Japan’s largest airline and global freighter operator Lufthansa Cargo have launched their air cargo joint venture on Japan-Europe routes, with both airlines now offering joint sales of shipments on flights from Japan to Europe.
By accessing cargo capacities on freighter aircraft, it is now possible for ANA customers to send big volume freight and cargo that may be transported only on freighters, directly from Tokyo to Frankfurt.
Akira Okada, ANA Cargo chief executive, said: “I am delighted that we have implemented the world’s first cargo joint venture of this kind. This partnership will improve the level of service offered to customers by generating a greater selection of routings and a wider range of service options.
“With the joint venture, both airlines will boost their position in global competition and make even better use of their aircraft capacities”, underlines Okada. 
Peter Gerber, Lufthansa Cargo chairman and chief executive, said: “This cooperation marks a great step for our customers. They will benefit from a more attractive network. We are looking forward to intensifying our cooperation with ANA, which sets a further milestone in bringing the economies of Japan and Europe closer together.” 

Source :http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/ana-and-lufthansa-cargo-jv-hauls-first-shipment.html

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TNT cockpit iPads save 50kg in paper

TNT Airways is to roll out paperless cockpits across its worldwide fleet by using iPad Air tablets as electronic flight bags.
TNT’s subsidiary airline, with a fleet of 50 aircraft, has made the move following approval from the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority.
Each iPad will replace the 50kg of paper books and manuals carried by crews on each flight. Going paperless will also simplify the updating of flight documents, as updates are managed centrally and electronically, regardless of the crews’ location.

All TNT Airways’ 274 pilots have received an iPad. The aircraft cockpits have been modified to house the devices and permit their use in all phases of a flight, including take-off and landing.
The approval was granted following a successful six-month validation period. TNT will remove paper documentation from its aircraft and flights by the end of 2014.
From January 2015, TNT pilots will rely solely on iPads to access information such as operating manuals, maps and navigation charts.
“TNT Airways is one of the first commercial airlines in Europe to receive the authorisation to deploy paperless cockpits. This testifies to TNT’s commitment to innovation and safety,” said Martin Sodergard, managing director network operations, TNT.
In September this year, Lufthansa Cargo said it was introducing an iPad-based Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) packed with navigation maps and operating manuals for cockpit use by pilots.


Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/tnt-cockpit-ipads-save-50kg-in-paper.html

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Drewry Air Freight Price Index

East-West airfreight rates were for the second month in a row largely unchanged in July with Drewry’s East-West Air Freight Price Index only moving up by 0.8 points to 102.4 points. The small increase in pricing brought the index up to within 1.4 points of April’s high and an impressive 8.2 points above last year’s level, indicating the strength of the recovery in airfreight pricing over the last 12 months. Pricing stability has been supported by the removal of freighter capacity that has compensated for a seasonal rise in belly-hold space. Hence, Drewry expects airfreight rates to remain stable through August. However, thereafter pricing is expected to rise as new product launches, such as the iPhone 6, lead to a tightening of capacity.
Source: Drewry Sea & Air Shipper Insight
http://aircargoworld.com/Air-Freight-Data#chart8

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Asia Airlines Capacity and Cargo Traffic

 

Overall, airfreight demand in freight tonne kilometers (FTK) grew by an encouraging 4.7 percent compared to the same month last year. The average international freight load factor rose for the second consecutive month, by 0.8 percentage points to 66.1 percent in June, on a 3.4 percent growth in offered freight capacity.
 Source: Association of Asia Pacific Airlines / http://aircargoworld.com/Air-Freight-Data#chart8

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European Airlines Freight Traffic

This is the monthly year-over-year percent change in overall freight traffic and Asia-Pacific freight traffic for European airlines. Asia Pacific fell in June 2014, and overall increased. Source: Association of European Airlines

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Two Decades of Lufthansa Cargo

Lufthansa cargo has spent the last 20 years flying around the world 3.6m times and transporting the equivalent of 9.3m elephant .
Lufthansa Cargo is celebrating two decades as an independent business after Deutsche Lufthansa AG pooled its cargo activities into a separate company.

Germany's freight flagship carrier states: "Flying cargo has always played a major role at Lufthansa and its predecessors; however, it was not until the founding of a dedicated cargo segment that the airline’s air freight business truly took off."
A few weeks after its official foundation, Lufthansa Cargo started operating with a fleet of five McDonnell Douglas DC8 freighters, ten Boeing 747-200Fs and two Boeing 737 freighters in January 1995. Twenty years later, Lufthansa Cargo flies both with MD-11F and brand-new B777 freighters.

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DHL Supply Chain boosts Chinese logistics investment

DHL Supply Chain (DSC) has more than doubled its commitment to infrastructure investment in China, with a further Euro113m added to the Euro105m committed by the German-owned logistics operator last year.

The total Euro218m investment will support the development of DHL’s Chinese network and, in particular, six new logistics facilities scheduled for completion by 2020 in Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Shenyang, Shenzhen and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone.
"By working closely with our customers who provide us with their demand forecast, we have a clear roadmap of the locations we need to be in, as well as the level of the services required,” said Oscar de Bok, chief executive of DHL Supply Chain Asia Pacific. 
“In China alone, DSC will expand its warehouse facilities and transport capacities by 50% over the next three years."
DSC recently opened its state-of-the art 54,000 sq m Chengdu Logistics Centre facility in western China to support customers across a spectrum of industries including technology, consumer and healthcare. The new facility also acts as a multi-user cross-dock to support the effective and efficient transportation of products across the Western region.
Zou Yin, managing director of DHL Supply Chain China, said: "Helping companies navigate China's vast geography and varied terrain to deliver their goods safely, efficiently and cost effectively has been the holy grail of the logistics industry."
New facilities have also been introduced in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, while the roll-out of DHL Supply Chain cross-docks has been accelerated across China to allow the transfer of cargo with minimal warehousing.

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/dhl-supply-chain-boosts-chinese-logistics-investment.html

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New Beluga to fly by 2019

Airbus is to expand its oversize air transport capability with the development of five new Beluga transport aircraft.
The future “white whales” will be based on the A330 aircraft, with a large re-use of existing components and equipment.
The current five-strong Beluga fleet – now up to 20 years old - is based on the twin-engine A300-600R and can carry a maximum payload of 47 tonnes non-stop over a range of 1,660 km.
Said Airbus: “The distinctive looking lowered cockpit, the cargo bay structure and the rear-end and tail will be amongst the items which will be newly developed.”
The European plane maker said that the A350 XWB ramp-up and other aircraft production rate increase were behind the decision to launch the development and production of the specialist freighter.
The first of the new Belugas will enter in service in mid-2019. The existing Beluga fleet will operate in parallel, and will be progressively retired through to 2025.
The Airbus Beluga replaced the ageing Super Guppy transporters from 1995 in order to supply plane maker Airbus’ final assembly lines in Toulouse and Hamburg.
Today, more than sixty flights are performed each week between eleven sites, carrying parts for all of the Airbus programmes, including the A380.
The five-strong Beluga fleet is operated by Airbus Transport International, an Airbus subsidiary airline.
With the production start of the A350 XWB in 2012 and the production ramp-up on other Airbus programmes, the Beluga fleet activity will increase substantially over the next five years.
Airbus says that flight hours per aircraft will double by 2017 (from 5,000 to 10,000 flight hours).

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/new-beluga-to-fly-by-2019.html 

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UTi charters B747F to ease US port congestion

US dockside port congestion has prompted UTi Worldwide charter a weekly B747F from Shanghai to Chicago.
The global supply chain services and solutions company says that the scheduled service is intended to ease the backlog of goods needed in North America.
"Congestion at west coast US ports has reached a critical level and we think it will get worse before we see any improvements," said Ed Feitzinger, UTi's executive vice president, global operations
Feitzinger added: "Airfreight demand has spiked in recent weeks to levels not seen in years. In order to provide relief to North American importers during these extraordinary times, we are offering dedicated premium lift service to the US Midwest."
The first charter is scheduled to depart Shanghai on November 24, with a second charter scheduled for December 1. The flights will arrive in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and UTi can arrange on-forwarding to other destinations.
"Our charter service offers shippers an alternative to having their freight sit on a dock and miss this important selling season or be forced to shut down a factory for want of parts," Feitzinger added.

Source : http://www.aircargonews.net/news/single-view/news/uti-charters-b747f-to-ease-us-port-congestion.html

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Paper-less air cargo supply chain facility introduced at Bengaluru airport

Air India SATS Airport Services Pvt Ltd (AISATS), a 50:50 joint venture between Air India Limited and SATS Limited, a gateway services and food solutions provider in Asia, has introduced an e-freight initiative at its Bengaluru Airfreight Terminal facility.

With this launch, AISATS BLR has taken a step towards IATAs e-freight initiative, building a paper-free air cargo supply chain and replacing it with cheaper, accurate and reliable electronic messaging, AISATS said in a statement.

To facilitate this, AISATS has incorporated its Airport Community System (ACS), a web-based electronic platform that enables seamless electronic data interchange (EDI) between various stakeholders in the air cargo value chain. With this system in place, AISATS is well-equipped to do away with the traditional paper-based shipping data consolidation, and move towards electronic data management.

"With this online portal, freight forwarders and cargo handling agents will have complete shipment visibility and be able to send data demanded by multiple carriers, customs, and airport operators electronically through a single portal without doing duplicating data entry efforts on separate platforms," AISATS said.

The ACS will also help in creating airline booking requests and sending the same electronically to the airlines including creating and printing of Master Air Waybill, House Air Waybills and Bar Code labels. This is set to ease sending FWB / FHL messages to airlines as well as create and print customs clearance documents.

Willy Ko, CEO, AISATS, said: "Since its inception, AISATS has always been committed towards minimising impact of its operational processes on the environment. This e-freight initiative is yet another effort by AISATS and it is a big stride towards fulfilling its desire to protect the environment. Not only will this green initiative increase operational efficiency but it also help to preserve the environment by effectively reducing paperwork."

Source: http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/paper-less-air-cargo-supply-chain-facility-introduced-at-bengaluru-airport-114111800467_1.html

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Cargolux posts best ever October figures

Cargolux, Europe’s largest all-cargo carrier, posted its best ever October, with its fleet of 22 Boeing 747 freighters breaking records for tonnage, revenue and block hours.

Tonnage grew 6.7 percent and net revenue was up 9.9 percent from a year ago, making October the second-best month in the Luxembourg-based airline’s history after November 2013.

The carrier said it also achieved the highest daily utilization of all operators of the 747-8F at more than 16 hours a day through October.

The combined fleet of 11 747-8Fs and 11 747-400Fs operated 9,379 block hours during the month and flew 1,672 flights, including 362 from its Luxembourg hub, second only to the performance in November 2013.

Cargolux said it expects to “substantially” improve on the October results in November with more than 10,000 block hours flown in a single month for the first time ever, coupled with further increases in tonnage and revenue.

The airline made a net profit of $8.4 million in 2013 on revenue of $1.99 billion as traffic grew 16.7 percent to a record 753,848 metric tons.

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Christmas bonus for air cargo as rates soar due to west coast port congestion

Costs for chartering a freighter to fly from China to the US have skyrocketed, with as much as a 100% rise in rates over the last few months.

While November lease rates for a round trip might rise, normally, to about $400,000 for a 747F, from $300,000 earlier in the year, one air cargo source familiar with the matter told The Loadstar this month prices have been “exceptionally strong, touching $600,000 in a few cases”.

UTi announced last week that it was scheduling 747 charters to Chicago from Shanghai to help shippers beat the congestion at US west coast ports in advance of the holiday season.

Shipping line prices have also increased, with many carriers implementing congestion surcharges, which come into effect today, of up to $1,000 per teu – a significant hike when the spot rate for a Shanghai-US west coast container is currently about $2,000 per teu.

MSC, which filed its congestion surcharge notice as early as May, issued an advisory stating: “This action is due to the labour-related disruption on the US west coast ports that has caused significant delays at this time, not only with our vessels, but with terminal operations and intermodal processes. For this reason, MSC is absorbing significant costs to ourselves, obliging us to charge $800 per 20ft, $1,000 per 40ft and $1,125 /40ft high-cube in order to recover our losses.”

Yang Ming said it too had “absorbed significant additional costs and expenses” brought on by the congestion, and from today would add surcharges ranging from $800 to $1,266 to any US west coast or Canadian gateway port.

The growing congestion problem has led to shippers, in particu
lar in the garment and hi-tech industries, seeking air charters instead.

“This November, charter rates have been north of $500,000, and the market for early December is tight,” said one air charter source.

“Nearly all of this general cargo was sea-to-air conversions, in order to get goods into the stores before US Thanksgiving.”

It is thought, however, that some forwarders have lost out by chartering freighters for their customers who did not want to pay the higher lease rates.

While some media have reported that the west coast congestion could continue until February’s Chinese New Year, December demand for freighters is being led by the integrators and is not necessarily related to the west coast port problem.

“Early December will continue to be tight, but this is different business to what is being flown now. There is not so much sea-to-air conversion,” said one source.

DHL is thought to be “snapping up capacity” for December, while one source indicated that FedEx had wet-leased two 747Fs from Atlas Air and two from Kalitta.

The demand has also had a slight knock-on effect in other markets, with a tightening of capacity expected at the end of November between China and South America, and there are even some indications that China-Europe is beginning to pick up – although one loss-making cargo airline is rumoured to be bucking the money-making trend, offering below-market rates for the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, White House officials have met with shipping trade groups in an attempt to find a resolution to the US west coast port issues.

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