DB Schenker to charter from Etihad for new US freighter service

DB Schenker has revealed it is chartering an aircraft from Etihad for its new weekly freighter service from China to the US. The forwarder, through its JetCargo division, this week announced it had launched a freighter service travelling between Hong Kong, Chicago and Houston. A company spokesperson told Air Cargo News it was a fully dedicated service using a Boeing...

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Optimistic airfreight forwarders

European airfreight forwarders are expecting volumes to continue to increase over the coming two months. The latest monthly Danske Bank forwarder index for expectations for the coming two months came in at 57 points, with any figure above 50 suggesting that participants expect volumes to grow over the period. The April survey also shows an improvement on future expectations...

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Agility's airfreight yields boost Q1 performance

Improving airfreight yields have helped push logistics firm Agility to a 5 percent year-on-year improvement in profits during the first quarter of the year. During the first quarter, the Kuwait Stock Exchange-listed company recorded a 1 percent improvement in revenues on last year to KD318.1m ($1.06bn), while net profit increased by 5 percent to KD11.8m. Its Global...

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Vessels collide in same 2013 sea mishap spot

Talisay City, Cebu — A chief engineer was hurt when a fast craft collided with a cargo vessel late Wednesday afternoon at Lauis Ledge off Talisay City, the same spot where a passenger vessel and cargo ship collided two years ago, killing 116 passengers and crew. The Lauis Ledge has become an eerie spot for vessels traveling from Cebu to Bohol and passengers on board fast craft Starcraft 9 went into panic when the sea craft collided with cargo vessel MV Our Lady of Faith at 5:50 p.m. last...

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NGA to cease operations at the end of May

Main-deck cargo airline Nordic Global Airlines will cease operations at the end of the month after overcapacity in the market took its toll on the operator. NGA, which operates a fleet of four MD-11F freighters for customers, was launched in 2011 but faced continued pressure on pricing. Finnair Cargo, which owned a 40% stake in the company, leased freighter capacity...

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Damco sees $9m loss as airfreight dives

Damco, the troubled logistics arm of Danish shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk (APMM), made a $9m loss in the first quarter of 2015 as its airfreight volumes fell 19%. The division's total supply chain revenue fell nine percent, year on year, to $683m for the January to March 2015 period, of which eight percent was due to exchange rate movements. Netherlands-based...

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Frankfurt freight disappoints

Frankfurt’s airport operator Fraport’s airfreight and airmail tonnage dropped by 2.4 per cent year-on-year to around 500,000 tonnes in the first quarter of 2015. However, the group as a whole recorded “noticeable growth” in revenue, which rose 10.8 per cent to €575.9 million.  Contributing factors included growth in traffic and fees, consolidation of two new...

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FedEx-TNT deal to create third force in express

FedEx’s planned takeover of rival carrier TNT would create a third force in the express market – and unlike UPS’ attempted takeover 2½ years ago, it would succeed, the leaders of the two companies predicted at a press conference this morning. The acquisition would bring TNT’s “exceptional” road platform into the FedEx fold, helping to strengthen what had been a...

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FedEx set to buy TNT Express for $4.8bn

US parcels and logistics giant FedEx has made a $4.8bn  bid to acquire rival operator TNT Express of the Netherlands, with both sides reaching a conditional agreement on the deal. The agreement recommends an all-cash offer by FedEx for all issued and outstanding ordinary shares, including shares represented by American Depositary Receipts of TNT Express for...

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Hong Kong will be a three-runway airport by 2023

Hong Kong's government has approved a third runway for the city’s international airport. Expected to open by 2023, it will help the island maintain its status as the world’s busiest air cargo hub and help Hong Kong maintain its position against other Asian rivals in China and Singapore. The HK$141.5bn (US$18.2bn) scheme will be funded from internal funds, borrowings and user fees, including a HK$180 (US$23.20) additional passenger fee. The new runway would be to the north of the airport...

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Cargojet network expansion

Canada’s Cargojet is expanding its domestic air cargo network from the beginning of April. Cargojet, operating overnight services across North America plus global charters, has a total freighter fleet of 24 aircraft, including the recent introduction of five B767-300ERFs, three B767-200ERFs and one B757-200ERF. The carrier did not outline...

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WCS: Shippers slam poor service

If the air cargo community was under any illusion that its efforts to speed up door-to-door delivery and eliminate paper documents are winning over shippers, it may have to think again, writes Martin Roebuck. Two major shippers tore into the industry for its poor service quality and communication in a no-holds-barred session at the World Cargo Symposium (WCS) in...

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FedEx sees peak season bounce

US parcels giant FedEx saw third quarter revenues up four per cent to $11.7bn. “We had a very successful peak season as volumes grew across all transportation segments, and our profit improvement programs are moving ahead as scheduled,” said Fred Smith, FedEx Corp chairman, president and chief executive officer. Operating results for the third quarter ended...

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DHL right in the heart of Texas

DHL has opened a service centre facility in Houston, Texas, mainly to serve the oil and gas sector. The $2.5m, 28,000 sq ft facility can process more than 2,500 shipments per hour, nearly double the existing capacity and will allow for earlier delivery times and later drop off times. DHL Express says it has seen an uptick in emergency shipping of machinery...

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UPS extends pharma network

UPS customers can now ship biological substances, dangerous goods in excepted quantities and shipments using dry ice to more than 20 additional international destinations. The US-based global express and logistics’ operator says that the expansion is a direct response to a growing demand from biopharmaceutical manufacturers, diagnostics companies, laboratories and ...

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