UA-LH Cargo JV Looks For The Silver Lining We all know that United and Lufthansa Cargo launched a Joint Venture (JV) earlier in 2018. Here once again is the overture:
"We are excited about the customer benefits that will be generated as our aligned teams and processes deliver superior service quality on our combined capacities,” said Jan Krems, President of United Cargo; and "The Lufthansa-United Cargo joint venture will provide numerous benefits to our customers because our continental and transatlantic networks, our hubs and our fleet complement each other effectively,” declared Peter Gerber, Lufthansa Cargo CEO.
So what else has happened?
While Organ Donors Wait India’s Civil Aviation Ministry has been approached by regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to ask domestic carriers to help speed up the process of flying out donated organs.
Moving donated organs in the country has not only been a time-consuming process – often defeating the very purpose of the donation – but also an expensive one.
Logitrans A Wrap Transport Logistic, the folks that brought the industry Air Cargo Europe in Munich, and recently has been acquiring other trade shows, including TIACA 2020 in Miami said that its Logitrans Istanbul 2018 in November hosted 136 exhibitors from 20 countries with more than 14,000 visitors.
The event included a heavy dose of German companies, plus lots of road, rail and ports exhibiting. The show seemed busy November 15, the key day, however it slowed down to a crawl, attendance wise by Friday, November 16.
Ups & Downs of Paracargo Virtually a war-born technique, the art and applicability of parachuting gained as the war progressed in Europe, North Africa and the China-Burma-India theater. Ammunition, food, medical supplies, mail were airdropped to troops in battle and those based in inaccessible areas. Ultimately, the military equipment chuted to earth included such items as Jeeps and howitzers.
Moment of Prayer As we begin our look back at the outstanding events of 2018, a picture from Monday October 29 captured an unforgettable moment as Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, (center), and Turkish officials prayed at the inauguration of the gleaming new aviation hub in Istanbul.
Ethiopian Fitsum & Jet Some Out Of Africa Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services Managing Director Fitsum Abadi was the man with a long queue at TIACA Toronto. The emerging national carrier of Africa continues to add partner airlines in countries far and wide across the dark continent, supported by an ambitious growth program that among other things features a joint venture with DHL, the addition of an expanded service offering, and also new advanced long and medium range aircraft joining the ultra modern Ethiopian fleet.
Lifting Christmas Dees', a plant and flower nursery, is an old time, family business that has been located just off the main runways at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Oceanside, New York since 1958.
Dees' spends most of the year selling plants and trees and lawn care products to people from all over the metropolitan area.
But once a year for the past eight years now, Dees' chops down several hundred Christmas Trees from its big farm in Maine and, in partnership with DHL, sends the trees free of charge to U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Will Pharma.Aero Fulfill Expectations?
In a world where the new grows old rather quickly, the emergence of the Belgium-based Pharma.Aero as an umbrella organization for the hottest sector in the air cargo business has gained a flurry of attention.
CIFFA Pioneer Steps Down Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA) Executive Director Ruth Snowden, who stepped up to the challenge a decade ago as a pioneering woman in transportation, revealed at TIACA Toronto that she will step down from full time employment at the association by mid-2019.
“The Executive Committee of the board has already met and succession planning is well underway, a process where I am fully engaged,” Ruth declared.
Christmas Party This Week Here’s some party news as our industry takes a deep breath, with 2018 almost in the rearview mirror. Stay tuned, and send in your event information, and we will do our best to talk about it.
Getting off to a roaring start this past Thursday in Melbourne was the Cargo Club of Australia Christmas Party held at the “Deluxe Rooftop Bar” in Moonee Ponds.
Figures that this group would lead the party parade.
AfA Forward Into The Breach
Let it never be said that Brandon Fried and his intrepid band of freight forwarders in America who are members of AfA –Airforwarders Association had any hesitation about staring into the face of the beast, to bring about change.
And what better place to knock down walls then at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport with its beastly truck queues.
India Ahead Of UK Brexit As the deadline of March 29, 2019 approaches and Britain gets ready to step out of the 28-member European Union, there is pressure on India to strengthen business ties with the EU.
Overtures from France and Germany have been coming regularly. At the beginning of this year, French President Emmanuel Macron was in India. During the visit, a total of €13 billion in investment deals was signed.
Quote At Logitrans
Recently, Turkish Cargo commenced flights to Bangalore, that has a high annual export potential of 170 thousand tons annually.
"With our understanding of world markets and Istanbul's great centralized position as a gateway to both Europe and Asia, we have great hope to connect Bangalore's central position in the production of the aerospace industry, IT industry, computer and hi-tech products to the world," Turhan Ozen, Turkish Chief Cargo Officer told FlyingTypers.
Blue Monday After Black Friday U.S. markets are also caught in a sort of frenzied paralysis due to expected increases of tariffs from 10% to 25% on many imports from China on January 1, and the threat of even more tariffs on Chinese products in the future. This has left shippers balancing the pros and cons of when to ship Chinese goods based on their view of whether the U.S.-China trade war will escalate, remain the same or an agreement might be reached. This is called risk management by some; gambling by most.
Give The Gift Of Laughter Give the gift of laughter this holiday season with American Tantrum, written by my son-in-law Anthony Atamanuik. Anthony has spent the last 3 years channeling The Donald in a worldwide comedy tour, for The President Show on Comedy Central, and now in his first published book. American Tantrum is a hilarious, cutting satire that imagines the contents of the 45th President's Presidential Archives in interviews, classified documents, illustrations and more.
Thanksgiving In America 2018 Thanksgiving in America is held every fourth Thursday in November, and is the best of all the holidays that gather families and friends around a common celebration.
Personalities aside, this is one holiday that is a no-pressure deal.
Nobody gets gifts or is expected to do more than show up, eat, drink and refrain from getting too overserved so that you don’t get into a mix with old Uncle Al, or that other occasional family member that you just can’t stand.
If Peak Is What You Seek
The National Retail Federation, which represents many of the U.S. leading importers, predicted last week that U.S. retail sales for 2018 would be up 4.5% over 2017, with imports set to spike in the coming weeks, ahead of tariff hikes on Chinese imports scheduled for January 1.
By contrast, the picture in Europe looks rather less buoyant, at least from an air freight demand perspective. GDP growth has been sluggish across the EU, with economic expansion hindered by deteriorating consumer and investor sentiment, while the geopolitical and economic headwinds emanating from Turkey and the UK, both key trading partners for the Eurozone area, have added to uncertainty.
Conversation With A Shipper At TIACA ACF The old joke is that at an air cargo trade show usually the only shipper that you see out walking near the display stands is a meeting session guest speaker looking for the bathroom.
We are sitting inside the host hotel at TIACA Toronto taking a quick lunch break in a soaring glass ceiling room with a view of the sky above.
Although it is cloudy, the room is beautiful while a few of us enjoy a break. We note two businessmen from the TIACA event also on a break each seated at a table for one, while talking to each other.
The Right Hotel Chemistry The old part of town in Istanbul is called Sultanahmet.
The area is a trip back from modern to ancient times. Even today old Roman walls and obelisks still partially ring the area.
Other remnants of this city date back ten thousand years from Istanbul to Constantinople.
Landmarks seem to be everywhere—important Christian and Muslim places of worship dot the city, including the world-famous Blue Mosque.
The World @ Logitrans Istanbul
As Logitrans 2018 opens its yearly tradeshow expo in Istanbul, Turkey, November 14-16, we spoke to Turkish Airlines VP Cargo Turhan Özen.
Not only is the news positive right now at Turkish Cargo, the ever-expanding, go-go world of Turkish Airlines is front and center as the opening of the newest and most advanced international airport in the world continues all this month in Istanbul.
“We are very excited to report our all-new, purpose-built, advanced cargo center at New Istanbul International Airport is scheduled to open March 2019.”
UTIKAD Open House At Logitrans Front & center as Logitrans opens in Istanbul this week is Emre Eldener (pictured here with FT Publisher Geoffrey Arend), President of the very important market force known as The Association of International Transport and Logistics Service Producers or UTIKAD.
Nadia & A Big Hunk Of Love The National Association of Freight & Logistics (NAFL) in Dubai is one great organization that is constantly trying to lead by example.
Here we learn what can be done by sponsoring new companies with port visits, familiarization activities, and advancing education and training that brings out the best in the shipping community.
“If someone wants to form a company in UAE we can help them,” President Nadia Abdul Aziz assures.
Remembrance Sunday
There are many cenotaphs around the world, in places like Hong Kong and also Auckland, New Zealand, but perhaps the most famous “empty tomb” memorial is to the dead of World War I at Whitehall in London.
Sir Edwin Lutyens designed the Whitehall cenotaph in 1919. It is the template for many other war memorials in Britain and in the British sectors of the Western Front, as well as those in other current and former Commonwealth nations.
Atlanta Brokers Thanksgiving Friday For the fifteenth year, on Friday, November 16, in Atlanta, Georgia, a grand airport tradition occurs as Atlanta Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders throw open their doors for a couple of hours starting at high noon to share the love. It’s an open house where everybody is invited for a free, old-fashioned turkey dinner.
This annual party reaches out far and wide to host several hundred people to a homemade turkey dinner with all the trimmings, as the United States looks forward to celebrating the wonderful American holiday Thanksgiving.
Fokko Captain Of The Clouds
Meet the outstandingly special Fokko Doyen, a true “Captain of The Clouds.” He has occupied the left seat on the Bridge of Lufthansa Cargo flights around the world for the past four decades.
But Fokko truly takes off to new heights as a genuine human being who does not live a single day of his life without thinking about and actioning a great charity effort that changes lives.
It’s rare that you get to meet a genuine aviation hero up close and personal who also finds time to serve as President of an exceptional charitable effort.
The Arend Men Generations of Arends are captured here as father Ralph, a proud Gramp, and Uncle Geoffrey gather around young Obhishek, who arrived on October 29th.
Some Win, Some Lose In UPU Blues Pt. 2
As noted in Part 1, the Trump Administration has a number of strategies it can pursue following its decision to pull USPS out of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) treaty. But whichever path negotiations and preparations take, the ensuing disruption will have a strong bearing on air freight volumes and rates in the short-term, and the packages and e-commerce market in the long-term.
They Can Handle It The late Richard (Dick) Judy (pictured in his office) served as top executive at Miami International Airport for many years and is generally credited with putting that gateway on a firm path to greatness.
Once I asked Dick, who was the go-to ground handler in Miami air cargo, and he said without hesitation “Claude Bijaoui.”
Going To Bhat For SWISS WorldCargo “Introduction of new routes in our Winter Schedule and beyond, offers great new opportunities for us,” said Ashwin Bhat, Head of Cargo with Swiss International Air Lines.
“In addition to our increased cargo capacity with the arrival of new Boeing 777-300ERs, new destinations allow us to showcase our best-in-class quality and service on a variety of global routes.”
New flights include destinations in Asia, South America and Africa.
Hurry Up & Wait Exhausts JFK Cargo
“Truck congestion at New York JFK airport cargo facilities has reached unprecedented levels, and as a result wait times for tendering or retrieving freight cargo can be upwards of eight hours,” declares Brandon Fried, Executive Director Airforwarders Association (AfA).
“Many factors are contributing to the overwhelming congestion, but now it's time to find solutions,” Mr. Fried said.
U.S. Puts Stamp On UPU Withdraw The decision of the White House to pull USPS out of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) treaty, which was first drafted in 1874 and sets fees that national postal services charge to deliver mail and small parcels to countries globally was not a huge surprise.
The White House said it had been unable to reform the treaty and would instead seek to “negotiate bilateral and multilateral agreements that resolve the problems.” Some analysts viewed the decision as an extension of the country’s ever-growing front in the trade war with China, but most agreed that reform had been required not least because the USPS loses money on providing the service - posting a loss of more than US$135 million handling foreign mail in 2016.
Mail Delivered The Airlines Throughout the history of the airline business the mails have been a steady force that has driven revenue.
In the beginning as example USA airlines didn’t really carry passengers but relied on the mails for the government subsidies that first established, and then kept them in business.
Europe, British Imperial Airways, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, and in the USA, Pan Am, United, American, and every other legacy carrier you can think of existed in some or major part of their formative years via the air mail subsidy.
UTIKAD On The Move UTIKAD the 450 member non- governmental International Transport and Logistics Service Producers Association, and leading freight forwarding group based in Turkey, joined the FIATA World Congress meetings in New Delhi in September.
The delegation under the chairmanship of UTIKAD Chairman Emre Eldener (2nd from left), pictured with from left, Cavit Ugur, General Manager, UTIKAD; Thomas Sim, Chairman of Advisory Body Vocational Training, FIATA.
“The excellent and very high quality educational program for freight forwarders being implemented in Turkey by UTIKAD via the FIATA Vocational Training Advisory Committee has been approved for the next 4 years.”
ATC Toronto Road Show
“We find something of value in every conference that we attend,” said a tanned and rested Ingo Zimmer speaking from the ATC Group stand at the Toronto ACF.
Ingo, who breathes imagination, vitality, style and life into GSSA revealed that despite a recent bit of time off with his wife and children that he plans to continue the GSSA’s aggressive expansion program.
“Our big news this week in Toronto is another exclusive as ATC commences applying our GSSA expertise for Philippine Airlines Cargo flying from Manila to Hong Kong.
“I believe in partnership and quality.”
A New Paige For Atlanta Elliott Paige is in his office above the atrium welcome area of beautiful Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The ATL Air Services Development Manager is looking at a vertical picture of the airport taken from about 1,000 feet above the field.
Airport people from Atlanta to Timbuktu love those vertical pictures. They help visualize how buildings can be moved around, reshaping the airport as needs and business changes.
“You see our cargo area today,” Elliott says, pointing at the picture.
A Greatest Race At Biggest Airport In Toronto last week, Turkish Cargo delivered its giant “dominator display area, complete with private meeting rooms, delicious Turkish specialty snacks and beverages served by toque blanche-festooned chefs replicating Turkish Airlines’ most excellent on-board service.
Turkish Cargo got down to business, reaching an agreement with CHAMP Cargosystems for Traxon CDMP quality management.
Turhan Ozen, Chief Cargo Officer declared:
“We are glad that Traxon guides us in our experience to utilize Cargo iQ for quality management.”
Last Picture Show At TIACA
The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) Air Cargo Forum (ACF) as it once was for 29 years in many locations around the world from New Delhi to New York City, ended last week in Toronto.
Thank you Canada, for a great effort and a grand finale.
TIACA ACF will reappear in 2020 with a permanent home in Miami, Florida. Messe München, the German company that brought the world Air Cargo Europe (ACE) in Munich, and TIACA have partnered up to continue ACF every two years.
Voice For Cargo At Qatar Airways Guillaume Halleux, Chief Cargo Officer at Qatar Airways Cargo has seen plenty during a distinguished career in air cargo at Air France and elsewhere but what he discovered when he joined Qatar Cargo was a surprise.
“Overall this is one airline that is extremely cargo minded, from the Group CEO, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, to the station level.
“Cargo has a voice,” Guillaume told me, “it is respected and listened to at Qatar Airways.
“This is a reflection of the fact that 50% of the airline’s cargo volumes are moved on the bellies of the passenger aircraft. “There are a number of aircraft type decisions for the passenger planes that are being made because of the input from the cargo division.”
Messe München Taking Over TIACA ACF
TIACA has made a deal, to be announced later today, with trade show giant Messe München GmbH to take over TIACA ACF, which will be repositioned so that ACF 30 scheduled for 2020 and every ACF thereafter, will appear biennially in Miami, Florida.
TIACA will stay in business as an organization based in Miami, Florida, but its future industry trade show exposure will be providing the sessions for ACF events, as well as for Messe München’s giant Air Cargo Europe next year and other Messe München shows.
#AttitudeAltitudeHigh @ United October 2018—I am sitting in the United Airlines Corporate Support Center – specifically the headquarters of United Cargo’s worldwide business located on the 17th floor of the Willis Tower in Chicago.
Later, as we travel upstairs to the 103rd floor of this great building, I am thinking that towers like the Willis, the Empire State Building in New York City and the Eiffel Tower in Paris cannot help adding a spirit of triumph to the soul.
When you are 103 floors up in the Willis Tower your vision is in heaven, and at the same time the space offers a calming perspective of the world below.
Team Building With Heart “The 70 members of the United Cargo 2018 Triathlon Team came to the Escape to Miami event on September 30 with various levels of athletic ability, but their exertions were all powered by one big heart.
“We think of this annual gathering as ‘team building with compassion,’” said United Cargo President Jan Krems. “Each year our goal is to raise one more dollar for the kids than we did the year before. This year we raised nearly $100,000 more than we did in 2017! I couldn’t be prouder of the team and all our contributors!”
TIACA Takes Off In Toronto
The clouds hung low over the tall buildings on Monday, but inside the gleaming downtown Toronto Metro Convention Center, Greater Toronto Airport Authority hosted a bright and enthusiastic welcome luncheon for a roomful of executives from the industry. Amongst the attendees were the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA), Air Forwarders Association (AfA) Board of Directors, Miami International Airport officials and other invited guests.
An American Saga Richard Elieson is the President of Cargo at the world’s biggest airline. He came to that top post in March 2017.
Here are some fresh takes on an industry in change, as Rick evaluates everything (including himself) a year and a half after he assumed command.
Why TIACA Shines In 2018
The birth of TIACA took place after the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) decided to withdraw their sponsorship of the International Air Cargo Association’s (IACA) biennial trade show called Air Cargo Forum (ACF).
The last IACA ACF that took place in New York City was in 1982 at the Hilton Hotel.
United Raps Pharma Battery Life
“The CSafe RKN container has been a key component of our TempControl service since 2010,” said Jan Krems, President of United Cargo on Tuesday October 9 as United became first U.S. carrier to approve the CSafe RAP Temperature-Controlled Container. The offering presents exciting options including longer battery life to shippers for pharmaceuticals and other life science products.
“The demand,” Mr. Krems added, “for pharmaceuticals and other health care products grows every year, and customers and patients worldwide are seeking expanded capacity across our TempControl network.”
Octember Moments To Remember Our headline Octember is no typo. My good friend, the late Editor Emeritus of this publication, Richard Malkin would never let October go by without referring to this month as “Octember”
I asked him at breakfast, (his favorite meal) as we sat inside the Omega Diner near his home in Floral Park, New York when he was 104 years old, where did that word blending come from and he replied:
“For air cargo, the peak season of October and November seem to come and go each year in a blur, thus Octember seems to neatly sum this time up.”
Richard Malkin, who made it until July 2017, may have left this dimension but is never out of mind at FlyingTypers.
On Demand Charter From MAB “Our commitment and flexibility is to exceed demand for a special level of service beyond expectation,” said MAB Kargo as drilling shipment on MH6052 from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei (BWN) arrived Friday aboard an A330-200F. “In this case, we have re-routed the scheduled flight planned for Kuala Lumpur–Labuan–Hanoi into BWN to meet a special request for immediate delivery,” the carrier said.
A New Paige For Atlanta
In less than ten days the cargo folks at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport—Elliott Paige, Director Air Service Development, and Linda Eshiwani-Nate, Air Service Development Officer—will be at TIACA Air Cargo Forum at the Toronto Convention Center, October 16-19.
Kicking The Cans With ULD Care If you think a 45-minute dissertation on air cargo straps is a bit much, you will get no argument from us.
But for Urs Wiesendanger, (above right) President, ULD CARE, and Bob Rogers, (above left) VP & Treasurer, ULD CARE, kicking the cans has been a joyful lifelong obsession.
To Urs and Bob, the devices are eye candy on the hardstand. It’s always a beautiful thing to see them trail around behind tugs and move up from the ramp into the bellies and main decks of waiting aircraft.
SpiceJet First Freighter At Delhi SpiceJet showcased its first freighter at Delhi airport last month September 10, making it the first domestic carrier to launch freighter services with a converted B737-700BDSF.
With the livery of SpiceXpress – a cargo division of SpiceJet – the freighter comes at an opportune moment.
As Ajay Singh, SpiceJet’s Chairman and Managing Director put it:
“With our proven operational capability, this is an extension of our ‘belly cargo’ service to a ‘dedicated freighter’ with Boeing 737 aircraft.”
Lean Into Indonesia Disaster Relief An earthquake victim is bandaged at a makeshift hospital in Palu, Central Sulawesi Indonesia.
Aid was slowly making its way into areas devastated by the earthquake and tsunami that struck a central Indonesian island. One neighborhood's residents were clapping, cheering and high-fiving in their excitement this past Wednesday at seeing a stopped truck laden with supplies.
Virgin Atlantic Cargo Grows 3
Virgin Atlantic Cargo jumped 3% during the first half of 2018, but Dominic Kennedy, (right) Managing Director is taking nothing for granted.
“We achieved a very positive start to the year with most markets reporting growth,” Mr. Kennedy said.
“Virgin Cargo continues to see benefits from our strategic focus on pharma, as well as other core products and services, including express, high value cargoes and automotive.”
Trade Wars Cast Long Shadow The Sino-U.S. trade war is casting long shadows over the future prosperity of the transpacific trade lane, one of the world’s busiest and most valuable for both air and ocean freight stakeholders.
The earlier tit-for-tat $50bn tariffs imposed by China and the U.S. on each other’s imports largely focused on industrial and agricultural products. Although detrimental to air freight, the damage in terms of retail related products was peripheral. The latest tranche of U.S. tariffs, however, are decidedly not.
Afta NAFTA Rocky Road? That much talked about rework of NAFTA between USA, Mexico and Canada emerged Monday as U.S., Mexico, Canada Agreement or USMCA.
While the new deal is being hailed by all, what emerges at first glance is a reworked NAFTA Agreement, in effect since 1994 that incudes among other things easement of dairy restrictions.
That should make U.S. farmers happy as they gain access to what had been a closed Canadian market for ice cream and milk.
Toward A Perfect Blendship At AACargo
“We officially announced our partnership with IBS in January of this year and have been hard at work completing the first major phase of work, designing our future business processes that are enabled by the iCargo solution.
“We are now working on the detailed plan to support our teams and customers through this transition over time.
“The devil is in the details and let’s just say we’re in the ‘hot’ part of the project.”
At AUS There Are Doctors In The House Andreas Otto is a familiar face in air cargo. For many years, he served as Board Member Product & Sales at Lufthansa Cargo.
Having moved on in 2014, today Dr. Otto serves as Chief Commercial Officer of Austrian Airlines, which markets its cargo offering under the Lufthansa Cargo banner.
Now the Vienna-based carrier says it is stepping up its North American & European route network in the upcoming winter flight schedule 2018/19.
Autumn Prayers I woke up this morning and all of a sudden it was cold in New York City, and the change immediately invoked the appearance of Indian corn, pumpkins, and fresh-pressed apple cider at the corner store.
It is still too early for bittersweet, but our backyard vine should yield a bumper crop after first frost, just in time for Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November.
India Lays An Egg At FIATA 2018
As The FIATA World Congress got underway in New Delhi, India the 1000-odd delegates and special invitees from the government and private organizations settled into their seats as a firestorm erupted from the first speaker’s platform.
Robert Voltmann Steps Up To The Plate Good morning. Unfortunately, I’m here this morning instead of FIATA President Babar Badat. It is unusual for the Secretary General to be part of the opening of a FIATA Congress, but we find ourselves in a very unusual circumstance. In fact, we find ourselves in an unprecedented circumstance.
Youth Gets A Hearing At FIATA If there is one vertical in the logistics and supply chain that FIATA World Congress 2018is focused upon, it is youth in logistics.
Beginning with the Young Logistics Professional Program (YLP), held a day before the FWC opened for business, the veterans of the industry here made it clear that they had laid the foundation and now it was up to the young people to carry the freight forwarding business through the disruptions that were becoming commonplace.
New Look ATC Oktoberfest Kickoff In Mörfelden
Big news this summer included word up that ever-expanding ATC Aviation purchased Pacific Feeder Services (PFS) effectively changing the GSSA landscape in Latin America.
As ATC CEO Ingo Zimmer tells it, ATC and PFS have created “the perfect symbiosis for the South American market.”
Now as summer in Germany continued its last gasp with yet another warm, lazy-hazy day, the story was ATC 2018 with a dramatic new look, branding the rocketing GSSA, whilst celebrating its greening of the transportation universe with an Oktoberfest kickoff party for airlines and forwarders alike.
Amazon & The History Of Air Cargo The transportation business has always been subject to seasonal and yearly cycles and fluctuations. International service has likewise always been tied to currency value, with cargo affected by changing trade patterns, the volume of passenger business and leisure travelers. Dealing with these ebbs and flows in business volume has long been a major challenge for carriers.
Fokko: Captain of the Clouds
Fokko Is A True Captain of The Clouds.
It's rare that you get to meet a genuine aviation hero who also finds time to serve as President of an outstanding charitable effort.
I spent a few hours this week with Captain Fokko Doyen (above), former Chief Pilot for Lufthansa Cargo. He decided to step down from those day-to-day responsibilities at Lufthansa Cargo but stayed on as a line pilot, “to keep my hand in flying the beautiful aircraft and moving about this world of discovery and endless possibilities.”
YIFFA Bird of Youth in Logistics Many of us baby boomers immediately think of the Beatles when we hear the word “Liverpool”, however, if we were a little more thoughtful, we could also rush out to other sweet memories taking us even farther in our past.
Looking at this picture, it is not immediately apparent to place this in the Liverpool skyline, unless you’ve visited recently.
But looking a bit closer you start realizing the connection of this artificial, metal bird with one of our truest dreams as kids: the Meccano, (the original version of what Americans know as an erector set) which the Liverpudlian genius, Frank Hornby, gave to the world in 1898.
Suiting Up United For Triathalon Once more unto the breach . . .
For the third consecutive year, United Cargo employees, colleagues, and sales and service partners will swim, bike and run in September in support of the world’s neediest children. This year’s Triathlon Team will take to MIA’s roads and waters for the Escape to Miami Triathlon September 30.
Gümo: The Man In The Hat
Günter Mosler died in Frankfurt, Germany, on Friday September 13, 2018. He was 84 years old.
Günter once served as our first Chief European Editor.
His articles and involvement as part of ACD–AirCargo Club Germany, an organization he help create, cast light on the activities of German air cargo worldwide. His elucidative coverage appeared in FlyingTypers from 2004 until his retirement in 2010.
Günter was born in Ratibor, Germany (now Poland), in 1934, but moved to Frankfurt, finished school, and apprenticed in international forwarding with Rhenus.
September Numbers In The Wing Air freight rates made some gains in early September and there are now signs of a build-up to peak season, on transpacific lanes at least.
TAC Index recorded a 5.23% week-on-week increase in rates from Hong Kong to the U.S. on 10 September, with demand thought to be buoyed by shippers bringing in cargo ahead of a further of $200billion of tariffs expected to be imposed imminently by the U.S. on Chinese imports.
A Stairway To Paradise In Cologne
It was the moment of truth as EMO Trans Annual Global Meeting opened for business in Cologne, Germany.
Faced with several challenges as outlined by company Chairman Jo Frigger, who reported solid results for his independent company that is growing exponentially worldwide against some uncertainty as global trade restrictions deepen.
From every indication, EMO Trans is a company on the rise as it rapidly expands its offering with new partners coming on board as the constant.
Looking Good In Cologne
“It’s important to strike a balance in life, declares Uwe Kaeding, Vice President EMO Trans U.S. West Coast & Air Freight Procurement, (pictured here with his wife, Janet).
“On one hand, you work to satisfy your customers by never taking their business for granted and always making sure their needs and expectations are surpassed with your care and attention.”
Mark Forth and Strike There are scores of people with highly-developed intelligence, strength, and ability in air cargo, but there is something unique about Mark Albrecht, United’s Director of Cargo International Operations, Logistics, Claims and Cost Oversight. Mark is living proof that some people can juggle several responsibilities and still perform each one at an advanced level.
As his lengthy title at the Chicago-based carrier suggests, Mark’s directs several key functions for United Cargo. After speaking to him for just a few minutes, you realize his success is rooted in the innate ability to listen effectively and size up situations and people.
EMO Trans Aspiring in Cologne
EMO Trans opens its Annual Global Business Meeting in Cologne, Germany today, Sunday September 9 with a broad scheduled menu of reports, panel discussions, and a trade show that continues through Tuesday September 11.
The fast-rising logistics specialist with more than 250 offices in 120 countries has raised local attention here as Cologne, confronted with severe drought this summer, offers fresh greetings to EMO Trans from Mayor Hans Werner Bartsch who is scheduled to appear as the event gets underway.
A Kind Face For Air Cargo Up pops Uli Ogiermann who departed Doha last year after a great run with Qatar Cargo. Although the location has changed for this steadfast, consummate all-pro cargo professional, the weight of responsibility has not.
“Yes, I am now with the VD Group,” said Uli from his offices in London, “in charge of airline results for the Group.
“Nice change to be based in London,” Uli smiled.
Turkish Cargo Lifts The Bar
“We, as the Turkish Cargo family, are maintaining our thriving operations and the upward momentum, exhibiting a growing trend day by day, without gearing down, while feeling excited to move to the Istanbul New Airport,” Turhan Ozen, Chief Cargo Officer for Turkish Airlines Cargo beams as he speaks to FlyingTypers.
Cold Goes Live At TempControl
“The goal of expanding our customers’ options for packaging and transport systems is to ensure our services remain as relevant and valuable as possible,” said Jan Krems, President as United Cargo just added the Savsu Technologies evo Cold Chain 2.0 System to both its TempControl and LifeGuard offering.
Hello FIATA
Nitin Gadkari, Shipping & Road Transport Minister, Government of India greets FIATA delegates and adds some opening remarks at 09:00 September 26, as FIATA World Congress (FWC) in New Delhi kicks off.
The annual FIATA event is being held at Pullman Hotel Aerocity, September 26-29.
Ms. Vandana Aggarwal, Senior Economic Advisor, Ministry of Civil Aviation, will be featured later during the event.
Capri Sun Goes Global With EMO Trans & Lufthansa In Eppelheim, Germany, near Heidelberg, is the home of Capri Sun.
According to Lufthansa Cargo Planet magazine, every year nearly six billion people across more than 100 countries worldwide quench their thirst with the familiar Capri Sun fruit pouch drinks.
We discovered that the sophisticated logistics involved in delivering the Capri Sun packages to market is the result of a unique three-way partnership between Capri Sun, Emo Trans, and Lufthansa Cargo.
Ralf Is At His Leisure The man who thought up the idea and then guided leisure Cargo, based in Dusseldorf, Germany onto the air cargo map of the world, with a unique “total management system” for 14 tourist-based airlines, has come back from retirement to once again take the reins of the company he invented.
Ralf Rainer Auslaender, looking fit and beaming with confidence, returned in early August as Managing Director of leisure Cargo. He resumed a post he held at the company from start-up in January 2000, until ‘retiring’ in 2015, to live in languid Portugal.
Zhao Is One Smooth Operator
If you look for the definition on the web-based Urban Dictionary of a “smooth operator,” the meaning comes up as “someone who tends to be on top of things, and is usually in control of any given situation.”
That is the essence of what will come to your mind if you have the opportunity to meet with Mr. Huxiang Zhao, who served as FIATA President between 2015 and 2017.
This is indeed a man in control, believe me.
EMO Trans Readies A Global Meeting EMO Trans, which is set for its annual global meeting in Cologne, Germany on September 6 said that it is continuing its expansion program with a new office in Taipei, Taiwan.
In early October the fast-rising logistics specialist is moving to new headquarters offices in Garden City, New York consolidating offices in nearby Freeport and Baldwin under the same roof in an expanded facility.
Girl On A Whirl Of Change
“The introduction of Delta Cargo’s self-service experience contributes to a more environmentally friendly and simple booking process, while also providing expedited service to customers,” said Lindsey Jalil, Managing Director Commercial as Delta Cargo debuted self-service iPad kiosks in Atlanta and Boston.
Stepping Up To The Mike Indonesia, which straddles the highly volatile Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ where many of the world’s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur, has been rocked by a string of deadly earthquakes.
On August 5th a devastating earthquake registering 6.9 on the Richter scale hit the Gili islands and Lombok, followed by countless aftershocks.
Antony Clubley, who is helping raise funds to help the local people of Manta Dive, said, “Our hearts hurt to share the numerous damages caused by this natural disaster, which left a lot of our Manta Dive families without homes and in need of food and basic supplies.
It Takes A Village To Ship Air Cargo Air cargo across Alaska is an absolute way of life, in a place where flying freight harkens back to the early, high adventure aviation days.
Our contributing writers here and, as it turns out, shippers as well, are Miki and Julie Collins who live in Lake Minchumina, Alaska.
They live a completely remote life without phone or computer.
Letter From A Dutch Master When KLM decided to change the direction of the company at the end of the last century, it became obvious that our cargo ambitions could not be further developed.
Our plan to become a completely separate business could not be implemented.
A reason for me to retire and I did that “cold turkey.” It was not only best for me personally, but also for my successor and the next generation of cargo people.
Turgut Forwarding Turkish Logistics
Our correspondent Marco Sorgetti delivers an exclusive homage here to one of the most important and emerging leaders in transportation today, Turgut Erkeskin.
Very quietly and with great determination, Turgut has emerged from his family business in Turkey as a leading freight forwarder on the international stage.
Having served in top management of UTIKAD, the organization of freight forwarders in Turkey, Turgut has shown outstanding ability in leading the way on many fronts, while organizing and expanding the role and prospects of freight forwarders.
Jet Airways In Tight Squeeze FlyingTypers has learned that something might change at Jet in 2018, its 25th year of existence. According to several media reports the carrier is facing severe headwinds and, according to some reports, could not operate beyond 60 more days.
Belt Road Boogie A ULD of YTO Express is wrapped and ready with 21 tons of electronics as subsidiary YTO Airlines opened a charter route from Tianjin, China, to Astana, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday, August 15, 2018.
YTO said, more cargo routes—including Tianjin to Almaty—are on the horizon.
The new services are the direct result of YTO, a private, China-based courier company expanding into building a logistics and supply chain network for cities along the Belt and Road.
Jacques Ancher: The Thought Leader
“I am still fascinated by this business.
“If you stand back and take the full view of air cargo, what is in clear focus is that this is a multi-billon dollar business driven by a large, dedicated group that includes the best, most prestigious companies in the world.
“Air cargo is really and truly golden.
“Although I have gotten along in years since I retired from KLM, I cannot understand why this beautiful cargo industry is still treated in some cases as a stepchild.
“We must be doing something wrong,” Jacques Ancher who served as Executive Vice President of KLM Cargo (1990-2001) said in 2014.
Talking Pictures
Apropos of the way things are today, I am currently shredding some documents. While the machine rumbles and chews the paper into shreds, I’m afforded a couple of minutes to stare at this picture on the wall.
The artwork depicts an event from a quarter century ago, when we regularly attended airline, airport, and forwarder press conferences: a 1993 conference in Amsterdam hosted by Jacques Ancher for KLM Cargo.
Zhao Fengsheng Plays A Straight Bat China Southern Cargo currently faces challenges on multiple fronts, but most obviously from the escalating Sino-U.S. trade war which threatens its Transpacific business. When FlyingTypers recently caught up with Zhao Fengsheng, Senior Vice President of the carrier’s Cargo Division, he was optimistic about the year ahead although on tariffs, to use an old English cricketing idiom, he played a decidedly straight bat.
ULD CARE Delivers Code Of Conduct
A ULD being loaded onto the main deck or slipped into the belly of a wide body passenger aircraft is the money shot in any air cargo message of late.
But what about the ULDs, aka “silent partners,” of our air cargo enterprise?
Watching the daily ballet of ULDs being loaded and unloaded from aircraft at the airport, it is easy to step back a bit and wonder about the stories they might tell.
Ju-52 Back In The Air A Ju-52 passenger aircraft of the Swiss airline Ju-Air lands last Friday.
It is the airline's first flight after the crash on August 4, 2018 of one of its classic aircraft in the Swiss Alps resulting in 20 fatalities.
“JU-AIR immediately and voluntarily suspended its flight operations as a sign of respect for the dead and their families and friends, and to give the team at JU-AIR time to begin the process of overcoming the accident,” JU-AIR said.
You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello Suggesting that the air freight sector has been slow to embrace new technologies to improve supply chain efficiency and customer experience is unlikely to provoke dissent—although some may counter that describing the industry as ‘slow’ represents an unwarranted degree of flattery.
Take e-AWB, for example. The project has received the full backing of the industry’s leading associations, but damningly only recently passed the 50 percent adoption mark globally, leaving the entire project years behind schedule and close to obsolescence.
Man In A Red Box
This fall Rafael Figueroa will lead a team of over 1,600 employees at Delta Cargo as Managing Director-Cargo Operations and Customer Experience.
With twelve years in the airline industry, Rafael most recently served as Vice President for Aeromexico Cargo, with prior roles as Vice President-Ground Handling for Aeromexico and as Chairman of the Board for SkyTeam Cargo Alliances.
FIATA Delhi Bhat In view of the increasing opportunities and the new challenges before the air cargo industry across the globe, Air Freight Institute (AFI) of FIATA will provide an effective platform at FIATA World Congress (FWC) 2018 to elaborate on the subject during the 99th meeting.
Hosted by FFFAI and scheduled to take place from September 26-29, at Hotel Pullman, Aerocity, New Delhi, with the theme “The Future Starts Here,” FWC-2018 will witness more than 1,200 delegates participating from 150-plus countries.
Once Upon A Time @ The Airport Here is a blast from the past. It originally aired in 1998, but it’s still alive on YouTube, where it has been viewed more than 161,000 times.
International Airports is the title and the program runs about 45 minutes.
In 1989 we created a book for Airport Council International (ACI) titled Great Airports Worldwide, comprising 800 pages of the soup-to-nuts history of 137 of the world’s airports.
The late Josh Hanig, a top notch TV producer, contacted us for a series he was producing for The History Channel called Modern Marvels.
The Natural At United Cargo “The highlight for United Cargo in the first half of 2018 was the continuation of the trendthat began in late 2014, when we emerged as the clear leader among U.S. carriers in tonnage carried and revenue.
“From January through June, our ton miles increased just over 6 percent while our revenues increased nearly 19 percent,” declares United Cargo President Jan Krems.
Super Tanker To The Rescue
It had to happen . . . Having served Japan Airlines for decades, the venerable B747-400 has found another life—not in air cargo, but converted into a tanker that fights fires and saves lives in the western United States.
In 2018 California is experiencing its fiercest forest fires in history.
Historic Atlantic Flight Of Fancy This past Saturday marked the 80th anniversary of the first non-stop transatlantic flight of a land-based passenger aircraft to New York.
Landing at Floyd Bennett Field in New York City on August 11, 1938, just before 16:00 hours local time, a Lufthansa four-engine Focke-Wulf VI 200 “Condor,” registered D-ACON & christened “Brandenburg,” arrived from Berlin having flown 4,100 miles (6,000 kilometers) non-stop across the Atlantic in 24 hours and 57 minutes, at an average speed of 164 MPH (263kmh/h).
ATC Transforms Latin American GSSA Landscape
Big news this summer as ATC Aviation purchases Pacific Feeder Services. Joining forces will create a seismic shift in the GSSA landscape in Latin America.
To hear ATC CEO Ingo Zimmer tell it, the pair has created “the perfect symbiosis for the South American market.”
“Since 1993, GrupoPFS (Pacific Feeder Services) has been a leading GSSA in Latin America with offices in Chile, Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia.
Busy Summer Keepin' On
According to Freightos, in late July, as container freight rates were starting to surge ahead of the peak ocean shipping season, air freight rates remained, stable for a third straight week although “promotional pricing is finally taking off”.
“Most years, promotions start in the early summer,” reported the freight digitalization specialist. “That’s because airlines return larger planes to Europe and add more flights catering to the increased passenger demand. That boosts air freight capacity too, but at a time when demand is weak.
CNS A Bold Move By PayCargo
It is no secret in 2018 that the Air Cargo industry is a key enabler of the global economy and has grown to 35% of global trade by value.
PayCargo, a proven successful multimodal technology company, established in 2009 by industry entrepreneurs and funded by key family offices and investors, has been very successful in disrupting the transportation industry by revolutionizing urgent payment processes to facilitate expediting cargo flows.
A Really Big Show
Class Summer Air Show of 2018 as the charm & passion of the British Blue Legend aerobatic team performs at the opening ceremony of the Huangguoshu Flight Conference at Anshun City located in China's Guizhou Province on Friday August 3, 2018.
"Dream the Blue Sky, Bright Future in Anshun" theme also included demonstrations by British Royal Wind Turbine Wings, Italian Trailblazers, European Sky Dance, Turkish God of War, New Zealand Silver and other internationally renowned aerobatic teams.
Where Pharma Keeps Its Cool
Virgin Atlantic Cargo’s commitment to pharma customers seems to be paying off handsomely with the airline reporting bookings and revenues for temperature-controlled healthcare and life science shipments up by more than 50% in the first half of 2018.
JFK Charity Outing
Registration is open for the JFK Air Cargo Association Fifth Annual Charity Golf Outing to be held on September 27, 2018 at Douglaston Manor Golf Club.
The AACA all-day event from shot-gun start registration Brunchfest to an early Club House Dinner, donates all proceeds to First Company Pink for Breast Cancer Research.
Firetrace Launches Dual Action System
Complex micro-environment?
Micro-environments like engine compartments, CNC machines and enclosed server racks packed full of flammable materials and generating a lot of heat, are often subject to multiple, simultaneous fires, or fires that break out in quick succession.
Soft Summer Breeze Out walking the dog recently on an unusually soft New York City summer evening, without an ounce of humidity in the air, a lovely song came to mind. From the 1950s, it actually made the pop music charts here during the era of Elvis.
Eddie Heywood’s “Soft Summer Breeze” captured the season a lifetime or two ago for me, and lo and behold on a perfect night in 2018 is again rattling around inside my head.
Afghan Traders Say Hello Delhi!
The India-Afghanistan air freight corridor, which saw its first flight from Kabul to Delhi in June 2017, has seen the development of a healthy export market for goods from Afghanistan.
Today, more than a year later, the number of freighter flights between the two countries has gone up to 100.
FIATA Gamechanger Delhi September
Even as India’s freight forwarders (under the aegis of the Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India, FFFAI, the apex body of 28 customs clearance and freight forwarders associations from across the country) prepare to host the FIATA World Congress 2018 (FWC-2018) in Delhi this September, the meet is attracting worldwide attention.
A Crying Shame
Sarah Nor, the mother of Norliakmar Hamid, a passenger on missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, cries at the Ministry of Transport headquarters in Putrajaya, Malaysia as the final report into the mystery of MH370’s disappearance was released on July 30, 2018.
Swiss CEIV Everywhere
SWISS WorldCargo received IATA’s Center for Independent Validators (CEIV) Pharma certification encompassing the entire airline and organization.
“I am incredibly proud of our achievement in attaining full CEIV pharma certification,” said Ashwin Bhat, Head of Cargo.”
Jazzbo & Hold My Hand
My dear friend, the late Al “Jazzbo” Collins came to mind this week, as some passengers flying budget carrier Jet2 raised hell over the airline looping a recording by artist Jess Glynne of her hit “Hold My Hand” on flights.
“Hold My Hand” played up to ten times during boarding and post landing, causing one passenger to write that, “next time would prefer to walk to Portugal.”
That comment was one of the milder complaints.
Qatar Not Bearish Under Blockade
A giant honey colored teddy bear welcomes travellers at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar. A year into a blockade imposed by four Arab states, Qatar, the small country has weathered the storm by drawing from its substantial financial coffers, using its strategic location in the Persian Gulf as the world’s largest producer of liquefied natural gas and forging tight alliances with countries like Turkey and Iran.
Will Tariffs See You In September?
U.S. protectionist policies have not so far had a major impact on air freight trade flows, but that could change in the near future depending on which additional Chinese products become subject to import tariffs later in the year.
A first raft of U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports came into effect on 6 July, but although there was some anecdotal evidence of shippers moving cargo early to avoid the tariffs, an anticipated surge in volumes flown to avoid tariffs on deadline day did not materialize to the extent that some analysts had predicted.
Air India Back To Freighters?
Hot on the heels of news that financially beleaguered Air India has not been able to find a buyer as it tries to sell itself, (see our story) there are reports, that the carrier is mulling starting up all cargo freighter operations.
Where it would get the finances for the induction and operation of freighters is a question that only Air India can answer.
Turkish Chats With A Cheetah
Turkish Cargo said it has taken further steps to defend animal rights as the carrier takes “utmost care for transportation of the animals threatened with extinction.”
I Surrender, Dear
I Surrender . . . A member of the American Airlines ground crew seeks shelter on an empty luggage cart Wednesday, July 25, 2018 at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.
For the third straight day, Phoenix has hit a record high temperature as Sky Harbor reached 115 degrees Monday and Wednesday afternoon, according to the U.S. National Weather Service.
The July 25 record was set back in 1943. Phoenix reached 116 degrees Tuesday, making it the hottest day of the year so far.
Richard Malkin: In His Own Write
One of the most important pioneering journalists in air cargo history, Richard Malkin is the only air cargo reporter who covered the Berlin Airlift; with that one act, he practically invented air cargo journalism.
Richard died in July 2017 at the age of 104.
Richard Malkin was part of our print publication from 1990 until 1994. He returned to FlyingTypers at age 100 and wrote continuously until mid-2016, supplying a flurry of final of interviews, comments, and feature stories.
Forever Cary
While out walking the dog recently, I looked up and noted white smoke lettering scrawled across the sky, spelling out the word Geico.
I knew right away that Skytypers were hard at work, as they have been for years during summer.
Skytypers owner Morty Arkin was based in the Marine Air Terminal, where Air Cargo News held offices for nearly a quarter of the 20th century.
TempControl Adds PharmaPort 360
Leading The Way . . . “We are proud to be the first North American carrier to sign a direct leasing agreement with Sonoco ThermoSafe for PharmaPort 360 declared United Cargo President Jan Krems.
“Along with our relentless focus on speed, reliability and quality, TempControl customers appreciate our drive to ensure UA Cargo service remains relevant and valuable to the evolving pharmaceutical marketplace.
“We are excited to offer customers the ability to lease the PharmaPort 360, a smart active packaging option, for the safe transport of health care material throughout our TempControl network of 68 certified locations,” Mr. Krems concluded.
Antonella Is The Rainbow
Antonella is a name that reminds Italian native speakers of sweet family memories when they live far from loved ones.
Many mothers, aunts, and sisters are called Antonella in Italy, bringing to mind a tasty plate of pasta or crisp fried fish, as light as the good olive oil it has been fried in.
Nashik Ozar On India Cargo Map
Nashik Airport located at Ozar about 20 kilometers northeast of the city of Nashik,Maharashtra, India is owned by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, which had used the airport primarily to develop, test and build aircraft for the Indian Armed Forces.
Now Nashik is seeing a second life for air cargo; in fact the airport will double its annual growth in 2018 exporting goats and sheep to places including the UAE.
Happy Feet At Farnborough Freighter Fervor
“This is a very significant day in our company’s history. With this package of agreements, we will grow our business with the unique and unmatched 747-8 Freighter and open new market opportunities with the 777 Freighter,” said Alexey Isaykin, President of Volga-Dnepr Group and Chairman of CargoLogicHolding.
Alexey delivered the reported blockbuster $12 billion order to Boeing to acquire twenty-nine Boeing 777 freighters, plus five B747-8Fs.
The order notes a shift in aircraft types at Volga that now appears to be building a future around the twin-engine B777 cargo aircraft.
Markets In Quieter Side Of Steady
DHL’s splurge on new aircraft reflected the ongoing assumption of most analysts that investments in freighters will be required in the medium to long-term to prevent a capacity crunch and avoid soaring charter and spot costs. But, short-term, and despite rising volumes, the market remains very much on the quiet side of steady.
Tariff Dustup Could Be Cargo Windfall
Everyone I talk with in air cargo is concerned about the effect of President Trump’s stance on tariffs, and to tell the truth so was I until I remembered one thing:
Donald Trump is a master negotiator rather than a politician.
For the past 60+ years the United States has been giving trade concessions in return for geopolitical concessions like military bases and alliances.
So Trump is right in saying our trade deals are outdated and need to be changed.
LHR Vote Needs Positive Action
The vote in British Parliament favoring London Heathrow Airport expansion late last month drew response from the boots on the ground at LHR.
Robert (Peachy) Keen, Director General of the British International Freight Association (BIFA) and stalwart member of the FIATA Board said:
“Whilst BIFA welcomes the positive news from Parliament, media coverage of the obstacles that the project still faces leave me with a certain sense of foreboding whether the spades will ever hit the ground.”
HAPAG Pays Dividend
Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd AG said, “Our fast and successful merger with the United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) has significantly strengthened our competitive position.
“We achieved good results for the last financial year and have made a solid start to the first quarter of 2018.”
Even More Soccer
Whether you call it soccer or football, after all the global dawn-to-dusk coverage and viewing of the FIFA World Cup, maybe some additional appreciation of the great sport is in order?
Lufthansa On The Spot
Lufthansa Cargo enables forwarders to digital book global air freight capacity via live spot rate partnership with cargo.one,
an independent digital platform.
Dog Travel In The Air & Everywhere
Sleepypod Air In Cabin Dog & Cat Carrier available in bright vivid red is that onboard pet solution that meets all TSA and airline requirements you may have been looking for this summer, while providing your best friend a safe personal space in the office, in the car, in the air, everywhere!
Wing & Wheels & Trump Tariff
“In some respect, United States President Donald Trump has my admiration to pursue a fair tariff deal.
“The implementation, however, is debatable! However, all said and done, I do not see trade coming to a halt.
“I see volumes flowing despite the nuances and exchange of fury over the issues!”
No Takers For Air India
There has been no let-up in the downs for Air India.
Caught in a tight-jacketed financial bind and living from day to day on taxpayers’ money, the Narendra Modi-led government took the move to sell Air India.
Despite the best efforts of the Civil Aviation Ministry, not one bidder showed interest in Air India till May 31, the deadline for the ‘Expression of Interest’ (EOI) bids under AI’s divestment process.
Dancing As Fast As I Can
Delta Cargo named Lindsey Jalil Managing Director – Commercial. She will lead Delta Cargo alliances, distribution, marketing and communications, products, technology, reporting, and revenue management.
If that roster of responsibilities seems like a lot, Shawn Cole, Vice President Cargo, is impressed:
“Lindsey’s strong analytical skills will continue the commercial team’s momentum by championing enhanced reporting tools and technology, as well as the introduction of new industry leading products and services.”
KPI Gets It On American
“Multimodal 2018” was a very worthwhile, really big show and conference. Now in its 11th year, this year’s edition was held at the Birmingham NEC, May 1-3, 2018. In the general sweep of the 2017 first half conference slate, you may have missed it.
The effects of disruptive new technologies in logistics and developments arising from modal shift were on the agenda.
The Effervescence of Jean-Claude Delen
Recently a mixed, yet optimistic message came from a white paper entitled “The Evolving Freight Forwarding Market (2018).” The report, published by LTI and based on just 50 responses to their survey, reveals optimism among the forwarding community in spite of technological change, e-commerce challenges, and the new collaborative enterprise pressure toward change.
Dancing As Fast As I Can
Delta Cargo named Lindsey Jalil Managing Director – Commercial. She will lead Delta Cargo alliances, distribution, marketing and communications, products, technology, reporting, and revenue management.
If that roster of responsibilities seems like a lot, Shawn Cole, Vice President Cargo, is impressed:
“Lindsey’s strong analytical skills will continue the commercial team’s momentum by championing enhanced reporting tools and technology, as well as the introduction of new industry leading products and services.”
Unfolding India Cargo Plan
India’s Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu recently announced that a blueprintwas under preparation for ways to deal with infrastructure constraints in the aviation sector.
Named the ‘Vision 2035’, the roadmap for growth will not only look at enhancing and improving existing airports and runways but also the development of unserved and underserved airports. This would be especially helpful for the government’s ambitious UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik or "Let the common citizen of the country fly”) initiative that seeks to boost air connectivity to small cities and towns. Incidentally, Vision 2035 will also provide a clear plan on cargo infrastructure development.
Tariff Watch As July Deadline Looms
As deadline day draws near in the on-off trade war dance between the United States and China, forwarders and airlines are now making strategic preparations for potential spikes in demand.
They are also preparing for the possibility that demand could drop off thereafter on the China to U.S. lane, and that Chinese production for the U.S. market could quickly shift to Chinese factories located in neighboring Asian countries to avoid tariffs.
Planning For The U.S. China Dance Uncertainty over the scale and timing of the threatened U.S. and China trade war is making the forward planning of Tranpacific freight operations increasingly complex, according to one leading carrier.
The almost day-to-day changes in policy pronouncements from both camps have caused chaos for those strategizing supply chains. And for airlines it has been little easier than for shippers or 3PLs or caught in the cross-fire.
Toward A Perfect Blendship At AA Cargo School may be out for summer, but for American Airlines Managing Director of Cargo Culture and Transformation Jessica Tyler, change is in the air.
“We officially announced our partnership with IBS in January of this year and have been hard at work completing the first major phase of work, designing our future business processes that are enabled by the iCargo solution.
“We are now working on the detailed plan to support our teams and customers through this transition over time.
“The devil is in the details and let’s just say we’re in the ‘hot’ part of the project.”
Serenade For Jessica Sometimes things that happen in life flash by very quickly. Later, when you think about it, the time stamp has dropped out, the encounter fogs over in memory, and you wonder if it was perhaps just a dream.
I recall in 2003 attending a movie premiere of a film featuring my son Geoffrey II, titled “It Runs In The Family”. Starring Kirk and Michael Douglas, Bernadette Peters, and some others, the film was based on the lives of the famous Douglas Hollywood family.
UTIKAD Forward In Turkish Logistics
Since late last year there has been a new logo and president at The International Association of Transport and Logistic Service Providers (UTIKAD), the largest non-governmental organization in the Turkish transportation and logistics sector.
Second Time The Charm At Lufthansa One of the major pluses of travelling to an event like CNS Partnership is the chance to return to the dear hearts that we have known, and of course to meet some new ones.
We recall a couple of years ago when we met with Lufthansa’s Head of Area Management The Americas Achim Martinka, as he readied for his departure back to Europe after a six-year run.
As we sat and talked and bid each other a fond farewell, he shared something close to his heart.
“Unfortunately,” Achim said, “I will have to leave the Americas with a few great projects underway, but not finished yet.”
Show Us Your Pain, India Tells Air Cargo “We have met the enemy and it is us,” is the air cargo industry response to India government talk, but there is little action!
Sure, on paper and in the media, the Indian government—or rather, the civil aviation ministry—is all for pushing ahead to boost air cargo, but elsewhere powerful pressures, including simple indifference to promises and pledges, are working to put brakes on advancing air cargo in India.
ACAS Secures Take Off
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Air Cargo Advanced Screening (ACAS) program went into effect on Tuesday, June 12.
Basically airlines are ordered to provide longer advance notice about cargo that officials believe may pose a security risk.
Now carriers must send certain information about their cargo consignments to U.S. Customs and Border Protection before loading the plane.
Customs applauded the new rule saying it now will be able to order airline crews not to load suspicious cargo.
June Rates Flat But Steady So far, the much-anticipated surge in rates on healthy global economic growth and tight capacity has not materialized on the major East-West lanes.
Freightos put it mostly bluntly in declaring: “No News Is The News For Air Freight Rates.”
The digital marketplace reported in early June that average air freight rates “haven’t moved since late March,” rating them in the range of $2.90-$5.00 per kg on the China-U.S. lane, $2.80-$4.50 on China-Europe, and $1.80-$2.70 for Europe-U.S.
FIATA Plans A Posh Journey To India In March, FlyingTypers highlighted Babar Badat’s agenda upon taking the helm of FIATA. He said that FIATA “has a growing role to play in the fast changing international transport environment.
“In recent years, FIATA has championed the need for better global connectivity.
“I intend to continue this momentum,” President Babar Badat said in his exclusive interview for FlyingTypers.
CNS Partnership Is Unbeatable Ever since Ed Sullivan, the man who introduced The Beatles to America in 1964, coined “A Really Big Show,” we have thought of that phrase when we anticipate showing up for another air cargo trade event.
The trade event journeys continue: from New York to Palm Springs and Shanghai to United Kingdom, a slightly delirious season of trade events, shows, and gatherings are driven in part by the need to meet and greet and fulfill the never-ending quest of filling up the coffers.
Top Air Cargo Show Session of 2018 At last month’s CNS Partnership Conference, which bannered itself as “Preparing for Tomorrow’s Reality,” the Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) Air Cargo Committee coordinated a panel titled “Airport Partnerships: Driving Solutions.”
Considering that all of us are over, under, around, or through an airport every step of the way in air cargo, maybe what our world could use right now is a great, informative discussion of what is happening in places we all share.
Air Mail At 100 Just 80 years ago last month, in May 1938, four carrier pigeons went up against against an Eastern Airlines mail plane in a race to see which method could cover the 200-mile route from Washington, D.C., to New York faster.
Inside Blockbuster Surge At DHL Forwarding
Tobias Meyer was in expansive and optimistic form, and with good reason. Deutsche Post-DHL Group reported decent returns for the first quarter—year-on-year revenues suffered a slight drop due to the sale of subsidiary Williams Lea Tag, but operating profits rose 2.3 percent to €905m. DGF, the Group’s forwarding arm, saw revenue rise 1.3 percent to EUR 3.6 billion in the period.
However, this did not tell the full story because, once adjusted for negative currency effects, the latest numbers actually represented a 7.2 percent improvement compared to a year earlier.
BTU Cool By Any Measure In most places where it is hot or summer is approaching, comfort is measured in British Thermal Units, or BTUs, pumped out faithfully by air conditioners.
But for air cargo, this Super Summer of 2018 began early in Bintulu, Malaysia (BTU), which was on the receiving end of a major charter by MABkargo.
Will India Keep Victoria's Secret? Victoria has a secret and it’s connected to her garments. Not many people know that a wide variety of Victoria’s Secret undergarments are made in the port city of Visakhapatnam in the state of Andhra Pradesh in south India.
In addition to VS, there’s Pink, Calvin Klein, and Marks & Spencer.
In fact, one of the units manufacturing ladies’ undergarments produces the largest number of brassieres exported from India to the U.S.
A Look Back & Forward
Once upon a time in 1975, we filled up our 1973 Karmann Ghia with newspapers and drove from a printing plant in Massapequa, Long Island, New York, to the cargo area at JFK International Airport and Air Cargo News (ACN) was born.
Today we are still here as the longest continually published air cargo media in the history of air cargo with the same Editor/Publisher/Owners.
Air Cargo Took Off Above The Himalayas If you want to know exactly when the defining time occurred for air cargo in the 20th century, and what led to its development, just cast a line back seventy six years ago and you will discover that modern air cargo was born in India and China.
Today, as air cargo’s future is increasingly connected to these two ancient countries, it can be said that what is old is new again.
Early in World War II, President Roosevelt asked Army Air Force General Hap Arnold to devise a method for supplying Chinese and American troops and aviators fighting against the Japanese in China.
Memorial Day 2018 Aside from being the Summer ’18 opening day for swimming pools, parks and beaches across America, Memorial Day USA is meant to honor members of the armed forces of today and yesterday.
Business Urge To Surge Faces Challenges
The air freight sector’s remarkable upturn in fortunes could soon be coming to an end, according to one leading market analyst. But while the current supply-demand balance could be threatened by new capacity, digitalization of the sector will create new opportunities.
Patrik Berglund, CEO of Xeneta, a benchmarking and market intelligence platform, believes that although forecasters such as McKinsey have predicted air cargo volumes will rise by 3 percent on average through to 2025, problems are now brewing for air freight stakeholders.
Building Mongolian Connections An air corridor between India and Mongolia could start soon.
Coming as it does on the heels of the success of the India-Afghanistan air corridor overflying Pakistan, the decision to explore the possibility of starting direct air services to land-locked Mongolia was taken during the recent visit by India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to Mongolia.
Mongolia considers India a “third neighbor” as well as a “spiritual neighbor” (the late venerable Kushok Bakula Rinpoche, a Buddhist monk who is revered in Mongolia, was the Indian ambassador to Ulaanbaatar for 10 years). With China on three sides and Russia on the other, Mongolia has close relations with India, which is referred to as the third neighbor.
March Happened But Not A Trend Air cargo markets seem certain to continue expanding this year despite the relative slowdown suffered in March. And while rates in ‘greenback’ terms have remained firm on buoyant demand, one analyst notes that pricing can only be viewed in the context of currency fluctuations.
Freightos, a digital marketplace, reported last week that air freight rates were currently “very stable”, adding that the first week of May was the “sixth straight week with the same average air freight rates,” which on the China-U.S. lane, it recorded in the $2.90-$5.00 per kg range; China-Europe hovered at $2.80-$4.50 per kg and Europe-U.S. was steady at $1.80-$2.70 per kg.
The Doppelganger Gambit easyJet held a royal wedding competition. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle lookalikes Rhys Whittock and Inmaculada Santisteban Serrano won as best Royal couple doppelgangers.
The judges measured on looks, the regal wave, the romantic wedding proposal and best bridal bouquet throw.
Ready For FIATA World Congress India Representatives of the Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Associations in India (FFFAI) are out on the road promoting the FIATA World Congress 2018 scheduled to take place at Aerocity in New Delhi, September 26-30, 2018.
Pictured at the Dubai World Trade Club, the National Association of Freight & Logistics (NAFL-UAE) welcomed the Indian delegation, pledging support for the event taking place on the subcontinent for the first time.
Tom Wolfe - The Right Stuff Tom Wolfe, one of the truly great writers of the 20th Century wrote these words about a first U.S. Astronaut Gordon Cooper in his landmark book The Right Stuff, published in 1979.
The NASA Space Shuttle Program, a series of air cargo flights that began with Columbia in 1981,was given a huge boost in lore and legend as a result of that book.
Tom Wolfe died Tuesday May 16 in Manhattan at 88 years of age.
Mike's On CNS Partnership
As the 28th CNS Partnership Conference concluded this past Wednesday in Palm Beach, California, it is a good time to reflect upon this year’s event.
“There was a record crowd of over 600 people and we received a lot of good comments from the attendees,” said Mike White CNS President.
Algorithm Pumps Up The Volume “Basically there are three challenges to building a company.”
The speaker is Nathanaël de Tarade Chief Commercial Officer of Wiremind.
“Firstly, you have to convince people that buying your product will make their lives or job better.
“Secondly, as a small company, the challenge to reach a global audience means that you have to work all the time and figure out how to remain a small company for a decent amount of time so that you can control things.”
Adam Walks On Air At CNS While others may have a “Top 10 List,” Adam Rod (A-Rod), Chicago Department of Aviation Assistant Commissioner of Planning, settles for three. Whilst inhaling the landscape in La Quinta, California, he lines up his case for the aerial gateway serving the city of the broad shoulders, Chicago, Illinois.
Adam is a one-man powerhouse who may be grounded but seems to walk on air as he describes the future of cargo at O’Hare International.
No Trouble Hitting The Curve IATA was handing out baseballs at CNS Partnership last week with William (Will) Jimenez (right) and Philippe Siponen (left) on the mound pitching for better understanding of the agency’s aggressive program to build world trade.
ATC On The Road To Tomorrow
“I believe in partnership and quality,” says Ingo Zimmer, CEO of fast-rising GSSA ATC Aviation as the 28th CNS Partnership gets underway in Palm Springs, California, this week.
“Airlines are comfortable with our hands-on personal style of service as we grow our offering everywhere in the world including Europe, Africa, Asia, India, and the Americas.”
Dynamic Duo Fast Track CNS “Digitalization is coming whether you like it or not,” declared new CNS President Mike White, as CNS Partnership opened for business on Monday, May 7.
“However, change will need complete, clear two-way understanding between all parties involved in the process of moving air cargo.
“Help us by sharing information on the things that are important to you in your daily business.
“Together we will make this business and our industry great.”
Marek More Than A LOT “We are very excited about the start up of a second direct destination to Europe from North America.
“LOT Polish adds Budapest from New York and Chicago in addition to our regular offering from the U.S. (JFK & ORD) and Toronto, Canada, to Warsaw,” said Marek Kasiak, LOT Polish Cargo Manager North America.
Why Is This Man Smiling? Just look at Jens, the beautiful women, and the mountains in Paradise (PSP), California, and the answer is apparent.
“I was thinking about it,” said Jens Tubbesing, Chief Executive Officer of Airline Network Services (ANS), pictured here with Marie Epstein, Vice President Sales and Ana Gerber, Chief Operating Officer in Palm Springs with the beautiful Santa Rosa mountains as backdrop, “my tenure as President of CNS (2002-2004) was the third longest on record after Tony Calabrese, who was the founding President of CNS, and Michael Vorwerk, who was in place slightly longer than me.”
Ready Set Grow Alliances & Women
CNS Partnership was off to the races in Palm Springs this week, with a warm reception for partners and friends, as United & Lufthansa celebrated their just announced air cargo alliance partnership in style.
“We are not an overnight sensation but have worked on developing our partnership during the past five years,” said Jim Bellinder, Vice President, United Cargo Sales-Americas.
“We have just completed moving our first couple of dozen shipments and cannot wait for tomorrow, because we look better everyday.”
PayCargo On Stage At CNS As Cargo Network Services Corp. (CNS) meets this week in Palm Springs, California, it is significant to remember the exciting new agreement between PayCargo and CNS reached in fall 2017, which will be featured in great detail as part of “Innovation Stage” during the CNS event.
Barry Lien Barry Good FlyingTypers spoke to the old cargo pro Barry Lien who said, “work today at Worldwide Flight Services brings me in close proximity to some great people in air cargo, and attending CNS partnership deepens the ties that bind.
“Air cargo is a people business, unique and grand, and still today nothing beats the face to face contact that CNS provides, delivering great neutral ground for us to meet all our customers in one place during this annual event.”
Hello And Goodbye Hello & Goodbye . . . Opening evening at CNS Partnership was a lawn party in a Spanish Garden as the sun set behind the breathtakingly beautiful Santa Rosa Mountains.
Qatar Cargo hosted the event with Ian Morgan, VP Cargo the Americas welcoming and thanking customers and partners.
Ian also delivered a touching goodbye and farewell to Kuehne & Nagel’s Michael Tomasulo, (right) a much beloved, long-time cargo stalwart who is retiring.
Innovation Stage New At CNS Partnership
CNS 2018 Partnership Conference is changing the way it delivers information next week in Palm Springs at its 28th annual gathering, this year at La Quinta Resort from May 6-9.
This time look for less plenary sessions but more access to useful information via a smaller venue in the exhibition area called the CNS Innovation Stage.
The idea is to change the dynamic so that conferees can meet with customers and also find easy access to informative presentations from across the air cargo supply chain.
India & The Brexiteers India is looking forward to promoting trade with Britain and the Commonwealth after Brexit kicks in.
The recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet (CHOGM) in London that was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—who apparently was wooed to attend the meet by none other than Prince Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall in November last year—was an opportunity for Britain to push bilateral trade, which in 2015-16 was $14.02 billion.
ULD CARE Teams Up With Airport College Our friend Pertti Mero, who moved from the airline cargo business into fostering much needed training for airline employees worldwide when he founded Airport College in Helsinki, Finland, has now moved into a cooperation with Canadian-based ULD CARE to develop online training courses.
“We believe that this new cooperation provides us a unique possibility to work closely with ULD CARE to further develop our online Unit Load Device (ULD) Handling training courses,” Pertti said.
CNS Cinco De Mayo Cinco de Mayo falls on a Saturday in 2018, affording readers a nice chance to spend the weekend with margaritas, chavelas, or just go all in with shots of Patrón.
For people that want to get a head start on Cargo Network Services (CNS) Annual Partnership Conference (beginning Sunday, May 6 with a golf tournament), here is what’s happening in the always very hip Coachella Valley for Cinco de Mayo.
LATAM Cargo Growing Empire
LATAM Cargo Vice President Sales East Coast Andres Varela doesn’t claim to know it all.
But there is something this youthful, energetic 19-year veteran does know. As vice president for Miami-based LATAM Cargo, he understands he has a tiger by the tail. LATAM is growing its cargo business all over the world.
Trump Effect On Trade - Pt. 9 President Donald Trump has been in office for a little over a year and in that time he has reversed many Obama-era Executive Orders affecting business.
He has been aggressive in stemming terrorism, secured a budget with massive military spending increases to modernize and resupply the U.S. military, focused on deporting criminal illegal aliens, proposed extensive U.S. immigration policy reforms, and passed both individual and corporate tax relief to increase consumer spending and improve the U.S. investment environment.
Smiling Faces - Going Places Smiling faces going places is the takeaway in this series of endearing pictures as EMO Trans recognized outstanding effort amongst its team members.
EMO Trans has been implementing customized global logistics solutions for over 50 years and today that offering includes more than 250 offices in 120 countries.
But EMO Trans is much more than that.
Getting Frisky In Crimea A step into the future may also mean a pat down frisk from these guys?
The new terminal called “Crimean Wave” at Simferopol International Airport opened for business in Crimea, Russia with a “Step Into the Future” entertainment program as the resort destination gets a big subsidy program for flights from the Russian government.
Lionel Tracks Back To Cargo
Here is Lionel van der Walt, recently departed President of IATA CNS, sporting a slightly different look as CEO of RCI, Inc.
RCI, Inc., is an international association of building envelope consultants.
Members specialize in design, investigation, repair, and management of roofing, exterior wall, and waterproofing systems.
The Environment & The Aviation Industry - Pt. 4 It’s an honour to be invited by Geoffrey Arend to write a few words on the sustainable aviation industry on the Earth Day 2018 celebration. The Earth Day initiative is the biggest environment movement in the world and deserves respect for the effort to gain support and understanding for how important it is for us as human beings to take action to combat man-made climate change, extreme weather patterns, global pollution and the steadily increasing global warming.
CNS Springs Irresistible
It seems that spring has not sprung quite yet for many across the U.S.
But the weather cannot slow down newly named Cargo Network Services (CNS) President Mike White.
But there’s no denying many of us are anxious for the 2018 CNS Partnership Conference to happen and for some hot weather in the sunny California oasis of Palm Springs.
Express India Report Says Unlock Cargo The Express Industry Council of India (EICI) recently released the Indian Express Industry-2018 report which presents an optimistic scenario for the domestic express industry.
With an annual growth rate of 15 per cent, the express industry in India has rocketed upward.
However, the report stated, though it has enormous potential, obstacles have stymied its growth.
Air Cargo Day LA “Our annual Air Cargo Day mini-trade show showcases many of our members’ services and saw record attendance in 2017,” said Sherri Dunlop (above) LAACA Membership Committee.
“This year promises to be even better.”
Atlanta Air Cargo Association Springs Golf Atlanta Air Cargo Association (AACA) 2018 Spring Golf Classic takes place on May 15 from 08:00-20:00 at Crystal Lake Golf & Country Club.
Entire package cost “Golf to Dinner” for members $110, Non members $165. Dinner only $40.
Passengers In The Cargo Hold
Airbus thinks it has a better idea for air cargo holds on combination cargo passenger flights, with the help of a vendor in France that also builds lavs for aircraft.
In the future we may see coach passengers below decks alongside the suitcases and cargo.
Boffo Cargo 2017 Lites Up 2018 Presently, the outlook for global air cargo markets is decidedly mixed after a fantastic 2017. The latest figures from Airports Council International revealed that total cargo including mail handled at all airports worldwide expanded by 7.9 percent last year, and international freight grew by 9.9 percent over the same period.
But although volume growth has continued at healthy levels in the early months of 2018, reports from forwarders suggest that while the market has hardly turned bearish, neither is it firing on all cylinders.
A Ribbon Of A New Way Better late than never . . . In what can best be described as a move that should have come a few years ago, India has reached out to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
(Political commentators, however, point out that India’s overtures to the ASEAN was more due to the Chinese presence in the region or, as one commentator mentioned, “An anesthetic solution to China’s growing assertiveness in the region.”)
Alibaba & The 1,000 Tons
Alibaba has now opened air routes to move cargo from China to Russia.
Here, first shipment readies March 30 as Cainiao, the logistics affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding loads cargo at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport in Hangzhou City headed for Moscow.
The move aims to shorten transit time between China and Russia to as little as five days.
ULD CARE Delivers Code of Conduct A ULD being loaded onto the main deck or slipped into the belly of a wide body passenger aircraft is the money shot in any air cargo message of late.
But what about the ULDs, aka “silent partners,” of our air cargo enterprise?
Watching the daily ballet of ULDs being loaded and unloaded from aircraft at the airport, it is easy to step back a bit and wonder about the stories they might tell.
Two-Day Event In Stockholm Go deep dish into air cargo with a heavy contact, two-day Northern Europe event in Stockholm, Sweden, April 16-17.
The 11th Nordic Air Cargo Symposium meets at Clarion Hotel, has a speakers agenda, table displays, and plenty of networking lubricated with great Swedish hospitality, including food and drink and a lively bunch of people.
Formation Fliers Get A Jump On Summer If you like air shows, undoubtedly the best part of any event, from Le Bourget, France, to Swayne Field in Toledo, Ohio, is formation flying.
Most of the time formation flying is left to military jets at the bigger events during the summer.
Building A Global AirBridge
AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) opens service at Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) in Columbus, Ohio, today Thursday, April 5.
ABC employs a fleet of Boeing 747 freighters that provide up to 139 tons of capacity for all types of imports and exports.
ABC said that weekly scheduled flights will continue on Thursdays, carrying freight inbound from the airline’s global hub in Moscow and returning to Moscow through Liege, Belgium.
India Pharma Rules Simplified India’s pharma exporters received a bonus recently when the government-controlled Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO is the national regulatory body for Indian pharmaceuticals and medical devices and is similar to the Food and Drug Administration of the United States) ordered that pharma exports did not need any clearance from drug regulatory authority.
Tower Aboves All The lights are on at Runway Number One. Underneath its dramatic and distinctive Pina Farina-designed control tower, Istanbul New Airport (INA) is now ready for takeoff and landing.
Sea Bream Fly Turkish Turkish Cargo carried 1.5 million live gilt-head breams (sea breams) to Oman from Izmir last month and all 100 tons of the live consignment moved swimmingly and without a hitch according to reports.
King 50 Years Later Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) honored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Thursday as April 4 marked the 50th anniversary of his assassination.
The event featured performances by M.D. Roberts Middle School Fine Arts Magnet students; the Alpha Rho chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. from Morehouse College, King’s alma mater; and a special performance of King’s famous “I've Been to the Mountaintop” speech delivered in Memphis just twenty four hours before Rev. King was murdered by James Earl Ray.
Tracking The Big Bounce Back
The requirement for faster, lighter shipments as global e-commerce booms is the leading structural trend now benefiting air cargo growth, according to a leading analyst.
In an insightful webinar organized by Stifel in March, Brian Clancy, the cofounder and managing director of specialist advisory Logistics Capital & Strategy (LogCapStrat) also deciphered exactly how and why the air freight sector has bounced-back across trade lanes, a trend he admitted had caught analysts by surprise.
JFK Air Cargo May 17 The never-ending winter of 2018 cancelled the March JFK Air Cargo Expo and also cancelled opening day at Yankees Stadium earlier this week.
The Expo is rescheduled for Thursday May 17, 2018. Organized by the JFK Air Cargo Association, the Expo is a great one day event with plenty of individual booths, lots of great networking and a fine lunch to boot.
FIATA Reports IATA Dallas “The meeting in Dallas last week between IATA and FIATA was definitely a positive in terms of making progress toward our much publicized IATA/FIATA Air Cargo Partnership (IFACP),” beamed Keshav Tanna, Chairperson of FIATA Air Freight Institute.
“The meetings continued on the path to change the forwarder agreement in order to reflect current practices of the air cargo industry.”
Single Africa Transport Market “This year will be spectacular as Rwandan President Paul Kagame has taken over as Chairman of Africa Union,” said Issa Baluch.
“Mr. Kagame has made it clear what his plans for 2018 will be:
“We will launch the Single African Air Transport Market.
“This is a major step forward for transportation.
“We are nearly ready to adopt the Continental Free Trade Area.”
March Toward Oneness Peter Gerber described Lufthansa Cargo Group as “number one cargo carrier in the world by yield in 2017.” Now, Lufthansa Cargo will take over global integration of the cargo capacities of Brussels Airlines starting September 1.
Christina Foerster, who occupies the top spot as CEO of Brussels Airlines on April 1, moving over from Lufthansa, has some immediate thoughts to share.
Easter 2018 As Holy Week 2018 continued with Good Friday, Passover and Eastertide this past weekend, Air Cargo News FlyingTypers observed, joining visitors (in spirit at least) next to a tree decorated with 10,000 Easter eggs in the garden of Christa and Volker Kraft in Saalfeld, Germany.
Lufthansa On Top - Hot Numbers, Cool Plan
Cold has become decidedly cooler at Frankfurt cargo. Europe’s largest airline hub for temperature-sensitive shipping has grown even more high, wide, and handsome, after a significant expansion and upgrade at The Lufthansa Cargo Cool Center (LCCC).
Good Night And Good Luck DVZ’s “Luftfrachttredakteur” Erwin Maruhn, who announced his retirement (pictured here with Geoffrey), saying goodbye to friends and colleagues at his last Lufthansa Cargo Press Conference Thursday, March 23 in Frankfurt.
History Alive At Lucerne Museum One of the great aviation museums in the world (if you can get to it) is Verkehrshaus, a truly wonderful experience for the whole family located in Lucerne, Switzerland.
There are all kinds of thoughtful and well-executed exhibits in all modes of transportation, including a very rare Convair CV-990A Coronado, full-sized Swissair transport aircraft that you can board and look around.
India Gets New Aviation Chief The recently named Minister for Civil Aviation of India Suresh Prabhu takes charge of the subcontinent’s aviation portfolio as an add-on to his regular duties as Minister of Commerce and Industry. Prabhu, considered by many, the ultimate government professional assumed command of C&I after former chief Ashok Gajapathi Raju resigned for political reasons.
EMO Trans Rallies The Troops In Dallas EMO Trans, with 250 offices worldwide, launched operations in China in 2015.
Today EMO China operates staffed offices at a growing list of locations including Beijing, Chengdu, Ningbo, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Tianjin, and Xiamen.
On January 26, EMO Trans China held its Annual Dinner in Tong li, a beautiful 1,000 year old village located on the eastern shore of Taihu Lake, about 90 minutes from Shanghai.
Delta Cargo In From The Cole “In a market that is oversaturated with capacity, if we get this right, we have a better chance that customers will bring their business to us through value creation and not just price.
“Our goal is to be the Number 1 in on-time delivery of air freight.”
“As an industry, air cargo can work to better meet the needs of our customers. Electronic airway bills, simplification and automation are key themes.
“We should continue discussing policies that impact the air cargo space to improve upon our ability to be easier to do business with.”
Pioneer Badat Leads FIATA As The International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) begins its crucial headquarters session in Zurich, Switzerland, March 14-16, we spoke to Babar Badat who was recently named President of the 91-year-old organization.
After talking for a few minutes with Babar, who also serves as Managing Director of Transfreight Corporation (Pvt) Ltd. of Karachi, Pakistan, it’s easy to understand why this effusive and approachable executive was elevated to the post of President of FIATA for the next two years.
At CNS Eight Is Enough While IATA World Cargo Symposium continues in high gear in Dallas this week, many “Eyes of Texas” are already turning to the next big cargo event in the Americas. The CNS Partnership Conference is set for Palm Springs, California, at La Quinta Resort & Club, May 6-8.
Newly named CNS President Mike White sees opportunity and challenges ahead as he continues to direct his first big industry gathering into motion.
Everything Flies Easy As ABC “AirBridgeCargo Airlines’ (ABC) focus,” said Vince Ryan, ABC Vice President North & South America, “is staying close to our customer group whilst developing our offering that incudes the ability to carry anything anywhere, anytime, via our B747 freighters and other aircraft, plus access to the Volga Dnepr and CLA fleets.
“Business last year was very positive and continues as 2018 moves ahead.”
Turkish Texas Roundup If Mehmet Gürkan, VP Cargo Sales of the Americas for Turkish Cargo, has his way, the rest of 2018 will continue accelerating a new plan of action initiated by the innovative and dynamic Turhan Özen, top executive of Istanbul-based Turkish Cargo.
“We want to let our customers and service partners know that Turkish Cargo is not in the capacity game.”
United Cargo Seizes The Day in Dallas “I’m very pleased and proud to be a part of the large United Cargo contingent in Dallas for the World Cargo Symposium this week.
“Of course, we’re always eager for any opportunity to meet with our customers face-to-face to learn how we can better support their current business and what kind of creative strategies we need to develop for the new business they’re anticipating.”
In A Cool Spot With Ali If you are looking for the action at Frankfurt Airport Cargo, a good place to start is the big Cool Center at Lufthansa Cargo. It has almost doubled in size during the last year, growing from 4,500 sq. m. to a mighty 8,000 sq. m.
In fact, Cool Center is Europe’s largest fridge, claiming a capacity that is equal to the cooling space in more than 277,000 kitchen fridges. Coupled with the constant monitoring, that means no spoilage allowed!
Lufthansa has also added state-of-the-art, exclusive capabilities to the process of monitoring and tracking perishables and other temperature sensitive shipments that are expanding to its stations worldwide.
Market Reports Gain In Post CNY The TAC Index covering average prices per kilo from Shanghai PVG to Europe fell 9 percent to CNY 17.40 (USD 2.76) on February 5, but by March 5, and even after falling 12.2 percent week-on-week, the average gateway price was CNY 15.91 per kg—not as low as some had feared.
A similar trend was apparent on the Hong Kong-North America lane where the average price on March 5 was $3.63 per kg, down only marginally compared to the USD $3.68 per kg recorded by TAC Index on February 5.
Hangar Hopping We always liked Air Berlin, especially when our friend Ralf Auslaender operated a company called leisure Cargo that he founded whilst working at LTU.
Jet, IndiGo & SpiceJet The Watchdog group, Competition Commission of India (CCI) has fined Jet Airways (India) Ltd., InterGlobe Aviation Limited (IndiGo) and SpiceJet Limited “for concerted action in fixing and revising Fuel Surcharge (FSC) as a component of freight charges.”
CCI passed the final order on March 7, 2018.
The CCI noted that the three carriers “acted in a concerted manner in fixing and revising the FSC rates and thereby contravened the provisions of Section 3 of the Act which prohibits anti- competitive agreements including cartels.”
Why Qatar Cargo Accents Higher Priorities If the easy spoken, relaxed, Guillaume Halleux now serving as Acting Chief Officer Cargo for Qatar Airways is concerned that maybe following in the footsteps of his predecessor is a big ask of anybody, he sure doesn’t show it.
Guillaume who is front and center in Dallas this week has deftly and definitely moved with grace and ease onto the world stage with top responsibility for a great international airline’s cargo fortunes.
JFK Tops March Agenda “It’s a great event and just the ticket for networking and getting the word out,” said Joe Badamo, President of Air Cargo Association (ACA) at JFK International Airport in New York City.
“We are open for registration to attend our big annual March 22 Air Cargo Expo held at Russo’s in Howard Beach from 0800 until 1700.
“Here is an opportunity to network.”
IATA FIATA Flies Into Turbulence The anticipated cooperative IATA/FIATA Air Cargo Program (IFACP) announced amidst hope and glamour at FIATA’s World Congress in Dublin 2016 has apparently hit some turbulence in its takeoff pilot program in Canada.
IATA CASS Associate Forwarders Watch One thing to look for in Dallas this week is consideration by the Cargo Agency Conference (CAC) of Policy Item P-2 & Voting Item V-2, which is a new Global Model for the CASS Associate Program that could have a monumental impact on thousands of forwarders worldwide.
Making Forwarder Apprenticeships Work Pictured is the beautiful National Exhibition Center (NEC) at Marston Green in Birmingham, England, where the 11th National Apprenticeship Week (NAW 2018) takes place from March 5-9, 2018.
The theme for NAW 2018 is ‘Apprenticeships Work.’
National Apprenticeship Week is met with enthusiastic support and involvement from BIFA, the British International Forwarders Association.
Respect Framework For Future FIATA and IATA are here—together again, but for the first time, and all of us saw that.
What do you think?
I want to share a thought from the writings of Kurt Vonnegut:
“Please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.’”
Fed Up With Guns Here in the U.S., FedEx is defending its business relationship with National Rifle Association (NRA) telling media that NRA is just another business partner whose politics they ignore.
Big Purple offers deep discounts to NRA members, although they did have some words about assault rifles, like the one used to kill 17 students and teachers this month in a Florida high school.
Orange The New Black In India Nagpur, also known as “Orange City,” is located in the center of India and among other things supplies more than 70 percent of all the fresh oranges (orange barfi counts in that number) in the country.
But in 2018, the city is also making major aviation headlines. The home to Boeing’s only MRO facility other than Shanghai, and also the place where the Tata Group launched the Central India Spinning and Weaving Company Ltd. popularly called "Empress Mill" on January 1, 1877, the day Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India, is now building an international multi-modal cargo hub and airport at Nagpur to rival Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Taxing India Drives Cargo The big story right now out of India cargo is implementation of the government mandated Goods and Services Tax (GST) that among other things has created an environment that is helping air cargo.
Airports, particularly the major international gateways like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, are innovating to boost cargo volumes.
Seeing Red Aeroflot flight attendants at The Russian Investment Forum (RIF) Annual two-day trade show event in Sochi, February 15-17, which featured 55 events and more than 500 speakers.
At the opening of the Forum, more than 400 conferees took part in a charity run along the Sochi Formula One circuit to commemorate the Winter Olympics that took place here four years ago.
The Sky's No Limit For United Cargo “The theme of last year’s team meeting was ‘Unstoppable,’ and you really did prove to be unstoppable in 2017,” said Jan Krems, President of United Cargo, kick-starting the team’s recent Annual Worldwide Meeting.
More than 300 attendees traveled from all across the globe to The Woodlands near Houston and listened intently as Jan put 2017’s achievements and 2018’s plans into perspective. “For this year’s theme, we wanted something to inspire us to take the next step beyond ‘Unstoppable.’ That’s why we chose ‘United Cargo: No Limits!’”
Wish We Had Said That “When you look at existing trans-Atlantic routes, there is an absolute void in the middle of the United States,” said Justin Meyer, Deputy Director of Aviation - Marketing and Air Service Development Kansas City Aviation Department.
Cargo India Optimistic 2018 The year 2018 has started on an optimistic note for India’s air cargo stakeholders.
The person holding out the lolly of hope is none other than Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju.
In an interview at the beginning of this year, Raju pointed out that though the potential for air cargo—especially domestic—was high, cargo unfortunately was only a very small part of Indian aviation.
Scholte Action As TIACA Gains Momentum Sebastian Scholte, CEO of Jan de Rijk Logistics, moves onward into his two year tenure as TIACA chairman.
He replaced Sanjiv Edward, Head of Cargo Business at Delhi International Airport. Speaking exclusively to Flying Typers, Scholte said that under his leadership TIACA will take a multi-pronged approached to growing the Association’s brand and building its role as a facilitator of improved air freight supply chain efficiency and resilience.
Container Ships Last Call With a fleet of 215 modern container ships, Hapag-Lloyd is recycling its older, retired fleet, including this veteran of the seas, the “Heidelberg Express,” which was handled in an eco-friendly manner at a specialized shipyard in Alia?a, a town on the Aegean Coast of Turkey.
Vessels that are moved from front line service at Hapag are carefully dismantled in line with environmental regulations in certified shipyards in Turkey and China.
Kung Hei Fat Choy It is apparent to almost anyone traveling on business that there isn’t enough time to enjoy authentic local scenery.
Dinner that hasn’t been worked into the business schedule becomes an after-thought, a quick twelve-dollar burger served on a tray with a moist towelette in some forgotten hotel room.
We are so quick to let business travel spoil the excitement that comes with going to a new place. The town you’ve been zipping through for the past couple of days could be the grist for your memory’s mill, and sometimes culture shock can be cathartic.
Trump Effect One Year Later As President Trump enters his second year, it’s time to reflect on the impact of his policies on the air cargo industry.
No one can disagree that it has been a good year for all segments of the air cargo industry despite the typical Washington gridlock and opposition obstructionism.
The U.S. economy is strong—U.S. GDP may increase by as much as 4 percent in 2018, fueled by high job growth, low unemployment, and raising salaries, allowing consumers to increase their spending.
Disruptors & The New Paradigm It is interesting to see the reaction from various parts of the industry as disrupters come and present new concepts in improving the market place.
There is a fear of the unknown that takes over and everybody huddles down to resist the changes taking place rather than adapting to the new environment and looking for opportunities. The airfreight industry has traditionally been lagging behind.
Valentine's Greetings What would February14th be without at least one flower shipment story . . . So here goes.
Tiptoeing through the tulips, Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP)broke with tradition and featured roses in a presser for February 14.
According to the Euro air cargo combine, more than 3,000 tons of flowers moved via the carriers’ freighters and other main-deck lift aircraft during January and February 2018.
Westward Ho! UA ANA Joint Is Jumping “The U.S.-to-Asia market is highly competitive, so we are excited to offer convenient access to expanded metal-neutral capacity to customers shipping westbound across the Pacific,” declared United Airlines Cargo President Jan Krems. On February 6 United Airlines and All Nippon Airways expanded the carriers’ cargo joint venture, adding westbound transpacific routes to the successful eastbound transpacific phase launched last summer in July 2016.
Factory Signals Mixed Ahead Of Chinese New Year Ahead of the Chinese New Year (CNY) factory shutdowns, market signals are rather mixed—and not just for air cargo.
Container shipping demand, for example, has remained firm, and space is tight on the key trades from China into Europe and the U.S. But the expected surge in spot freight rates ahead of the official start to the holidays on February 16 has not materialized and lines have struggled to make General Rate Increases (GRI) stick.
Towers Above All Airports Council International delivered numbers through November 2017 reporting an increase in global cargo of 8.2% for the first eleven months of last year—near record levels.
Gains in export orders, saw global figures reaching +7.8%.
ACI reports Africa, North America and Europe once again topped growth figures for total freight, reaching +14.7%, +8.9% and +8.7% respectively. Asia-Pacific (+7.2%), Latin America-Caribbean (+6.9%) and the Middle East (+2.9%) followed, the latter starting to regain speed after slowing down to +1.3% in October.
You Gotta Have Heart Everybody knows, in February Valentine's Day and affairs of the heart take center stage.
In addition to shipments of flowers, jewelry, and candy, the Air Cargo Association of Atlanta (AACA) sends the message of love and concern for others with their Annual Blood Drive.
“The AACA Blood drive is being held during the ‘month of love’,” reports Elliott Paige, the Airport Manager for Air Service Development Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport who also serves on the AACA Board.
Cargo Tesla Into Space PayPal founder and master of making science sexy, Elon Musk shipped a Tesla out into space Tuesday atop a Falcon Heavy Rocket from the legendary Pad 39 at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
What was essentially a cargo shipment took center stage as the payload launched from the same location that birthed the first Moon missions and Space Shuttle flights.
Women In Charge Powering AA Cargo Today at American Airlines Cargo, women as leaders have the opportunity to influence the future of the cargo industry, taking this business up a new road and into the wild blue yonder.
Recently we spoke to some women who are forging a new path and loving every minute of it. They are fascinating for their brilliance and their new take on air cargo.
The work these forward-thinking leaders do for American is closely tied to relationships with cargo service providers across the globe.
Washing My Baby Home It’s February, come to think about it.
Travel, at a minimum, has been relegated to walking the dog a couple of times a day during the early “mud season.”
January was a month of temperature extremes, but right now the mercury is 30s. Three weeks earlier New York City was at its coldest, with temps at or below zero.
So after each walk in the mud pie park near our home, Little Lulu gets her feet washed.
We Like Mike CNS President To quote the great Mel Brooks in the movie History of the World Part One:
“It’s good to be King.”
For air cargo, the good just got better as IATA named Mike White as Cargo Network Services President.
As we wrote on November 27: “We Like Mike.”
2025 On Fruit Logistica Berlin Next month Fruit Logistica, the gigantic fresh produce event, meets February 7-9 at Berlin ExpoCenter City and CityCube Berlin for the 26th time. For all the glitz and glamour and displays and technologies it brings to the world, the expo might also be branded Fruchtsalat.
Move over “Chiquita Banana,” this expo has cumquats doing the Lambada in the aisles.
And looking at the growing numbers at this show, “You ain’t seen nothing yet!”
Screen Tightens The Screws Under the new TSA rules announced January 22, all cargo flights originating from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt are to undergo extra screening when flying to the United States.
According to the TSA, screening focus is “on last points of departure locations, where the threat is greatest.”
Blue Moon Over Darmstadt Pictured in this lovely time exposure under the “Super Blue Blood Moon,” a thin veil of clouds covered the exquisite Russian Chapel, the Mathildenhoehe in Darmstadt, Germany.
Climate Is Front Page News Global warming was a big topic at last week’s World Economic Forum in Davos with everybody from German Chancellor Angela Merkel to India Prime Minister Modi addressing the subject.
Assembled in Switzerland, the world’s leaders recognized the great challenge to the climate, as glaciers are fast disappearing in nearby Norway.
Nordic Countries Go Greener Step by step, the Nordic countries are becoming renewable and sustainable energy societies and the landscape is changing. Windmills account for 57% of Denmark’s electricity, out the country’s total 66% energy realized from renewables.
Norway gets 98% from hydro electric power plants and a few power percentages from windmills.
Sweden and Finland each realize between 50% respectively 16% of their electricity from hydro-electric power plants.
Qatar Cargo QEP Cool Qatar Airways Cargo announced Qualified Envirotainer Provider Training and Quality Programme (QEP) accreditation at five of its destinations: Amsterdam, Basel, Paris, Chicago, and its hub, Doha, Qatar.
MAB Kargo Flies Into Profit At FIATA’s 56th World Congress held in Kuala Lumpur last October, we asked MAB Kargo Sdn Bhd CEO Ahmad Luqman:
“How did you cope with the snow whist attending University in Syracuse, New York?”
The question didn’t stop the energetic executive. Instead he reflected the look of an “Orangeman” (the school colors) who has shouldered the snowstorms that blow in off of Lake Erie and bury upstate New York in a manner unknown to Southeast Asia.
Mission For The Rohingyas A major initiative for good in Malaysia is “1Malaysia for Youth,” often referred to as 1M4U or iM4U.
The outreach organization is an initiative of the Malaysian government and was founded by Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2012.
Put simply, iM4U encourages volunteerism amongst Malaysian youth.
EMO Trans Off To A Flying Start “It's incredible,” declares EMO Trans Chairman Jo Frigger, “how our Asia offices have soared with extraordinary results during 2017, and the beat goes on as 2018 begins.
“EMO China, with 10 offices now, and EMO Hong Kong have led the charge, followed by our offices in Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and our newest operation in Vietnam,” Mr. Frigger said.
LAACA Mixer Los Angeles Air Cargo Club (LAACA) Great tradition and everlasting fellowship are hallmarks of this great industry group that meets monthly.
On February 8, LAACA gets a head start on Chinese New Year with a “cocktails until” 5 to 8 PM air cargo gathering just off the main runways of LAX.
Fashionista Runway Walk Most of us have seen pilots inspecting their aircraft prior to flight. Occasionally, flight-deck personnel have even been viewed walking the runway.
All Of Our Friends Were There Nothing like a big party and some awards to get the New Year started off right!
That is exactly what happened on Thursday, January 18, as freight forwarders honored their own at The British International Freight Association’s (BIFA) Annual Freight Service Awards Competition Party at The Brewery in London.
BIFA President Sir Peter Bottomley MP welcomed guests to the 29th BIFA Freight Service Awards luncheon ceremony and, along with entertainer & restauranteur Levi Roots, who also “serenaded the lads” at the event, presented all the finalists with their certificates.
Exciting 2018 Busting Out All Over Air cargo rates have dropped dramatically in recent weeks, but capacity remains scarce and prices are expected to gain ground again ahead of factory shutdowns for the Chinese New Year holiday (Year Of The Dog), which begins February 16.
Qatar Cargo Cherries Jubilee “Qatar Cargo is now the third largest cargo operator in the world after Cathay Pacific,” declared Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, as QR added a second B747-8F last month.
“We hope that this year our ranking will become number two.
“Qatar Airways flies to over 150 passenger destinations and when we add our freighter destinations we fly to more than 196 destinations worldwide,” Akbar Al Baker said.
No More Waiting To Exhale If you happened to be above France last week and noticed a slight bump in the air, no doubt it was a collective sigh of relief from Toulouse as an order for 36 A380s arrived from Emirates Airline. That order has saved the Airbus flagship plane from the scrapheap.
Stormy Weather European transport business as usual was unusual last week, as powerful windswept storms battered Germany and Netherlands Belgium, Romania and parts of UK cancelling flights and rail service. Here some trucks took the worst of it on the motorway A 71 near Erfurt.
Take A Tip From The Tulips If you’re rolling around hardstands these days looking at airplanes, you may notice the distinctive shadow relief of an elegant tulip connected to a long, thin stem emblazoned on every Turkish Airlines airplane.
Then you meet Turhan Ozen, Head of Cargo for the Istanbul-based carrier.
While the aircraft-laden skies above Istanbul are increasing connectivity via a growing global network, the debut of the biggest airport in the world, Istanbul International, waits in the wings for late 2018. Soon the most dramatic air traffic control tower on the planet (designed by Pinna Farina) will go into action.
Dhaka Cargo From The Heart Greetings from Dhaka, where loose cargo
rides in a styale that harkens back to a free-form era in our industry.
I spent some time looking at the cargo area
and consignments on the hardstand at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
DAC Cargo today is action central, with consignments piled
high and strewn out all over the place, spilling out of the sheds, and awaiting
transport.
Punch Up Chicago Cargo Get Hot Chicago . . . Join International
Air Cargo Association of Chicago (IACAC) for the austere group’s first
networking event of the year dubbed “The Punch Bowl Social.”
The function takes place just off O’Hare International Airport’s
main runways in Schaumburg, Illinois, January 17th, 6 to 10 PM.
Kudos to BCS Placement, Edward J. Zarach &
Associates, and Roanoke Trade who are sponsoring, having decided to blow
back against the January chill off of nearby Lake Michigan.
The Billion Dollar Baby “There is a movement or perhaps a rush that could also be described as a trend in air cargo today – to go out and charge a rate and promise service that is not sustainable.
“I have always believed that delivering value for money is the true path to building a world-class, reliable and respected air cargo service,” Jan Krems, President United Cargo declares.
2018 Early Rising Marks There was good news at the top with the late 2017 turnaround in the transportation sector. Trains, planes and trucks that had remained flat for most of last year ended the fourth quarter outperforming the S&P 500 Index ratings, moving up 6.8 percent in December while everything else was advancing at a 3.85 percent clip.
SLOTS Are Some Are Set Maughan The lack of winter season slots at AMS forced many cargo airlines to find alternative airports and highlighted the glaring lack of global airport capacity. In the first part of this special FlyingTypersseries, the European Shippers’ Council called for reform of IATA’s 80:20 slot guidelines. In part two, FlyingTypers speaks to Lara Maughan, Head of Worldwide Airport Slots.
Butter Cake For Christmas When I was a little boy, my Mom said I had to go church to realize that something bigger than ordinary human beings made this earth.
She left the choice of religion up to me, saying:
“Just get into a congregation and see if you like the fellowship, and from there you can choose whether or not you want to practice ‘Sunday go to meetings’ for the rest of your life.”
So I started to study the catechism with the Episcopalians.
Lifting For Christmas Dees', a plant and flower nursery, is an old time, family business that has been located just off the main runways at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Oceanside, New York since 1958.
Dees' spends most of the year selling plants and trees and lawn care products to people from all over the metropolitan area.
But once a year for the past eight years now, Dees' chops down several hundred Christmas Trees from its big farm in Maine and, in partnership with DHL, sends the trees free of charge to U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
A Christmas Wish I know it’s
late in the season for wish lists. You travel the entire world delivering
presents in a single night, so it’s brazen of me to ask for
anything on Christmas Day, as it’s -1 day’s notice.
In addition, I am far too old to be asking you for anything. But,
after taking stock, I’ve realized I’m at the age where
I am far too old for nearly everything, so maybe you can make an
exception, allowing for the generosity of the Christmas spirit.
I asked you for a puppy for god knows how many years and you never
delivered, so I think you owe me. Cut an old broad some slack.
It’s not a long list. Some might
say there’s not a thing on it you could do anything about.
But I’m sending it out into the universe anyway, because let
it be the niggling thing that pesters you at night instead of me.
You have 364 days where you’re not busy doing anything. You
can take it.
Always Positive Uplifting World of TIA “The Transportation Intermediaries Association vision for our members is simple and direct:
“We are here to improve your bottom line,” President & CEO Robert Voltmann declares.
“As a true 3PL that offers the shipper the complete package, everything we do is focused on the member running a better-owned family business.
“TIA has renamed our annual gathering ‘The Capital Conference,’ emphasizing the aforementioned mission as the branding of our major event.”
Delta Expanding CEIV
“Delta has made significant investments in Pharma facilities across its global network, so as to ensure that we are compliant with the highest industry standards,” said Shawn Cole, Delta’s Vice President – Cargo as the carrier said that it is now operating CEIV approved facilities at seven locations across Europe, with the recent addition of Dusseldorf airport to the network.
Remembering Richard
Richard Peter Norris of Marblehead died peacefully on December 8, 2017, at a Boston hospital with family and friends at his side.
He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Linda Oskinis Norris; his son Christopher and fiancee Alison; siblings Margaret Levine, Paul, Bill, Bob and Sally Norris, as well as several nephews.
As an undergraduate,(Boston College 1972) Richard worked nights at Flying Tiger Line in Boston — beginning what would become a long and distinguished career in the air cargo industry.
Blockbuster CNS PayCargo Deal Cargo Network Services Corp. (CNS) and PayCargo have inked a pact to provide a way for the air cargo industry to pay online for imports in the U.S.
Credit outgoing CNS President Lionel Van der Walt with engineering this late-year, blockbuster announcement (pictured here with FlyingTypers Publisher Geoffrey Arend).
Cargo C'est Magnifique
Why the French? Well, it is almost a New Year and nearing the time to pop some bubbly, celebrate, and live a little as we report: “The latest air freight data on rates and volumes points to a magnificent Q4—unless, that is, you were caught in the perfect demand storm without enough space to airlift product to market in time for the holidays.”
“October 2017 was special” as volumes and revenues peaked, according to WorldACD. Global volumes, based on reports from 75 airlines collated by the analyst, were up 6.9 percent for the month, while revenues soared 20 percent compared to October 2016, itself by no means a poor month for airlines.
Delhi To Go January Summit
Come January, Delhi will host the largest Association of South East Asia Nations (ASEAN) India business and investment summit.
The announcement of the summit came from Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the recent 15th India-ASEAN Summit and the 12th East Asia Summit in Manila. “India’s Look East policy puts this region at the center of our engagement. So, connectivity with ASEAN by land, sea, and air remains our priority,” said Modi.
Lest We Forget
It has been 76 years since December 7, 1941, and the people of that time are in their late 70s and older, but a gravestone still marks the resting place of 7 unknowns from the USS Oklahoma at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
Super Moon
Of course, everybody wants to know what will happen in 2018 and there seem to be no shortage of prognosticators willing to let loose on the subject.
But for those people looking for a sure thing, here is one.
American Rides Tall American Airlines Cargo President Rick Elieson stands tall in the saddle as 2017 moves toward 2018. Here he shares the details of his first year directing the cargo fortunes of the world’s largest airline, and what we all might learn from his experience.
Swiss Pharma To Table
Swiss WorldCargo “Hub Zurich” landed the coveted renewal of GDP compliance from Swissmedic, the Swiss authority responsible for the authorization and supervision of therapeutic products.
Recognizing Cargologic handling facilities’ GDP compliance certification was issued in September 2017.
Growing Slot Squeeze Impacts Cargo The battle for slots between all-cargo operators and fast-expanding budget leisure airlines will be central to the global debate over airport capacity for the next decade, believes the European Shippers’ Council.
Rogier Spoel, Air Transport Policy Manager at ESC, told FlyingTypers that in the next ten years there would be “a fight” between freighter operators and fast-expanding budget airlines. This will pit the rival economic benefits of high-value cargo with its huge economic importance as a wealth multiplier, against leisure airlines catering to populations which desire cheap and regular flights to global destinations on services which often carry limited or no bellyhold cargo.
Can You Hear Us Now?
In Istanbul the Association Of International Forwarding And Logistics Service Providers (UTIKAD), the major player in Turkish logistics industry, participated in the 39th Istanbul Charity Marathon sponsored by Vodophone that was held November 12, 2017.
UTIKAD fielded a charity running team comprised of UTIKAD top management and members who showed up, where the rubber meets the road, to support The Turkish Women's Solidarity Foundation.
'Tis The Season
One of the funnier aspects of 2017 has been The President Show, a 21-episode television series running on Comedy Central that reveals Anthony Atamanuik’s knockout portrayal of President Donald Trump.
Reaching back to the best traditions of comedy satire from the golden days of television, when Sid Cesar, Jackie Gleason, Red Skelton, and others ruled the screen, each episode of The President Show is a delightful, funny, and free-wheeling satirical take on current events.
We Like Mike For CNS President “We like Mike.”
Long-serving “Steady” Mike White, Vice President, Government & Industry Relations Cargo Network Services Corp. (CNS), should be named next President of CNS.
When IATA named Glyn Hughes head of cargo we thought, “good for air cargo.”
Along with being an acknowledged nice guy and positive spirit with deep knowledge of the business and a passion for air cargo, Glyn has been outstanding in spearheading the IATA agenda. He has rallied the people behind the programs that will help the air cargo partnership and secure the future viability of our business.
At 90 Pandit Parikh's Music Continues
Shri Arvind Parikh was born in 1927 and schooled in Ahmedabad.
In 1944 he moved to Bombay (Mumbai) to study in college and learn Indian Classical music on the Sitar from Ustad Vilayat Khan, India’s greatest exponent of the sitar.
He later graduated with B.A. Honors (Economics) from Elphinstone College in 1948.
He then began a career at Lee & Muirhead (LM) freight forwarders in 1948, a company that his father had acquired from its British owners.
Digitalization To Forwarders Not So Fast Last week Messe München, the folks that bring you Air Cargo Europe every other year, once again organized Logitrans International Transport Logistics Exhibition in Istanbul in conjunction with EKO Fair Limited, Munich.
Traditional air freight forwarders are being challenged by new ‘digital’ market entrants across their service portfolios.
The start-ups come in many guises. Some market themselves as cloud-based e-forwarders, brokers, or online sales platforms.
Domestic India Growth Spotlight
Intra-India air cargo is a hot growth ticket for India currently.
A recent ASSOCHAM-Yes Bank study pointed out that domestic cargo has registered a growth of 8 percent at a CAGR during FY07-17, while international cargo grew at 6.2 percent annually during the same period.
Factoring that air cargo in India contributes about 20 percent of airlines’ revenues, the potential for growth and profits in this sector is huge.
Cargo Rose of San Antone “Our job is to create a commercial success at San Antonio International Airport.
“Our airport,” declares Marcel Johnson, vice president business development, “is served by several major airlines including United, American, and others. ”
Stanley Light of Beacon Council “It’s no secret,” says Stanley Rigaud, Director of International Economic Development, Trade & Logistics for Miami-Dade Beacon Council, “that air and seaport are the engines that in large part drive our economy.
“From attracting multinationals to assisting small local businesses, The Beacon Council offers economic and business development services that support a strong and sustainable future for Miami-Dade County.”
Colada, Medium Sweet, Please The man behind a good beverage at Avianca’s stand at Air Cargo Americas earlier this month—whether you wanted a cup of coffee, a colada, or a cappuccino—was a particularly sweet-faced gent, Octavio Ramos.
“I keep the machines working,” 80-year-old Octavio said.
Gentleman Bill Is Miami When “Gentleman” Bill Spohrer came upon the scene at Miami International Airport, air cargo operations were dominated by the likes of Pan American, Slick Airways, Panagra, Eastern and National Airlines.
When he “departed” in 1999, having sold the airline he founded (Challenge Air Cargo to UPS), Bill had transformed what was “Corrosion Corner” at the airport into something else.
Miami International had become the “Hub of the Americas,” with scheduled airline routes reaching all around the world.
Closely Watched Trains At Istanbul This week digitalization on rail got a once over, even though the big Logitrans Istanbul Expo is being conducted through today at Ataturk International Airport.
Mirko Schneider is Sales Director of Arviem AG, which was founded in 2008 with headquarters in Baar, Switzerland.
Arviem is a newbie cloud-based software company driving the conversation at Logitrans. A panel of rail executives from Turkey, Kazakhstan, Austria, and Georgia accompanied Mr. Schneider.
Where Do The Children Play
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed youngsters have signed up for a four-year logistics course at Yeditepe Istanbul University with an eye toward becoming the next generation in the cargo field.
The conversation in air cargo today has revolved around imagining the next era of logistics transportation.
In the meeting rooms of industry gatherings and later at the bar the conversation invariably turns to where the next generation of industry leaders will be born.
Utikad Presidents' Circle At Logitrans Istanbul are UTIKAD President Emre Eldener (right) and Immediate Past President Turgut Erkeskin standing proudly in front of the new UTIKAD branding logo.
Meantime at reception at the big UTIKAD display during the big Logitrans event is Ayse Nur Esin.
Rising Star Of Turkish Logistics Ibrahim Dolen (L), CEO Borusan Logistik talking it over with FlyingTypers Publisher Geoffrey Arend at Logitrans Istanbul Wednesday.
One of the fastest growing, brightest stars on the shipping scene here since 1973, this dynamic company in 2017, is a top rated powerhouse integrated logistics service provider, specializing in 3PL.
Nadia Trains For Logistics Looking for adventure, a change of life, maybe a forever job in the United Arab Emirates, or elsewhere in logistics?
The National Association of Freight and Logistics (NAFL) Dubai, is offering an internship program placing candidates in member companies for a period of two months to gain “hands on knowledge of the Logistics Industry,” said Nadia Abdul Aziz, President of NAFL.
The Right Hotel Chemistry The old part of town in Istanbul is called Sultanahmet.
The area is a trip back from modern to ancient times. Even today old Roman walls and obelisks still partially ring the area.
Other remnants of this city date back ten thousand years from Istanbul to Constantinople.
Landmarks seem to be everywhere—important Christian and Muslim places of worship dot the city, including the world-famous Blue Mosque.
Logitrans Instanbul Like Silk For Logistics This week Messe München, the folks that bring you Air Cargo Europe every other year, once again organize Logitrans International Transport Logistics Exhibition in Istanbul in conjunction with EKO Fair Limited, Munich.
Held just off the main runways of Istanbul Ataturk International Airportinside Hall 9 & 10 of the Istanbul Expo Center, the event runs November 15-17 with the trade show floors open 11:00-17:00 daily.
45 Alive EMO Trans USA “In October 1972, we founded EMO Trans USA,” Chairman Jo Frigger recalled recently.
“Looking back (and ahead), our founding in America 45 years ago has turned out to be a fairly sensible decision,” he smiled.
Atlanta Brokers Thanksgiving Friday For the fifteenth year, on Friday, November 17, in Atlanta, Georgia, a grand airport tradition occurs as Atlanta Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders throw open their doors for a couple of hours starting at high noon to share the love. It’s an open house where everybody is invited for a free, old-fashioned turkey dinner.
This annual party reaches out far and wide to host several hundred people to a homemade turkey dinner with all the trimmings, as the United States looks forward to celebrating the wonderful American holiday Thanksgiving.
What A Difference A Day Makes Back in 1958, Dinah Washington
recorded “What a Diff’Rence a Day Makes.” The wonderful
“Queen of the Blues” entreated:
“What a difference a day made
Twenty-four little hours
Brought the sun and the flowers
Where there used to be rain…”
All New Delta Cargo Web Delta Airlines VP Cargo Shawn Cole turned
on his computer recently and liked what he saw.
Miami Keeping Cargo Track An
interesting number popped up at Air Cargo Americas. It was revealed that
air cargo originating from and destined to MIA has an annual commercial
value of $57.3 billion.
Of course, air cargo people are used to
hearing that. Although tonnage tends to be minor as compared to ocean,
total value of shipments is always disproportionately on the side of goods
shipped by air.
ATC Best Results In 30 Years ATC Aviation Services
President Ingo Zimmer was situated in his stand at Air Cargo Americas,
discussing strategies with longtime service partner “Bodacious”Jim
Bellinder, United Airlines Cargo.
“It’s been a very good year,”
Ingo says. “We are proud to announce that we are moving toward opening
new countries in Latin America, adding to our existing network of Brazil,
Uruguay, Ecuador, and Venezuela.”
Lorena Lives Latin America “It has been a great 2017 for all of us,” said Lorena Sandoval,
Director FCLA Cargo Sales at American Airlines Cargo pictured (far right)
with colleagues from left, Jennifer Stelling, Group Manager Marketing
Strategy and Communications; Julie Johnson, Senior Analyst Business Development
and Marketing and Lisa Oxentine, Managing Director Global & Key Accounts.
Six Guys & A Gal Six Guys
and a Gal… Looking every bit like a chorus line for air cargo,
high-spirited folks from United Airlines fielded their Latin American
team in Miami at Air Cargo Americas, including from left—Alonso
Camacho P., GSA-Cargo Manager Costa Rica, Nicaragua & Honduras;
Diego Subia, International Cargo Sales Manager, Ecuador; Jim Bellinder,
Vice President Cargo Sales-Americas; Freddy Davila Navas, Sales Manager
Latin America, Mexico-Caribbean, Central America; Oscar Castillo M.,
Account Executive Manager Cargo Sales Mexico Region and Andres, Torres,
International Cargo Sales Manager, Colombia.
Qatar With Interest In Cathay Qatar Airways buys 378,188,000 shares or
9.1 percent of Cathay Pacific, adding to an investment portfolio that
includes a 20 percent share ownership investment in International Airlines
Group, 10 percent investment in LATAM Airlines Group, and 49 percent investment
in Meridiana.
Voice of the Shipper at Air Cargo Americas PriceSmart, Inc. Executive Vice President of Logistics and Distribution Frank Diaz delivered a rousing address at Air & Sea Cargo Americas on Wednesday, discussing the rise of e-commerce and its impact on cargo.
“The landscape of retail is constantly changing,” Frank Diaz declared, “and at a rapid rate.
“Almost daily now there are news reports about disruption of retail, and bankruptcies.
“Store closures, zombie malls, and,the ‘Amazon Effect’ all dominate retail news headlines.”
A Heart In Frisco
AJ Thiara, VP of Operations at Frisco, Texas-based US Cargo Link, definitely has his heart in Frisco, nearby Dallas, and also Houston, amongst other cities.
After Hurricane Harvey hit on August 17, it was US Cargo Link that provided trucks helping United Airlines Cargo deliver relief supplies from the airport to a shelter set up in the Convention Center downtown.
LATAM Finds Another Joy Not just all about business… LATAM Cargo executives Andres Varela, Sales Vice President East Coast (left) and Gabriel Oliva, Senior Vice President Commercial North America, Europe and Asia at Air Cargo Americas.
Air Cargo Americas Goes to the Dogs Sign of the times… a wave of sniffer dogs and handlers visited every booth, nook, and cranny just prior to exhibits opening at Air & Sea Cargo Americas on Wednesday, November 1.
Katya Powers Air Cargo Americas “African Goddess” perfectly describes this beautiful lady. Decked in dramatic dress that turned heads and stopped traffic at the Bringer Air Cargo display stand.
Katya Santos, a Brazilian girl with a Russian name, was more than happy and not just a bit proud to bring traditional Brazilian garb to a Miami trade show.
Moonstruck I awoke in the middle of last night, thinking raccoons kicking over the garbage cans had disturbed my sleep. Then I looked out the window at the brightness of an almost full-moon flooded the landscape below and the heavens above.
Air & Sea Cargo Americas This Week As Air & Sea Cargo Americas gets underway this week in Miami, the airport welcomed its first ever SAS schedules on Sunday, October 29. An A330 touched down after completing what will be a weekly Sunday flight from Stockholm.
MIA Deputy Director Ken Pyatt (center), SAS General Manager-Americas Max Knagge (left of center) and Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau President & CEO Bill Talbert (right of center) were at the arrival ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Jan Krems World of Wonder
“2017 has been an excellent year for United Cargo thus far, and it looks like the final two months will continue that trend,” declares United Airlines Cargo President Jan Krems.
“Our team spent 2015 and 2016 ‘building the base’ in terms of quality performance, product enhancement, and customer relationships.
“As global trade and air freight demand has increased throughout 2017, the standards of reliability and efficiency we established have resulted in strong growth for our business.”
Turkish Cargo Is Unstoppable Turkish Cargo’s Vice President Cargo Sales (Americas) Mehmet Gurkan is ramping up the excitement as Air Cargo Americas 2017 opens in Miami.
With dramatic increases in its air cargo business, the carrier appears unstoppable as it continues to build its reputation worldwide.
The New Journalism We are writers that walk humbly in the shadow of others.
We are also journalists that have plied our trade for more than 40 years.
I began my newspaper career at The New York Herald Tribune working in the accounting department. As an office and copy boy I grew to know the writers around me, and as it is said I have never looked back.
I Left My Hat in Haiti Roger Samways has served as Vice President Cargo Sales for American Airlines since March of this year. During that time, it has been easier to catch up with him on the road at a trade show or out in customer country than in his office down Texas way, where AA Cargo is headquartered.
Since American is growing by leaps and bounds internationally, that also means Roger is sometimes several time zones away each month as he builds the face and image of AA Cargo worldwide.
AFKLMP Ups Bellies
Four new destinations highlight the just announced KLM/Air France/Martinair winter schedule that began October 29 and operates until March 5, 2018.
New destinations include Paris CDG to Malé (MLE) B777-200 (2x/week); AMS to San José (SJO) B787 Dreamliner (2x/week); AMS to MRU B787 Dreamliner (3x/week); AMS to Mumbai (BOM) – India B787 Dreamliner (3x/week).
I Got The Horse Right Here Mr. Guillaume Halleux, Senior Vice President Cargo and Acting/Chief Officer Cargo Qatar Airways Cargo presented a memento of appreciation to Mr. Khalifa Al Attiya, the Executive Director of AL SHAQAB, the region’s most dynamic equestrian centre and global equine leader, and a member of Qatar Foundation.
IAG Cargo Up Third quarter (July 1-September 30) results show an increase of 10.2 percent year or year.
Lewis Girdwood, CFO at IAG Cargo, said the strong growth was due to demand growing faster than capacity. The results were also largely driven by the demand on the Asia-Pacific sector, due to ocean congestion between China and Europe.
Lufthansa Cool Lufthansa Cargo will be now offering va-Q-tec high performance thermal containers at their stations worldwide.
These advanced passive thermal containers (va-Q-tainer ) provide temperature-controlled solutions for six temperature ranges from -70°C to +25°C in five sizes, offering constant temperature control over several days without the need for external energy sources.
American Airlines Cargo #PuertoRicoStrong “After Hurricane Irma devastated so many islands in the Caribbean before hitting Florida, we were heartbroken to see the impact Hurricane Maria had on Puerto Rico.
“We have thousands of American Airlines team members with family and friends in the region, so it’s been especially difficult for us to watch these islands endure multiple Category 5 storms.”
Paige Air Cargo For Atlanta What an interesting year it has been for Elliott Paige, Airport Director of Air Service Development at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
The big airport in Gerogia continues its remarkable growth, innovation, and expansion.
We caught up with Elliott as he was on a flight last week traveling back to Atlanta after a long mission promoting cargo and passenger in India and South Africa.
Richard Malkin Was A Genius When I started in the air cargo business with Seaboard Word Airlines in the 60s, Richard Malkin was already a legend.
He used to come into SWA offices at JFK and interview our top brass.
People like Richard Jackson, our CEO, John Mahoney, and Al Levinson were community figures Richard brought forward in features.
Simply put, looking back more than half a century ago, the younger Bill Boesch thought that if Dick ever interviewed him, it would be the mark of having made it in the air cargo industry.
Richard Malkin: True Confessions To give you a clear idea of the time I am talking about, it was 1943 and the war was at its bloody height. I worked as a reporter for a daily newspaper, covering general news and local politics, wrote an occasional human interest story, and shared in the handling of the war news poured out by teletype.
EVA Cargo Nonstop Spiral Upward The outlook for air freight markets could not be more uplifting, at least according to one of Asia’s leading carriers. Taiwan’s EVA Air reports that freight demand and economic indicators have been positive since the second half of 2016 and the carrier is now looking to secure more market share on key lanes to and from Asia.
“Following the upward international trading figures and airfreight growth from the second half of 2016, selling rates are going in an upbeat direction,” said a written response from EVA to Flying Typers.
Charity Golf In South Wales Registration, sausage sizzle, and coffee from 7am, tee-off at 8am (sandwiches and drinks will be provided on-course), luncheon with open bar and presentations of course, and it is off to the links for a good cause in New South Wales, Australia today October 24.
They Got Pull Move over bio fuel . . . staff at AIM Altitude (UK) pulled a Boeing 737 at Bournemouth Airport, a distance of 50 meters, to raise money for Wessex Cancer Trust.
The event was a first-ever, plane-pulling event for AIM Altitude’s team that managed a third-place finish, beating 15 more experienced teams.
Perishables Forward India Gateways The recent launch of the ‘AISATS Cargo’ mobile app by Air India SATS Airport Services (AISATS), with its facilities located at the Bengaluru International Airport (KIA), marked one more milestone in the move towards boosting the pharma and perishable exports from the country.
Over the last few years, major airports in the country—especially the ones run by private operators—have focused on pharmaceutical and perishable exports.
Autumn Prayer Later this week the temperature is supposed to drop in New York City, and the change immediately invokes the appearance of Indian corn, pumpkins, and fresh-pressed apple cider at the corner store.
It is still too early for bittersweet, but our backyard vine should yield a bumper crop after first frost, just in time for Thanksgiving on the last Thursday in November.
Cogoport Online India Logistics “We are driven by the pains of our customer and that’s basically the soul of our organization. Our core mission is to decentralize things for efficiency and use available resources in the ecosystem for best use of customers.”
That quote came from Cogoport Founder and CEO Purnendu Shekhar.
Set up in India’s financial capital, Mumbai, Cogoport is an online logistics platform that will provide the best air freight rates for customers. The services will start in a couple of months. It is already doing that for ocean rates. An industry veteran—Shekhar has been in the “industry ecosystem for 22-odd years”—he had the distinct feeling that he was being left out of “logistics.”
Off To The Trotters In horse racing, a “trotter” is a horse harnessed to a light, two-wheeled vehicle called a “sulky.”
For the New York/New Jersey air cargo community, a novel and much-needed meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday, October 24.
The JFK Air Cargo Association will get down to business and some fun as well at “Trotters Bar & Grill,” a favorite watering hole near the big airport.
From our vantage point, Trotters is apropos for an evening off to the races, with people networking and moving the marble toward getting on the same page together.
You've Got To Have Heart Often the news that comes through can be unbearable.
Terrible is probably not strong enough a word to describe the senseless incident in Las Vegas at a harvest music festival where a lone gunman left 58 people dead and 546 injured.
But hope is still alive as decent people everywhere came forward to offer help and comfort, love and mercy, all around.
Air cargo stepped up as well.
TWA JFK Weekend Heralding itself as “a trip back to 1962,” Eero Saarinen’s JFK International Airport TWA Terminal Building opens this weekend for a last look before a $250 million hotel complex obliterates the iconic airport building, erasing once and for all the last vestige of landscape surrounding Eero’s masterpiece.
If you can’t wait to pony up the mega bucks the new on-airport hotel will demand when completed in 2019, the developers and some others have opened up a swank, by-appointment-only “sneak peek” at a replica of the new JFK TWA-Saarinen hotel on the 82nd floor of One World Trade Center in Manhattan.
Peak Peek Into Octember When Apple unveiled its new iPhone X among a bevy of launches in September, it was easy to see air freight’s Indian summer through the prism of the electronic behemoth’s pre-launch shipments. Yet that was not the only factor boosting demand on key lanes. Take fidget spinners, for example.
The kids craze has taken the world by storm this year. By May, all 20 of the top-selling toys on Amazon were fidget spinners or fidget cubes. One estimate suggests that during the first six months of the year, 50m units of the product were sold – mostly to consumers in Europe and the U.S.
Ramesh TIACA India Powerhouse TIACA’s appointment of Ramesh Mamidala, Chief Executive Officer of Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management to the TIACA Board of Directors along with Sanjeev Gadhia, founder and CEO of Kenya-based Astral Aviation is being viewed as another recognition of India’s growing importance in the world.
TIACA Secretary General Vladimir Zubkov declares Ramesh Mamidala and Sanjeev Gadhia will help to expand global links to the air cargo supply chain, especially via developing regions of India.
IATA Loses India Agents Beef Once Again In what can best be described as another round in the International Air Transport Association (IATA) versus Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACAAI) battle, India’s Competition Commission (CCI) recently dismissed allegations of unfair business practices made against ACAAI and its office bearers with regard to implementation of Cargo Accounts Settlement System (CASS).
Donna Is Her Name Donna Amendola retired after spending the past 30 years as a pioneering woman in logistics at EMO Trans Global Logistics.
While there may not be publications lining up to hand out an award to this “Pioneering Lady of Transportation,” they could, or better put they should be.
Based in the northeastern U.S. inside the EMO offices in Hartford, Connecticut, Donna has a reputation for being the longest employed salesperson for one freight forwarding company. She can proudly look back on serving three decades with EMO Trans, while looking ahead to a well deserved happily after.
Something For The Kids More than fifty United Cargo employees and partners ran, swam, and biked through the streets of Tempe, Arizona, in the recent Life Time Tri Tempe Triathlon. Contributions made in the name of the Cargo team’s triathletes raised more than $70,000 for Save the Children, a charity that provides critical care and supplies to at-risk children in communities affected by natural disasters.
Babar of Pakistan Leads FIATA To India Leave it to air cargo and transportation worldwide to bring people together.
Next year FIATA holds their Annual World Congress from September 25-29, 2018. The host country will be India, with opening ceremonies in New Delhi. Newly-elected FIATA President Babar Badat of Pakistan will welcome shipping community leaders as well as Indian government leaders to the venue, opening the most important cargo transportation event of 2018.
October Event Like Silk In Baku When the Seventh Caspian Air Cargo Summit got underway October 7-11 inside the Boulevard Hotel in Baku Azerbijan, Silk Way Group President Zaur Akhundov was front and center.
Mr. Akhundov oversees the fortunes of 23 aviation-related companies, including Silk Way Airlines.
Silk Way is the Azerbaijani state-run cargo airline with head offices and flight operations at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku.
Hurricane Relief Continues Mike Oslansky, United Cargo’s ebullient head of U.S. Cargo Operations, reached out to update us on the carrier’s campaign to deliver emergency relief supplies to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.
Mike first detailed United’s response to the devastating effect of multiple hurricanes inFlyingTypers’ September 20th edition.
CNS President Quits Air Cargo Lionel Van Der Walt, CNS President who burst upon the scene as fresh as Listerine a couple years ago, shaking up and moving Cargo Network Services (CNS) forward, has turned in his resignation and will depart CNS December 31,2017.
It’s a sad day for the air cargo industry as we lose one of its most sincere, passionate, vocal and impactful leaders.
Lionel Van Der Walt departs not only CNS, but the aviation industry that he so loved. FlyingTypers obtained a copy of Lionel’s resignation letter.
Malaysia Heats Up FIATA 2017 On Wednesday, October 4, FIATA opened its Annual World Congress in Kuala Lumpur in grand style, revealing a new crop of young, up-and-coming Gen Y logistics professionals. The gathering included the best and brightest forwarders who are bringing innovation and creativity to the industry.
The FIATA Young International Freight Forwarder Award (YIFFA) is no walk-in-the-park handout. It reflects the best practical application of the transportation scheme by young professionals in the business today.
Air Cargo Aid Hangs Tough As Need Expands The string of recent natural disasters, not just the hurricanes that struck Puerto Rico and the continental U.S., but also the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that shook central Mexico – wrecked untold havoc, affecting millions of people.
These terrible disasters brought out the full force of the U.S. cargo airline industry, as well as FEMA and the U.S. Military, to deliver immediate relief.
Two For The Future Once again, FIATA brought forward some smart, interesting, and very appealing young forwarding talent at the opening of the organization’s World Congress event taking place this week in Kuala Lumpur.
As always, Stanley Lim and Issa Baluch were in the center of the action.
Both gentleman have served as President of FIATA and today continue in various posts as part of the organization’s Board of Directors.
But that is not what this is all about.
YIFFY Steps Out Smartly In Kuala Lumpur On Wednesday, October 4, FIATA opened its Annual World Congress in Kuala Lumpur in grand style, revealing a new crop of young, up-and-coming Gen Y logistics professionals. The gathering included the best and brightest forwarders who are bringing innovation and creativity to the industry.
The FIATA Young International Freight Forwarder Award (YIFFA) is no walk-in-the-park handout. It reflects the best practical application of the transportation scheme by young professionals in the business today.
Number 9 For EMO China Fast-growing EMO Trans Global Logistics opened their ninth EMO China office on September 1 in Wuxi.
Wuxi, served by Wuxi Sunan Shuofang International Airport, is located on the southern border of Jiangsu Province, about 128 kilometers (79.5 miles) northwest of Shanghai.
Delta & Virgin Team Up Pharma Virgin Atlantic Cargo and Delta Cargo opened combined Pharma handling at London Heathrow at their Cargo Point facility.
Now a fully segregated area dedicated to handling and storing pharmaceutical shipments is at Cargo Point.
Why QR Added B747-8F Qatar Airways recently took delivery of the first of two new B747-8 freighters.
We asked Qatar Airways Chief Cargo Officer Uli Ogiermann why Qatar chose that aircraft type where aircraft would fly.
Until recently, we had been leasing this aircraft type from third party suppliers so that we could offer solutions for out-of-gauge and high-volume movements mainly on a charter basis.
Remembering Richard Malkin One of the most important pioneering journalists in air cargo history, Richard Malkin died peacefully at home this past July 11, 2017.
Dick turned 104 years old on June 27.
Richard Malkin was part of our print publication from 1990 until 1994. He returned to FlyingTypers at age 100 and wrote continuously until mid-2016, supplying a flurry of final of interviews, comments, and feature stories.
Algorithms & People As long as man is unable to beam a piece of freight from one end of the world to another, the essence of knowledge and physical maneuvering is as important as the technological application.
Technology is one side of the coin and skills is another.
The two concepts go hand in hand, exerting complementary pressure. Experience has shown us that in any business cycle the organization must be agile. There needs to be a focus on customer service, and lastly but equally crucial is talent development.
Summer Biz A Beauty Falls A Poppin'! Did the peak season start in August? One forwarder believes it did…
The latest air cargo data reaffirmed that demand was strong throughout the summer. More of the same is to be expected through the end of the year.
The Confucius Temple in Nanking was busy last Saturday, October 2, during the start of National Day Golden Week in China.
The celebration, which continues through October 8, sees the Chinese people spend a record high sum of money on shopping and food during a glorious, weeklong, countrywide event.
Belinder Live At Five “Bodacious” Jim Bellinder, United Cargo’s VP Sales Americas, is in the news this week. “Live With Five” is a breezy but thoughtful set of answers to five questions about the “Billion Dollar Baby” that is United Worldwide Cargo today.
Qatar Cargo Talks The Blockade Qatar Airways Chief Cargo Officer Ulrich (Uli) Ogiermann has enjoyed a varied and illustrious air cargo career. In addition to his 5 years with Qatar Airways, Uli also served as CEO at Cargolux and as Chairman of the International Air Cargo Association (TIACA).
It is doubtful that anything this decent, soft-spoken executive has done in his life has required more skill than serving as Chief Cargo Officer at Qatar Airways. During his tenure, a blockade served by several of Qatar’s Gulf neighbors has impacted the carrier.
Here, Uli opens up about conducting business under unusual circumstances, addressing a host of topics in an exclusive, wide-ranging interview.
A Great Unknown Cargo Event Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) is the go-to 3PL group that very quietly—although apparently not deliberately—has emerged in 2017 as an engaging, professional, and educational organization for the burgeoning $164 billion third-party logistics industry.
“TIA,” says President & CEO Robert Voltmann, “represents transportation intermediaries in all disciplines of domestic and international commerce and is the voice of 3PLs to shippers, carriers, government officials, and international organizations.”
With offices in Washington, D.C., Mr. Voltmann, who also serves as Secretary General of FIATA, leaves no doubt TIA is present and accounted for where the rubber meets the road up and down the hallways of the U.S. Congress.
ATC Oktoberfest September Kickoff A cherished tradition and the biggest and best Oktoberfest in Frankfurt aviation was held this week on Wednesday September 27, at “Anglerheim Moerfelden” located in a bosky dell quite close to Frankfurt Airport. The fifth “ATC Oktoberfest” hosted by Ingo Zimmer and Dagmar Hanau greeted more than 500 guests in attendance.
Digital India - Great Expectations Despite all its brilliance and great expectations in 2017, India still remains one of the “toughest places” on the planet to do business, according a recent story in The Wall Street Journal.
For the record, of the first attempts that the almost three-year-old Narendra Modi government took up with gusto was to simplify rules and cut the bureaucratic red tape.
Online Air Cargo Bazaar There has been a lot of talk on adopting technology to make air cargo more efficient. While air cargo regulators and industry stalwarts have never hesitated to talk about technology, only a handful from the industry has risen to do something.
Enter Air Freight Bazaar (AFB)! The Chennai start-up could well claim to be India’s air freight aggregator.
With offices in Delhi, Mumbai, and Dubai, it provides freight forwarding rates and information related to the air cargo industry in real-time.
Flight Of Fancy With Miss Lillian Lillian Ross, who the New York Times aptly described as “the consummate fly-on-the-wall reporter in more than six decades at The New Yorker,” died on Wednesday, September 20, in Manhattan, New York.
She was 99.
Countless generations of readers and writers appreciated this lovely, down-to-earth artist. She had a wonderful technique and style and become the heart and soul of The New Yorker, one of the truly great magazines.
She retired in 2012.
Changi Roars Back After a decade of limited cargo growth, Singapore’s Changi Airport is undergoing something of a freight renaissance.
As reported by FlyingTypers earlier this year, in 2016 the Southeast Asian hub recorded 6.3 percent expansion in throughput to take annual tonnage to 1.97 million tons. This year Changi seems certain to finally break the 2 million-ton barrier.
It would be easy to attribute this success to the overall growth of air freight markets spurred on by positive economic tailwinds over the last 18 months. But over the decade previous to 2016, growth across Asian markets barely registered at Singapore.
Cargo Awards Less Than Rewarding As the air cargo awards bonanza begins anew for the autumn event season, what is the net positive effect of awards upon the industry?
Awards for airlines, forwarders, airports, and people are now a baseline activity at almost every organized event in air cargo, big and small. They have become such a ubiquitous feature of closing banquets that we are now seeing candidate advertisements that not only campaign but also trumpet past honors.
What happens to these awards after they are given out?
The Fourth Pillar of TIACA TIACA traditionally has been declaring that its work is based on three pillars: · Networking
· Knowledge
· Advocacy Some time ago, I suggested to the Board—and there was an agreement in principle—that we need to add “Consultancy.”
A demand for consultancy exists in the air cargo industry and TIACA’s readiness to provide service and expertise should be an asset. One of the ways forward would be to establish a roster of experts in different disciplines, which will be based initially on our knowledge of people in the industry and then can be open to a vetting process similar to the one for TIACA’s membership.
UK May Lift Bangladesh Ban Bangladesh hired a British company to tidy up air cargo security at gateway Hazrat Shahjalal Airport, with hopes that sanctions against any direct cargo flights into the UK would be lifted soon.
All About Airports Pt. 4 - Keep Trading or Start Fading For fifteen years, Adam Rod has been with the Chicago Department of Aviation, which owns and operates O’Hare and Midway Airports for the City of Chicago. He has been the Department’s chief planning official since 2008. As planning administrator, his many responsibilities range from formulating a wide array of airport projects, to serving as the key liaison for external stakeholders, to managing air cargo affairs at O’Hare. He enjoys sharing his experiences and exploring issues with the aviation industry whenever he can.
Algorithms & People Drive Cargo There are legions of “virtual forwarders” entering the cargo business in 2017.
We recently spoke to a leader of the international forwarding community for a reality check on the impact VFs have on the industry. Keshav Tanna is a transportation innovator whose impact is felt globally beyond his company base at Mumbai, India.
Tanna serves as Director at Links Forwarders Pvt. Ltd.
He is also FIATA Vice President and Chairman of the FIATA Air Freight Institute.
Hurricane Relief Steps Up The Mike “It’s a massive humanitarian effort, quite unlike business as usual, and I am both humbled and proud to be part of a passionate team at the airline and our partners who are pitching in to help,” said “The Mike” Mike Oslansky, effusive Director of U.S. Cargo Operations at United Airlines.
As we spoke in UA’s Corporate Support Center in Chicago’s Willis Tower on Thursday, Mike displayed great enthusiasm for the efforts of the emergency response team established at United.
Colombo To Columbus A voyage of discovery as Qatar Airways Cargo teamed up with EFL, Expo Freight last month and opened a new station (Rickenbacker International Airport) in the bargain moving 100 tons of ready to wear garments via a QR B777 freighter from Colombo, Sri Lanka to Columbus, Ohio.
FIATA 2018 Says Hello Delhi FIATA World Congress 2018 in Delhi: FFFAI will showcase Brand India (in the picture, above Mr. Debashish Dutta and the FIATA World Congress 2018 logo).
Scheduled for September 25-29, 2018, at Aerocity in New Delhi, in just about two weeks the plan gets kick started at “FIATA World Congress 2017,” taking place in Malaysia from October 4-8, 2017.
A strong delegation comprising some 45 FFFAI member customs broking companies is attending the event in Malaysia to promote the FWC-2018 in Delhi.
United Relief After Irma “After the dread and destruction of recent days, and given all the infrastructure challenges in the area, it’s gratifying to report that United Airlines resumed flight operations into most Florida cities Tuesday,” said Jan Krems, President United Cargo.
“We’ll resume limited cargo service in some locations on Wednesday, and we plan to lift all restrictions in U.S. locations impacted by Irma by Thursday.”
Cargo Accelerates Miami Comeback As reported worldwide Hurricane Irma heavily impacted Miami International Airport (MIA) this past weekend.
MIA is a major hub in the American Airlines system.
“Because keeping the safety of our employees, passengers and your cargo remains our top priority, we are in the process of resuming a limited schedule, “AA writes.
Coffee Watch In Miami Major airports across Florida are assessing the damage done by Hurricane Irma this past weekend.
FlightAware reports that more than 4,200 U.S. flights scheduled for Monday, September 11, were cancelled by mid-afternoon, and there have been more than 9,000 cancellations since Saturday.
There is no doubt that getting back to normal will be a gradual process.
Miami International Airport reopened for limited operations Tuesday.
American Airlines, Miami’s biggest carrier, said it would resume limited operations.
Prakash Nair: A Man For All Seasons In early May of this year, as we moved about Transport Logistik and Air Cargo Europe 2017 in Munich, we noted that a fine fellow and colleague, Emirates SkyCargo’s Prakash Nair, was not present at Emirates big dominator display.
As it turns out, Prakash retired after 30 years of service at SkyCargo.
But gone cannot be forgotten. Prakash Nair was and is a gem of a great human being.
Prakash joined Emirates in 1987, part of the team that was instrumental at the genesis of SkyCargo.
An Airline Story From The Heart The story is “aw shucks” heartwarming and comfortable to watch.
The tale unfolds with spirit and sureness as we learn what happened to several airborne flights when the 911 tragedy struck. U.S. airspace irised shut and Canadian Air Traffic Control stepped in to offer help.
One place experienced what must have felt like the whole world dropping in for a visit. The sleepy Gander, Newfoundland, handled a total of 38 jumbo jets and 4 military flights bound for the United States at Newfoundland’s Gander International Airport—the nearest sizable airport on the continent—as part of Operation Yellow Ribbon.
Where In The World? Where in the world is the air cargo pioneer and educator who among other things forged and established the Sea-Air business in Dubai?
The New Green Vikings Erik (the Red)—a true Viking—woke up one day and found himself an outlaw from Iceland for three years due to a dispute, notwithstanding the fact that he killed a few people along the way.
Being outlawed, Erik sailed west in year 982 to a somewhat mysterious and little-known land.
Happy Faces—Going Places Suparna Airlines opened services this week at Frankfurt-Hahn Airport in Germany, formally launching a new cargo route Xi’an-Hahn-Erdos.
On August 9, 2017 China based HNA Group purchased 82.5% of Frankfurt-Hahn Airport.
Miles & More In Frankfurt On August 24 nearly 1,000 runners participated in a fund-raising event organized by Cargo Human Care. The net proceeds will go towards funding the construction of a preschool for 100 children in an impoverished neighborhood of Nairobi.
Into The Eye Of The Storm Hurricane Harvey delivered record rain in Houston, Texas, making the going there and elsewhere very tough.
But as the saying says, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
To witness what people are doing for each other in the face of the most miserable storm in recent history underscores that the human spirit not only endures but also assumes command.
USACIA Goes Inside Politics & Policy Paul Lettow is joining leading advocates for air cargo at the second US Air Cargo Industry Affairs Summit (USACIA) being held in Washington, D.C., on September 6. Paul is a partner in the Washington office of Jones Day, the pioneering U.S. firm that is also serving as host to this year’s gathering.
Jones Day has a robust government regulation practice with a focus on cross-border commerce.
Up Against The Wall From left Pablo Lluch (Alfilpack), David Olmos (Milestone Logistics), Nacho Pascual (Gesprolog), Vicente Soriano (Mulem) and Germán Monedero (Aza Logistics) In Spain Milestone Logistics leads an alliance with four other companies to offer full services in the supply chain.
Front Foot For ANA Cargo Talk about an advantageous position. Japanese carrier ANA reports a strong start to the year and predicts air freight markets will stay positive as it gears up for major expansion in the coming years.
A spokesman for ANA Cargo told FlyingTypers that export cargo demand from Japan had seen stable growth for many months. He also said China-bound semi-conductors and automobile related shipments were “expected to show strong demand”during 2017, while exports from Japan on Transpacific lanes and to Europe had also seen vigorous growth.
How India GSTax Impacts Air Cargo It has been just over a month since the ‘game-changing’ Goods and Services Tax—the new centralized tax on goods and services that has eliminated the numerous different rates applied by various states across the country—launched in India.
While the ‘One Nation, One Tax’ received the initial welcome (although IATA and quite a few freight forwarders wanted more clarity about some sections of the tax) it appears now that the government will have to strategize fixing the anomalies.
Trump Effect Pt. 7 It feels as though major international developments are happening faster and faster these days, with tremendous potential to impact global logistics. To stay ahead of the game in this unprecedented time, we must ask ourselves: how will these global politics affect the airline industry?
In my previous articles, I have argued that airlines have never faced such an uncertain environment before.
Rewarding Experience Got to hand it to you . . . Right Honorable Vice President of Nepal Mr. Nanda Bahadur Pun says thanks to Qatar Airways Country Manager Nepal Mr. Jayaprakash Nair (right) as Nepal Freight Forwarders Association recognized Qatar Airways Cargo as top export tonnage airline serving the country for 2016.
From Capetown To Eindhoven As FIATA World Congress 2017 approaches, we recall a young international freight forwarder who won FIATA’s 14th Annual Young International Forwarder Of The Year (YIFFY) award in 2012. His first experience in South Africa inspired his written dissertation.
Daniel Terbille’s study dealt with the challenging fashion apparel environment in South Africa, which is characterized by rapid changes in demand patterns.
A4A Reasons x 270,000 For the past six years, Airlines for America (A4A) Cargo Services Managing Director Elizabeth (Liz) Merritt has stewarded 270,00 daily flights to more than 800 destinations. That gives her 270,000 reasons to be front and center at Jones Day in Washington, DC, on September 6, when A4A partners with Cargo Network Services at the 2017 U.S. Air Cargo Industry Affairs (USACIA) Summit.
Can China-Europe Cargo Stay On Track? Rail logistics on the China run from Asia into Europe is reportedly experiencing delays of up to a week. Shippers having discovered a price and service alternative to ocean and air, also find that all their best friends had the same idea.
“Currently,” says the Hong Kong-based Global Supply Chain Council (GSCC), “there are 53 weekly trains into Europe and 23 headed back to Asia as of May 2017.”
“During 2016, 40,000 containers moved by train between Asia and Europe,” DB Schenker adds.
The Fixer At American Airlines Cargo In today’s world of instant global communication, everybody has the ability to be a reporter. The modern world has offered up customer experiences for public consumption, turning the management of expectations into a delicate balancing act.
As American Airlines Cargo Director of Customer Experience, Eric Mathieu is a key force in walking that tightrope and securing the emerging air cargo fortunes at the world’s largest airline.
Stamp Of A Total Eclipse Of The Sun More than 110 U.S. Postal Service offices in or near the path of the full solar eclipse, which cut across the United States from Oregon to South Carolina Monday, offered a special postmark.
Postmarks were unique in some locations, while most used this one designed by the national office.
“Post offices used the special postmark only on Monday, but others are also using it before and after the eclipse,” a USPS spokesman said.
Two Organizations One Mission “On September 6, TIACA will be in Washington, D.C. to participate in the U.S. Air Cargo Industry Affairs Summit (USACIA) for the second time,” TIACA Secretary General Vladimir Zubkov told FT. “Our attendance last year proved to be interesting and useful.
“This year again the important agenda, renowned speakers and audience from different sectors of the air cargo industry – all points at good networking and sharing of knowledge.”
Famous Last Words leisure Cargo said this week that is “not negatively impacted,” even though parent Air Berlin filed for bankruptcy this past Tuesday.
“All flights operated by Air Berlin and NIKI will continue as planned and our flight and cargo schedules remain valid,” leisure Cargo said.
Looking ahead, Air Berlin could be broken up leaving the fate of leisure Cargo hanging in the balance.
Air Canada Magic India Air Canada’s Toronto-Mumbai non-stop service started in the beginning of July after a gap of nearly 25-odd years.
The four-times-weekly flight is aimed to promote Canada among Indian fliers.
As Air Canada Vice President-Global Sales Duncan Bureau put it, “Our new flights show our commitment to the Indian market and these routes will operate year-round with Air Canada’s state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.”
ATC Always Takes Care August’s high summer skies may elicit the desire to kick back and enjoy the hazy, crazy, lazy days of summer 2017, but business must go on.
For us, it is never too early to ready for a Oktoberfest in Frankfurt (September 27) hosted by CEO ATC Aviation Services Ingo Zimmer.
The gathering with Ingo and Dagmar Hanau (ATC's Group Marketing Manager) eases the transition into autumn in the best way.
The great company, fun & games, beer, and plates of delectable foods (especially the pfefferling mushrooms) are worth a trip.
SWISS Streamlines Americas Effective October 1, Swiss World Cargo realigns the America’s into two regions: Western, Southern USA & South America and Northeast/Midwest USA and Canada.
Northeast/Midwest USA and Canada will continue to be led by Mr. Michael Ganz, based in New York.
Air Berlin Goes Bust On Tuesday, Air Berlin said that it has filed for insolvency proceedings after its main shareholder Etihad Airways said it "would not provide any further financial support."
Etihad had reported huge losses in 2016, and sees its two major European airline investments—Air Berlin and Alitalia on the financial rocks, with both seeking bidders for their business.
Euro Shippers Overview Summer 2017 Air cargo should be able to guarantee shippers an efficient, high-speed, and transparent service to justify premium rates. But at the moment LSPs are frequently not able to, according to Rogier Spoel, Policy Manager for Air Freight at the European Shippers’ Council.
He told FlyingTypers that air freight stakeholders need to improve speeds and reduce paperwork to meet the rapidly evolving requirements of multinational and SME shippers.
Airports - Don't Get Ashley Started Airports are powerful drivers of economic growth, insists Ashley Sng, Research Analyst, Economic Affairs, Airports Council International-North America and Secretary of the ACI-NA Air Cargo Committee.
The youthful executive declares, “America’s airports generate more than $1.2 trillion in annual economic activity, accounting for 8% of GDP.
“Air cargo is a facilitator of that economic growth, with airports being a key piece of the puzzle.”
Where Back To School Offers New Career Down Atlanta way, increased business through Hartsfield Jackson International Airport (ATL) and the Port of Savannah is creating a shortage of workers who are skilled in navigating the intricacies of customs regulations.
Leave it to community leader and innovator Donna Mullins to come forward and team up to present an accessible training opportunity, offering both support to our growing industry, and also an excellent prospect for folks to start a new career in transportation.
Summer Season Of The Witch Nadezhda Popova was born on December 27, 1921, in Ukraine. At the fledgling age of fifteen and unbeknownst to her parents, Nadezhda joined a pilot club in the Soviet Union, where females accounted for only a quarter of the population. The Economist called her “a wild spirit, easily bored; she loved to tango, foxtrot, sing along to jazz. It made her feel free, which was also why at 15 she had joined a flying club without telling her parents.”
Notes From The Backyard “Imagination is funny, it makes a cloudy day sunny, makes a bee think of honey, just as I think of you,” sings Tommy Dorsey, but it could just as well be me speaking to dear air cargo . . .
Lying in the hammock, looking at the sky whilst that song played on the radio this past weekend, supplied a momentary flight of fancy. I fell deep into a dream and without ever leaving my own backyard.
India Taking Air Cargo Personal In October 2016, when India’s Airports Authority of India created a wholly-owned but functionally and administratively-independent cargo subsidiary, the AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited (AAICLAS), air cargo stakeholders felt it was the right step.
With its 125 airports—18 international airports, 7 Customs airports, 78 domestic, and 26 civil enclaves at military airfields—the AAI had too much on its hands to handle.
So, the separation of the cargo department was logical.
Cargo Affairs From The Heart “Again this year, the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) are collaborating with Cargo Network Services Corp (CNS) as part of The U.S. Air Cargo Industry Affairs Summit (USACIA in Washington D.C. September 6.
“NCBFAA is comprised of customs brokers, ocean transportation intermediaries and indirect air carriers, the latter creating a perfect fit for joint activities with CNS.
“Several years ago, a group of air cargo representatives recognized the need to create much greater visibility in Washington for air cargo services.”
Dimerco Upward Beat Goes On Dimerco Express Group is already one of Asia’s largest forwarders and 3PLs, but the Taiwan-based company has global ambitions and air freight is central to its strategic blueprint.
Last year Dimerco handled 219,000 tons of air cargo, up 8.4 percent year-over-year. Volumes were buoyed by expansion of the company’s North America and European operations, which saw year-on-year growth of 28.5 percent and 29.2 percent, respectively.
Quote of the Week “You haven’t heard much about GACAG recently, however the group is not disbanded, and it has some potential, being a platform for discussion, coordination and even joint decisions by TIACA, IATA, GSF and FIATA.
“The latter is the coordinator for 2017 – 2018.”
Final Countdown For Air India As the government prepares for the final countdown of the Air India sale slated for the end of March 2018—the national carrier is burdened with a massive debt of Rs 50,000 crore ($751.6 mn)—the move has raised the hackles of the carrier’s unions.
Modern Air Cargo Took Off From Frankfurt Almost 70 years ago the first all-cargo flights took off from Berlin and the Berlin Airlift was front-page news for over a year.
Fair to say, the Airlift fastened the world’s attention and sparked imaginations to the possibilities of air cargo.
Today we can only guess who is still left among us from that time. Thousands of flights operated 24-7 above 3 corridors across the German Democratic Republic between June 26, 1948, and August 27, 1949, via a mixed fleet of more than 300—mostly American—military aircraft. The mission was to supply a city and all of its 2.1 million inhabitants. Today, Berlin lives on to tell the story.
USACIA Must Attend Event In 2017 it doesn’t matter where you are—you’re there, and there you are!
We are all part of the same air cargo universe, and in 2017 as U.S. air cargo goes, so goes the world.
That is part of what makes the U.S. Air Cargo Industry Summit (USCIA) the center of global power and influence. Held in Washington, D.C., from October 4-6, it’s the top must-attend event for local and international industry movers and shakers out to make a difference.
Women In Charge - Powering AA Cargo Here, we meet some women who power air cargo at the biggest airline in the world.
Keeping thousands of shipments of animals, perishables, medical supplies, and just regular brown packages on time, on track, and intact to their final destination is no walk in the park.
At first blush, you imagine systems, airplanes, and computers, and without a doubt AA Cargo is all of that.
With a tip of the hat to their male counterparts, women at AA Cargo perform extraordinary feats every day to maintain American’s spot as one of the top cargo carriers in the world.
Business Booms As Q4 Looms Vigorous year-on-year June air freight growth points to “high demand” in Q4 peak season…
Strong exports this year have driven double-digit growth in air cargo volumes out of Asia, according to the latest figures from leading airports and carriers. And with macro-economic signals positive and new product launches expected to boost volumes in the coming months in the lead-up to the Q4 peak season, the demand outlook is bright.
The Airport From Hell? “This airport should have been a world-class showpiece for Germany,” says Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline, which has long sought to introduce service to Berlin.
“It’s an embarrassment.”
Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt—also widely known as BER—has cost at least €5 billion since construction began in 2006. Despite promises, the airport is still not fully opened in 2017.
DHL Humanitarian Exceeds The Need Chris Weeks (sitting third from left in above photo with members of the DRT team) is, demonstrably, one of air freight’s good guys. The Brussels-based Brit is an airport logistics specialist with more than 25 years of experience. And it is experience he puts to admirable use.
In his current role as Director of Humanitarian Affairs for Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHLGroup), Weeks is on constant standby, ready to lead DHL volunteer teams into disaster zones to help smooth emergency relief logistics operations at airports worldwide whenever the need arises.
Cargo Security To The Dogs On Tuesday July 25, a U.S. Homeland Security Meeting in Washington examined how to make supply lines more secure.
In attendance were many of the usual suspects for these types of meetings, including: Stephen Alterman, President of the Cargo Airline Association; Brandon Fried, Executive Director, The Airforwarders Association; Michael Mullen, Executive Director, Express Association of America; and Bart Elias, an Academic Specialist in Aviation Policy, The U.S. Library of Congress.
Coca Cola Cole & Delta Cargo Delta Air Lines named Shawn Cole as VP Delta Cargo.
Shawn joined Delta in 2008 from Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) where he served as a director of supply chain value management & strategy.
Most recently at Delta, Mr. Cole served as VP finance and corporate planning.
Etihad Numbers Tank In 2016 Etihad Airways, in a sea of red ink, lost US$ 1.87 billion in 2016.
$808 million in losses were charged to Etihad’s financial adventures with equity partners including Alitalia and airberlin.
AFS Action For India In a move to boost foreign trade, the Indian government is encouraging establishing Air Freight Stations (AFS) and Container Freight Stations (CFS) and is accepting online applications.
The AFS and CFS move ushers in “services for handling and temporary storage of import/export laden and empty containers carried under customs control.”
Where Cargo Reaches The Ruling Class There have undoubtedly been many events endlessly ballyhooed in your e-mails recently.
But, dear reader, take this one to heart. FlyingTypers endorses only one event as a must-attend this autumn in the U.S.
Sign up now and don’t miss out on the CNS initiative meeting as USACIA returns for Part Deux on September 6, 2017.
High Flying Finnair Finnair recorded a first-half net profit of €58.8 million ($67 million), a turnaround from a loss of €16.1 million versus same period in 2016.
The airline achieved the result on turnover up 7.4% year-over-year (YOY) at just under €1.2 billion.
Rocky Was An Original I have been privileged to meet several great people in my years at the airport, especially in New York.
A favorite was Rocco Manniello. At 5 feet, 5 inches tall, Rocco lorded over airport employee food service at LaGuardia, JFK, and even at some leading universities in the area. He even hocked his house in Whitestone in 1988to open “The Yankee Clipper,” a neighborhood Italian home-style eatery inside the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia Airport.
Who Has The Numbers In Summer 2017 As FlyingTypers went to press, a startling 11.3 percent year-on-year growth in exports recorded by China in June caught most analysts off-guard. Following the acceleration—led by exports of electronics and high-tech products to the EU, U.S., and Japan—HSBC predicted “stronger global demand will support export growth [from China] in the coming quarters.”
Indeed, the export outlook is bright across Asia. Certainly, the latest Purchasing Manager Index readings suggest solid demand in the coming months.
Airlift Milks Qatar Moutaz Al Khayyat believes that you never outgrow your need for milk.
So the entrepreneur and chairman of Qatari construction firm Power International Holding initiated the move to airlift Holstein dairy cows from Baladna Livestock Production in Budapest to a purpose-built dairy farm near Doha that has capacity for 4,000 animals to help provide fresh milk during the recent ongoing rift between Qatar and the Gulf Arab Allies.
Amelia Endures At 80 Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared somewhere between Australia and Howland Island on their attempt to fly around the world 80 years ago on July 2, 1937.
It seems the fateful flight is recalled on every anniversary of the event, and somebody always has a different theory on what actually happened.
The Picture Of Rick Elieson Rick Elieson transitions easily between a vocation at American Airlines Cargo to his avocation as a naturalist photographer. His dexterity in the latter practice is evidence to the depths and commitments of his passions. A magnificent collection of photographs, which capture the detail and force of natural life, should confirm his perceptiveness.
Mr. Elieson took the reins of President Cargo at the world’s biggest airline earlier this year. American Airlines has surely benefitted from his bright and keen eye, which shines from his gallery collections.
Letters to the Editor + Pumping Traffic We’re sending early congratulations to the Atlanta, Georgia, air cargo industry, which formed the pioneering Atlanta Air Cargo Association (AACA) 48 years ago this October 6, 1969.
A diverse membership—including five women directors—drive AACA in 2017.
When An Awards Party Gets Down To Business Beyond social and awards activities, ANAMA has an edgy business agenda, which was advanced during the gathering at the AGM in Milan a few weeks ago.
But with “Quality Award” publicity and hoopla always overshadowing industry gatherings, the ANAMA agenda received short shrift and apparently was overlooked.
Knockout Airport Session In Orlando The U.S. Airforwarders Association AirCargo 2017 Conference in Orlando, Florida (June 2-4), included two outstanding and very well received sessions. The first discussed how todays airports are meeting the challenges they face, while the second focused on areas the global air cargo industry should consider for airports of the future.
The first session featured speakers from Miami, Atlanta, and Chicago.
Goodrich Charters UAE to Kazakhstan Goodrich Kazakhstan moved a canopy system from the UAE for construction projects underway in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The cargo required chartering an IL76 and two B-747s.
Stronger In Hard Times; Spark To Us All Beloved mother, grandmother, wife, and pioneering woman in computer programming, Saida Khan died at home in Kalamazoo early Saturday morning, July 1, 2017.
She was 93 years old.
Born in Bhavnagar, India, Saida met and married Muzaffer Khan, a well-respected criminal and corporate lawyer in 1949.
The couple had three children: Ahsan, Sabiha, and Saleem.
Europe To India Adding Up “Our move will touch Mumbai, the economic heart of India, said a smiling Marcel de Nooijer, EVP Air France KLM Martinair Cargo.
The youthful executive is referring to the resumption of KLM flights after “almost two decades.” Services recommence between Mumbai and Schiphol-Amsterdam starting on October 29, 2017.
“By introducing Mumbai, the economic heart of India, to our schedule from Schiphol we are able to further increase our already existing network presence in India.
Antonio Fernandez The Sun King Antonio Fernandes was sitting in a chair as the sun and the warmth of a late Spring day set over Amelia Island, Florida, this year at the EMO Trans Global meetings. Antonio and the expanding world of EMO Trans’s partners and colleagues had been locked in an agenda-filled encounter that included meetings and social events, but on this last evening, as he leaned back in his chair, taking a long thoughtful drag on his cigarette, Antonio reflected aloud about priorities:
“The most important asset we have in the forwarding business is the experience and dedication of our people.”
Riders In The Sky We were thinking about shipping horses recently just as the third leg of America’s Triple Crown occurred at The Belmont in New York City on Saturday, June 10 (The Kentucky Derby & Preakness have already taken place).
Above Belmont, giant Emirates A380s arrive on final into John F. Kennedy International Airport, just near the tracks.
The horse shipment is the oldest gag in air cargo.
Gisela Imagines Beyond Air Cargo Amid all the pretzels, beer, big booth stands, and hopes and dreams of our every expanding industry at last month’s Air Cargo Europe, thoughts often drifted a bit wider as we said, “Hello, Germany.”
We were there in the thousands, acting local behind heaping plates of that particular May German delicacy, white asparagus (spargel). Between mouthfuls we thought global, wondering whether spargel could be a moveable feast, and if so how could we get this wonderful and special vegetable out to the rest of the world?
LAACA Air Cargo Day Go Clubbing… One of our favorite air cargo clubs, the Los Angeles Air Cargo Association (LAACA) hosted a very successful 2017 Air Cargo Day at the Manhattan Beach Marriott.
On June 8, at the LAACA Luncheon meeting, Aeronet Worldwide’s David Gibson (left) took the reigns from Amy Grat, (right) Chief Executive Officer at International Trade Education Programs, Inc. (ITEP), University of Southern California, as new LAACA President. Daniel L. Gardner, President of Trade Facilitators, Inc., was also present and delivered a speech entitled “How Amazon is Disrupting The Logistics World.”
British Forwarders In Brexit Watch Assessing the year since the UK decided to exit the EU, British International Freight Association (BIFA) Director General Robert Keen walks softly but carries a big stick in Euro shipping circles. In the latest update/position of the British Freight Forwarders, he stated, “In the year since the Brexit vote, the UK has been in a period of great uncertainty on the political front and we hope that the new government of whatever hue is ready to confront the massive decisions that now need to be taken.
Qatar Numbers Up Qatar Airways released startlingly positive numbers for its fiscal year and also addressed the recent blockade of air space and operations into Saudi Arabia and elsewhere as announced on June 1. It continues to operate to the rest of its network as per its published schedules with day-to-day adjustments for operational and commercial efficiencies.
Hong Kong Forwarders Eyes On The Prize + Pumping Traffic Hong Kong air freight forwarders have a full-plate year, but long-term competitiveness will depend on infrastructure investment at HKIA and supportive government policies.
Those thoughts were among the key points made by Brian Wu, the affable and insightful chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Freight Forwarding and Logistics, the non-profit organization which represents the autonomous territory at FIATA as well as pushing forwarder interests closer to home.
Trump Effect Pt. 6: U.S. Pilots In Short Supply My last article on the Trump Effect was a discussion on the U.S. Pilot Shortage that is being labeled a National Crisis.
I recently attended a meeting in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Chief of the U.S. Air Force with the major airlines, regional airlines, civil air patrol, the airline unions, A4A, an airline training university, industry experts, congressional staffers, and leaders of the other military services.
The Art Of The Parody The art of the parody. Now in its eighth week on air, The President Show stars Anthony Atamanuik (our son-in-law) as President Trump and Pete Grosz as Vice President Pence. The duo is pictured with FT publisher Geoffrey Arend on location in Queens, New York, last Friday.
Kersten Is The Next FIATA General “Welcome to FIATA,” declared FIATA Director General Marco Sorgetti (left) as former UIC Freight Director Hans Günther Kersten (right) was selected as Mr. Sorgetti’s successor. Kersten will serve as FIATA Deputy Director General until Marco retires in September.
“I am sure a person with your professional background will add another layer of accomplishments in the long list of extraordinary achievements of this association,” said Marco.
Afghan India Deal Leapfrogs Pakistan + Pumping Traffic Starting on June 15, the first lot of Afghan goods will leave Kabul for New Delhi. According to a statement from the Afghanistan Presidential Palace on June 1, that will see the movement of goods by air on the Afghanistan-India air corridor.
Bodacious Bellinder Moves Forward Jim Bellinder, United Cargo’s Vice President Cargo Sales Americas, and a large contingent from United Cargo, deliver a clear and consistent message to the air cargo supply chain contributors and customers gathered this week in Orlando for AirCargo 2017:
“While United Cargo is pleased,” Jim says, “to be the leading belly cargo carrier in volumes and revenues, and grateful to our customers for the trust that makes this happen, that doesn’t mean we’re taking this position or our customers for granted.”
Indicate Strong Cargo Rules 2017 + Pumping Traffic Various sources suggest pricing has been sliding through May but demand indicators are strong for the rest of the year and rates seem likely to rebound this summer.
Drewry’s East-West Airfreight Price Index, a weighted average of all-in airfreight “buy rates” forwarders pay to airlines for standard deferred airport-to-airport airfreight services on 21 major East-West routes for cargoes above 1,000 kg, rose to 88.3 in April which equates to an average rate of $2.86 per kg.
Letter for June 5, 2017 Having just been at the IATA IGHC where we had a plenary session on safety in the ground handling industry (summary here), I think a major focus has to be on the horrific staff turnover numbers in this industry.
Menzies just published their figures and I am led to understand that the numbers are not “outliers” by any means; indeed, they could even be on the lower side of average.
Top Panel Discussion So Far in 2017 @ CNS + Pumping Traffic Of all the air cargo discussion panels at all the industry trade shows and events in the first half of 2017, we think this one is the best.
Here’s why.
The Boston Consulting Group’s Partner & Managing Director Peter Ulrich adroitly moderated “Improving Efficiency, Speed, and Quality at U.S. Airports” at the recent CNS Partnership Conference in Orlando, Florida.
CNS 2017 Through The Looking Glass IATA Cargo Network Services (CNS) President Lionel Van Der Walt had it all on the table earlier this month. He hosted the U.S. cargo universe and industry conferees from around the world in Orlando, Florida at the first CNS Partnership Conference of his own making since being named CNS President.
Air Cargo Took Off Above The Himalayas + Pumping Traffic If you want to know exactly
when the defining time occurred
for air cargo in the 20th
century, and what led to
its development, just cast
a line back seventy two
years ago and you will discover
that modern air cargo was
born in India and China.
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