Qatar Airways Cargo Names
New Senior VP

     Qatar Airways named Dileepa Wijesundera (left) as Senior Vice President of Cargo based in Doha.
     Mr.Wijesundera also continues his role with Qatar Aviation Services (QAS) where he has served as Senior Vice President Cargo for the past three years, successfully developing Doha International Airport into one of the most reliable cargo hubs in the region.
     "With massive expansion in store for Qatar Airways Cargo including the arrival of three brand new Boeing freighters from next year, as well as the development of a state-of-the-art cargo facility at New Doha International Airport within the next three years, it is prudent that we have someone with local airline experience to steer us through this exciting and challenging period," Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said.
     In a related development QR Cargo named Niek van der Weide VP Cargo Sales.
     Mr .Van der Weide begins in November and will report to Wijesundera.
     Fast growing Doha International Airport driven by even faster growing Qatar Airways now handles over 450,000 tons of freight a year.
     Just on the horizon is New Doha International Airport that when operational from 2011, will have an opening day capacity of nearly double the current tonnage and further capability to go to two million tons per year when the new airport is fully developed beyond 2015.
Geoffrey Arend

   Our exclusive series “Women In Air Cargo” asks our readers to send some words and a picture about somebody that you know who is female and has made a difference in air cargo.
  This effort is not limited to just success or failure, it is meant to raise awareness about the legions of unique women who in most cases are unsung heroines in the air cargo industry.
  So write and we will share your story with our readers around the world.

Women In Cargo Hall Of Fame

Budoor Al Mazmi

Batool Hussain Ali

Bisignani Calls For
Global Solutions

     The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reiterated its call for a global sectoral approach led by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to handle aviation’s emissions in the post-Kyoto period.
     “We need a global solution that can encompass all of aviation—incorporating the differing situations of airlines from developed and developing nations. The best hope of this is through ICAO which has a proven track record,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
     In a speech to an event jointly hosted by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and IATA, Bisignani referred specifically to the effective work of ICAO in handling the introduction of quieter aircraft. “ICAO developed a global framework to deal with noise. The noisiest aircraft were phased out between 1995 and 2002. The global solution took into account the difficult situation of some developing nations with an extension to 2005,” said Bisignani.
     He pointed out: “IATA’s mission is to represent, lead and serve the airline industry. In my seven years as Director General of IATA, environment is the issue that has most fully matched this mission.”
     The IATA chief then went on to outline “our first task in developing an industry response to climate change was to build consensus. That was not easy,” he said, “not because airlines did not care about climate change. Improving fuel efficiency and environmental performance has always been on the agenda. In the last 40 years, fuel efficiency improved by 70 percent…our members were at different stages. Europe was most sensitive because the political awareness was highest. The U.S. had not ratified Kyoto, so there was no sense of urgency. And airlines in developing states, including India, were in a rush to support the economic growth and social benefits that aviation brings.”
     Bisignani’s remarks are particularly timely as the global climate change debate is increasingly stalled on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility that underpins the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change in the run-up to climate talks in Copenhagen this December.
     IATA defines such a sectoral approach as
          •  Accounting for emissions at a global level, not by state
          •  Making aviation fully accountable and pay for its emissions once, not several times over
          •  Giving access to global carbon markets until technology provides the ultimate solution
     “Such a global approach would take advantage of the aviation sector’s proactive approach to addressing the issues of climate change. We are the only industry with a united strategy and targets across the whole value chain. These are tougher targets than even our regulators are prepared to administer,” said Bisignani.
    Aviation has committed to three sequential targets
          •   Improving average annual fuel efficiency by 1.5% to 2020
          •   Stabilizing emissions with carbon-neutral growth from 2020
          •   An aspirational goal to cut net emissions in half by 2050, compared to 2005.
     Bisignani recently met the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to present the industry strategy and targets. In the meeting, the UN Secretary-General commended the aviation industry’s commitment to contribute to the global fight against climate change and encouraged that these commitments be followed by concrete actions. He stressed the importance of addressing emissions from international aviation and shipping if the world is to achieve its goal of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions to a level that avoids dangerous climate change.
     Bisignani singled out sustainable biofuels as an example of optimism in future reductions. “The three biggest opportunities for emissions reductions are technology, infrastructure and sustainable biofuels. Of these, sustainable biofuels are the most exciting because for the first time air transport has the possibility of an alternative to traditional jet fuel. Our attention is on camelina, jatropha and algae, which do not compete for land or water with food crops but have the potential to reduce our carbon footprint by up to 80%. Because they can be grown in almost any soil condition or in salt water or even waste water they have the potential to create new industries and livelihoods by bringing sustainable energy production jobs to many of the least developed parts of the planet,” said Bisignani.
     Four test flights with sustainable biofuels have proven that they meet the technical and safety standards for use in commercial aviation. Moreover, they can be blended with jet fuel and used in today’s aircraft and engines.
     “Progress is going at a much faster pace than anybody anticipated. Three years ago sustainable biofuels were a dream. Now we expect certification no later than 2011,” said Bisignani.
     Bisignani took the opportunity to comment on the EU’s recently announced policy framework for Copenhagen. “The next challenge is Copenhagen,” he said, “where the negotiations will be tough. A global sectoral approach under ICAO and working with IATA provides the best possibility for aviation to meet its climate change responsibility as a global industry.”
     “The most important development is their explicit support for a global approach through ICAO. They have set some targets, which are more political than technical. As such they are neither credible nor achievable with the timelines described,” said Bisignani.
     “The most important outcome from Copenhagen for aviation will be agreement to treat aviation as a sector under the leadership of ICAO and working with industry. This should be the focus for all governments seeking to effect real reductions in CO2 from the global aviation sector—from India and China to the EU and the US. If not, we face the risk of uncoordinated competitive government taxation that won’t reduce emissions but will be harmful to global economic development,” said Bisignani.
Tirthankar Ghosh

Brussels Airlines Surges

     If there never was a Brussels Airlines or a Sabena then someone should have invented the airline.
     Right now say the word Africa and preface that lovely name with Brussels Airlines.
     Last week Dakar went daily (Oct. 25) and Banjul went thrice weekly as Brussels Airlines that will add a fifth long distance A330-300 airplane to their fleet in 2010 is becoming more and more an African airline.

Air Cargo News FlyingTypers leads the way again as the world’s first air cargo publication to connect the industry to the broadly expanding and interactive base for social commentary—Twitter.
     Here are updates from Twitter so far this week. To be added to this 24/7/365 service at no-charge contact: acntwitter@aircargonews.com

October 27:   The great Klaus Holler VP Americas Lufthansa Cargo speaks this Thursday (10/29) at Air Cargo Association JFK Ramada 11:45 a.m. Klaus.holler@dlh.de

October 27:   At MIA available to ticketed passengers or by special request on the 2nd level of Concourse E is “Free Arranger,” a collection of works by two- and three-dimensional visual artists—Dimitry Saïd Chamy, Theresa Hackett, Judith Robertson, Michelle Weinberg and Elizabeth Cheatham Wild.

October 27:   New (10/25) BA daily B777s into Las Vegas from LHR offering up to 19 tons of air cargo lift for McCarran's booming one way market.

October 27:   Malaysia's OSK Research on Singapore Airlines Cargo: Cargo load factor steady. Sept capacity fell 17.3% compared FTK at 14.5% or 63.2% CLF.

October 26:   JAL up to its teeth in debt now figures to be minus $5.2 billion USD for its year ending March. Latest rescue plan dumped as banks balk.