FT031924

#INTHEAIREVERYWHERE

Vol. 23 No. 13	Tuesday March 19, 2024

Salvatore Ingrassia      Both New York and Los Angeles organized air cargo have big doings at important meetings this week bringing together industry leaders on both coasts of the USA.
     Upcoming in New York at JFK is Air Cargo Expo held Thursday March 21 at Russo’s On The Bay near the airport.
     Sponsored by Air Cargo Association at JFK since 1958, word up is get there early and be in a place where the action will take off directly after registration opens at 08:00.
     At 09:00 Salvatore Ingrassia, (right) Port Director JFK Airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, will offer opening remarks.
     Next at 0900 sharp, “Linking the Power of People & Technology”, organized and chaired by Brandon Fried, Executive Director of the Airforwarders Association.

Brennan O'Dowd, Alex Sakach, Michelle Williams, Michael White, Andrew Renna

     Linking Power, People, Panel includes Brennan O’Dowd, CEO of 7L Freight; Andrew Renna, JFK Assistant Port Director, Cargo Operations; Alex Sakach, Sr. Vice President Worldwide Flight Services (WFS); Michael White, President Trade Network Consultants and and Senior Advisor to the CEO of PayCargo; and Michelle Williams, Managing Director Strategy and Business Services for Southwest Airlines.
     A High Noon Luncheon will showcase a Keynote Address by New York Assemblyman Clyde Vanel, (left) who among other duties serves as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Internet and New Technology.
     Of course, an expected audience at this JFK event of 400 will get plenty of time for networking and product viewing at tables and booths at the all-day event.
     Meantime On West Side USA @ LAX The Los Angeles Air Cargo Association (LAACA) Luncheon meeting for March 22 will feature no less a guest speaker personage than the foreminded Brandon Fried:
     “I just flew in from New York, and boy are my arms tired!”
     Brandon, or maybe a CGI/AI Brandon will discuss “Navigating Turbulence – Reflections on the Last Year and What We Can Expect During Remainder of 2024!”
Yasmene Abdel, Dayna Harap      LAACA March 22 Luncheon takes place at The Belamar, 3501 N. Sepulveda, Manhattan Beach, CA. located about 10 minutes from LAX.
     Love Yasmene Abdel, Secretary at LAACA, where amongst an energized dedicated membership she has been described as “Heart & Soul of LAACA”.
     No less can be said of Dayna Harap, President of Air Cargo Association at JFK.
Dayna & Yasmene in 2024 are vital forces for good, both East Side/West Side in every aspect of supporting USA and beyond that, the world logistics community.
     These two ladies add gravity and pathos to the words of The National Women's History Alliance who praised:
     “The example of women who are committed to embracing everyone and excluding no one in the common quest for freedom and opportunity”.
GDA

Yokoyama Takeshi, Kenneth Poon, Ari Ketola, Bob Rogers, Hans Van Rooijen, Frank Steiner, Urs Wiesendanger, Manoj Menon, Frank Hung, Roy Cheng

     So, what do you do whilst in Hong Kong to top the greatest, most well attended meeting in IATA Cargo history?
     I mean did World Cargo Symposuim 2024 blow the doors off Hong Kong Expo Center or what?
     “I Got The Horse Right Here,” says Bob Rogers, ULD CARE, handicapping the action and keeping the good feelings going at Hong Kong’s iconic Happy Valley Racecourse, that first opened in 1845.
     With Dubai slated to host IATA WCS in 2025 and just before the ULD community had two days of industry meetings starting with the SAE AGE-2A which debated many of the very necessary technical standards under which the design of ULD is governed, including the all-important fire containment standards, and followed by the IATA ULD Board Meeting which debated a variety of issues relating to standards and procedures.
     This night it was “Happy Wednesday” at the flats!
     Great views of the Hong Kong skyline and the causeway too!
     Here along for the fun is a “Can Do” sampling of logistics folks out for some local color and history.
      “A great experience was had by all,” hosts Bob and Urs smiled.
     Looking at this group makes everyone feel like winners!
     A little music celebrates the good feelings all around:
     Fugue For Tinhorns is from the play and movie, Guys & Dolls, here featuring Dean Martin, Bing Crosby & Frank Sinatra.

FlyingTalkers

Drusch, A Man & A Mission

Erich Lingad, Desmond Yau, Eira D.Mae G. De Pablo, Cherry Castillo Lee, Jason Siy, Ingo Zimmer

     We have been tracking the movements of “Road-Meister" Ingo Zimmer, CEO ATC Aviation Services AG, who in the last month alone has appeared in Mumbai, Addis Ababa, São Paulo and all last week in Hong Kong at International Air Transport Association (IATA) World Cargo Symposium.
Somebody asked Ingo what’s next on his Marco Polo-esque journeys, and he smiled :
     “Well, if it is Tuesday—this must be Frankfurt!”
     “Our vast experience at ATC and cadre of top notch people serving our international network built over the decades since 1971, make us the perfect partner anywhere in the world,” Ingo said.
     “Our approach to GSSA management is to be there 24/7 with flexible services tailored as you like it, to meet almost any need.
     “We are ready when you are,” Ingo Zimmer said just before another takeoff.
     One world, one great GSSA.
     Ingo just announced exciting new services beginning April 1 for Kuwait Airways Cargo serving three flights a week from FRA to KWI and and beyond (BEY-BKK-BOM-CAI-DAC-DEL-MNL).
     “Also," Ingo said, "from May there will be three more flights ex MUC."
Contact ATC for bookings and requests: E-Mail: kuwaitairways.de@atc-aviation.com.
     “We are growing worldwide and can’t wait until tomorrow, because ATC looks better every day!" Road-Meister Ingo said.

     Tervetuloa! That is how you would be received by Airport College, Helsinki, if they offered their courses only in Finnish. No worries, the institution we are presenting today boasts over 30 ready-to-use online eLearning courses available worldwide 24/7 in many languages including English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Finnish, French, Thai, Spanish and more to come.
     Languages are indeed mysterious and customary at the same time. As I am Italian, for strange reasons we can read and pronounce Finnish in an absolutely impeccable manner, as many Finnish words read out without a glitch as if they were Italian, apart from the fact that they mean nothing to us at all. Perhaps Finns feel the same for Italian words, but I never investigated this idea. For sure I shall never try my skills at the restaurant again after my first and only disaster: I wanted to order reindeer in a restaurant in Helsinki and ended up with sole fish: I still have no idea how reindeer tastes to this day.
     Let us leave Helsinki’s restaurants and go back to our friends from Finland’s capital.
     Airport College International Ltd is a better idea dreamed up by Pertti: an independent company with a creative approach to training and employee engagement management. Their services are used in more than 140 countries, are represented through a partner network in more than 20 countries in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Own offices exist in Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Manila, Seoul, Singapore, St. Lucia and Tokyo.
     Travelling is no worry for the enterprising couple representing the College. They have just returned from Hong Kong, the Pearl River gem, which appears to have acquired its name of “fragrant harbour” from the wonderful scent of incense that was typical of the region in former times. But before going to HK, CEO Pertti Mero and COO, Ari Ketola spent a few days networking in Kuala Lumpur, attending the 15th GHI Asian Conference in Malaysia from March 5th to 7th. Airport College International was one of the exhibitors with its own stand to meet and network with over 350 conference delegates. “It was a great opportunity to meet aviation professionals from ground handlers, airlines, airports and other service providers: meeting current and potential clients and key stakeholders from Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas” was a great opportunity for both Mero and Ketola, as they told us.
     Airport College International was also one of the exhibitors at World Cargo Symposium with its own stand for meetings and networking with current and potential new clients, The event was extremely well attended, over 1,900 attendees and gave Airport College the opportunity to showcase their online eLearning training courses and concepts for ground handling agents, air cargo terminals and airlines. Pertii Mero claimed that it was a very successful show and they met with both existing and potential customers.
     So who is the ideal client of the Airport College? This is how Pertti Mero describes his typical recipient: “Our ideal clients are aviation and logistics companies or organisations that want to take advantage of the benefits of digital training for their employee development. Our clients understand the value of their employees' operational skills as the foundation for successful business and safe operations.”
     This statement reveals the expectation that the College’s customers are accomplished enterprises that “make all the right noises” when it comes organising safe and well-functioning operations. This is precisely where our friends from Helsinki appear to be best placed to assist.
     Uncertainty in the industry still exists. Despite signs of recovery, there's still considerable uncertainty in the aviation industry regarding the pace and extent of recovery. This uncertainty may make potential candidates hesitant to commit to jobs in the sector, especially if they perceive it as risky or unstable. Instability for a number of cycles created a certain degree of skills’ mismatch: the workforce that was laid off or furloughed during the pandemic may have moved on to other industries is not readily available to return to previous roles. In particular, the Airport College is looking at ground handling agents, who, like many industries, are facing difficulties in hiring workforce after COVID-19 due to several reasons, e.g. ground handling agents may struggle to find qualified candidates with the necessary experience and training.
     To address these challenges, ground handling agents may need to offer competitive terms and benefits, invest in training and development programs to address skill gaps, prioritize employee safety and well-being, and adapt their recruitment strategies to attract candidates in a competitive labour market. This is precisely where Airport College International can help Ground Handling Agents and Cargo Terminal Operators to training current and new workforce to meet international training requirements in a very cost effective way. Airport College offers a comprehensive portfolio of online eLearning training courses covering aviation safety, security and service topics. Courses vary in length from 1 to 3 hours, with the primary objective of maintaining the competence of operational staff.
     FT asked COO Ari Ketola to explain what were his views regarding the main benefits to clients. There came a list of practical gains, which we shall summarise as follows:

• Regulatory compliance
    Online training courses comply with the training requirements of international aviation authorities, such as the IATA and ICAO.
• Cost-efficiency–gain up to 80% of savings
    AirportCollege.com training services reduce various costs typically associated with classroom training. These include travel and accommodation, classroom or venue rental, printed learning materials and salaries. Studies indicate that eLearning has the potential to reduce training related costs significantly, by up to 80%.
• Always up-to-date, multipurpose, and customisable
   AirportCollege.com work with the leading experts in aviation industry to ensure that training content is relevant and always up-to-date. eLearning courses can be used for self-study, part of blended learning or as instructors’ support material in the classroom. Course content can be customised to fit any company needs.
• 24/7 access to training, anywhere
   AirportCollege.com courses are self-paced, and training is available 24/7. Learners are not bound to a specific time or place to physically attend classes. Qualifications can be updated whenever needed.

     Albeit not for the client directly, additional benefits entail because we are talking of a Low Emission Training initiative and this must not be underestimated. AirportCollege.com training services reduce paper waste, emissions, and other training-related footprint by over 99%, when compared to classroom training. AirportCollege.com also compensate the CO2 emissions incurred from the use of its online courses by clients.
     So the message to our readers is pretty clear. You can surely learn from Airport College how you can improve your eLearning programme, and maybe find a couple of new friends in Finland.
     Believe me, Finland is wonderful country in all seasons and I promise: next time I fly to Helsinki I shall place my order in English and perhaps manage to eat a reindeer steak for the first time in my life . . .
Marco Sorgetti

Hey Geoffrey,

Thanks for reaching out and for your interest in our efforts!
As for Michael Steen's comment at the WCS in Hong Kong about greater engagement with legislators on sustainability, he's definitely got a point. While we're actively working on sustainability initiatives, there's always room for more collaboration, especially with lawmakers. We're all about being proactive, and our new Environmental Sustainability Committee is a testament to that. We're pushing hard for more Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) availability and usage, but it's tough going when only 2% of what we need is out there.
So yeah, while we're doing our part, we could definitely use more support from legislators and others in the industry. It's gonna take a collective effort to make real progress on sustainability.
And yeah, again, I'm sorry for missing the Hong Kong event. But we had a great time at our own confab last month in Louisville, and we're keeping the momentum going!

Best regards,
Brandon

If You Missed Any Of The Previous 3 Issues Of FlyingTypers Access complete issue by clicking on issue icon or Access specific articles by clicking on article title
Vol. 23 No. 10 March Air Cargo Shows-A-Poppin Chuckles for February 28, 2024 Can't Anybody Here Play This Game? Buffalo Cargo Delivering At Jet Speed	Vol 23 No. 11 Bow-tie Party For The Age of PayCargo Ingo On The Road Again Wim Will Always Be A Winner	Vol. 23 No. 12 A Hong Kong Humdinger IATA Priority ONE Record Chuckles for March 13, 2024 Think Tank WCS Hong Kong Three Big Words @ HACTL Great Day For The Irish

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