MUC Readies Transport Logistic

     Transport Logistic June 12-15 2007 in Munich draws closer – and from all indication the fair is really going to be “something”.
     More than 1,500 exhibitors from 60 countries have booked their space at Transport Logistic 2007.
     More than 40,000 business visitors are expected from 100 plus countries. Hall Four is exclusively reserved for forwarders, integrators, airlines, airports and the entire air cargo trade.
      The “Air Cargo Europe” conference is also going to break all records regarding attendance as well as level of presentations during the two-day conference. Venue for the panel discussions is the Forum also in Hall 4.
      The organizers are still receiving requests for space in the 11,000-sqm hall.
     More than 200 exhibitors have already booked their stands and booths. For the first time there will be exhibitors from Brazil, Azerbaijan and Georgia (CIS). Again Munich Airport offers a smart “consolidated” master stand with about 20 small units around the central plaza.
     Ulrich Ogiermann of Cargolux is expected, Carsten Spohr of Lufthansa Cargo and Dr. Andreas Otto, Wolf-Dietrich von Helldorff, KN as well as Thomas Mack of Schenker. Harald Zielinski talks about security along with John Edwards of IATA. Ram Menen of Emirates and Oliver Evans of SwissWorldCargo will be on the panels with numerous other experts and top executives in the aircargo industry.
     Ralf-Rainer Auslaender, managing director and creator of the successful business model applied by leisure cargo attends the conference with his director operations, Christian Weidener.
     The new Munich fairgrounds are located east of the city and have easy access to the “S-Bahn” – fast city trains from the center of town. The hotel situation is scarce during the fair but Messe München service staff signals that they can still help. www.transportlogistic.de www.aircargoeurope.com

Vatry Gets More Freighters

     Avient Aviation Limited is based in Amesbury, Wiltshire, England and far from just being a pop-up African cargo operator. Avient Aviation that was originally established in Harare Zimbabwe in 1993 seems here to stay.
     For mainland Europe Avient has chosen Vatry as it’s European hub – and base for its fleet.
     “Vatry International Airport is a gateway Europe for us,” explains Ms. Samantha Smith, director marketing at Avient as the carrier celebrated adding two more DC10Fs earlier this year.
     “The attention granted to our product, the expertise and the special equipment and facilities at Vatry – like several cold stores, are ideal.
     “Vatry location next to highway A 26/A 4 interchange offers easy truck access to and from all parts of Europe.”
     Only three years ago Avient Ltd operated one single frequency per week to Lagos. Today the carrier delivers several weekly flights to Lagos and operates a number of scheduled operations to Douala, Libreville and Entebbe – plus ad hoc deviations and charters.
     In terms of impact Avient today controls 57 % of all air cargo exports from UK to Nigeria.
     At start up the airline originally operated three MIL 17 support helicopters from the Stavropol Air Company and was engaged in rescuing people from Rawanda and forest fire fighting in South Africa.
     The carrier commenced moving cargo to Europe and livestock to the Far East adding an IL 76 in 1997 .
     In 2004 Avient purchased a DC-10-30 F and started flights under its own operators certificate.
     A second converted DC-10-30 F was added to the fleet in February .
     The third Avient DC-10F is presently joining operations at the carrier.
Guenter Mosler

    Liberalizing Skies Over Jamaica . . .      Earlier this month, the Government of Jamaica participated in negotiations with the British Government on matters pertaining to the conclusion of a new Air Services Agreement between both countries.
     Stephen Vasciannie, the chairman of the Air Policy Committee of the Jamaican Government advanced some air cargo policy ideas in a bylined article in The Jamaica Gleaner.
     “This round of negotiations included negotiations with Germany, Chile and Brazil, and the United Kingdom.
     “The Air Policy Committee supports the free trans-shipment of goods through Jamaica, and indeed hopes that Jamaica may become a hub for cargo trans-shipment.
     “Whether this happens will depend on the logic of the market, but there is reason to believe that some legitimate Central and South American products could use Jamaica as a point en route to Europe or North America.
     “If, however, the goods originate in Jamaica, and are headed for Britain, there are restrictions on movement. “Specifically, all cargo uplift from Jamaica to Britain (originating in Jamaica) is required to be shipped by Air Jamaica, British Airways or Virgin Atlantic.
     “In the event that these three airlines have reached their cargo-carrying capacity, it will then be open to shippers (usually charter operators) to rely on non-scheduled carriers.
     “These rules are expressly designed to protect three carriers from unfair competition, but charter interests in Britain and elsewhere would like to have them changed on the basis that they stifle creative solutions to the question of cargo uplift.
     “Jamaica has entered the era of air policy liberalization.
     “The high water mark for this has been set by the arrangements between Jamaica and the U.S., but other agreements have also sought to incorporate free market principles more rigorously than was previously the case.
     “Air Policy Committee exercises our judgment on the basis of reason, and not necessarily in response to the loudest voices.”

     Marking 80 Years . . . Come this Saturday May 19, many will celebrate a moment eighty years ago in 1927, when a crowd of 500 people stood along a grass strip at Roosevelt Air Field in Long Island, New York as Charles Lindbergh steered his "Spirit of St. Louis" Ryan monoplane down the bumpy runway and into the sky.
     By the time he completed his transatlantic solo flight
from New York to Paris in 33 hours and 30 minutes the young former American Airlines Air Mail pilot had changed everything.
     They will undoubtedly mark this event in a couple of places including the scores of airports that went into business after the flight and of course on Long Island and at Le Bourget Paris where Lucky Lindy landed.
     At New York’s Cradle of Aviation Museum celebrations on Saturday will go on all day driven by a show of airplanes, helicopters, interactive children games, live performers, movies, music and food.
     Erik Lindbergh will be there picking up another $15,000 fee for the day while signing autographs and telling stories about his granddad.
     Cradle of Aviation located about a half hour from JFK International Airport has all sorts of neat stuff including an Imax theater and lots of vintage aircraft.
www.cradleofaviation.org.