Vol. 7  No. 95                                         WE COVER THE WORLD                                                 Saturday August 30, 2008
Eric Flies DHL
     General Manager Eric Malitzke of East German Leipzig/Halle Airport apparently got an offer he couldn’t refuse.
     In an “OK, you brought us here, so go ahead and build our business,” move,
     Eric has quit his airport job and has been hired at DHL and on January 1, 2009 will become the Deutsche Post’s express division’s new Vice President DHL Hubs & Gateways.
     Eric Malitzke who led the airport for the last five years, will be based at DHL’s newly created distribution center in the cargo area of Leipzig Airport where DHL operates more than 50 regional and intercontinental flights each day and night, some in cooperation with partner Lufthansa Cargo.
     In his new position the Frankfurt-born 35 year old manager will also be responsible for the other DHL gateways within Germany such as Munich, Frankfurt and Cologne.
     While DHL gets a manager of high promise it also gets one of proven results.
     Leipzig/Halle has prospered from Eric Malitzke’s efforts at building infrastructure at the gateway.
     It was Malitzke, as example who worked to secure the political and financial okay for a second runway.
     Malitzke in fact is credited for drawing DHL Express to this site for building their intercontinental gateway at Leipzig/Halle and not elsewhere in Europe.
     “He was quick to realize that the integrator would need to leave Brussels after the government had announced its intentions to impose severe night flight restrictions at the Belgian capital’s airport,” a source said.
     “By soon working for DHL in Leipzig, Eric can harvest the seeds he sowed.”
Heiner Siegmund

Another Big Lift Is Biggest

     By lifting a 39,580 kg weighing drum on a flight from German Frankfurt-Hahn airport to Osaka, Japan, Volga Dnepr’s IL-76 broke a world record earlier this week.
     “The carrier assured us that it was the heaviest single piece ever that so far had been transported on board of this Russian freighter model,“ said Egon Mueller, senior manager of Hahn-based handling agent Fraport Cargo Services GmbH.
     Mueller’s enterprise was responsible for loading the piece into the craft at Hahn airport, which took six hours.
     From Germany, the aircraft flew to Kansai airport with intermediate tank stops in Northwest Russian St. Petersburg, Siberian Novosibirsk and Tianjin, China.
     The charter was necessary to avoid a costly breach of delivery contract by a southern German sub-contractor that produced the steel roll on behalf of Finnish pulp and paper machinery specialist Metso Paper.
     While the majority of the equipment had already been sent in time by ocean freight for a papermaker in Tomioka, Japan the production of the drum was delayed.
     From the factory in Koenigsbrunn near Munich the heavy and outsized load was trucked to Frankfurt-Hahn airport for departure.
     “It was a request of Volga Dnepr to manage the transport via that airport,” explains Jaana Pirhonen of Finnish Metso Paper enterprise.
The shipment arrived in time, ready to begin work next week on Friday, September 5.
Heiner Siegmund


     Azul Linhas Aéreas, that new Brazilian airline founded by former JetBlue honcho David Neeleman gets its first aircraft from Embraer in preparation for the airline to begin operations in January 2009.
     The first of 36 E195 jets will be delivered to Azul before the end of 2008.

 

     "This initiative opens up possibilities for Fraport as an airport operator and ground-handling provider to apply its extensive know-how actively and to help define standards within the framework of the Cargo 2000 quality management system," said Fraport executive board chairman Dr. Wilhelm Bender as Fraport AG became the first airport operator to join the Cargo 2000 quality system, an IATA (International Air Transport Association) initiative involving approximately 60 airlines, forwarders, general handling agents and information technology providers – including Frankfurt-based Lufthansa Cargo AG.
     “Using the know-how of a leading global airport group like Fraport, Cargo 2000 will, in particular, be able to enhance expertise in ramp transport operations.
      “Plans call for Fraport AG, together with Cargo 2000, to strengthen significantly the quality of processes in this area,” Prof. Bender declared.

UN World Food Program shut its "relief air bridge" to Burma after reportedly delivering 4 million kilos of cargo from Bangkok to the victims of Cyclone Nargis.
     Don Muang, Bangkok's old international airport has served as a logistics hub for the massive relief effort for neighboring Burma in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, which hit the impoverished country in May, leaving about 140,000 dead or missing and another 2.4 million badly in need of food, medicine and shelter.
     Burma’s ruling military junta had initially stalled relief effort, which was reluctant to allow an unhindered influx of cargo and foreign aid workers into the country.

     Hole In One…Talk about a Shot Gun Start, how about a 100 ton-pace airplane?
     This latest version of the B777-200LR (Longer-Range) is pictured being delivered to Emirates while above the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club in Snoqualmie, Washington, USA officially starting play at the Annual Boeing Classic PGA Champions Tour event.
     Speaking of where the airplanes are made, Boeing faces a crippling strike in early September as its 27,000 workers lead by the IAM union have rejected latest company wage proposals.


     ABX Air says it has a deal with DHL on severance and retention plans for staff affected by upcoming job reductions, triggered by DHL's decision to remove 23 ABX Air DC9 aircraft this year.
     DHL has indicated to ABX Air that the DC-9 reductions will continue until all ABX Air DC9s are parked next year.

 

     Twelve countries have already booked booths at the 2008 China (Shenzhen) International Logistics Expo to be held in Shenzhen from November 7 to 9.
     The trade fair is sponsored by the Shenzhen government, jointly held by the city's logistics and sourcing association, and is supported by the National Development and Reform Commission, and its transport department.
     The exposition will take place at seven locations, one for logistics services, another for transport equipment and accessories, one for warehousing and packing, another for technology area, one for infrastructure, another for reefer logistics and one for supply chain management.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG and SN Airholding SA/NV, the parent company of Brussels Airlines, are in negotiation over an equity investment in SN Airholding. Reportedly on the table is collaboration with Brussels Airlines to have Lufthansa initially acquire 45 percent of SN. After two years and beyond, Lufthansa would be authorized to exercise an acquisition option for the remaining 55 percent . . . Meantime as reported here exclusively Lufthansa Cargo AG is taking over responsibility for the business activities of its 100-percent subsidiary cargo counts GmbH.

Carsten Spohr, chairman of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Cargo, said in a press release: "Through the integration of cargo counts we are provided with operational synergy effects and will further increase the economic efficiency of Lufthansa Cargo Group." . . . South Korea wants to privatize Incheon Airport but labor and politicians oppose the deal. Macquarie Group has been named as a possible 49% buyer of a strategic stake in IIAC . . . FedEx Express said it is launching a domestic next-business-day service across Mexico, starting October 6 featuring delivery to any address in Mexico, online tracking and tracing, and is backed by the FedEx money-back guarantee . . . DHL Asia Pacific opens its Central Asia Hub at the Hong Kong International Airport on September 8, 2008 doubling the capacity of the original. The great Stanley (Stan The Man) Hui, CEO of the Airport Authority Hong Kong will help launch the new terminal . . . Meantime for the first time in 2008, air exports from China showed a decline with June exports off by 10.3 percent compared to the same month in the previous year. Those numbers by the way mark the largest decline of Chinese exports in memory. Air exports to China’s largest market, the United States during June were off by 17 percent . . .