“The year of the Dog is expected to usher in wealth in numerous ways but you cannot sit on your laurels – to stop putting in the effort, trying to innovate, or working to advance one’s career or status and instead rely on one’s past achievements or accolades to remain relevant or successful”.

Hmmm… sounds like any other zodiac year prediction to us. Anyway, you know the drill; we have to keep ourselves relevant to stay employable in any industry.

That aside, we were thrilled to understand that Turkish Cargo has taken a huge effort to transport 20 Humboldt Penguins threatened with extinction and listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), affiliated to the United Nations, from Latvia (RIX) to China (PVG) on a connecting flight via Istanbul. The Penguins, transported to China as accompanied by the Turkish Cargo’s IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR) certificated personnel and veterinarian, will be conserved under better conditions for survival of their species there.

Penguins are not the sole wild species transported safely to their new home by Turkish Cargo. The air cargo carrier transported 6 lion cubs, accompanied by the IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR) certificated keepers and veterinarian, to Bangladesh (DAC), 14 adult lions to China, successfully and healthfully. Turkish, you rock! Your effort has ushered in the good omen for the year.

On another note, our cover story comes from a relatively calm carrier which saw its cargo revenue grow by 16.58 per cent last year. The airline has appointed an agent to fully manage its planning, sourcing, purchasing, logistics, and inventory management covering some 18,000 part numbers. Coverage includes all expendables materials needs of China Airlines and is extendable to affiliates as well.

This leaves the airline to focus on its core business of serving passengers’ needs and entrust operational support activities such as material management to experts. A smooth operator indeed.