In this roundup, we clear what’s left from the inbox and list down global industry updates in air cargo, express, forwarding and logistics as we take a much broader look at what else transpired for the month of January.

UPS to sell freight division to TFI International
UPS has agreed to sell UPS Freight to Canadian transport and logistics company TFI International for $800 million, which will include its LTL and dedicated truckload business. UPS and TFI International will also enter into an agreement for the freight division to maintain its domestic package network to fulfill shipments for a period of five years. The move aligns with the company’s “better not bigger” strategy, and the transaction is expected to close during the second quarter of 2021.

Allcargo Logistics appoints Suresh Kumar as CEO

Allcargo Logistics, India’s largest end-to-end logistics services provider has appointed Suresh Kumar as CEO for India. With With over 28 years of industry experience, Suresh will head Allcargo’s container freight stations, project and engineering, and contract logistics segment in addition to organisational oversight on environment, safety, and governance (ESG) compliance. Prior to joining Allcargo, Mr Suresh was operations director at Vodafone Idea.

DHL Express joins top employers in Asia Pacific
DHL Express has been certified as 2021 Top Employer for Asia Pacific by global certification company Top Employers Institute for the seventh consecutive year. The express services provider was awarded the same recognition in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The company joins the forwarding division of Deutsche Post DHL as top employers in the region.

Swissport’s cargo volume drops 12.3 percent in 2020
Swissport, fresh from completing its restructuring last year and securing private financing with no state bailout granted, finished the 12 months with 4.1 million tonnes of cargo handled, a 12.3 percent drop compared to 2019. Revenue was cut roughly by half compared to the previous year, as passenger numbers were reduced to just over 30 percent of last year at 82 million and the number of flights handled fell 59 percent to 1.7 million. The cargo and ground handler expects regionally varied market recoveries from the summer onward and is cautiously optimistic for the second half of 2021.

Lufthansa Cargo renews Frankfurt freight centre
Lufthansa Cargo will further develop and renew the logistics centre at its Frankfurt home hub, where it handles around 80 percent of its global freight volume, with the complete modernisation to be completed in 2028. The modularly planned infrastructure programme will see the construction of a central high-rack storage system, which is currently in progress. In addition to new buildings, existing building sections and warehouses will be renovated during ongoing operations and will not result in any restrictions for customers, the carrier noted.

Forwaders join AFKLMP’s SAF programme
Bolloré Logistics has joined the sustainable innovation fuel (SAF) programme of AFKLMP Cargo for shipments between Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and JFK airport this year. The low-carbon airfreight route between France and US is expected to cut CO₂ emissions by half for air freight shipped on the said service. Earlier this year Kuehne+ Nagel also joined AFKLMP Cargo’s sustainability efforts, which will see year-round transport of air cargo onboard Los Angeles to Amsterdam flights fully covered by SAF.

IAG Cargo transports over a million vaccine doses
In the middle of January IAG Cargo reached a milestone after transporting over a million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to North America and Europe from its dedicated facilities at London Heathrow and in Madrid and Dublin. Shipments include 80,000 doses from its Madrid hub to the Canary Islands and the first batch of the Moderna vaccine to Dublin and the Canary Islands.

Atlas Air purchases last four B747-8Fs
Atlas Air, the largest 747 operator in the world with 53 in its fleet, announced an agreement to purchase four 747-8 freighters as the company looks to meet the growing demand for air freight in the e-commerce and express sector. The new aircraft will be available for air charter and dry-lease through its subsidiary Titan Aviation Leasing. Atlas Air started its 28 years ago with a single 747 and it is fitting that they receive the last 747 production aircraft from the production line in Everett, Washington, Boeing noted. Atlas said the investment in these new aircraft underscores its ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship through reduction of noise, aircraft emissions and resource consumption.