In last week’s roundup, we take a look at some of the latest developments in and out of Asia Pacific, including dnata’s cargo milestone at Dubai International airport (DXB), DHL’s recent partnership with Indonesia’s Pelindo 1 and the all-women service centre launched by Blue Dart in India to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Frankfurt Airport sees record February for cargo
Despite the ongoing shortage in belly capacity, Frankfurt Airport saw a record February for its cargo operations as cargo throughput (freight and mail) jumped 21.7 percent to 180,725 metric tonnes. Aircraft movements fell 69 percent, whilst accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) contracted by 56.7 percent to 961,684 metric tonnes year-on-year.
Experts join CargoAi’s new advisory board
CargoAi has formed a board of advisors who will represent the diverse views and perspectives of the airfreight industry. The advisory board will start with four members, including Markus Flacke, former managing director of CHAMP Cargosystems; Liana Coyne, director at Coyne Airways; Cyril Dumon, CEO for Asia-Pacific at Bollore Logistics; and Ricardo Pilon, chief cargo transformation officer at Millennium Aviation & Vice-President, Consulting Solutions at Aviation Strategies International. The board will meet quarterly, with the first remote meeting set to take place in April.
Icelandair, Titan Aviation’s leaseback deal for two B767-300ERs
Titan Aircraft Investments, a joint venture between Atlas Air subsidiary Titan Aviation Holdings and investment firm Bain Capital Credit, has purchased two 767-300ER aircraft from Icelandair, which will be converted to freighters and placed on long-term leases to the flag carrier. Titan Aviation Holdings currently owns 21 767-300ER freighters in its fleet.
Lufthansa Cargo COO gets contract extension
Harald Gloy, chief operations officers of Lufthansa Cargo, has been appointed to the executive board a further five years, with his contract unanimously extended by the supervisory board until 31 December 2026. Gloy has also assumed the role of chief human resources officer starting 1 March 2021, as part of a restructuring within the cargo executive board, in charge of human resources and procurement at the company.
DHL, Pelindo 1 team up to develop Kuala Tanjung
DHL Global Forwarding and Indonesia’s Pelindo 1 have signed an MoU to to accelerate the development of Kuala Tanjung Port and Industrial Estate. The international freight specialist will be the sole logistics provider for the project, offering ocean freight and value-added services such as warehouse management, customs brokerage, domestic distribution and bonded logistics centre solutions.
Swissport wins IAG contract at Berlin Airport
Swissport and IAG have signed a 3-year contract at the new Berlin Brandenburg International Airport, covering ground services for British Airways, Iberia and Vueling, including passenger services at check-in and gates, ramp handling, baggage loading and pushback services, as well as aircraft cleaning. The cooperation starts with three flights every weekend in March and will be extended to two daily flights from 1 April 2021.
Blue Dart launches first all-women service centre in India
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Blue Dart is breaking gender stereotypes as it launched its first all-women service centre in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. The team comprises sixteen enthusiastic women who don the role of managers, customer service representatives, security personnel as well as sales and counter staff.
dnata handles 5,000 flights at DXB with cargo in cabin
Last week dnata achieved a special cargo milestone after having handled 5,000 cargo-in-cabin flights and safely moving 50,000 tonnes of shipments at Dubai International airport (DXB). With airlines introducing additional cargo capacity using passenger aircraft, dnata enhanced its services, improved processes and trained more than 500 employees to safely and efficiently handle passenger planes carrying cargo only.
FedEx targets carbon-neutral operations by 2040
FedEx is designating more than $2 billion of initial investment to achieve carbon-neutral operations globally by 2040, with focus in vehicle electrification, sustainable energy, and carbon sequestration. FedEx has pledged $100 million to help establish the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture to accelerate research into carbon sequestration methods at scale.
Hermes, Nallian launch solutions for ground handlers
Hermes Logistics Technologies has teamed up with Nallian to come up to digitalise and streamline landside management processes. Hermes’ ground handling customers will now benefit from a slot booking app to coordinate pick-ups and drop-offs, as well as an acceptance and delivery App to give truck drivers easy access to the booked slots assigned to them.
