A Saudia Cargo B747 freighter has overrun the runway in Abuja, the Nigerian capital and ran into a maintenance area of the airport before bursting into flames, according to a report in Nigeria's PM News. The report quoted unnamed aviation sources late Wednesday night who said the fire was quickly suppressed. Joe Obi, the spokesperson of Nigeria’s ministry of aviation, confirmed the incident but added that the plane landed safely. He said: “A Saudi Arabian B747 … [Read more...] about Saudia Cargo B747 overruns Nigerian runway
Airports
Air cargo continues fragile recovery: IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released figures showing a small improvement in air freight growth in October, with global freight tonne kilometers (FTK) up four per cent compared with October 2012, with growth in all regions except Africa. IATA said the gradual expansion continues a trend that began in the third quarter as air freight markets have responded to better economic confidence and improved consumer demand. However, performance varies significantly by region, … [Read more...] about Air cargo continues fragile recovery: IATA
China’s HNCA, Luxembourg strike deal on Cargolux stake
Chinese investment group, Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Company (HNCA), the investment vehicle of the Chinese province of Henan, is reported to have been given the green light to purchase the 35 per cent shareholding up for sale in state-owned Cargolux. Xavier Bettel, the incoming prime minister of Luxembourg, informed parliament of the decision in a speech on 29 November, according to media reports. Bettel also told parliament that HNCA had committed to … [Read more...] about China’s HNCA, Luxembourg strike deal on Cargolux stake
China Southern extends ‘Canton Route’ to Africa
China Southern Airlines had formed a new codeshare partnership with Kenya Airways that will extend its ‘Canton Route’ to Africa. Designed to challenge the traditional ‘Kangaroo Route’ operators flying between Australia and Europe, the Canton Route connects these two continents via China Southern’s home base at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. The arrangement will see China Southern place its ‘CZ’ code on Kenya Airways’ … [Read more...] about China Southern extends ‘Canton Route’ to Africa
Ruslan cargo doubles Phil’s aid handling capacity
Ruslan International – the company which manages and markets the combined Antonov An-124 fleets of its shareholders Antonov Airlines and Volga Dnepr Airlines – has carried a vital shipment of airport cargo handling equipment from Amsterdam to Cebu, Philippines. The equipment is assisting in the ongoing processing of international relief cargo, following the devastating Typhoon Haiyan. Largest item of the 85 tonne load was a dual-platform maindeck loader, capable of … [Read more...] about Ruslan cargo doubles Phil’s aid handling capacity
Amazon hopes to deliver packages using drones
While more commonly associated with covert operations by military types, the drones could be delivering e-commerce packages as soon as 2015. Jeff Bezos, founder and chief executive of Amazon.com, announced recently that his company was working on a system to deliver small packages to customers within 30 minutes or less of ordering them. They will do this using tiny unmanned aircraft that can carry packages weighing around 2kg up to 16km. The only real barrier to the service – … [Read more...] about Amazon hopes to deliver packages using drones