South African Airways (SAA) and Air Mauritius have reached a code-share agreement on the routes between Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and Mauritius. This new agreement is in addition to SAA's present daily flights between Johannesburg and Mauritius. SAA operates between Johannesburg and Mauritius seven days a week, while Air Mauritius operates five times to and from Johannesburg, twice a week to and from Cape Town and Durban respectively. A key focus for SAA is to expand its route … [Read more...] about AFRICA: SAA & Air Mauritius team up

The US Eximbank will lend US$400 million to help Vietnam Airlines purchase four Boeing 787 aircraft, state media said, in what would be the first US loan to Vietnam after Hanoi secured its WTO membership. Vietnam won a formal approval from the World Trade Organisation to become its 150th member in early 2007. In June 2005, the airlines signed a contract to buy four 787 ¡°Dreamliner¡± aircraft worth around $500 million at list prices for delivery in 2009 and 2010. Vietnam Airlines … [Read more...] about VIETNAM: Exim loan for Vietnam

Logistics operators in Thailand have warned that operating costs will soar 80 percent if cargo handling is to be duplicated across two airports with the reopening of Bangkok¡¯s Don Muang Airport. A spokesman for the Thai Airfreight Forwarders Association, Kovit Thanyarattakul, was reported saying that the move late last year to the new Suvarnabhumi Airport had already resulted in 50 percent added costs for operators. He said that processing times at Suvarnabhumi ranged from four to … [Read more...] about THAILAND: Bangkok cargo cost warning

The Japan Airlines (JAL) Group has announced the appointment of Takao Fukuchi as executive officer, cargo and mail from April 1. He will also take on the role of senior vice president, cargo and mail subject to the approval of the shareholders AGM which is to take place in late-June this year. He will succeed Yutaka Yoshino who is retiring from March 31. … [Read more...] about JAPAN: JAL appoints new cargo chief

Jakarta-based PT. Monang SianiparAbadi or MSA Kargo and Japanesefreight forwarder Hankyu ExpressInternational Co. Ltd. have launcheda joint venture called PT. HankyuInternational Transport Indonesia(HIT/ID). President commissioner and founderof MSA Kargo, Monang Sianipar saidthe joint venture plan was initiated inSeptember 2005 when Hankyu Japandecided to establish a subsidiary companyin Indonesia with MSA Kargo. By March 2006, HIT/ID was establishedand two months later Masahito Kawai was … [Read more...] about INDONESIA: MSA Kargo, Hankyu launch new company

US-based Schneider National Inc.has announced it has been grantedauthority to operate as a domestic carrierand logistics services provider inthe People's Republic of China. Schneider Logistics (Tianjin) willoffer domestic transportation, logistics(warehousing, cross-docking andthird-party logistics) and other relatedservices. The company will build these services through a combinationof organic growth and acquisition inChina. "We see this as a great opportunityfor customers in China, … [Read more...] about CHINA: Schneider gets Chinese green light