Two giant pandas received a complementary ride from the US to Chengdu, China last month courtesy of FedEx Express. Tai Shan, a four-and-a-half-yearold male panda born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and Mei Lan, a three-year-old female panda born at Zoo Atlanta, landed at China’s Chengdu Shuangliu Airport aboard a custom-decaled FedEx 777 Freighter, dubbed the ‘FedEx Panda Express’. Upon arrival, the pandas were transported to … [Read more...] about "Panda Express" delivers siblings to Chengdu
Courier & Mail
AAPA 2009 cargo traffic down 11%
The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) has released preliminary traffic figures for the full 2009 calendar year showing AAPA member’s international air cargo traffic down 11 per cent for the year. With carriers making corresponding reductions in cargo capacity, the average cargo load factor was 66.1 per cent - almost unchanged from the previous year. Looking ahead, Andrew Herdman, AAPA director general said: “The cargo business is regaining some of its dynamism, and … [Read more...] about AAPA 2009 cargo traffic down 11%
New legal challenge to Heathrow’s third runway
Critics of London Heathrow Airport’s third runway have launched a legal challenge based on what they say are flaws in the runway consultation process. Governmental approval for Heathrow Airport Runway 3 was given at the start of 2009, along with approval for a future Terminal 6 to support it. Supporting its original Runway 3 decision, the Department for Transport said it intended to offer a “robust†defence to the legal challenge. … [Read more...] about New legal challenge to Heathrow’s third runway
New UPS distribution centre in Calgary
UPS has announced the opening of its new $30 million distribution centre at the Calgary International Airport (YYC), to provide businesses with direct access to the US and international markets. The facility will be central to the continued growth of Alberta's economy, allowing local businesses to tap into global growth markets such as China, India and Mexico, UPS said. "The rise of middle classes in China and India offers great potential to businesses in the Calgary area," said Mike Tierney, … [Read more...] about New UPS distribution centre in Calgary
New legal challenge to Heathrow's third runway
Critics of London Heathrow Airport’s third runway have launched a legal challenge based on what they say are flaws in the runway consultation process. Governmental approval for Heathrow Airport Runway 3 was given at the start of 2009, along with approval for a future Terminal 6 to support it. Supporting its original Runway 3 decision, the Department for Transport said it intended to offer a “robust†defence to the legal challenge. … [Read more...] about New legal challenge to Heathrow's third runway
2009 aviation 2nd-safest year in history
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the aviation safety performance for 2009 showing that the year’s accident rate for Western-built jet aircraft as the second lowest in aviation history. The 2009 global accident rate (measured in hull losses per million flights) was 0.71. That is equal to one accident for every 1.4 million flights. This is a significant improvement of the 0.81 rate recorded in 2008 (one accident for 1.2 million flights), IATA said. The 2009 … [Read more...] about 2009 aviation 2nd-safest year in history