Speaking to Payload Asia, ACE chairman and managing director, Capt. Mukut Pathak, said the new carrier aims to be not only a leader in air cargo transportation in India, but also amajor operator internationally. The company will launch its cargo services in the coming months, with four Airbus 310-300F and eventually add more Airbus 330-200F/MD11F to its fleet. ACE has already secured the necessary approvals from the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation and is now waiting for the remainder of its … [Read more...] about A Delhi-based start-up with a global game plan

“Ras Al Khaimah airport has been sleeping for awhile,” says Roland Blaney, CEO of Ras Al Khaimah Int’l Airport. “There have been various efforts to get airlines in there, but because of the historical strengths, the marketing appeal of Dubai, its really been difficult for the second tier airports like ours to grab their slice of the cake,”he says. Blaney, only months into the job, clearly has a challenge on his hands. The ruling family of Ras Al Khaimah … [Read more...] about Ras Al Khaimah airport gets a makeover

Air travel within Africa is forecast by Boeing to grow at 6.4 per cent per year over the next 20 years, a growth rate comparable to that of the world’s emerging economies. Increasing trade and commerce are fueling growth among the region’s airlines, and new airlines are emerging as the number of people who can afford to fly rises, which is also driving investment in airports and other infrastructure in the continent. Geographical challenges and the lack of good roads … [Read more...] about Africa Air Cargo Supplement in April issue

Now that the worst of the crisis appears to be behind us, glimmers of optimism are increasingly being expressed by the industry. At the recent Air Cargo India, the mood was far more upbeat than it has been for the last few such industry gatherings during the height of the crisis last year. The optimism may be slightly skewed by the very location of the cargo event however, as India never reached the same depths of the economic quagmire that other economies around the world did. And while … [Read more...] about The enemy within

For an aircraft that very nearly never made it to mass-production, the 747 – of which a remarkable 1,418 were built as of December 2009, with 281 of the 747s of all variants still flying – became the iconic image of jet travel for the masses, in what became known as the era of the jumbo-jet. And while that era and the accolade of ruling the roost as the largest commercial aircraft ever made was finally surpassed some 35 years later by Airbus’ doubledecker … [Read more...] about A new queen of cargo set to rule the skies