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WORLD AIRPORTS .COM ACW Digital is sponsored by FREIGHTERS.COM
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The weekly newspaper for air cargo professionals Volume: 20
Issue: 49
11 December 2017
CEIV programmes for live animals and perishables
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he International Air Transport Association (IATA) plans to expand the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) programme to cover live animals and perishables. Speaking at the IATA Cargo Media Day at the IATA Conference Centre in Geneva on 6 December, the association’s head of special cargo, Andrea Gruber (pictured) spoke about how the CEIV has been embraced by the air cargo industry and what are the plans for 2018. She explained there will be a complete CEIV Pharma roll out, with additional requirements from the healthcare industry. There will be Live Animal Pilot programme with industry participants, and it is investigating the possibility of a ‘CEIV Fresh’ for perishables. She says: “Welfare of animals is critical, it is a niche market that needs constant supervision within the industry. We have responded to calls from the industry to enforce compliance in live animal regulations. The aim is to reduce stress, injury and death, raise professionalism in the industry.” Describing the programme, Gruber says: “The pilot programme will be rolled out with
UNITED FRONT CALLED FOR ON CARGO SAFETY CARGOLUX SEEING STRONG DEMAND FOR DGR SERVICES WFS GAINS 1ST CEIV PHARMA IN EUROPE industry participants. We have started working with CITES. There has been a campaign for regulatory compliance and a lot of discussion with an emphasis on legal trade and compliance. We have seen incidents that emphasise reinforcing compliance.” IATA’s Live Animal Regulations (LAR) is already the worldwide standard for transporting live animals. All employees who handle
animals must be trained according to requirements, and LAR has been adopted by a number of companies and by the European Union as a minimum standard. She says: “Compliance is critical, companies have transporting live animals for some time. A lot are doing it but not all are doing the right way. We need to improve, providing visibility and transparency.”
tory-to-sales ratio in the US tracking sideways suggesting that the period when companies look to restock inventories quickly has ended. Asia-Pacific grew 4.4 per cent, North America 6.6 per cent, Europe 6.4 per cent, the Middle East 4.6 per cent, Latin America 7.2 per cent and Africa 30.3 per cent. IATA says volume growth will return to a normal pace in 2018 after booming in 2017, as cargo continues to benefit from a strong cyclical upturn in volumes, with expected growth of 4.5 per cent in 2018, down from 9.3 per cent in 2017. Cargo revenue is forecasted to rise 8.6 per cent in 2018 to $59.2 billion. Cargo yields are expected to improve four per cent in 2018.
Airfreight in Europe has hit capacity for the first time in at least 10 years and it has led to some shippers paying sky-high air rates to get their shipments loaded, according to the Freightos International Freight Index. Freightos Webcargo chief executive officer, Manel Galindo says: “While ocean freight rates are still tanking, airfreight is at peak capacity. For as far back as I can remember, all carriers maxed out on capacity in Europe. “This triggered holiday-season auctions, with bookings bumped by the highest bidder. In one extraordinary case, I saw spot rates on a transatlantic route hit $13/kg. Prices have stabilised, but this frenzy may happen again in the run-up to Christmas.” Freightos Webcargo also explains that after Christmas, rates traditionally ease off before picking up again for the Chinese New Year, but with e-commerce growth fueling strong demand, it believes and expects prices to flatline in January instead.
Strong start to Q4 as volumes rise 5.9% Europe at capacity Airfreight volumes have grown by 5.9 per cent in October, which the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says signals a strong start to the fourth quarter (Q4). The association says though October was slower than the annual growth of 9.2 per cent in September, it was still above the annual average of 3.2 per cent seen over the past decade. Capacity in available tonne kilometres (AFTK) rose 3.7 per cent, marking the 15th consecutive month where demand growth outstripped capacity, which is positive for load factors, yields and financial performance. IATA director general and chief executive officer, Alexandre de Juniac says tightening supply conditions in Q4 should see the industry deliver its strongest operational and financial performance since the post-global financial crisis rebound in 2010. The association also says though demand remains strong, indicators show the industry may have passed the growth peak, with inven-
APA REGION THE 2ND BIGGEST GROWTH MARKET
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Atlas Air gains injunction ATLAS Air and Polar Air Cargo’s request for an injunction against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) to stop its “illegal work slowdown” has been granted, but IBT warns this will not solve problems. The subsidiaries of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings requested the injunction accusing the IBT of engaging an in “unlawful, concerted work slowdown to gain advantage in pilot contract negotiations”, saying the “illegal work slowdown and service interruptions” were causing significant flight delays and harm. The US District Court for the District of Columbia has required the IBT to meet obligations under the Railway Labor Act (RLA) and stop the slowdown. The union have also been ordered to not interfere with Atlas’ operations or “any other concerted refusal to perform normal pilot operations consistent with the status quo, in violation of the RLA”. The decision has been condemned by the IBT, and Teamsters Local 1224 president and Atlas Air pilot, Captain Daniel Wells says they will appeal. He adds: “We will comply with the judge’s orders, but it won’t solve the immense problems we face, and we are committed as ever to getting our airlines back on track.” Atlas says will continue negotiating with IBT for a joint contract for Atlas and Southern Air crew.
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NEWS WEEK DHL Express takes delivery of 1st EFW A330-300P2F
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HL Express has become the first operator to take delivery of the A330-300 Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) converted aircraft from Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW). The programme launched in 2012 is a collaboration between ST Aerospace, Airbus and their joint venture, EFW. The A330P2F, available as a -200 or larger -300, is designed for international express B2B and e-commerce cargo, which have a higher volume and lower density, and the aircraft can carry up to 62 metric tonnes over 3,650 nautical miles while offering 20 per cent more cargo volume and lower cost per tonne than other aircraft with a similar range. DHL Express senior vice president for global air fleet management, Geoff Kehr says the company is very excited to bring the first A330-300P2F into service, saying: “The first aircraft is scheduled to strengthen our Asia Pacific air network, bringing added capacity and increased efficiency to a market where we are seeing dynamic express volume growth.” EFW chief executive officer, Dr Andreas Sperl says: “This delivery, which marks a milestone in EFW´s history, also showcases the synergy formed by the deep operational and engineering expertise between EFW and parent company, ST Aerospace.
“As the most modern converted freighter in the industry, the A330-300 P2F will support operators well with Fly-By-Wire-technology and 26 full container positions in the upper cargo deck.” ST Aerospace president, Lim Serh Ghee adds: “The smooth process in attaining EASA’s STC reflects the strength and quality in the engineering and design of the PTF solution, as well as our close working relationship with the aircraft original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Airbus and aircraft conversion expertise of EFW.” “The delivery of our first A330-300P2F is a good start to the conversion programme. We are confident the freighter will serve DHL well, and we look forward to the next redelivery in early 2018.” DHL Express has firm orders for eight A330-300P2Fs with options for another 10.
Silk Way launches Baku-Kansai freighter
Holiday lead to tonnage fall at Incheon
JAPAN will get its first regular freighter service to Azerbaijan after Silk Way West Airlines launched a weekly Boeing 747F route from Baku to Kansai International Airport (KIX). The service will start on 29 December and see the carrier operate flight number 7L608 from Baku direct to KIX on a Friday, arriving at 19.00h. Flight number L128/129 will then leave the same day from KIX at 21.30h stopping at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport before
INCHEON International Airport saw cargo volumes fall 2.5 per cent in October handling 247,000 tonnes. The gateway put the decline down to the loss of operating days due to the golden Chuseok Holiday which meant it only operated on 18 days in the month as opposed to 22.5 days. However, the airport is upbeat about November as it says the leading indicators of air cargo are positive.
arriving in Baku the next morning. The capacity will be either 113 or 134 tonnes, depending on if a B747-400F or B747-800F is operated on the route. This will be the first regular flight service of Silk Way West Airlines in Japan while a charter flight service at Komatsu Airport will also be offered regularly at the same time. KIX’s cargo volume in 2017 is set to exceed 800,000 tonnes for the first time in 13 years.
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Inches says including the rate of increase in the number of global semiconductors transported and the US’ inventory to sales ratio, indicate positive levels and the volume in November is expected to be restored to a similar level as that of the same period last year. By region, cargo was up to Oceania by 5.2 per cent, but was down to Japan by four per cent, and China 4.4 per cent. In 2017, tonnage is up eight per cent on the same 10 months in 2016.
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NEWSWEEK
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New quote service from DHL
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HL Global Forwarding has launched its new Online Freight Quotation & Booking service to provide airfreight customers with simple, competitive quotes and e-bookings. The service creates quotes based on door-todoor all-in rates and transit information, and can provide immediate prices for general shipments up to 2,000 kilogrammes and offer two
speeds of service through DHL’s Air Connect and Air Economy products. The quotation and booking service connects to DHL Interactive, DHL Global Forwarding’s online customer portal, where it additionally provides shipment tracking and the creation and distribution of customised shipment reports. Shippers and consignees can quote and book shipments for all commonly used pre-paid and collect trade terms from a computer or any mobile device. DHL Global Forwarding global head of marketing & sales, Angelos Orfanos says: “International shipping doesn’t need to be a complex task. From searching for the right supplier through to getting a competitive price, this should be easily available online.” The service is available in more than 40 countries including the USA, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam.
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Profits fall 38% at Aeroflot
NET profits for the Aeroflot Group have fallen by 38 per cent in the first nine months of 2017 due to weaker exchange rates. Nine month net profits up to 30 September 2017 were down to 27.1 billion roubles ($463 million) with lower finance income due to lower earnings from exchange rate difference, though finance costs were down 14.3 per cent to 6.3 billion roubles due to reduced debt levels. Total revenue was up 6.2 per cent to 404.7 billion roubles and cargo flight revenue increased 37.2 per cent to 11.3 billion roubles due to new wide-body aircraft joining the fleet, and cargo & mail revenue growing 38.9 per cent. Aeroflot deputy chief executive officer for commerce and finance, Shamil Kurmashov says: “Increased capacity supply across the market and exchange rate fluctuations
led to a decrease in yields compared to the year-ago period, when we saw a significant dislocation between supply and demand.” He also says exchange rates supported operating costs, explaining: “Whereas rates in 2016 put pressure on line items including operational leasing, technical maintenance costs and airport fees outside Russia, in nine months of 2017 the strengthening of the rouble had a positive effect on operating costs.”
Budapest aims to be e-commerce hub
BUDAPEST Airport is aiming to become the air cargo hub for goods arriving from China, having signed a cooperation agreement with two major logistics companies. The airport signed the agreement with China’s STO Express and European 3PL company, EKOL, which has a strong presence in Hungary at the annual conference of the “16+1 cooperation” initiative, comprising of China and 16 countries from the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region. At the economic, commercial and financial forum, STO announced it is developing its relations with the CEE region, and Budapest Airport has been designated as the hub for air cargo transportation, and together with Hungary-based EKOL, it will establish a cargo transportation in the near future to transport Chinese goods through Budapest to customers in Europe. STO Express operated its first Boeing 747 Freighter service, filled primarily with e-commerce goods, to Budapest on 3 November in the colours of Silkway Italia, initially as a charter flight, but following the agreement it will operate scheduled cargo flights. Budapest Airport director of property and cargo, Rene Droese says: “We believe that Budapest and Budapest Airport provide the best place for distribution by STO Express in CEE, and we will do our best to prove this in the near future. Our new air cargo base, the Cargo City, will commence operation in the summer of 2019.”
AEI to convert CRJ200
AERONAUTICAL Engineers (AEI) has signed a contract to provide Regional One with a CRJ200 SF Freighter, to be leased to Talinn-based Airest. Modification of the aircraft is taking place at Commercial Jet’s Miami, Florida facility and will be re-delivered to Regional One in the beginning of April 2018. Regional One will be providing a financial lease of the completed CRJ200 SF to Estonia-based Airest, which will be the first European operator for the CRJ200 SF. Airest, which has a fleet of nine Saab 340s, plans to acquire and operate up to four AEI CRJ200 SF. The AEI CRJ200 SF will provide Regional One with an Ancra CLS capable of carrying eight 61.5×88 containers.
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PERISHABLES
Asia Pacific region remains the sector’s biggest growth market
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he perishables sector shows clearly the new conventional wisdom – that China is mightily important – but also sketches out the considerable mileage still to tap. There can be no doubting the scale or the importance of the sector as bigger players in the market testify. “Perishables is a major cargo segment handled at Changi Airport and is also a key cargo segment that we are actively driving. In 2016, Changi Airport handled more than 260,000 tonnes of perishables, a year-on-year (YOY) growth of 7.6 per cent and at a 5-year CAGR of 4.9 per cent,” Changi air hub development managing director, Lim Ching Kiat explains. Singapore is not driving all this on its own (happy eaters though they tend to be) but its crossroads position between North Asia and Southeast Asia-Southwest Pacific i.e. Australia make it a good perishables transit hub. This is in contrast to Hong Kong where Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) moves 90,000 tonnes of perishables each year largely for local consumption, its chief executive, Mark Whitehead (pictured) notes. Not that it is a trade to be sniffed at. “Hong Kong imported $2.24 billion worth of fruit in 2014, with fresh grapes accounting for 20 per cent by value,” says Whitehead. Hong Kong’s fruit industry is seeing two emerging trends - online shopping and specialist fruit boutiques, he adds. And the sector is growing. “Between January and October of this year, Fresh LIFT contributed about one-sixth of our total cargo revenue and also showed a six per cent growth compared to the same period in 2016,” a spokesperson for Cathay Pacific explains. Changi’s pitch meanwhile is China. Already the world’s largest food and beverages market, it has logged up an average growth rate of approximately 15 per cent for imports over the past
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five years, Lim says. Between 2015 and 2020, Asia’s middle class is expected to grow by close to one billion, with China expecting to contribute significantly to the growth. It is probably going to feel much more than that as they all have computers, and e-commerce and e-fulfillment is already a way of life for them. “With end consumers demanding speedier fulfillment, Singapore offers the right value proposition as a transit point, consolidation hub or distribution centre for e-commerce players, importers or exporters in the region,” says Lim. Changi already has a dense air network with links to 34 Chinese cities and cool chain handling capabilities, meaning “perishable products can be imported directly into the fulfillment hubs of Chinese e-commerce players or Chinese importers’ hands,” Lim adds. Corroboration for this comes from two of the great source nations: Australia and New Zealand. “Of particular importance is our relationship with Asia, with more than 50 per cent of the Qantas Group’s international capacity now servicing the region. In the 2016-2017 financial year, we uplifted approximately 19 million kg/s of freight to Southeast Asia alone across both passenger and charter flights,” explains Qantas chief operating officer for freight, Nick McGlynn.
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Qantas uplifts 27 million kilos of perishables annually. More telling though is a statistic from Air New Zealand who exported 42,000 tonnes of goods over 350 flights carrying cargo per week with more than half being perishable goods. Both it and Qantas used the same word to describe what is carried -“everything”- from meat, seafood to capsicums, cherries and other fruit and vegetables and fresh cut flowers as well as dairy products. Both airlines acknowledge the seasonality. “Peak season for the transportation of perishables traditionally coincides with Australian summer (end of November to end of March). Significant spikes are recorded in December to accommodate the growth in e-commerce and fresh produce during the Christmas period and Chinese New Year,” McGlynn says. “Flowers are the most seasonal of fresh commodities. Valentine’s Day is growing in popularity, but there are other important festivals and holidays that also drive flower sales, such as Chinese New Year, Mother’s Day and Christmas,” notes Whitehead. Air New Zealand is watching “with interest” its Auckland – Buenos Aires route and is looking to open up possibly huge opportunities for trade development, by utilising Auckland as a hub. Volumes between Auckland and Buenos Aires have grown YOY by 12 per cent, but the carrier is seeing real increases in beyond market growth with cargo originating before Auckland and terminating after Buenos Aires up more than 250 per cent over the same period. Usually this is Asian products such as electronics and other general cargo and in return it brings a range of products from South America to New Zealand and markets beyond such as seasonal Chilean salmon to Shanghai and flowers coming from Bogota mainly destined to Australia. “The new route helps to shorten the travelling distance and improve transit times for exporters between Asia and South America,” the carrier explains. The precedent of perishables opening up new markets for general cargo is an intriguing and possibly lucrative one.
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DANGEROUS GOODS
United front called for on cargo safety
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call has been made for a united front on cargo safety in the handling of dangerous goods and the way cargo is packed and transported in unit loads across the supply chain. During a session of the Intermodal Europe Conference in Amsterdam last week the Global Shippers Forum (GSF), ICHCA International, TT Club and the World Shipping Council (WSC) drew attention to the responsibilities of container owners and operators in providing equipment that is fit for purpose and properly packed with cargo as set out in the CTU Code. All four organisations have for some months now been working together to improve safety through a focus on cargo integrity. The specific aim has been to promote wider use of the IMO endorsed CTU Code for correct packing and securing of all cargo transport units (CTUs). Improved standards of declaration and handling of dangerous goods are also within the scope of the Code, together with steps to prevent pest contamination, and the provision of containers and other equipment that comply with international rules and standards. The Code calls for effective interaction between the shipper, who is responsible for specifying requirements for the type of equipment suitable for the cargo intended to be carried and container operator in providing units that satisfy such requirements, meet applicable safety and manufacturing standards, and are clean. Faulty and badly maintained units may have as serious ramifications as incorrect and deficient packing of cargo inside the units. GSF secretary general, Chris Welsh (pictured) is the representative of shippers within the group of four and spoke about the complexity of interaction between stakeholders in the supply
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chain and how this adds further to the need to engage all in promoting safety. He said: “In many modern international supply chains there are multiple ‘hand-offs’ where cargo is passed variously from manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, warehouses, consolidators, forwarders and logistics operators to shipping lines. “Ultimately, however, it is the responsibility of the shipper as the party causing the transport of the CTU unit to demand and control compliance with proper packing standards, and to specify the type of equipment needed for the cargo. This is a responsibility clearly set out in the CTU Code. It cannot be negated or ignored irrespective of the complexity of the logistics chain.” The challenge taken forward by this industry group is communication to all stakeholders. Through governmental and industry events, progress is being made in increasing awareness of the CTU Code and linking with other organisations, which can assist in promoting its widespread adoption in order to deliver improved safety and sustainability in the international supply chain.
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IATA launches DGR eFB with Emirates
EMIRATES will work with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to launch its Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) for electronic flight bags (eFB). The carrier is the first to roll-out the new system, which is expected to bring the IATA DGR into the cockpit where flight crews make vital pre-flight and in-flight safety decisions. The IATA DGR is designed to help the aviation industry prepare and document dangerous shipments, as well as help track the latest developments in regulations for the safe transport of air cargo. It will help Emirates flight deck crews have efficient and easy access to updated regulatory safety information. IATA airport, passenger, cargo and security senior vice-president, Nick Careen says: “The DGR for eFB places the most comprehensive resource on the carriage of dangerous goods into the cockpit in a format that will assist the flight deck crew in making timely operational safety checks and decisions.” The air cargo industry is estimated to transport around 50 million tonnes of freight with an annual value of $6.4 trillion. All the cargo shipments ranging from dry ice and lithium batteries to substances and chemicals and are mandated to comply with stringent global standards. IATA has worked with governments and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to prepare the DGR, which is available in customised formats tailored to different parts of the supply chain.
DANGEROUS GOODS
Cargolux seeing strong demand for its DGR services
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he busiest trade lanes for dangerous goods (DGR) in the vast network of Cargolux Airlines is both directions between Western Europe and North America. Manager of global product management, Eric Reisch (pictured) says North East Asia, the Middle East, Brazil and Western and Central Africa are also bouyant. Cargolux offers customers a specialist service CV hazmat, which covers all DGR classes 1-9, as well as shipments not allowed to travel on passenger flights (CAO). Reisch says: “Dangerous goods require extremely careful handling and expert knowledge, our team of specialists ensure full guidance for both forwarders and shippers about compliance and the varied responsibilities of DGR shipments.” Cargolux is represented at IATA’s Dangerous Goods board, and whenever needed, it can get fast approvals and feedback from authorities through its close cooperation with the local civil aviation departments in many countries. Reisch says the DGR sector has been consistently busy in 2017 with a large variety of shipments carried. He adds: “As an all-cargo carrier, with the ability to carry cargo that cannot be carried on passenger aircraft, we fill a niche with growing demand due to the limited number of qualified actors in this market. Freighter-only DGR shipments represent an important part of our business.” He says most consumer products today have some components that qualify as DGR, which has grown demand for DGR freight. “The airfreight industry, however, seemingly moves at its own pace, be it due to regulations and/or overall complexity of the business all the way to pricing of the service by air. “Shippers have, in part adapted their supply chains to meet their deadlines and cover for disturbances in ocean/ vessel, rail and road transport. Airfreight remains the best solution for urgent
needs and quality products. “Although CAO cargo represents a large part in terms of revenue for any freighter operator, it surely comes at a certain cost through additional investments in trainings, awareness, infrastructure and processes, as well as an overall increased risk for the operator.” Cargolux moves household goods, satellite parts, radioactive materials, magnetised materials, dangerous materials (machinery and equipment), chemicals, explosives and lithium batteries. The carrier has faced any difficulties in moving lithium batteries, Reisch says: “Shippers and manufacturers of quality products often find it hard to understand that their well-known branded product is subject to the same basic requirements and concerns as those that are classified as a potential risk to air safety. “The middle-man, the freight forwarder, may sometimes not understand our requirements from a more technical point of view. We may have to reject shipments despite being confident that the manufacturer has all the necessary documents and precautions in place. This makes it all the more important to be in close contact with the shippers.” Cargolux is seeing new trends and challenges in the DGR sector. Reisch says: “Airlines have implied their own restrictions and barriers, that go beyond the currently applicable DG regu-
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lations. Cargolux and other airlines have conducted their own risk assessments resulting in either full embargoes or additional safety measures that reduce the risk to an acceptable level. “Cargolux has started a pilot project for UN3480 in April that covers carriage of lithium batteries by air under certain conditions. This is a solution that we have developed in-house for our fully trained and certified gateways Luxembourg, Los Angeles and Hong Kong. Johannesburg became an approved receiving station. Zhengzhou, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur and Taipei are next in line and additional stations will follow.” The sector has changed in recent years in the view of Reisch, who notes the complexity has become more and more technical. He says: “We do not only educate our customers in the forwarding industry, but often get to work hand-in-hand with the shippers/ manufacturers who best know their product and capabilities. “Documentation, testing certificates and QMS are a valuable barrier to protect ourselves from counterfeit and cheap batteries ultimately responsible for great concern of carriage by air. Screening methods have evolved considerably in an environment where ‘hidden dangerous goods’ represent the largest risk.” But what does Cargolux want to see in the industry in regards to DGR cargo. Reisch notes: “Shippers need to be more involved in a standardised QMS process that would be declared as acceptable for airfreight through IATA or ICAO. When it comes to dangerous goods, it’s better to have a direct relationship between shipper/manufacturer and airlines to avoid back and forth communication between the stakeholders. “Cargolux has its role in the supply chain and a clear responsibility to also educate customers to have the full understanding of requirements and capabilities for air transport.”
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QATAR
WTO dispute panel to look into regional trade blockade
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he World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) is to look into the blockade of Qatar by other Middle Eastern nations. On 22 November, the DSB agreed to establish a panel to examine measures imposed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Qatar affecting trade in goods and services and the protection of intellectual property rights. In June 2017 a number of countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar. Road links with Saudi Arabia were closed, regional airlines cut suspended services to Qatar and Qatar Airways suspended operations to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain. Qatar has stated to the DSB that the UAE “had refused all consultations and had acted unilaterally, in gross disregard for the rights of Qatar and other members”. It says: “The measures adopted by the UAE and some other members were discriminatory, prevented freedom of transit and frustrated the majority of trade between Qatar and those members.”
The UAE has opposed the move saying that long with eight other countries, it was “forced to take measures in response to Qatar’s funding of terrorist organisations”.
The UAE says this is not a commercial dispute and the measures had been taken to protect the UAE’s security interests in full conformity with WTO rules. It could not agree to the establishment of a panel, saying, “the WTO had no authority to second guess a member’s determination of its national security interests”. Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Egypt are backing the UAE, saying members have the sole right to determine measures deemed essential to protect security interests, and that the WTO dispute settlement system was not able to resolve these types of disputes. Other countries including the USA and Canada have urged the countries to hold constructive talks as this is a political dispute, and it is not appropriate for the WTO dispute settlement to get involved. Korea added that the most effective path to resolving the dispute would be a political one, which is not within the remit of the WTO, and it was essential to find a bilateral political agreement, making WTO dispute proceedings unnecessary. (Picture, new WTO building, picture credit WTO).
Qatar Airways network continues to expand
QATAR Airways is continuing to expand its network with new passenger and freighter routes all around the world. Since June, it has launched freighter flights to London Heathrow Airport, using an Airbus A330 for the weekly service operating on Saturdays, which return via Basel in Switzerland. The airline offers over 1,500 tonnes of capacity out of the UK every week on passenger flights from Birmingham, Edinburgh, Heathrow and Manchester, and freighter services from London Stansted Airport. On 11 October it became the first international airline to operate from Pittsburgh, adding to the 100 tonnes of belly-hold capacity it offers on daily Airbus A350 passenger flights. The Pittsburgh service is also well placed to provide links to surrounding areas in Ohio and West Virginia, and exports include heavy electronics, high-value manufactured goods and pharmaceuticals. Pittsburgh is the fourth destination in the Americas Qatar Airways services with a Boeing 777 Freighter, joining, Mexico City, Halifax and Quito. Qatar Airways Cargo became the first airline operating direct freighter services to Yangon in Myanmar in November, with weekly Airbus A330 flights offering 60 tonnes of cargo capacity each way. Airfreight exports from Myanmar have risen 87 per cent since 2014 and 58 per cent for imports, and the freighter service will provide additional capacity to Qatar Airways’ daily passenger flights with belly-hold space. The airline welcomed its 22nd freighter to its fleet in October with the 13th 777F, joining the other eight A330Fs and one Boeing 747-8F. Since September, Qatar Airways has also announced a number of new passenger routes with cargo capacity. Among the new routes were flights to Adana in Turkey on 6 November, which when the route was announced, Qatar Airways Group chief executive officer, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker said: “Adana is an agricultural and industrial powerhouse, so our new three-times-a-week service will help boost all-important trade and commercial links between Qatar and Turkey.” Other European destinations benefitting from extra flights include daily services to Warsaw, Prague and Helsinki. Rome, Milan and Stockholm are all in line for 17 flights per week, and Oslo frequencies are to rise from seven a week to 10. Qatar Airways will also increase services to Russia, with three flights a day from Moscow from 14 December, followed by daily flights to St. Petersburg from 19 December.
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NEWSWEEK WFS gains its 1st CEIV Pharma certificate in Europe at Brussels
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russels has become the first of Worldwide Flight Services’ (WFS) European cargo stations to achieve the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) CEIV Pharma certification. The cargo handler is in the process of certification for either Good Distribution Practice (GDP) or CEIV Pharma at major locations across its network, which also includes building new facilities at stations including Paris, Milan and Copenhagen. Pharma volumes handled by WFS in Brussels rose by 170 per cent in
2016 and will soar to a new high in 2017. Volumes in the first 10 months of the year have already exceeded three million kilos. WFS regional vice president in Belgium, Marc Claesen says: “We are proud to be the first WFS station in Europe with CEIV accreditation and to be supporting our customers and the efforts of Brussels Airport to create the world’s first CEIV-certified airport community.” To manage its customers’ growing pharma volumes, WFS has installed two new dedicated pharma cells in its main warehouse in Brussels to help maintain the integrity of pharma products within 15-25°C and 2-8°C temperature-controlled environments. As part of its successful CEIV certification programme, it has also adopted specific pharma handling procedures and provided training for its staff working in the upgraded facility. WFS’ EVP for cargo in Europe Middle East Africa & Asia, John Batten (pictured left) adds:
“We are continuing to listen to the needs of our airline customers and to support them with new and enhanced facilities where we see opportunities that offer growth potential for them and for WFS. “Delivering further improvements to our pharma handling services at major stations is one of our key areas of focus and this will con-
tinue in 2018 with investments and GDP or CEIV certifications at more of our locations with high pharma volumes.” WFS is the world’s largest air cargo handler and had annual revenues of over €1 billion. Its 18,000 employees serve over 300 airlines at 195 major airports in 21 countries on five continents.
Monitoring tool for Finnair
FINNAIR Cargo has launched a new air cargo monitoring tool called Finnair Cargo Eye, offering end-to-end visibility for operations. It integrates multiple data sources, transactional ERP data and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors into a presentation layer with a visual layout for operational steering that will help Finnair’s Cargo Control Centre (CCC) to effectively monitor and steer cargo flows in real time within the Finnair network. The Cargo Eye provides end-to-end visibility for operations, and will provide more transparent real-time information for customers. Finnair Cargo managing director, Janne Tarvainen says the carrier invites start-ups to “innovate with us for improved productivity and establishing fully transparent E2E value chains for proactive cargo network steering. Slush is a great event to look for potential new partners for IoT enabled transformation”. The tool was created with Qoco Systems and is integrated to provide data from SkyChain, Finnair’s cargo management system by Accelya; Sensire, providing data for location, temperature and humidity of shipments, monitored by Sensire sensors; and Kaltiot, monitoring Finnair Cargo ground transport vehicle locations or temperatures of shipments monitored with KaltIoT trackers.
Va-Q-Tec pens Aeromexico deal
VA-Q-TEC and Aeroméxico Cargo have signed a global agreement for the transport of temperature-sensitive goods. Mexico is Latin America’s second-largest pharma market and the collaboration will see door-to-door cold chain shipping solutions to pharmaceutical and life science customers. Va-Q-tec chief executive officer, Joachim Kuhn says: “We are delighted to commence our cooperation with Aeroméxico Cargo, bringing our combined proposition to the Mexican pharma sector. Pharma is a significant industry segment in Mexico and the country is the eleventh largest global market for pharmaceutical products. “As a significant producer and consumer of pharmaceuticals, the increased global connectivity we will achieve through our partnership with Aeroméxico Cargo helps underpin our strategy for the Americas.” The high-quality transport containers, called ‘va-Q-tainer’, which are now also offered directly by Aeroméxico Cargo, provide temperature-controlled solutions for six temperature ranges from -70°C to +25°C in five sizes, taking up to two US pallets inside.