ACW 15 November 21 by Azura International

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The weekly newspaper for air cargo professionals No. 1,157

15 NOVEMBER 2021

CARGO.ONE360 LAUNCHED WACA OPENS NOMINATIONS

THE Air Cargo Week World Air Cargo Awards will once again be an exciting highlight of air cargo China 2022. The ceremony will showcase ten specific industry categories as follows:

Airfreight Forwarder of the Year Air Cargo Handling Agent of the Year Air Cargo Charter Broker of the Year Airport of the Year Air Cargo General Sales Agent of the Year Air Cargo Industry Customer Care Air Cargo Industry Achievement Information Technology for the Air Cargo Industry Air Cargo Industry Marketing & Promotional Campaign Cargo Airline of the Year

The Awards will be in two stages – a nomination stage and a voting stage. Nominations opened on November 1 2021 and will close on Friday December 10 2021. Nominations can be made for any air cargo sector organisation around the world by any person or organisation, using the official nomination form on www.aircargoweek.com. Companies are permitted to nominate themselves, however, they will not be able to vote for themselves.

MAKE THE SWITCH TO GO GREEN WITH AIR CARGO WEEK T

his issue of Air Cargo Week is being produced as the COP26 environmental event is underway in Glasgow. This co-incidence has prompted a re-think by senior management on how this newspaper, which for more than two decades has chronicled the changing fortunes of the global airfreight industry, is distrubuted to our worldwide base of readers. An increasing number of readers have approached the circulation department asking in future we no longer mail the physical newspaper to them as they are turning to the digital version in greater numbers on-line. Director of AZura International, the publisher of Air Cargo Week, Norman Bamford, says: “As publishers of Air Cargo Week for more than 20 years, we always keep our eye on trends and influences that will affect us as a business and reflect what our readers and advertisers want. “A growing number of subcribers have asked us to stop sending them the physical copies of the newspaper as a means of reducing newsprint use. Instead, they are turning to our

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INSIDE

“ALCOHOL TO JET”

VATTENFALL, SAS, Shell and LanzaTech have announced that together they will investigate the production of the world’s first synthetic ... PAGE 2

OMAN AIR TO RESUME TO BANGKOK

OMAN Air will resume passenger flights after the easing of restrictions with bellyhold capacity between Muscat and Bangkok from ... PAGE 2 SKYPORT WINS SKYUP HANDLING

CZECH ground handling specialist Skyport has been awarded the contract to handle import and export cargo for Ukrainian ... PAGE 3

digital copies on aircargoweek.com which they can read 24/7 wherever they are. “We are very happy to switch their subscriptions from the physical to the digital copies of Air Cargo Week if requested. “It can escape no-one’s notice that COP26 is being held just some 450 miles from ACW’s office in the southeast of England. “We encourge many more readers to make the switch. Just contact subs@azurainternational.com and

let them know that in future you would rather read the weekly publication on-line,” says Bamford.

Endorse ACW editor James Graham adds: “I am happy to fully endorse Norman’s comments. The newspaper is just as valuable to readers and advertisers on the screen as it is on the page. This move is entirely in tune with what the delegates in Glasgow have been talking about.”

ZEBITZ STEPS UP AT SKYTEAM CARGO

SKYTEAM Cargo has made Teddy Zebitz, chief executive officer of Saudia Cargo, its new chairperson of its cargo executive ... PAGE 5

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NEWS

TIACA launches second Annual Air Cargo Sustainability Survey WITH this year’s survey, TIACA says it aims to measure the progress the air cargo community has made in its journey towards a sustainable industry within the last year. Consistent with the first version, TIACA looks to receive responses from the entire air cargo industry: shippers and consignees, forwarders, airlines, airports, ground handlers, manufacturers, IT solution providers; regardless of size or geographic location.

The results will be aggregated and presented to the industry and will drive the association’s sustainability initiatives. The results and recommendations of the first air cargo sustainability survey were published in the first Air Cargo Sustainability Report and will be the benchmark to measure year-on-year progression of the air cargo industry’s sustainability activities. “I am glad to see so much focus on sustainability and climate in the news lately. The need for making changes towards a sustainable future has reached a fever pitch and we as an industry must rise up and lead the efforts to make not just our industry sustainable but also the world we will pass to our children. This annual survey is so important as it monitors the progress towards a sustainable air cargo industry,” says Steven Polmans, TIACA chair. The Annual Air Cargo Sustainability Survey was launched last year as part of TIACA’s sustainability programme that is aimed at uniting the air cargo industry towards a common vision, goals and action plan, drive and accelerate sustainability progress. The sustainability programme is set to support our members and the air cargo industry in their necessary transformation to do good for the planet, the people and the business, through innovation and partnerships. This initiative supports our 3+2 vision: people, planet, prosperity + innovation & partnerships. “The importance of understanding the progress of how our industry is progressing in its efforts to become more sustainable has never been more crucial as leaders from all over the world meet in Glasgow during the COP26 to address climate change. The world needs leaders from every industry to step up and do their part,” adds Glyn Hughes, director general.

AIR France KLM Martinair Cargo has welcomed Airflo and Tiger Freight to its SAF programme. By joining, Airflo and Tiger Freight will reduce the carbon emissions that they produce shipping flowers and perishables. This partnership will make it possible to use sustainable aviation fuel on AFKLMP Cargo flights from Kenya and Zimbabwe carrying Airflo’s and Tiger Freight’s fresh agricultural and horticultural products. At this year’s International Floriculture Trade Fair (IFTF) in the Netherlands, November 3-5, GertJan Roelands, senior vice president sales and distribution, Air France KLM Martinair Cargo, invited the CEO of Airflo and Tiger Freight, Andrew Pattenden, to sign an agreement that includes a fixed annual investment from Airflo and Tiger Freight. AFKLMP says it will enable the company to further expand development and procurement of SAF. Airflo’s and Tiger Freight’s contribution will be used to cover the difference in price between conventional aircraft fuel and SAF. Roelands commented: “I would like to welcome Airflo and Tiger to our SAF programme and to compliment them on taking this step forward in further reduc-

GertJan Roelands and Andrew Pattenden at IFTF ing their carbon footprint for airfreight. “So far we have welcomed 26 partners to our SAF programme this year. We have seen an uptick in interest and a rapidly growing demand for SAF in recent months.” Pier Luigi Vigada, director Eastern and Southern Africa at AirFranceKLM Martinair Cargo says: “Committing to a Sustainable Aviation Fuel programme means understanding the concept, sharing the values and involving our customers. Doing that in the horticultural business environment,

where margins are low and complexities are high, is a hard task. Airflo, Tiger Freight and their CEO Andrew Pattenden, have fully embraced the project and will be supporting AirFranceKLMMartinair Cargo in their SAF investments for 2022, both from Kenya and Zimbabwe. “We are very pleased to welcome them on board. Their professionalism and dedication will be supported by a decreased carbon footprint in transporting their customers’ products from Nairobi and Harare,” says Vigada.

sometime between 2026 and 2027 near Forsmark on Sweden’s east coast. “SAS and Sustainability go hand in hand. That’s why we are incredibly proud to be part of this unique project where ambitious sustainability goals and agendas come together. Our joint commitment in finding ways to enable large-scale production of a more sustainable aviation fuel is a fantastic opportunity to accelerate the commercialisation of SAF, and thus SAS’s transition towards industry-leading zero-emission flights,” says Anko van der Werff, president and CEO, SAS.

infrastructure needed to produce SAF at scale that the aviation sector can achieve net zero by 2050. This is why I am excited for this collaboration to explore one more pathway for SAF production,” says Anna Mascolo, president, Shell Aviation. “The aviation sector faces incredible challenges getting the volumes of SAF needed for sustainable flight. This project is the start of delivering on these volumes and by reusing carbon dioxide and fossil free power we have an opportunity for unprecedented scale. We need to rethink carbon and together with fossil free power, harness it to create a new climate safe future for all,” says Jennifer Holmgren, CEO LanzaTech. The aim of the project is to get the production of electrofuel started in Sweden. The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding and agreed that Vattenfall will investigate fossil free electricity supply, hydrogen production and carbon dioxide recovery. Shell will investigate fuel production, logistics and be the electrofuel buyer. LanzaTech will provide its gas fermentation expertise to make ethanol from the input gas streams and parties will license the LanzaJet “Alcohol to Jet” technology to convert the ethanol to electrofuel. SAS will participate as a potential buyer of the electrofuel.

SAS, Vattenfall, Shell and LanzaTech explore synthetic SAF production

attenfall, SAS, Shell and LanzaTech have announced that together they will investigate the production of the world’s first synthetic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) using the LanzaJet “Alcohol to Jet” technology on a large scale in Sweden. Instead of using virgin fossil material in the production process, the synthetic SAF will be produced from fossil free electricity and recycled carbon dioxide from district heating. The goal is that a new production facility will produce up to 50,000 tonnes of synthetic SAF annually, provided that an investment decision is made at a later stage. The synthetic SAF, also known as electrofuel, will be produced from fossil free electricity and recovered carbon dioxide using the LanzaJet “Alcohol to Jet” technology, developed by LanzaTech and the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). When full production is up and running it could provide SAS with up to 25% of its global demand for sustainable aviation fuel in the 2030s. A joint study has shown promising conditions for the project, and all partner companies now agree to carry out in-depth analyses. The ambition is to commission the new production facility

Industry partnerships “This initiative shows the potential of cross industry partnerships to drive the decarbonisation of a hard-to-abate sector. To innovate faster in order to bridge to a fossil free living within one generation. This is a really good opportunity and together we will explore further how to produce low emission electrofuel for aviation,” says Anna Borg, president and CEO, Vattenfall. “Sustainable aviation fuel offers the greatest potential to reduce emissions from aviation. It is only by working together today across the aviation ecosystem to drive the technologies and

OMAN Air will resume passenger flights after the easing of restrictions with bellyhold capacity between Muscat and Bangkok from November 11 2021. The flights will operate twice-weekly on Thursday and Saturday. The Thursday flight will

ACW 15 NOVEMBER 2021

AIRFLO AND TIGER FREIGHT JOIN AFKLMP’S SAF PROGRAMME

Oman Air to resume Muscat to Bangkok

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depart Muscat at 22:00 local time and arrive in Bangkok at 06:45 local time on Friday. The flight from Bangkok will depart at 09:15 local time on Friday and arrive in Muscat at 12:35 local time on Friday. The Saturday flight will depart Muscat at 09:00

local time and arrive in Bangkok at 17:45 local time. The Saturday flight from Bangkok will depart at 20:05 local time and arrive in Muscat at 23:25 local time. All flights are scheduled to operate with Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

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10/11/2021 11:30

AZ freight.com

The World’s Most Trusted Online Freight Database

A very warm welcome to this week’s newly signed-up PREMIUM MEMBERS COMPANY NAME:

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Adda Mitra Global (Indonesia)

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Prose Integrated Limited (Nigeria)

Suite 14, Uturu Plaza, TOS Benson Crescent Utako, Abuja, 900108, Nigeria +234 805 315 5515 https://azfreight.com/freight-forwarder/prose-integrated-limited/

FBA Forwarding (United Kingdom)

Unit 2, Osborn Stable Block Business Park, York Avenue, East Cowes, PO32 6JU +44 (198) 321 0321

THIS COMPANY ESPECIALLY INVITING ENQUIRIES FROM: China, Cyprus, India, Australia, Vietnam, Japan

China Wellfast Logistics Co Ltd (China)

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Not a member? Sign up now and enjoy all the benefits of Premium Membership: • Premium Companies are the first to receive quote requests via the AZFreight Quote Request System (QRS). The QRS is a free service providing the best way for importers and exporters to find the right forwarder for shipping anything anywhere; • Premium Companies are given prime position at the top of companies listed in your country. Your company name will stand out with an eye-catching link straight to your own page together with your full-colour logo; • Choose where you get business from! Our unique algorithm will position your company in front of ALL visitors from the countries you want to target: on the Homepage, the AZ Directory page and on ALL free listing pages • Premium Companies are listed first when users search the AZ Directory. Your listing is highlighted in green and appears before all others. Premium Companies are the only ones to have their logos displayed in search results; • Premium Companies are displayed as Pop-ups in the Premium Bar. When users arrive on a listing page which matches your country and company-type they will be reminded that yours is a Premium Listing in that country; • Premium Companies are promoted in Air Cargo Week print and Digital (readership 24,000); • Premium Companies are promoted across the Azura International Social Media Platforms (18,500 followers).

NEWS

CAAi and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University sign MoU CAA International (CAAi) and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University today signed a Memorandum of Understanding focused initially on the development and delivery of aviation security and cyber security training in South America. Signed virtually by Embry-Riddle’s chancellor, John Watret, PhD and CAAi managing director, Maria Rueda, the partnership merges the extensive experience of the world’s largest aviation & aerospace university with the regulatory expertise of the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Speaking after the MoU

signing, Maria Rueda said: “We are delighted to embark on this new co-operation with Embry-Riddle and look forward to expanding our aviation security training and assistance to South America.”

organisations to manage these threats and develop resilient aviation security and cyber-security oversight systems to ensure aviation remains safe and trusted globally.”

New technologies

Partnership

Kevin Sawyer, senior manager of Aviation Security at CAAi, added: “As the aviation industry grows and new technologies emerge, the threats to civil aviation diversify. “Working with Embry-Riddle, we are committed to helping and educating aviation regulators and industry

This partnership supports the principles of ICAO’s GASeP plan. By growing aviation security training and educational resources in South America, CAAi and Embry-Riddle plan to enhance aviation security oversight and compliance, aviation security awareness

and quality control. John Watret said: “We are very pleased to enter this partnership with CAAi in South America. As a university that maintains a reputation for endorsing a culture of safety, this is an opportunity to enhance that culture through collaboration. Both Embry-Riddle and CAAi recognise the opportunity to proactively train aviation managers and personnel to mitigate potential threats, and this training programme will be designed to fulfil this obligation to ensure safety and confidence in civil aviation.”

SKYPORT WINS SKYUP HANDLING CONTRACT

CZECH ground handling specialist Skyport has been awarded the contract to handle import and export cargo for Ukrainian airline SkyUp at Prague Airport. The contract follows the commencement by SkyUp Airlines of a new air cargo service between Boryspil International Airport, Ukraine, and Prague Vaclav Havel Airport, Czech Republic. Skyport has been selected to handle cargo for the Prague side of operations between the two airports. “The new contract looks very promising for both Skyport and SkyUp as demand for cargo transportation on this route has existed for some time,” said David Adámek, chief executive officer (CEO), Skyport.

Ukraine market “The Ukraine market has been traditionally very strong in terms of cargo and mail volumes, and we are pleased to have been entrusted to partner with SkyUp to meet the growing needs of the cargo market in this region.” Skyport expects to handle all types of freight under the new contract, from gen-

eral cargo and air mail to dangerous goods, pharma, live animals, and valuable cargo. “We started cargo transportations in 2020 at the very beginning of the pandemic and were among the first to re-equip our fleet of aircraft to bring medical cargo from China to Ukraine and the EU,” said Dmytro Seroukhov, CEO, SkyUp Airlines. “Later we switched back to passenger flights, but further developed cargo transportation in the luggage compartments. “We believe in the potential of this area, and our co-operation with Skyport is the next step towards growth together with our reliable partners.” The launch of SkyUp’s new service and the collaboration with Skyport to serve the growing needs of the regional market appear as even more of an achievement against the backdrop of a challenging operating environment over the past 18 months, with both parties looking to continue their respective growth. The new contract between SkyUp Airlines and Skyport at Prague Airport went into effect in October 2021.

ACW 15 NOVEMBER 2021

NEWS

CARGO.ONE360 LAUNCHED TO PROVIDE REAL TIME DATA “We are at the start of a core digital change in the air cargo industry, and we are convinced that cargo.one 360 CARGO.ONE has announced the release of its new product, cargo.one360, a real-time data and analytics product that provides cargo. one partner airlines with unique insights to maximise their sales performance in digital channels. It helps airlines to accelerate their adoption of best practices in digital sales, delivers valuable customer insights, and reflects market changes and trends to facilitate better tactical and strategic commercial decision-making. As the Boston Consulting Group recently noted, data based steering can boost net profits by up to 12% in the first year. cargo.one360’s easy-to-use analytics dashboards provide transparency on key digital sales metrics from day one. Real-time data feeds enable airline teams, from revenue

management to sales steering, to integrate live information into their systems and workflows. In addition, market-leading insights on customer behaviour and benchmarks provide context to improve offer design and conversion rates.

Need for transparency Though the trend predates the pandemic, Covid-19 has spurred on the need for transparency, real-time data and insights in the industry. “Volatile schedules, constrained capacity, and disrupted pricing mechanisms sent customers seeking transparency on offers, and instantly confirmed bookings,” explains Moritz Claussen, co-founder and managing director

at cargo.one. “We saw a lot of disruption, partly due to processes relying on manual inputs and data exchange by email or phone breaking down. As a result, cargo.one saw some of the largest week-on-week surges in online searches as the pandemic unfolded. “One thing we can state for certain: once users gain access to reliable, transparent, realtime information, they have no desire to turn back. He adds: “That holds true both for forwarders and for airlines. cargo.one360 takes this a level further, providing transparency on market developments and new, digital sales-specific metrics to our partners. This will continue to improve and accelerate the outcomes of digitalisation with broader customer reach, and better customer experience.”

Left behind The harsh reality is that players that don’t adopt the digital now will get left behind. “We live in a digital age. Just consider how your own habits have changed over the past five to ten years, and how much you personally do online. Our expectations as online customers have also increased: we want immediate information, confirmation, and delivery. So, the air cargo industry has to keep up with these trends,” Claussen tells ACW. “Given the current capacity constraints, cargo flights are full, and some airlines might not see the need or feel they have the time to invest in digital sales. Yet, those who continue to rely only on manual sales, booking, and customer service processes, will lose out to airlines with a data-enhanced understanding of the market, changing customer expectations, and their own performance. “Investments in digitalisation which, inci-

ACW 15 NOVEMBER 2021

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dentally, are no longer as astronomical or complicated as they may have been in the past, pay for themselves many times over: digital sales channels are not only efficient and cost-effective, they also provide a vastly improved customer experience and broader customer reach. “The air cargo market is changing, and metrics such as digital sales performance will play a key topic in more and more boardrooms.”

Leading airlines “The realisation that real-time data transparency and information are paramount to providing market-relevant services and matching customer expectations, took hold pre-pandemic and leading airlines started to adapt,” says Claussen. “Our existing partners, such as ANA, Finnair, Lufthansa and TAP, all already use cargo. one360, and have been instrumental in defining the current product that we are now delighted to share with a larger audience. “cargo.one360 has been actively adopted across different business units, from sales steering through to revenue and channel management. Users can set proactive alerts that enable them to act quickly if these are triggered. “Thanks to the intense co-operation with our partner airlines over the past months, cargo.one360 has developed into a powerful tool that forms a reliable and intelligent foundation for an airline’s digital sales performance management, enabling better strategic planning with a clear customer focus.” Simson Demmer, senior director airline products at cargo.one notes that product feedback has differed depending on how far along the partner is in its digitalisation journey, and what role the user has within the company.

NEWS

AND ANALYTICS is going to be a key driver of this.”

“cargo.one360 has been developed to support different departments: from sales to revenue management, to pricing, whose data requirements and KPIs may vary,” says Demmer. “We are very grateful for all the feedback we received and continue to receive, as this has led to the creation of cargo. one360: from its ready-made and easily customised dashboards that can be leveraged from day one, to real-time data feeds that can be directly integrated with existing or new airline systems. “Everyone is keen to better understand, however, what “good performance” in digital sales looks like, what best practices are, and where airlines stand in relation to others: from win rate to cancellation rate, API speed, and other intriguing benchmarks. “It highlights there is a paucity of data in these areas, and we are delighted that we are able to generate unique insights for our partners, fill some of the knowledge gaps, and develop a differentiated product based on their needs that improve their overall user experience and product value.”

Changing industry

SkyTeam Cargo: Zebitz steps up as chair, cargo executive board SKYTEAM Cargo has made Teddy Zebitz, chief executive officer of Saudia Cargo, its new chairperson of its cargo executive board. Zebitz, a Danish national, brings almost 40 years’ international industry experience to the chair of SkyTeam Cargo’s executive board gained across China, Southeast Asia, the United States and Europe. Prior to joining Saudia Cargo, he worked in leadership positions at SAS and Emirates. Nico van der Linden, SkyTeam Cargo vice president said: “I’m delighted to welcome Teddy on board, bringing a wealth of air cargo experience to the role that will be a great asset to our alliance and its members as we navigate a path to recovery.”

The air cargo industry deals with masses of data on a daily basis, yet has large potential for efficiency improvements. “The gap to what is already technologically possible is perhaps larger in air cargo than in other industries. Data processing in air cargo is fragmented and often still reliant on manual action, and the scope for intelligent data application is extremely broad - from product placement to sales, all the way through to operational delivery,” explains Claussen. Demmer adds: “Wherever we lack data, we cover with learned behaviours, we build in buffers to account for uncertainty, and we act on gut feeling. This is inefficient, and often binds resources that could add more value elsewhere.” Claussen believes that digitalisation requires a mindset change. When users can see the benefits of data, they are more likely to disrupt the many processes that have largely remained the same over the past decades. He says: “We are at the start of a core digital change in the air cargo industry, and are convinced that cargo.one360 is going to be a key driver of this.” Better data leads to better decision making, so how will the industry change as a result? Demmer says: “With better data, and a strong command of how to use it, we can focus our energies. Transactional processes can be automated. Teams can focus on delighting customers, on improving processes or on service recovery, instead of transposing quote requests between emails and systems. “And with better, more near-time data, we can quickly measure if our actions had the desired effect and reinforce positive lessons. “Finally, real-time data will increasingly allow us to look forward rather than back. Predictive analytics can help flag issues and signals that allow us to be proactive. “Organisations that embrace this will be many learning iterations ahead, with better processes and a broader skill base: to sell digitally, to run a more efficient operation, ultimately to deliver a better customer experience and bottom line.”

Evolution Demmer notes that the beauty of digitalisation and innovation is that there is always a way to do things even better. “Better data drives better decisions, in a continuous improvement loop,” he explains. “We have created a product with cargo.one360 that provides unique and highly useful market insights. This is thanks to the close collaboration with our airline partners. We are convinced that more and more airlines will see the benefits that real-time performance metrics can bring and will join us in improving cargo.one360 even further. “As the air cargo industry becomes increasingly connected and digitalised, we will also have access to more and different data, which will yield an even better understanding of how to adapt and improve processes and systems. “Moritz referred to digital sales performance playing a key role in airline boardrooms in the future. cargo.one360 will be a key data source for these discussions going forward. We are proud to be at the forefront of defining digital air freight with cargo.one360.”

ACW 15 NOVEMBER 2021

ETIHAD: “THE KEY TO DIGITALISATION IS TO ENSURE THE CUSTOMER REMAINS AT THE CORE OF THE BUSINESS”

MARTIN Drew, senior vice president sales and cargo. Etihad notes that since he re-joined the cargo sector it is evident the industry has come a long way, with a momentum finally building behind the digital revolution. However, he believes there is still much more to be done. “During the past year, it became even more apparent why embracing technology is important not only to Etihad Cargo, but to the cargo industry at large, to ensure operations remain smooth and to provide customers with the visibility needed on their shipments to monitor the integrity of the product throughout the journey. But above all, digitalisation is a key part in facilitating a customer’s booking experience,” he explains. “The launch of the new etihadcargo.com was part of our digitalisation strategy which has seen Etihad Cargo develop and implement tools which have not only streamlined our own internal process, but also provided additional convenience and transparency for our customers. “In fact, the website received more than 1,500 bookings during its first week, with 600 users choosing to experience the new customer portal. Additionally, our new users have increased by 70% to the new website, compared to the previous period. “The key to digitalisation and transformation is to ensure the customer remains at the core of the business. The moment digitalisation strategies forget about customers and their needs is

ACW 15 NOVEMBER 2021

when problems arise. At Etihad Cargo we continually work with our customers and partners to ensure the initiatives that we are developing and working on resonate with them, and add value to their business.” Online booking presents copious benefits for the user, including accessibility, convenience, transparency and efficiency, but Drew notes that digitalising has a significant impact on sustainability efforts too. “To date, we are among the top ten airlines globally in terms of eAWB penetration, and we are continuing our efforts to explore advanced initiatives that save paper and minimise unnecessary loads on flights to reduce fuel emissions,” he adds.

A catalyst The pandemic has been a catalyst for change. Drew says it has provided Etihad Cargo with an opportunity to accelerate its plans in launching new third-party booking partnerships, introducing enhancements to its own platforms and apps, and providing its customers with an enhanced and streamlined user experience. “Our commitment to digitalisation has seen us introduce several transformation programmes across Etihad Cargo. One of the core projects was our front-end systems migration to IBS iCargo, and the introduction of our state-of-the-art Cargo Control Cen-

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tre which celebrates its second anniversary this month. Through this facility our team can t r a c k , m o n i tor and report on all of our customer shipments in real-time globally, enabling them to address any flags before they become an issue for our customers. “Our third-party partnerships through the introduction of Validade, online booking platforms, and other initiatives have presented additional convenience and visibility for our customers, which remains a core focus for our digitalisation strategy. “We have an ambitious roadmap for 2022 and beyond which will see us exploring various new initiatives, some of which are already being developed, to further innovative functionalities through advancements in AI, ML, and 3D visualisation solutions.”

dnata promotes Crozier to senior VP, UAE cargo DNATA has announced the appointment of Guillaume Crozier as senior vice president, UAE Cargo. In his new role, Crozier will oversee dnata’s cargo business in the UAE covering Dubai International (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC) airports. Crozier will be based in Dubai and report to David Barker, dnata’s divisional senior vice president for airport operations. Crozier’s appointment is effective December 19 2021.

Performance management Crozier has been with dnata since 2011. Most recently he has been responsible for operational performance management as well as innovation and product development across dnata’s global network for both ground and cargo handling products.

Previously he was chief operating officer of dnata Switzerland. Before joining dnata, he fulfilled various managerial roles across the supply chain in several markets. Crozier will replace Bernd Struck in his new role. As senior vice president, Struck has been leading dnata’s UAE cargo operations and DWC airline services since 2014 and will retire from his role at the end of the year. Barker said: “l’m delighted to announce the promotion of Guillaume to senior vice president, UAE Cargo. “A customer-oriented leader with an innovative mindset, Guillaume has an outstanding ability to deliver world-class service, quality and safety with his teams. I’d also like to thank Bernd for his substantial contribution to dnata’s success and wish him a happy retirement,” he concluded.

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