ACW 15th May 23

The weekly newspaper for air cargo professionals

Schiphol Airport mounts a comeback under new management

QATAR AIRWAYS CARGO LAUNCHES KIGALI AFRICA HUB IN PARTNERSHIP WITH RWANDAIR

Qatar Airways Cargo’s Moved by People Boeing 777 freighter landed at Kigali International Airport on 3rd May to mark the launch of the Kigali Africa Hub.

In the company of local dignitaries, freight forwarders, partners, and customers, Qatar Airways Cargo’s Chief Officer, Guillaume Halleux, and Yvonne Makolo, Chief Executive Officer of RwandAir officially launched operations.

The Boeing 777 aircraft will fly from Doha to Kigali, twice a week. Since March, Qatar Airways Cargo has created an intra-Africa service between Kigali and Lagos (three times per week), and a weekly service from Istanbul via Doha to Kigali, all operated by an Airbus A310 aircraft.

In the run-up to the Kigali Cargo Hub launch, QAS Cargo, a subsidiary of Qatar Airways, provided consultancy support to RwandAir Cargo

to help improve its cargo handling performance.

A team from QAS Cargo visited the cargo handling facilities and presented RwandAir with a detailed action plan for operational improvements and handling performance.

“Africa is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, yet for it to develop to its full potential requires investment in logistics infrastructures. Qatar and Rwanda have long-enjoyed bilateral trade agreements, with both Qatar Airways and Qatar Investment Authority having previously invested in Kigali International Airport and RwandAir,” Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways, said.

“It was therefore a logical step that Qatar Airways Cargo supports RwandAir in its cargo ambitions. We are proud to partner with RwandAir in establishing Kigali as the Central African hub in preparation for the Next Generation of air cargo

on this fast-growing continent.”

“We are very proud to partner with Qatar Airways Cargo to launch the brand new Kigali Cargo Hub to open up new cargo opportunities across Africa,” Yvonne Makolo, CEO of RwandAir, said.

“Together in partnership, RwandAir and Qatar Airways Cargo have created a fantastic new facility to meet this growing demand across Africa to further generate the business boom which will power economies in every corner of the continent.”

The launch of Qatar Airways Cargo’s first cargo hub outside Qatar, and in collaboration with RwandAir, creates a strong foundation on which to expand a future-oriented African air cargo network and meet the 3%-5% annual economic growth forecast for the continent over the next decade.

BREEZE

AUTOMATED ...

DIGITAL cargo insurance innovator Breeze has partnered with logistics software provider Ceedbox and freight forwarding ...

CEO ... ATLAS Air Worldwide has announced that Michael T. Steen, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Atlas, has been appointed ...

GENERIX GROUP DEPLOYS ITS ... GENERIX Group, a world leader in the development and deployment of warehousing and logistics technology solutions, has successfully ...

AMERICAN AIRLINES APPROVES ...

ENVIROTAINER, the specialist in secure cold chain solutions for the shipment of pharmaceuticals, has announced that American ...

LAUNCHES

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MICHAEL T.STEEN TO BECOME

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BREEZE LAUNCHES AUTOMATED INSURANCE SOLUTION WITH CEEDBOX AND CARDINAL GLOBAL LOGISTICS

DIGITAL cargo insurance innovator Breeze has partnered with logistics software provider Ceedbox and freight forwarding giant Cardinal Global Logistics (Cardinal) to develop an innovative solution that delivers seamless and instant all-risk cargo insurance, tackling the prevalent, global issue of underinsured freight.

Cardinal now uses Ceedbox’s advanced technology and Breeze’s cutting-edge APIs to automate and constantly optimise quote generation, policy binding, and claims processing, reducing the time and effort needed to provide accurate cargo insurance coverage.

“In a fast-paced world, freight forwarders

need to be agile and responsive to meet their customers’ expectations, which is why we are developing cargo insurance solutions for them,” Eyal Goldberg, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Breeze, said.

“An estimated 70 percent of global trade is either uninsured or underinsured, and our partnership with Ceedbox and Cardinal to develop this new solution has set a new standard for freight forwarders to ensure their customers’ cargo is always protected.”

Designed with Cardinal’s operators in mind, Ceedbox and Breeze’s solution automates the offering of insurance to Cardinal’s customers without the need to add or change anything to their operations.

This automation has minimised manual input and human error, leading to a significant reduction in discrepancies and insurance claim issues, enabling Cardinal to provide a more efficient and comprehensive service to their customers.

As part of the solution, all systems are connected efficiently, resulting in improved communication between departments and increased visibility of shipments and their insurance coverage.

“When developing our solution, we engaged in a comprehensive study from the perspective of customers and operators, allowing us to gain a thorough understanding of the varied requirements

Global tonnages in April down by -10%

GLOBAL tonnages appear to have stabilised in the last week of April, following a mid-month increase after dropping sharply at the end of March and declining for several previous weeks, according to the latest weekly figures from WorldACD Market Data, with rates also stabilising and even slightly rising after a period of decline. However, looking at the full month of April, preliminary data on global tonnages indicate a decrease of -10% compared to the previous year, continuing the trend as was reported in the first quarter (-11% year-on-year).

Following an upswing in chargeable weight in the third full week of April, and a continuing slow slide in worldwide average rates since February, figures for week 17 (24 to 30 April) indicate

a stabilisation in tonnages and a slight increase in average global air cargo prices, week-on-week – based on the more than 400,000 weekly transactions covered by WorldACD’s data.

Comparing weeks 16 and 17 with the preceding two weeks (2Wo2W), overall tonnages increased by +2% versus their combined total in weeks 14 and 15, and average worldwide rates decreased by -1%, while capacity has grown by a further +2%.

At a regional level, the most notable development is the exceptional growth in tonnages ex-Central & South America (+29%), especially to North America (+52%), driven by +74% growth in flower exports ahead of Mother’s Day on 14 May. Furthermore, tonnages between Europe and North America are on an upward trend (westbound +10%, eastbound +3%), as well as between Europe and Asia Pacific (westbound +2%, eastbound +5%), and between Asia Pacific and North America (westbound +3%, eastbound +6%). The main negative trends in tonnages

of all participants in the supply chain,” Alex Grant, Founder and CEO, Ceedbox, added. Breeze and Ceedbox believe the key to innovation lies in ensuring that technology serves the user, rather than the user adapting to technology.

“Ceedbox and Breeze have made it very easy for us to provide a holistic service to our customers, which includes offering cargo coverage for shipments handled by us,” said Gareth Sumner, Sales Director, Cardinal.

“Moreover, they are supporting us to constantly improve the solution as we learn new things and as our business needs change.”

can be observed between Asia Pacific and Middle East & South Asia (westbound -11%, eastbound -6%), and outbound Middle East & South Asia to Europe (-9%).

Year-on-Year perspective

Comparing the overall global market with this time last year, chargeable weight in weeks 16 and 17 was down -8% compared with the equivalent period last year. Most notable are the double-digit percent decreases in year-on-year tonnages ex-North America (-20%), ex-Africa (-16%) and exMiddle East & South Asia (-15%).

Overall capacity has increased by +15% compared with the previous year, with double-digit percentage increases from all regions – except from North America (+8%), and Central & South America (+7%). The most-notable increases were ex-Asia Pacific (+36%), ex-Africa (+14%) and ex-Europe (+14%).

Michael T. Steen to become CEO of Atlas Air Worldwide

ATLAS Air Worldwide has announced that Michael T. Steen, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Atlas, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, in line with the company’s long-term succession plan, effective 15th June 2023.

Steen succeeds John W. Dietrich, who is retiring from the company after nearly 25 years. Additionally, the company announced that Spencer Schwartz, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is retiring from his role, effective 15th June 2023.

Steen has more than 30 years of experience in aviation and logistics, including 16 years of executive leadership experience with Atlas. He has served as Chief Commercial Officer since 2007 and has been responsible for leading the Company’s strategy and growing market share, as well as developing and diversifying the Company’s roster of blue-chip customers.

“Michael’s leadership experience, strong track record of innovation and success, and consistent focus on the company’s customer-centric mission makes him the ideal candidate to lead Atlas forward in its next phase of growth,” David Siegel, Chairman of the Board, said. “On behalf of the Board, we look forward to working closely with Michael to execute on Atlas’ strategic growth plans and continuing to build on the Company’s strong commitment to safety, quality and service excellence.”

Ian Morgan joins ECS Group as Group Commercial Director in the USA

IAN Morgan has joined ECS Group as its new Group Commercial Director for the USA. This key recruitment marks the beginning of a promising collaboration between two high profile actors of the airfreight industry.

The appointment of Morgan, previously Qatar Airways Cargo’s Vice President Cargo for the Americas, fits perfectly with ECS Group’s ongoing development and plan to create a position of Group Commercial Director for the USA.

“Our wish was to benefit from the support of someone who would not only have a solid cargo experience but who would also share the values of our group. Ian was the ideal candidate,” Adrien Thominet, Executive Chairman of ECS Group, stated.

This new role is essential as ECS Group has great expectations for the USA. With a number of contracts on the increase in terms of capacity, the American market is highly strategic for the GSSA.

“I look forward to collaborating with the ECS team to further develop and enhance the excellent brand and reputation that ECS has globally as well as regionally“ Ian Morgan, ECS Group’s Group Commercial Director, USA, said.

Generix Group deploys its WMS entirely remotely for Hitachi Astemo Americas

GENERIX Group, a world leader in the development and deployment of warehousing and logistics technology solutions, has successfully completed the first remote implementation of its star product, the SOLOCHAIN WMS/MES, at Hitachi Astemo Americas’ Querétaro facility. Experts at Generix Group have delivered a complete SaaS version of the WMS in just 15 weeks,well within the client’s time constraints, despite Covid related restrictions preventing the implementation team from being deployed on site at that time.

Hitachi Astemo Americas is a cutting-edge global manufacturer of automotive parts that supplies some of the most revered automobile manufacturers in the world. Their Querétaro facility is approximately 1 million sq. ft., employs hundreds of workers, and operates 24/7.

SOLOCHAIN’s powerful and intuitive implementation tools, ranked as the most efficient in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for WMS, proved critical to Generix Group’s success. The system’s user-friendly interfaces enabled the Hitachi’s in-house teams to work in tandem with the Group’s engineers to successfully deploy the solution.

“I’m not surprised to see our teams manage such a feat given the outstanding quality of the people we have working here, Ludovic Luzza, CEO & General Manager at Generix Group North America, said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m any less proud of their success! The IoT has become pivotal in how companies go about digitising their warehouses. Our ability to implement remotely the SaaS version of SOLOCHAIN just goes to show how agile our cloud-based WMS and our people are.”

Etihad Cargo expands Chinese network

ETIHAD Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Etihad Airways, has added a fourth gateway destination to its Chinese network with the introduction of weekly flights to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in the Hubei province of China. The inaugural flight arrived in the Hubei Province on 29th April.

The airline currently offers five passenger flights to Shanghai, Beijing Daxing and Guangzhou each week. With the commencement of two weekly freighter services between Abu Dhabi and Wuhan, Etihad Cargo will operate a total of ten freighter services to China, offering an additional 100 tonnes of cargo capacity into the Hubei Province each week. This brings the carrier’s total cargo capacity for China to 1,000 tonnes per week, including 850 tonnes of cargo capacity for Shanghai offered via eight weekly freighter services and two passenger flights.

The new flights between Abu Dhabi and Wuhan will give Etihad Cargo’s partners and customers greater accessibility to 25 domestic Chinese destinations, including Shenzhen, Dongguan, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Nanjing, via SF Airlines’ road feeder service trucking network, further enhancing Etihad Cargo’s connectivity and capabilities in the region.

“The addition of Wuhan to Etihad Cargo’s Chinese network is the latest step in enhancing the carrier’s capabilities in the region. These flights will provide greater connectivity, market access and cargo capacity for Etihad Cargo’s customers, further strengthening the relationship between the UAE and China and positioning Abu Dhabi as a global logistics and express hub,” Martin Drew, Senior Vice President – Global Sales & Cargo, said. Wuhan is the fourth Mainland Chinese destination to be added to Etihad Cargo’s network. The carrier will be increasing frequencies to China in the coming months to add further depth to its network and meet increasing capacity demands from customers in the UAE and China.

Virgin Atlantic Cargo introduces myVS to book, manage and track shipments anytime

VIRGIN Atlantic Cargo has launched myVS, an expansion of the airline’s digital platform, which enables its customers to quote, book, manage, and track their cargo shipments online, at any time.

Paving the way for an intuitive booking experience, the new online platform allows its customers to book and manage shipments anytime, anywhere, track shipments in real-time, explore and compare its flight schedules, and experience a simple, efficient, and user-friendly platform.

The successful implementation of myVS is part of the airline’s overall digitisation program, allowing it to offer an enhanced customer experience.

The new booking system will reinforce Virgin Atlantic Cargo’s already much-loved service, through its sales and customer service teams, allowing its customers multiple versatile and

Wiremind and Aeromexico Cargo initiate SKYPALLET implementation

AEROMEXICO Cargo has become Wiremind Cargo’s first Latin American customer to opt for SKYPALLET. The two companies have formally embarked on the airline’s digital transformation with the implementation of SKYPALLET in the second quarter of 2023.

With the signing of the contract on 24th March 2023, Aeromexico Cargo and Wiremind formalised a partnership interest that already began pre-pandemic. Now, having successfully navigated the many COVID disruptions, collaboration has begun in earnest to implement SKYPALLET within the Aeromexico cargo organisation during the second quarter of 2023. It will progressively be rolled out to relevant users in the coming months, enabling sales staff to optimise flight capacities and minimise inventory wastage through more accurate quotes, improved flight plans, and more efficient build up instructions.

Wiremind and Aeromexico Cargo aim to intensify their partnership in future by incorporating the airline’s feedback and continue finetuning SKYPALLET accordingly, as well as exploring other optimisation solutions where Wiremind’s product portfolio may be able to provide additional support.

“Wiremind is exceptionally pleased to welcome Aeromexico Cargo as its first Latin America-based customer. Since late last year, Aeromexico Cargo’s team has been closely working together with us to test SKYPALLET’s functionalities against its internally developed business case,” Nathanaël de Tarade, Chief Executive Officer of Wiremind Cargo, stated.

“Now that the decision has officially been reached to proceed with SKYPALLET, Aeromexico Cargo users will undergo

comprehensive training with Wiremind product experts to ensure that they fully understand the product’s extensive features and use cases.

Up to now, this has been done remotely, so we look forward to visiting Aeromexico Cargo in person, this year, to observe how the product is being used, gather feedback to include in our joint roadmap, and further share user best practices within the organisation,” he added.

“The air cargo industry is changing – day by day, process by process. Companies need to incorporate technology and algorithms in their processes if they are to take advantage of opportunities in the market and succeed. SKYPALLET’s optimisation algorithms support our staff, enabling enhanced decision-making. This will lead to faster quotations and optimised belly capacities – two critical and repetitive processes that we identified in our integral assessment. Implementing SKYPALLET is a cornerstone on our journey towards becoming a more digital Aeromexico Cargo. We have set ourselves the target of implementing and fully deploying the software in our Mexico City Hub operations this year,” Alejandro Mendez, Executive VP. Aeromexico Cargo, explained.

While Wiremind’s global customers have users based in Latin America, Aeromexico Cargo is its first Latin America-headquartered customer. Not only does Wiremind intend to build on this relationship and better support Aeromexico Cargo geographically across its network and through the next phases of its digital strategy, but it has also been in extensive discussions with other Latin American customers over the past few years and has defined further expansion plans for the continent.

dynamic booking options. myVS will initially be launching in the UK and South Africa, with customers now able to easily sign up to book General, Pharma, and Fresh online. Further rollouts to the airline’s worldwide customers in the US and other regions will be coming soon.

“We are proud to introduce our own online booking capability, myVS, as we continue our digital transformation journey,” Maria Sanchez-Grant, Head of Distribution at Virgin Atlantic Cargo, said.

“The logistics space is evolving quickly around how our customers want to interact, which is why it is important to us to provide our customers with more options so they can move cargo, their way.

“myVS will help to ensure that we remain at the forefront of our customer’s requirements. As we continually review and enhance our connectivity, we have further exciting developments to come so that we can offer our customers more ways to work with us.”

Kenya Airways Cargo receives IATA’s CEIV certification for pharmaceutical logistics excellence

KENYA Airways Cargo has been awarded the Centre of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Pharma certification by IATA for the KQ Pharma Facility. This accreditation endorses the airline’s sustained ability to safely handle high-value, time-sensitive, and temperature-controlled transportation of pharmaceuticals, with the speed and consistency expected by shippers.

The KQ pharma facility is a leader in safe handling of temperature control requirements of pharmaceuticals and other healthcare products. CEIV Pharma certification addresses the industry’s need for more safety, security, compliance, and efficiency by creating a consistent and recognised pharmaceutical product handling certification.

“It is evident that the CIEV certification for Kenya Airways Cargo will unlock huge potential in the market and provide a mechanism for tapping into this potential. It is our belief that with the right support, these exports will drive the growth of Kenya’s pharmaceutical industry and place the country at the apex of pharmaceutical export,” Kipchumba Murkomen, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Roads and Transport, said.

“This certification demonstrates the strength of our customised solutions and

services, giving our customers, freight forwarders, and supply chain partners greater confidence in our Pharma capability. We will continue to improve our premium product verticals, offering long-standing standards of temperature-controlled and time-sensitive cargo transport. With this certification, we join a select group of international operators in reaffirming our diligence in transporting temperature-controlled and time-sensitive products via our pharma network,” stated Allan Kilavuka, Kenya Airways Group Chief Executive Officer.

The positive certification indicates that Kenya Airways’ pharmaceutical product shipment complies with IATA Temperature Control Regulations and continues to adhere to international standards and best practices in cold chain and pharmaceutical movements. “Pharmaceutical shipments are extremely challenging and necessitate maximum dependability from airlines. It is critical to maintain the required temperature so that medication can be used as planned after shipping. Being one of the first African airlines to receive IATA’s international certificate is the result of the work we’ve done over the last few years to strengthen our product,” said Dick Murianki, Kenya Airways’ Director of Cargo.

American Airlines approves Envirotainer Releye RLP and RAP containers

ENVIROTAINER, the specialist in secure cold chain solutions for the shipment of pharmaceuticals, has announced that American Airlines has become the latest global airline to approve the Envirotainer Releye® RLP and RAP containers for usage on its fleet of aircraft.

This approval enables American Airlines to meet the increasing demand to deliver lifesaving medicines that need to be temperature-controlled in transit. The airline will be able to better support sensitive shipments in a highly regulated market while providing pharma shippers with secure and sustainable cold chain solutions.

Envirotainer’s Releye® range helps airlines and shippers to meet the strictest standards in pharmaceutical air freight. These advanced containers were created with a focus on control, monitoring, autonomy, and reliability to minimise the likelihood of valuable product loss that could negatively impact patients’ health outcomes.

“We are thrilled to offer customers another option for moving temperature-sensitive freight. The Releye® RLP and RAP containers are designed for transporting critical Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical shipments, making it a perfect addition to our cold-chain network,” Eric Mathieu, Head of Customer Experience for American Airlines Cargo, said.

“The addition of American Airlines to the growing family of carriers of our Releye® containers is a significant milestone,” Don Harrison, Interim CSO at Envirotainer, said. “American Airlines can now provide its customers with the latest fully connected solution to ensure the safety and quality of air freight pharmaceutical products throughout the supply chain.”

Carousel establishes new Hannover-Dublin route

THE route was developed following consultation with existing customers requiring the shortest possible time between order placement and delivery to the end customer.

“We are focussed on creating solutions tailored to our clients’ end-customer needs and this new route is tangible evidence of this,” Lars Ryssel, Group Chief Solutions Officer (CSO), Carousel, said.

“The additional growth delivered by this new route is exciting and we are in a good position to react swiftly if we need to increase capacity or frequency.”

Carousel’s Hannover-Dublin route will be operated using a nine-tonne payload aircraft, departing daily (Monday-Friday) from Hannover Airport.

“Our customers in the Automotive and Agricultural parts sector will benefit from this new route, as well as those in the Medtech, Construction, and Materials Handling Equipment (MHE) sectors,” said Ryssel.

“Carousel is also making significant inroads into the E-Commerce sector thanks to our ability to offer extremely attractive late cut-off times, and we look forward to developing these opportunities.”

In late 2022, Carousel acquired Dublin-based full-service transport and logistics company Alltrans, and recently announced the successful mutual integration of their IT and operational systems.

Global GSA Group: The beating cargo management heart of Europe

EUROPE is where Global GSA Group was first established – in the Netherlands, back in 1995. It has since developed into an internationally active airline representative, reaching well beyond Europe’s borders and ranking among the world’s top 5 global GSAs. Yet, Global GSA Group’s presence in Europe is both its core strength and its favourite challenge.

“Europe is such a multifaceted continent. Our airlines face tough competition and a great deal of capacity in the market, which lead to low yields in comparison to other large and important regions,” Ismail Durmaz, Chief Executive Officer of Global GSA Group, said. “On the other hand, there is huge cross-border potential, and it is easy to truck to other countries. Global GSA Group has been active in this market for almost 30 years, and we have every conceivable strategy in place to provide the optimum support to our airlines. Our steep and continuing growth curve is testimony to the fact that they work, too.”

Global GSA Group employs 224 staff (a healthy mix of 58% women and 42% men), in 25 European countries. That number is soon set to grow to 26, with the opening of its first office in Malta in the summer. 2023 will also see the teams in Belgium, the Nordics, Italy, and United Kingdom expand.

“China Southern was our first airline partner in Europe. Now, we serve 52 airlines, here,” Durmaz explained. “And it is fascinating to see how the air cargo market is changing. CMA CGM Air Cargo is our most recent customer, bringing a whole new angle into the business.”

Two key drivers ensure the group’s ongoing business success: the first is the right processes and digital tools. Global GSA Group recently partnered with CargoTech and deploys the latest in digital optimisation and efficiency solutions. The second driver is its people.

“As a group we have implemented a strategic approach to attracting, maintaining, and developing our staff. We aim to increase the number of employees with certain skills and certifications and provide ongoing training to keep up with these new developments in our field,” Durmaz emphasised.

Employees have access to a number of training and development programs, from on-thejob training, to mentoring, online courses via the company’s own internal platform, workshops, seminars, conferences, fairs, and events, tackling every aspect of air cargo: dangerous goods, sales techniques, management, accounting, statistics, security, IATA, digital tools, and sustainability. A dedicated Global GSA Group training team develops and carries out training on site, ensuring that the content is always up to date.

“There’s a saying: ‘If you want a job done well, do it yourself!’. When an airline outsources its cargo management to us, we strive to modify that saying to ‘If you want a job done exceptionally well, give it to Global GSA Group!’” Durmaz stated. “Our role as a GSA is to provide the ultimate all-service airline representation in the air cargo market, while fully maintaining the airline’s unique identity. Each and every one of our employees has three winning passions: cargo, innovation, and top-quality service. And, since Europe is where Global GSA Group began, any airline partnering

with us can be certain that they are buying into unparalleled local expertise coupled with a proven successful global management vision. Despite the air cargo market suffering a significant downturn in the first quarter of this year, Global GSA Group is proud to have performed above market, ensuring that our partner carriers’ market shares increased. Our company motto is ‘We make the impossible possible’, and that is what we live up to, every day.”

New air freight connection from China to Bournemouth

The new route has received support from the China Council for the Promotion of National Trade and China Post, bolstering international connectivity for the Chengdu region and offering a fast and reliable solution for south west China’s cross-border e-commerce sellers to reach the UK market. SSELT is also targeting UK exporters on return legs, supporting the flow of UK goods to the China market.

The route is further evidence of Bournemouth’s growing status as a strategic freight hub. It is the only unconstrained airport in Southern England and Cargo First’s One Team approach means it controls every aspect of the process, airside and landslide. Combined with being just 90 minutes from London, it means shipments can get to customer warehouses in half the time of going through a London hub airport.

“We’re delighted that Cargo First is part of this strategic partnership with SSELT and European Cargo, offering a fast and efficient route for cross border e-commerce into the UK. Together we can save customers a lot of time in a time-sensitive market. That’s a huge selling point,” Bournemouth Airport managing director Steve Gill said.

“Working with European Cargo we’ve proven Bournemouth as a viable alternative gateway to London and the South East for commercial air cargo. Cross border e-commerce continues to experience strong growth and we are seeing a lot of providers like SSELT scouting for alternatives to the London hubs because they want airports that can handle that growth into the future,” he added

BOURNEMOUTH Airport’s Cargo First air freight business has celebrated the start of a new regular service between China and Bournemouth as part of a strategic partnership to grow the airport’s cargo operation.

Shenzhen Sharing Express Logistic-Tech Ltd (SSELT) has launched the first all-cargo route between Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) in China and Bournemouth Airport (BOH) in the United Kingdom, further enhancing its comprehensive logistics solutions for cross-border e-commerce sellers.

The new service is operated by Bournemouth-based European Cargo using its fleet of all-cargo A-340 wide-bodied freighters, each with a capacity of 70 tonnes.

Initially, there are three flights per week, with plans to gradually increase the frequency to five flights per week in the future as SSELT strengthens its global network.

“We have extensive experience of the China market and this new route from Chengu to Bournemouth establishes an exciting new trade corridor that ensures the timely delivery of e-commerce goods from south west China to UK consumers,” European Cargo’s chief executive David Kerr said.

“It also creates significant opportunities for UK exports back to China and is among a range of potential routes that we are looking to grow.”

For European Cargo the new route is also a proving ground for its fleet of all-cargo Airbus A340 long haul freighters that it has been converting with a bespoke in-cabin pod containment system to add to belly capacity. It expects up to six conversions this year with a further pipeline in 2024, making it the largest UK-based wide-bodied carrier.

In the last few months the freighters have received certification from both EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) and the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK.

SCHIPHOL AIRPORT MOUNTS A COMEBACK UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

SCHIPHOL Airport is under new management, as the Dutch hub looks to put its challenges behind it and prepare for whatever the future might hold.

Ruud Sondag was brought in as Chief Executive of Royal Schiphol Group in November 2022, replacing outgoing CEO Dick Benschop, and Joost van Doesburg returned to the world of airfreight as Schiphol’s new Head of Cargo.

The duo look to steer Schiphol out of a “bad chapter” in its history and embrace the possibility the airport has to be a key passenger and cargo hub in Europe.

“It’s a challenging time. It’s also an interesting time,” van Doesburg said. “We all know the challenges. We all know what is going on. But I also think that it is really important to say that Schiphol airport, whatever happens, will remain an important cargo hub.”

Protecting slots

The Dutch government is currently in the process of trying to cut Schiphol’s capacity from 500,000 to 460,000 flight movements per year, something that airlines have blasted as unnecessary and financially damaging to their operations and the wider economy.

In a bit to halt this move, Corendon, Delta, easyJet, KLM, Martinair and TUI have joined forces to take the government to court to keep the number of slots available at half a million.

“We talk about the potential decrease in slots and that’s a challenge. Nobody can predict what will go on in the coming years or months,” van Doesburg said, citing the legal action.

However, Schiphol is braced for any eventuality, ensuring that it takes steps to protect freighter operations from being scrapped in the event of any cuts to the overall number of slots.

“It does not really matter what the outcome will be because we will remain focused on air cargo. It will be very key,” van Doesburg added. “Schiphol has proposed measures to secure freighter slots. They cannot be swapped into passenger slots.”

The Schiphol air cargo community backed this move in 2022, citing the important role cargo flights play in delivering high-value and time-sensitive goods to customers in the Netherlands and across Europe.

“It’s very vital for us as an airport because everybody

sees that they provided added value for the airport and the Netherlands. 25% of added value is from freight.”

“We are a trade nation. 50% of all the American and Asian distribution centres are in our country, so we, as an airport, want to defend the number of slots for freighters.”

Digital future

Across the supply chain, it is crucial to ensure that systems are as efficient as possible to ensure the best experience for customers and maximise profitability. At Schiphol, this has seen Cargonaut work with the hub for more than 30 years to improve processes on the cargo side of operations.

Now, Schiphol is overhauling its Port Community System (PCS) platform to ensure that it embraces the opportunity technological innovation has to keep cargo flowing smoothly through the hub.

PCS enables every member of the air cargo chain – from forwarders to handlers to truckers to airlines – to accelerate and streamline their movements in, at and through Schiphol, so it’s key to ensure this is truly a modern design.

“We are heavily investing as an airport in our new PCS to make it really state of the art because the Netherlands has one big advantage – We have a great cargo community working together,” van Doesburg explained. “Everybody in the Dutch air cargo community is very willing to work with each together towards a new PCS.”

Multimodal network

Schiphol finds itself in a perfect position to offer a gateway into Europe with sea, road, rail and air networks all readily available for goods to be distributed across the continent and beyond.

“I’ve always had difficulty when I’m at air cargo events,” van Doesburg said. “It’s about air cargo but it’s not really about air cargo,” he added, citing all of the different logistics services involved in the supply chain.

“It’s a lot of trucking. It’s a lot of stopping. It’s a lot of waiting. We want to ensure that we have a seamless road feeder service towards our airport. We have a slot booking system for all the handlers,” van Doesburg explained.

That’s where Schiphol’s investment in a state-of-theart cargo hub is critical to its roadmap, as it looks to

MOUNTS NEW

ensure that all the facilities are combined, creating a cargo city for all members of the freight community.

“The leadership of the airport are really clear that they want to protect cargo,” van Doesburg said, as Schiphol looks to become an efficient multimodal hub for European cargo.

Effective strategy

With changes potentially on the horizon for Schiphol and the decision on slots out of their hands, van Doesburg understands that the airport has to take a different approach when preparing its long-term strategy.

“We need to adapt to this new situation,” van Doesburg admitted. “We are a very dedicated, successful airport with a very dense cargo and passenger network.”

Schiphol sees itself as able to take advantage of providing top tier services to airlines, regardless of whether they are dedicated freighters or passenger airlines with bellyhold capacity, focusing on quality over quantity.

“Every plane is also a cargo plane. We will remain a dense network and we will still grow but not growing in volumes,” he explained. “We need to change our strategy completely and grow in quality. That’s why we are setting up a new PCS. That is why we are investing heavily in the most innovative logistics solutions. That’s why we are building a beautiful, new cargo facility with Dnata.”

This will, hopefully, ensure that the airport is able to grow its share of high-value airfreight, increasing the economic contribution of its cargo operations even if the volume of freight handled actually decreases.

“We are really focusing on attracting cargo that adds value, so focusing on pharmaceutical goods, high tech – making sure that the added value of our airport to the Netherlands will become bigger with the same amounts or, even, fewer slots.”