ACW 21st May 18 by Azura International

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The weekly newspaper for air cargo professionals Volume: 21

Issue: 20

21 May 2018

We’re all winners!

he stars of the global airfreight industry gathered last night at Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel to honour those companies that put the customer first, meaning they grabbed the winner’s trophy. Nine categories were up for the popular vote from individuals in the worldwide industry. After being verified and checked, the results remained a closely guarded secret until the first one was revealed. After a worldwide boom year for airfreight in 2017, much interest was felt in which companies would cap the business boom by walking away with one of Air Cargo Week World Air Cargo’s 2018

abc and pactl sign mou

awards. Earlier, a birthday cake was ceremoniously cut by all AZura International staff attending the event to make its publication Air Cargo Week’s 20th anniversary, Staff had come up onto the stage to share with its many readers present, their delight in having successfully produced the world’s only weekly airfreight newspaper for two decades. Air Cargo Week editor, James Graham says: “These awards are truly coveted by the worldwide airfreight industry. Each company that becomes a finalist can take pride in that fact alone. To reach such a position requires a special intent; it means that your peers

ecs group picks up deal with royal brunei

the top guns of airfreight

have voted for you in large numbers. “Of course, in an awards ceremony like ACW’s, only one company can walk away with the award. However, those that do not make the grade on the evening can still take an enormous pride in getting as far as they did.” He adds: “Of course, those who pick up an award must keep to their standards if they want to retain it in 2019. The other finalists have another chance to win their own coveted ACW World Air Cargo award next year. Good luck!” Turn to page 5 to see all the winners

60 seconds with delta cargo’s shawn cole

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NEWSWEEK ABC and PACTL sign MoU for sensitive cargo

irBridgeCargo Airlines and Shanghai Pudong Air Cargo Terminals (PACTL) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate in the time and temperature sensitive shipment sectors. The agreement will serve as a commitment to develop, expand and promote business cooperation in this area, and follows on from the strategic cooperation agreement signed by ABC and Shanghai Airport Authority in September 2017. Both companies are IATA CEIV certified and the MoU focuses on enhancing operations for pharmaceutical shipment by optimising internal procedures, strengthening personnel skills, and leveraging IT technology to deliver the best customer experience and support patients around the world. ABC general director, Sergey Lazarev says: “The pharmaceutical sector sets the high level of expectations for all supply chain stakeholders. Understanding the need for high-end services our customers expect us to provide, we work with forward-thinking and trustworthy partners. “We are proud to have PACTL among our strategic partners, sharing the same values and business prospects towards the development of the pharmaceutical sector.”

PACTL vice president, Christian Haug adds: “Now it’s the right time to collaborate with AirBridgeCargo. PACTL’s IATA CEIV has been granted since the very beginning of 2016 and the PACTL Cool Center is the newest contribution to cool chain infrastructure for all temperature sensitive goods in PVG. The facility is about 3500m2 and with the capacity to handle 100,000 tons annually. “Meanwhile, PACTL provides integrated, qualified, and reliable cool center solutions, and advocate to eco-friendly concepts to improve the customer values. There’s no doubt that PACTL will assist AirBridgeCargo to coordinate with all parties for TTSP shipment handling and storage.”

Hacis and Chu Kong open up PRD

Hong Kong Air Cargo Industry Services (Hacis) has entered into a strategic partnership with Chu Kong Shipping Enterprises (CKS) to develop joint logistics activities across the western Pearl River Delta. The first project will involve opening an in-

land cargo depot in Zhuhai Free Trade Zone in collaboration with CKS subsidiary Civet Logistics Company, which operates its own port facility in the Zhuhai Free Trade Zone. Hacis’ latest depot will enable it to realise its long-standing ambition to further develop its SuperLink China Direct (SLCD) road feeder service network, and establish a strong local presence in the Zhuhai area to take advantage of the opening of the Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macao Bridge. All Hacis depots are linked with Hong Kong International Airport via scheduled road feeder service, and the new bridge will slash trucking times between the western Pearl River Delta (PRD) and the airport by two thirds.

ACW REWIND WILL THEY never learn? That was the question raised in 2000 with the revelation that the same mistake that brought down ValuJet flight 592, killing 110 people, was still happening once every three weeks in the United States.

ValuJet cargo lessons ignored

Vol 3, Issue 41 16 October 2000

FOUR YEARS after a ValuJet DC-9 crashed in the Florida Everglades, airlines and shippers are making the same mistakes that were blamed for that accident, the popular USA Today newspaper has claimed. An inquiry found that the 1996 crash was caused by self-ignition of of highly flammable oxygen generator canisters in the bellyhold cargo space. Airlines were subsequently banned from carrying such oxygen generator canisters in the bellyholds of passenger

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aircraft. However, such equipment is still being illegally shipped in passenger aircraft bellyholds. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed to USA Today that, as of mid-June, it knew of 60 incidents since the ValuJet crash. At least 24 airlines have already been cited in FAA reports into these incidents and tringent penalties have been assessed on those found to have transgressed the regulations. If properly labelled, packed and placed in a cargo hold, the canisters can safely be flown on maindeck cargo flights.

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ECS Group picks up deal with Royal Brunei

aris-based ECS Group has partnered up with Royal Brunei Airlines to pool synergies in cargo sales for Europe as well as north and south Asia. The arrangement was revealed at Air Cargo China 2018 last week. From April 1, ECS entered into a three-years contract with Royal Brunei Airlines in order to support the air carrier as a GSSA in its strategy for growth in North and South Asia as well as in the whole of Europe. Royal Brunei Airlines serves the destinations London (LHR), Dubai, Jeddah, Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Manila, Denpasar, Surabaya, and Jakarta from its hub at Brunei International Airport (BWN). ECS partners will help to expand Royal Brunei’s network in providing additional road services from London Heathrow to all parts of Europe. On its north and south Asia routes, Royal Brunei operates a fleet of A320 aircraft with a cargo capacity of two tons. The airline’s routes to Melbourne, London Heathrow, Jeddah, and Dubai are served by B787 Dreamliners. These carry up to 15 tons of commodities. The collaboration with ECS enables Royal Brunei to control 19

Qatar Airways and Expo Freight sign charter deal

QATAR Airways Cargo and Expo Freight Logistics have signed an agreement for weekly scheduled charter services flying a Boeing 777 Freighter between Dhaka and New York loaded with garments. Through the QR Charter service, Qatar Airways commenced services with more than 100 tonnes of cargo capacity on 13 May and will continue for a period of one year. The majority of apparel exports out of Dhaka consist of sportswear, lingerie, loungewear, bridal wear, workwear, swimwear and children’s clothes and will be transported to New York for retailers in the USA. Qatar Airways chief officer cargo, Guillaume Halleux says: “We are proud of our partnership with EFL and appreciate this long-term relationship, which demonstrates the trust placed by EFL in our services. “Our expertise in freight charters enables us to customise our connectivity and services for our customers to most of the airports in the world. Utilising our renowned QR Charter service, we are able to offer tailor-made cargo solutions to our business partners.” EFL founder and chairman, Hanif Yusoof adds: “We are pleased to announce this new service from Dhaka for our USA customers. Bangladesh has been a very attractive sourcing market for retailers and the development of better and faster supply chain solutions will further strengthen its reputation in the region. “I would like to thank the team at Qatar Airways Cargo for their continued support and we look forward to developing more customised solutions for our key customers.” Bangladesh is the second largest export of readymade garments and it is the country’s largest source of export earnings.

Peli opens up in Brazil Peli BioThermal has opened a new service centre in Sao Paulo, Brazil, servicing reusable Credo Cube parcel shippers including refurbishment and repair. The Sao Paulo facility will provide a variety of options for customers, including optional conditioning, refurbishing and storage of Credo Cube shippers, complementing the existing and expanding network of service centres, network stations and rental drop-off points spanning Europe, Asia and the Americas.”

Thominet stations in different parts of the world and benefit from a network filling space where required and thus providing the highest yield to the airline. “Royal Brunei is a vibrant and growing airline with a great diversity of customer-oriented and reliable services,” says ECS CEO, Singapore, Adrien Thominet. “Its values and network perfectly match ECS’s setup in Asia, allowing synergies that no other GSSA can offer. We are looking forward to playing a key part in promoting the further success of Royal Brunei.”

Silk Way flies to Liege

SILK Way West Airlines has added Liege to its network and is adding Boeing 747-400 Freighters to its fleet to help maintain steady growth. The airline started operating twice weekly flights between Liege, Belgium and its hub in Baku, Azerbaijan at the end of April, and follows on from recently restarting services to Budapest, Hungary. Silk Way is also expanding its fleet, having taken delivery of one 747-400 this month with another one due for delivery in June. Silk Way West Airlines president and CEO, Wolfgang Meier says: “The aim is to further knit our European network by adding more destinations and maintaining a denser schedule in order to offer our customers the highest flexibility.” Describing the new aircraft, Meier says: “The two long expected additional aircrafts will further support the growth of the network by enhancing the options to make existing Silk Way West Airlines routes denser and add as well new destinations to its global network of more than 45 destinations.”

Schiphol first quarter flower imports bloom AMSTERDAM Airport Schiphol’s trade with South America has bloomed due to strong flower imports, while China also saw growth in the first quarter. Latin American imports increased 10 per cent to 34,097 tonnes helped by high demand for St. Valentine’s Day and International Women’s Day, while exports were up 31 per cent to 20,701 tonnes. China, the airport’s largest market saw an increase of 2.1 per cent to 30,735 tonnes helped by growth in both freighter volumes and cargo flying the belly of passenger aircraft. Asian imports saw a dip of four per cent 67,629 tonnes and exports increased one per cent to 75,182 tonnes. Full freighter volumes were down 2.4 per cent with 7.4 per cent fewer full freighter air traffic movements (ATM) and belly volumes decreased 1.6 per cent in the first quarter. Schiphol director aviation marketing, cargo and customer experience, Maaike van der Windt says: “Although we saw an increase in ATMs and as a result increased volumes of belly cargo at Schiphol, this did not result in a commensurate increase in freight volumes and did not compensate for the reduction in full freighter ATMs. “This has had a knock-on effect in our first quarter results, but there are nonetheless underlying positive growth trends in cargo business from China and Latin America that we hope to build upon over the coming year.”

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WORLDNEWS AERONAUTICAL Engineers (AEI) has received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval for the AEI CRJ200SF passenger to freighter conversion. The EASA approval allows for European operations of CRJ200SFs and follows on from receiving Federal Aviation Administration approval in 2016. Six CRJ200SFs are undergoing modification and AEI has an additional 45 firm orders. The AEI CRJ200SF has a capacity of 6.6 tonnes and comes with a 94”x70” main cargo door and ANCRA Cargo Loading System capable of carrying eight 61.5”x88” pallets. CARGO volumes at Heathrow Airport have grown for the 21st consecutive month with a 2.3 per cent year-on-year increase in April. In April, cargo volumes were up 2.3 per cent to 141,215 tonnes and on a year-to-date basis, cargo increased 3.8 per cent to 557,950 tonnes between January and April. The fastest growing cargo markets were China, up 10.9 per cent, followed by India up 7.1 per cent and the USA up 4.1 per cent. Heathrow Airport chief executive officer, John Holland-Kaye says: “We’re seeing more passengers and trade flow through Heathrow than ever before. A third runway is a tremendous opportunity to grab a greater share of this global growth for Britain and we’re counting on our politicians to seize it with a “yes” vote on Heathrow expansion this summer.” NETWORK Airline Management (NAM) and TAAG Angola Airlines, the national airline of Angola, have renewed their long-term freighter aircraft contract. The Boeing 747-400F freighter with nose door, operated by Network Airline Management, carries up to 120 tonnes of oil-related and general cargo and continues its weekly scheduled service from Liege, Belgium, to Luanda. The agreement offers export capacity from Angola back to Europe with forwarding connections worldwide and trucking connections from all over Europe into the Liege hub, as well as interlining facilities from North America, Asia and the Indian sub-continent. THE International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) will work with Airports Council International (ACI) to champion collaboration and efficiency, and promote best practice across the global air cargo industry. The associations will cooperate on a range of issues while backing each other’s events, with TIACA hosting panel debates at the 28th ACI Europe/ World Annual General Assembly Conference and Exhibition in Brussels, Belgium. ACI will follow this up by working with TIACA in the lead up to the 2018 Air Cargo Forum in Toronto, Canada, when ACI World deputy director general – external affairs, Michael Rossell will take part in the opening plenary session. HALIFAX International Airport Authority (HIAA) reflected on 2017 as a year of “significant” accomplishments, with the airport well positioned for future growth in 2018 and beyond. That was the message at a public meeting from HIAA president and CEO, Joyce Carter. She said: “Last year was memorable for many reasons, with record-breaking cargo activity. In addition, we invested $30 million in the maintenance and improvement of the airport’s infrastructure to augment safety and security, enhance the airport experience, support growth, and improve efficiency and productivity.” In 2017, total revenues rose to $100.2 million. Overall, revenues exceeded expenses in 2017 by $4.9 million. This is before accounting for the non-cash impact of HIAA’s defined benefit pension plan.

ACW 21 MAY 2018

NEWSWEEK TIACA underpins vision with new website and update logo

he International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has updated its logo and unveiled new websites to underpin its new vision supporting the development of efficient, modern and unified air cargo. The new logo has a globe drawn using a 3D version of the kinetic lines in the original version, and the TIACA acronym, with the final A as the wing of an aircraft. The colour scheme has been adapted from the original including a stronger shade of blue. TIACA chairman and Jan de Rijk Logistics CEO, Sebastiaan Scholte says: “We are entering an exciting new season for the Association, building on our experiences and accomplishments with a new value proposition and fresh initiatives from more training to stronger global networking.” Scholte TIACA vice chairman, Steven

Polmans, who is also head of cargo and logistics at Brussels Airport Company adds: “As we continue to grow TIACA globally and develop new offerings, it is important to have a clear shop window to showcase the Association and a user-friendly portal for members to connect.” The new look will be rolled out with members in the run up to the Air Cargo Forum (ACF) taking place from 16-18 October in Toronto, Canada. The show takes place alongside the inaugural Multimodal Americas event and the Canadian International Freight Forwarding Association’s 70th anniversary conference. TIACA secretary general, Vladimir Zubkov says: “The ACF will include input from a wide range of industry experts who will be addressing and discussing themes affecting us all in the airfreight supply chain. We are looking forward to providing the ideal backdrop for business development and new growth opportunities for our members in October.” The new logo appears on the redesigned website, which also features social media feeds, job postings and up-to-date schedules for TIACA events

CLA brings Giro d’Italia to Israel

CargoLogicAir ensured that competitors of the 101st Giro d’Italia bike race reached the start line on time in Israel. For the first time the race commenced outside Italy, starting in Jerusalem, and the airline ensured that the 1,263 pieces of equipment could reach the start line with a Boeing 747-8 Freighter charter flight from Milan Malpensa Airport. Sonigo International Shipping, Packing & Moving joined forces with freight forwarding company, Vector, and cargo handler Alha Group to ensure all strict time scales as well as complex preparation and transportation processes were successfully met. Alha warehouse operations manager, Roberto Pascarella comments: “Over the past years, the Alha cargo terminal in Malpensa has been a busy hub for Formula 1 and Moto GP air cargo logistics before each competition stage around the world, with very tight schedules. Over time, we have achieved a high level of qualification in these procedures, which require extreme efficiency and great coordination among all operators. This collaboration

with Vector is our first important experience for Giro d’Italia and we hope we will have the opportunity to repeat this operation in the future. This collaboration with Vector is our first important experience for Giro d’Italia and we hope we will have the opportunity to repeat this operation in the future.” Following the time trials, the bikes and equipment travelled back to Italy for the Catania and Caltagirone stages. The race will end on 24 May. Hunt & Palmer Cargo Charters aircraft charter broker, Dan Litten says: “Thank you to all the team for a smooth and professional operation. Our client, along with ourselves, send our thanks to the crew and everyone at CLA for making it a success. We look forward to our next operation with CLA.”

Antonov brings power to Karachi Antonov Airlines has transported a power plant rotor from Genoa, Italy to Karachi, Pakistan on board one of its AN-124-100s. The cargo, which included the rotor and associated equipment weighed a total of 108 tonnes. Antonov Airlines commercial manager, Martin Griffiths says: “Careful planning was necessary to guarantee the safe loading and unloading of the rotor, and this was only possible thanks to the seamless collaboration

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between ANTONOV Airlines, the historical Italian freight broker Compagnia Merci Aeree Srl (CMA), and the shipper, FRACHT IT.” He adds: “We saw a record 139 per cent increase in tonnes-km of energy cargo carried, which also included four flights from Slovenia to Mexico providing more than 60 megawatts of power, and 41 flights from the USA to Puerto Rico, with over 80 per cent of cargo carried being energy related.”

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The best of the best

Airfreight fowarder of the year winner: Dimerco

Airport of the year winner: Changi Airport

Air cargo industry achievement award winner: Emirates SkyCargo, collected by Gary Smith

Air cargo handling agent of the year winner: Hactl

Air cargo general sales agent of the year winner: ECS Group

IT for the Air Cargo Industry winner: BRUcloud

aircargoweek.com

Air cargo charter broker of the year winner: Air Charter Service

Air cargo industry customer care winner: Air Asia

Air cargo airline winner: Turkish Cargo

ACW 21 MAY 2018

cool chain

Will the sea be cruel to air cargo?

here have been numerous reports of cargo switching to ocean from air, including certain pharmaceutical products, flowers and fruit, writes Neil Madden. However, it is very difficult to know exactly how much this trend has eaten into air cargo’s market share without surveying a representative sample of global shippers, and most are not willing to divulge such information. As an example, at this year’s Temperature Controlled Logistics conference AstraZeneca’s global category leader of freight and logistics Julien Wann and global category manager Andrew Spencer said that the pharma company is on course to achieve 70 per cent sea freight volume. Currently, the majority of AstraZeneca’s medicines are moved by air.

AstraZeneca took a strong stance on ensuring quality in its supply chain, and as a result switching to sea freight has produced cost improvements, lower emissions and greater accuracy to prevent temperature deviations.

Sea freight is cheaper

At the same conference GSK Vaccines’ Jeroen Janssen agreed that sea freight is becoming “more and more important”. When examining freight payments from a total cost perspective, sea freight often emerges as cheaper. With airfreight, medicines require additional protective packaging, but when transported by sea just placing them in a refrigerated container (reefer) usually suffices. However, shippers need to verify the quality of the containers as they vary from region to region.

But a big advantage of ocean freight, he said, is that it has fewer ‘touch points’ than air, which reduces the risk of handling mistakes. Despite temperature spikes when loading or unloading, no product loss had yet been encountered, and GSK is also considering a real time monitoring solution.

Competitive market

Logistics consultancy Transport Intelligence (Ti) points out that overall the global cool chain market remains highly competitive and fragmented. But innovations in big data and the Internet of Things (IoT) could transform asset utilisation and the protection of sensitive cargo across supply chains. The market continues to grow as new cool chains are created resulting from the buying power of rising middle classes in China and other developing countries, and by new demands for healthier and higher quality products. At the same time, restrictions on pharmaceutical production and growing consumer awareness of food safety are pushing the tightening of government regulations on temperature-controlled supply chains. As a result, reefer technology has seen improvements in recent years. Not only can reefers control temperature more accurately, they can also monitor humidity, light and shocks. The visibility this provides has helped improve the quality of reefers by encouraging further innovation. This allows newer reefers to keep perishable goods for longer, meaning a shorter travel time is less important. Ti’s quantitative analyst Andrew Ralls explains, however, that: “Air freight carriers will need to innovate in the same way ocean freight carriers have done, though strong global trade

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in agricultural products, such as trees & flowers, vegetables and fruits, is set to continue and this will aid volumes for both modes of transport.”

Faster is not always better

Of course, airfreight is still an essential transport mode for getting temperature-controlled products quickly to market, whether these are vital medicines for hospitals or exotic fruits for supermarket shelves. But the air cargo industry will have to do much more than just rely on speed. Data from IATA indicate that a quarter of vaccines reach their destinations degraded because of incorrect shipping and 20 per cent of temperature-sensitive products are damaged during transport due to a broken cold chain. So as the sea freight industry has thrown down the gauntlet in terms of more reliable technology, air freight will have to respond in kind. These include technologies such as cool chain dollies that can enclose pallets and ULDs in a stable temperature environment while they are being handled on the ground in between flights. Bluetooth tracking of ULDs, both on the ground and in the air can be used to alert shippers and forwarders about sudden spikes in temperature and record any sudden movements or shocks that can damage a load. ULD lessor ACL Airshop and New Zealand-based CORE Transport Technologies are rolling out this technology to airlines across the world. CORE managing director Ian Craig predicts: “2018 will be the breakout year for Bluetooth. We are enabling an aviation logistics revolution, just as the air waybill revolutionised air cargo almost 60 years ago.”

aircargoweek.com 17/05/2018 10:02

cool chain

Meanwhile, in a small corner of France...

nvestments in temperature-controlled facilities are not confined only to the world’s major hubs. Last year, Entzheim Airport, which serves the city of Strasbourg in north-eastern France, opened a 700 square metre temperature- controlled warehouse, operated by WFS, primarily to capture the growing pharma market. Still lacking a critical mass of belly capacity, the majority of Strasbourg’s freight tonnage is carried by road to bigger airports, notably Paris CDG, but also Frankfurt, Luxembourg and Zurich. But the airport’s management team sees a bright future in the facility to act as forwarding hub for companies based in the region, even if consignments have to travel first by road before they leave the ground. The facility comprises two sections: 500 square metres controlled at 15° to 25°C; and 200 square metres at 2° to 8°C. Logistics firm Heppner wasted no time in inviting its pharma clients from across region – which includes the likes of Lilly and Merck - to visit the new warehouse earlier this year. Launched only in 2012, Heppner’s pharma business has witnessed double-digit growth in three of the past four years and now accounts for some 14 percent of group revenues. Already possessing ‘Certipharm’ certification, which guarantees ‘good distribution practice’, Heppner’s director of healthcare services Gérard Palazzo says the group is pondering applying for IATA CEIV certification. For Entzheim the new platform is an important marker for the airport’s future development. “These new facilities demonstrate that we are conscious of their needs,” says WFS Strasbourg manager Philippe Ritter. “Our goal is first to maintain and then develop existing traffic with a view to establishing an entire freight station at the airport dedicated to pharma three or four years down the line.” Airport director Thomas Dubus adds that a seven hectare site is also reserved for the development of added-value logistics, including more temperature-controlled space.

dnata awarded IATA CEIV Pharma for Dubai operations

Dnata has been certified by IATA’s Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma) for pharma-handling processes and logistics in Dubai. The two year preparation for certification included working closely with Dubai Airports to implement facility changes and upgrades to comply with CEIV requirements. Cool chain processes and facilities were assessed and validated to comply with all applicable standards, guidelines and regulations including EU, World Health Organization, United States Pharmacopeia and IATA Temperature Control Regulations. Dnata senior vice president – UAE Cargo and DWC Airline Services, Bernd Struck says: “At dnata, we’ve continuously focussed on providing our customers with enhancements in the safety and security of their pharma shipments. This CEIV certification is a demonstration of that commitment. We use the latest technology, best practices and certified warehouses to ensure that every pharma and vaccine shipment that reaches the patient is handled in compliance with international certified standards.” Every year, billions of dollars worth of pharmaceutical products are lost due to temperature changes, with a high percentage taking place at airports. Certification such as CEIV Pharma and Good Distribution Practice (GDP) guidelines are designed to eliminate spoilage of highly perishable pharma cargo, and optimise the air cargo supply chain with standardisation, accountability transparency, reliability and predictability.

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7 17/05/2018 10:04

oversized cargo

Sizeable increase in large shipments for HAE

AE Group has seen a sizeable increase in the number of outsized cargo shipments over the past year, president – Americas, Ian Hutchinson tells Air Cargo Week. He says the growth came from all over the world, and 2018 has also started well, as HAE builds on its success of developing strong distribution channels. Hutchinson comments that US government work has been generating “excellent opportunities” as had returning investment in the oil and gas industries. The outsized cargo sector always throws up some interesting Hutchinson shipments, such as

moving vehicles to Baghdad, Iraq. Hutchinson says: “We recently moved some outsized vehicles into Iraq – it was a sea – air move, linking our offices in the US and UAE. Timings and commination was key. We travelled we the vehicles to personally ensure all went well at origin and destination airports.” He says the shipment went very smoothly and the customer was extremely happy with the results. The East Midlands Airport, UK-based multi-platform air cargo service provider offers a number of services to customers including GSA and charter solutions. If a customer’s request is particularly complicated, HAE’s Solutions team will be on hand to help. Hutchinson says: “The knowledge base and experience of our solutions team is vital to our success. While the carriers make the final decision, our ability to expertly link the customer with the carrier is key. “We are there to ensure that customer is fully

informed of all possibilities. Outsized moves may not be their core business, we aim to act as their out sourced expert, for the particular move.”

Major Australian mining mission

Chapman Freeborn and Antonov have worked together to keep a mining project on schedule by delivering two 17 metre long drill rigs from the USA to Australia. The two Pit Viper 271 rotary rig towers were flown from Houston to Perth on an Antonov AN-124-100 chartered by Chapman Freeborn’s US team on behalf of the mining company. The rig towers were destined for an iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The 21-tonne pieces were originally scheduled to be shipped to Australia as sea freight but Chapman Freeborn was asked to step in at short notice to ensure the project deadline was met. The loading process required the use of the AN-124’s ramp apparatus in addition to two external cranes, a process that was overseen by Ana Bocchini from Chapman Freeborn and the Antonov Airlines crew. The aircraft departed on schedule and flew to Perth with stops in

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Hawaii, Fiji and Brisbane. Speaking on behalf of Chapman Freeborn, Bocchini comments: “We’re pleased to have managed this successful charter operation on behalf of our client. As a global company, we are experienced in setting up international shipments of this kind on tight schedules. The project benefited from the expertise of our local Australia-based team as well as the assistance of Antonov Airlines.” Antonov Airlines deputy director, Vitaliy Shost adds: “The main challenge of this project was to load two oversized rotary rig towers by means of one set of loading equipment. This task required a non-standard technical solution offered by our engineers. “I would like to note the fast and high-quality work of Chapman Freeborn Airchartering and the shipper on the preparation of cargo and the organisation of its delivery, without which this transportation would not be feasible in such a short time.”

aircargoweek.com 18/05/2018 10:26

oversized cargo

Larger items means more needs to be screened

hen scanning larger, outsized items, one noticeable issue is that there is physically more to scan, Smiths Detection project manager – air cargo screening, Joachim Petry tells Air Cargo Week. He says that larger the item, the more complex the x-ray image and the more material has to be penetrated. This, he says can make it harder to get a clear x-ray. Added to this, outsized items are awkward to handle due to their size. Petry comments: “Handling objects themselves is an issue as they are heavy and may need a forklift truck. It might make the process more difficult and time consuming.” He adds: “We are trying to provide appropriate equipment in our portfolio, meet the needs of our customers and the investments customers willing to make.” Other considerations include innovations such as ID shipments based Petry on bar codes, RFID, and providing additional information such as weight and dimension of the shipments. Space at airports can be limited and expensive, so keeping the footprint of equipment is also very important. Rising volumes means efficiency must increase, with Petry commenting: “Demand for faster throughput means we need more efficient processes. Air cargo is increasing so that means more goods need to be scanned.” Increasingly strict regulations add to challenges customers face, meaning Smiths needs to evolve and continue to improve what it offers customers. Petry says: “Risk based screening is something that we might face in the future. Handling this challenge might help make us more efficient.”

ABC makes light work of 22 metre long pipes

AirBridgeCargo Airlines’ abcXL product has made light work of delivering 22 metre pipes for a solar energy project in China. Eight crates weighing around 20 tonnes and measuring more than 22 metres were loaded through the Boeing 747’s nose in Amsterdam with the help of two loading cranes for customer, Neele-Vat Air, in preparation for the delivery to Zhengzhou, China. AirBridgeCargo general director, Sergey Lazarev says the airline is “proud” to have been chosen for the project, as it is one of only a few cargo carriers to provide a nose loading option for very long and out-of-gauge shipments. He says: “Our abcXL service is the result of strong internal support and the alignment of the company’s procedures, the reinforcement of our commercial and operational teams, and the management of our service quality with the launch of our 24/7 Control Tower. “All of these efforts reflect our commitment to continually improving our product offering to meet the needs of our global customers.” In the first three months of 2018, AirBridgeCargo experienced 18 per cent year-on-year growth in the number of oversized cargoes being loaded through the nose door of its 747s using special handling procedures. The AirBridgeCargo fleet and its nose loading capabilities make it possible for the airline to deliver complex consignments such as gas turbines, industrial equipment, oil and gas equipment, aerospace care, tractors, mining equipment and other products.

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9 18/05/2018 10:49

spain & portugal

Cargo in Iberian peninsula is built on cooperation

pain and Portugal are at the heart of key co-operation agreements on airspace that includes France and North Africa, writes Stuart Flitton. The two main components to the expanding regional co-operation are the AEFMP, which now includes Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, and the South West Functional Airspace Block. The SWFAB includes the flight information regions of Spain and Portugal, southwest France, the Canary Islands, Casablanca and also the Santa Maria FIR, which is the biggest in Europe, covering the southeastern North Atlantic and is a gateway Central and South America. This regional co-operation setup is supported technically and operationally by the AEFMP initiative, which is a vital part of the Single European Sky plan and its extension to Africa and the Americas.

The AEFMP began in 1990 with the agreement between Spain, Portugal and France to optimise, harmonise and integrate air navigation systems. Six years later, the initiative took in Algeria and Morocco and has continued to consolidate with frequent revisions to plans and goals and the incorporation of Tunisia last month. The SWFAB dates back to May 2001 when the Spanish air traffic service provider, Aena, and its counterpart, NAV Portugal, signed a Memorandum of Understanding. Seven years later the two providers began collaborating and this developed more earnestly four years later when a year of collaborative tasks took place involving all the potential participants. This culminated in the signing of an agreement on May 17, 2013, between, the Spanish Minister for Public Works, Ana Pastor Julián and Portugal’s Economy and Employment Minister, Álvaro Santos Pereira.

These agreements have increased the importance Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport, the largest hub of air freight companies in Spain, with more than 1,430 flights each week. The Barajas Air Freight Facility was built in 1994 for Iberia Cargo and developed in two phases, starting with a 32.5-hectare development, followed by one of 8.8 hectares. The heart of the facility is the 15,210 sq m general services building, with more than 125 air freight companies, airlines, GSAs, forwarders and customs agents, among others. It handles more than 200,000 tonnes of cargo a year. Some 2,500 sq m is dedicated to perishable handling. As well as offices, the building houses customs, border check facilities, a business centre with conference and meeting rooms and a commercial area with a bank and cafeteria. The facility, including customs, never closes and serves the rest of Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. There are 36 loading and unloading bays, and an automated warehouse with 375 pallet positions. IAG Cargo was formed from the merger of Iberia Cargo and British Airways World Cargo in 2011 after the founding of IAG from those two airlines.

LATAM Gateway

The freight division has further taken in BMI Cargo and has a total workforce of more than 2,700 and a global network of more than 350 destinations. There is an express postal service through the subsidiary Cacesa. IAG Cargo regional commercial manager Spain/Portugal Idoia Martinez, says that Madrid is one of the most important gateways for perishable cargo travelling from Latin America into Europe and beyond. “Notable commodities travelling on this route include fish from Chile, fruit from Central Amer-

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ica, flowers from Quito and Bogota and meat from Argentina.” Madrid is also an important hub for life-saving pharmaceutical shipments travelling on IAG’s Constant Climate product from Europe into 32 destinations in Latin America with more than 400 flights a week. A year ago, IAG Cargo began a new service between Madrid and Basel, chiefly serving the Swiss pharmaceutical industry. The route was launched after a three-month trial, which attracted new business, eager to gain access to the important Latin American markets. Last month, IAG Cargo began the first direct flight between Madrid and San Francisco, which was a significant expansion in the company’s operations to and from the United States. There are three flights a week, using an Iberia A330200, capable of carrying 14 tonnes of freight on each flight. The San Francisco route is predominantly loaded with textiles, spare parts, and machinery. The services from Madrid will increase again later this year with daily flights to Tel Aviv, as part of the 2018 summer schedule. This route will involve significant shipments of textiles and pharmaceuticals from Spain. “We’re working hard with all our customers to ensure that we are accessible and easy to do business with,” Martinez says. “We relaunched our new website last year, which has dramatically shortened the online booking time. Many customers are also benefiting from our new reward scheme for smaller forwarders, FWD.REWARDS.” Another important sector for IAG is non-medical perishables, such as fresh flowers and food, including exotic fruit, seafood and confectionery, which are conveyed in high-class, precision temperature-controlled facilities. Animal transport is another specialist area covered by IAG with its own vets and animal handlers assuring compliance with IATA rules, Live Animal Regulations and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

aircargoweek.com 17/05/2018 09:59

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ACW 21 May 2018

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Looking at what people in the air cargo industry are thinking about

Seconds with...

ACW: Before cargo, you were Vice President — Finance and Corporate Planning. What would I have to say to get you to lend me $10? Cole: Tell me your track record. A great indicator of future success is past performance. In addition, I would want to know what you are going to use the $10 for and when I might get my money back. ACW: After a decade at Delta, you’ve taken on cargo. Any surprises? What’s the learning curve been? Cole: I have completely immersed myself in the cargo business, which has been a really fun and challenging learning curve. I am supported by a wonderful team of 1,800 cargo employees, who every day exhibit the true Delta spirit with

shawn cole

Shawn Cole is vice president of Delta Cargo, responsible for ensuring that the airline’s logistics division continues to deliver on superior commercial, financial and operational performance. In his most recent role, Shawn served as Vice President – Financial Since joining Delta in 2008, Shawn has served as managing director in financial planning and as a division controller.

seemingly limitless passion and energy to move the ball forwards and do the right thing for our customers.

ACW: How do you motivate your team? Cole: I love to motivate my team. I am a high energy, positive person and the team knows that I have their back. My role is to ensure that they have the tools, technology and the confidence to go out there and solve problems for our customers. We celebrate the big and small, and we have fun.

ACW: What kind of people do you dislike? Cole: I am a people person, so I don’t like people who dislike people.

ACW: What did you want to be when you grew up? Cole: As funny as it sounds, I wanted to grow up and be a business leader. I grew up in Highpoint, North Carolina and the town is known for its furniture manufacturing. When I was a kid I toured one of the furniture factories and it was there that I decided that I would really like to lead a team and run a business.

ACW: Would you like your children to follow you into commercial aviation? Cole: Absolutely, I would love for my two sons, Sterling (15) and Anderson (10) to follow me into working in aviation but they are only allowed to work at Delta or a joint venture partner! There are lots of opportunities with challenging and motivating work, where you are surrounded by great people all focused on providing industryleading customer service and value across the business.

ACW: Coke or Pepsi? Cole: Definitely Coca-Cola. It was my father’s favourite drink plus my wife and I both worked at Coca-Cola, so it is a family favourite.

ACW: BBQ or fine dining? Cole: Both, I love a good meal but I do like to do a Carolina BBQ, which is vinegar-based. ACW: If both a taxi and a limo were priced the exact same, which one would you choose? Cole: Neither, I would choose a Lyft or Uber.

ACW: What would your autobiography be called? Cole: The Optimistic Riddle Solver: The Life and Times of Shawn Cole.

ACW: Would you let us hook up your ‘Recently Played’ list on Spotify to the office speakers? Cole: Absolutely. I am a runner, so I play a lot of different music. I like hip/hop, pop, R&B as well as Katy Perry, Drake and Michael Jackson.

ACW: You’re on death row, what would your last meal be? Cole: I would make sure never to be on death row, but my favourite meal is a rib eye steak (cooked on my Big Green Egg BBQ) with Brussels sprouts and pancetta, accompanied by a glass of Napa Valley Cabernet.

ACW: What would I find in your fridge right now? Cole: At home, the fridge has lots of fruit, salad, cheese and vegetables, alongside the staples of milk, orange juice and of course BBQ sauce!

ACW: What are the best and worst purchases you’ve ever made? Cole: The best was my wife’s diamond engagement ring and the worst was a pair of trendy running shoes, which did not work well and gave me shin splints.

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