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SEKO has been transitioning from their lega cy Airfreight Gateway structure to operational International Service Centres – which has fa cilitated and enabled tremendous growth in airfreight and e-commerce shipping service offerings. SEKO’s USA ISCs are currently operat ing in JFK and LAX and will be expanding into several other key markets over the next six to 12 months. SEKO ISCs are critical for e-commerce and airfreight operations as they are Certified Cargo Screening Facilities (CCSF), as well as an acting import CFS for inbound parcels from Eu rope and Asia. With a global remit to optimise SEKO’s current ISCs and to implement further ISCs across the U.S. and globally to meet the ser vice requirements of airfreight clients. These key global roles will enable SEKO to “structure and grow our global airfreight prod uct, build our global airfreight team, and drive our airfreight focus in the U.S., Asia Pacific and Europe,” said Steen Christensen, who joined the company in June as chief operating officer – In ternational to lead SEKO’s Air and Ocean freight product“Strengtheninggrowth. our airfreight leadership team with new people and new roles reflects the in creasing importance this product is having on our organisation. As we expand geographically – both organically and through acquisitions – we must have the appropriate leadership in place to manage the future development and expansion of our airfreight products. These new appoint ments for Chris and Shawn support the needs of our customers and airline partners, the growth of our volumes, and the new business we are gaining,” he stated. “Airfreight is one of our fast est-growing products, particularly as it pertains to our position in Asia Pacific and Europe. This is being driven largely by the significant cross-bor der e-commerce growth we are helping our clients to achieve.” SEKO will also be growing their carrier part nerships. “We will continue to build our strong carrier relationships, while making room for new carriers to participate in our business going for ward. We will also be working with carriers on products which are aligned to our sustainability goals over the coming years,” Christensen said.
SEKO LOGISTICS ENTERS NEW PHASE OF GLOBAL AIRFREIGHT GROWTH
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The ULD, a vital tool in cargo process, has always faced problems. the correct container to its destination at time
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... ULD DIGITAL CONTROL INCREASES... PAGE 4
CATHAY Pacific is taking the lead in the aviation sector’s sustain ability efforts in Asia with the extension of space Fly Greener to its air cargo services. PACIFIC CARGO
THE Senior Management team of Coastair Group, a full-ser vice airfreight agency, has announced the appointment of three new directors ... 6 S EKO Logistics is signalling their next phase of international airfreight growth with two global appointments to lever age opportunities from client demand for critical products, expansion of cross-border e-commerce, and new business from acquired companies. Christopher Gregg joins SEKO as senior vice president global airfreight from his previous role as vice president airfreight, north america, at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics. His experience spans airfreight management roles with C.H. Robinson, Kuehne + Nagel, and Expeditors International.ShawnRichard, appointed as SEKO’s first vp of global airfreight in 2018, has also been promot ed to senior vice president international service centres (ISCs) and will remain based in New York. Richard joined SEKO four years ago, having for merly worked with DHL Global Forwarding, Geodis, and Delta Airlines.
the air
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The weekly newspaper for air cargo professionals No. 1,196 5 September 2022 aircargoweek.com Follow Us: :: Digital fleets help cargo fly ... Page 10 INSIDE
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ICELANDIC cargo airline Blue bird Nordic has received a third Boeing 737-800 freight er aircraft (BCF), as it looks to continue expanding ...
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management
AIR CARG O
The ULD, a vital tool in the air cargo process, has always faced management problems. Get ting the correct container to its destination at the time and date required, followed by retrieval of the empty container, has always been an error-prone and costly process. Schiphol based, cargo IT solution provider CargoHub started testing its ULD manage ment system early this year with Menzies, GEODIS, CEVA Logistics and IP Handlers and GSA Euro Cargo Aviation, and it is now going into full operation. The ULD management tool is completely digital, eliminating errors, while saving time and money. CargoHub’s new app provides automatic data input. The agent no longer needs to look up the owner of the container, as it is automat ically registered in the app. The handling agent can accept pallets, using the system to quick ly identify which airline owns the pallet. In the event of damage, a photograph can be taken using the app that is then immediately available in the system. All parties are aware of what is happening, saving time.
Worldwide air cargo flown tonnages have con tinued to decline in August with a further 5% drop last week alone, the latest figures from WorldACD Market Data reveal.
Flown tonnage drops further in August
Qatar Airways Cargo launches Next Generation
While capacity remained broadly stable across that two-week period, flown tonnag es fell significantly from most of the main air freight origin regions. Volumes ex-Europe and from Middle East & South Asia each fell 8%, while there were falls of 6% from Asia Pacific and drops of 5% from both North America and Africa.Those negative trends were also reflected on a lane-by-lane basis, with drops between all of the main regions, except between North America and Central & South America. Notable declines included a 7% drop from Asia Pacific to Europe and from North America to Europe, plus a 5% drop from Asia Pacific to North America. Taking a longer-term perspective for the overall global market, the last two weeks showed a chargeable weight decline of 10% compared with last year, despite a capacity in crease of 8%.
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ULD digital control increases efficiency and cuts costs
Looking first at August 15-21, worldwide chargeable weight decreased 5% compared with the previous week, and the average worldwide rate decreased slightly. And com paring the last two weeks with the preceding two weeks, average worldwide rates decreased 1%, while chargeable weight decreased by 6%, despite a capacity increase of 1%.
2 ACW 5 SEPTEMBER 2022 NEWS
QATAR Airways Cargo is looking to define the future of the air cargo industry with the launch of Next Generation. The world is changing. The pandemic has challenged long-serving, traditional structures and work processes. Digitalisation is finally tak ing off within the air cargo industry, and the past two years have shown that resilience, courage, and embracing change yield the best results. “Alongside digital enhancements, new products, a new website, and a new business approach in perfect alignment with today’s requirements, Next Generation is, above all, a complete corporate mindset shift,” the compa ny“Thanksannounced.toits many dedicated employees across the world, Qatar Airways Cargo demon strated agility, innovation, and flexibility in the face of this extraordinary period in which the air cargo industry, as a whole, experienced major upheaval. It is this positive disruption within a crisis that Qatar Airways Cargo intends to apply to all aspects of its business,” the company said. “The future is in every decision we take – be it in technology, sustainability, diversity, the new generation of employees joining our com pany, our products and services, and how we approach our business in general. Every move we make has consequences, and we conscious ly endeavour to ensure that it yields the best results for our customers and the regions we serve,” Guillaume Halleux, chief officer cargo at Qatar Airways, stated. “We have a responsibility as the world’s lead ing airline and with Next Generation we are taking our industry to the next level. There has never been a better time to set entirely new standards. We are shaping the air cargo indus try of tomorrow – one that combines digital efficiencies with a unique, professional human touch. Next Generation has a clear vision to develop employees’ talents, to fully utilise dig ital potential, and to take a fresh, innovative approach to the business of air cargo,” Halleux added.Qatar Airways Cargo will be unveiling digi tal enhancements and new products over the course of this year. The Next Generation launch is accompanied by a new logo in the airline’s corporate colours. Alongside the already famil iar WeQare logo denoting Qatar Airways Cargo’s sustainability initiatives, the Next Generation logo represents the company’s core focus: an unparalleled air cargo mindset. Qatar Airways Cargo currently serves a global network of more than 60 freighter destinations and 150 passenger destinations utilising freighters, belly-hold passenger flights, passenger freighters and mini freighters. The company’s fleet currently includes two Boeing 747-8 freighters, two Boeing 747-400 freighters, 26 Boeing 777 freighters and one Airbus 310 freighter.QatarAirways Cargo is crossing thresholds into a new way of doing business, hence the emphasised X in the word NeXt. This cross also acts as an arrow pointing to the future and to an even higher level of quality and service. With the shift to Next Generation, every Qatar Air ways Cargo product has been allocated its own identifying colour. These colours are incorporat ed in the logo whenever the particular product is featured.QatarAirways Cargo’s website relaunch is a further visible implementation of Next Gen eration. The emphasis here is on an intuitive, inviting, and optimal customer experience. In providing visually appealing, precise and clear information and fast navigation, the design responds to modern user requirements. More digital solutions and new products are being developed under the Next Generation strategy.
“We have built a single window cargo com munity platform for airports to enable logistics stakeholders to share data amongst themselves, increasing transparency and predictability on cargo shipments, truck movements and ULDs. It’s a vital element of the land side operation and a crucial asset of the airlines operation manage ment. This ULD solution is unique, as it links and communicates with all parties involved,” Raoul Paul founder of CargoHub stated.
ICELANDIC cargo airline Bluebird Nordic has received a third Boeing 737-800 freighter aircraft (BCF), as it looks to continue expanding the company’s fleet. The B737-800 is a part of Bluebird Nordic’s fleet renewal.
FL Technics signs a new partnership agreement with Saudia
FL Technics, an international aircraft mainte nance and repair (MRO) service organisation, has recently signed a new partnership agree ment with Saudi Arabia Flag carrier Saudia. Under the agreement, FL Technics will pro vide them with aircraft base maintenance at the Kaunas hangar for the airline’s Airbus A321 and Airbus A320 model aircraft. The first air craft already landed at Kaunas airport at the beginning of August.
“So far, our and our customers’ experience operating the converted B737-800 is very positive,” Audronė Keinytė, CEO of Bluebird Nordic, said. “The aircraft are ensuring reliable operations – with im pressive range and payload for an aircraft of this size. We are expecting five more aircraft before the end of the year, which will take us to eight 737-800s in our fleet, in addition to our B737 classic fleet,” Keinyte added. Bluebird Nordic, a member of the Avia Solutions Group, is planning to continue adding more B737-800s to its fleet in 2023.
Bluebird Nordic continues to expand its fleet
Saudia is one of the three largest airlines in the Middle East, operating local and inter national scheduled flights to more than 100 destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. “We are delighted that the globally rec ognised airline Saudia has chosen FL Technics as their base maintenance provider,” Žilvinas Lapinskas, CEO of FL Technics, said. “Saudi Arabian airlines have extremely high requirements for suppliers and services, so the fact that FL Technics won this contract is a huge recognition of the quality of our services, which proves that our strategy of continuous improvement and growth is the right path for the business. As more and more prestigious global companies choose us, it comes as no surprise that we are constantly looking for re inforcements, mechanics and engineers who would like to work in our hangars and thus contribute to the rapid development of FL Technics,” Lapinskas added.
Last year the company began its expansion, adding addition al aircraft to its fleet, and are planning to continue doing so in the upcoming several years. The growing demand for cargo transport is one of the main reasons why Bluebird Nordic has been undergoing new development in its growth plan.
4 ACW 5 SEPTEMBER 2022 AIR CARG O WEEKNEWS
Coastair Group appoints three new directors
“These three great talents, Jerome Bollaers – corporate director, Pierre Beauve – operations director and Gerd Pieron – commer cial director are aspiring to new heights in these appointments within the Coastair Group. Jerome, Pierre and Gerd will lead the respective teams covering corporate compliance, operations and commercial activities across the group’s operating compa nies which encompass Coastair, Skyhouse, Aviaflex and Imperial Cargo,” the company stated in a press release, adding that “good things come in threes.”
AVIATION security innovation firm Pangiam has announced the appointment of two new board members: Pam Braden and Chris Krebs. “We are excited to welcome Chris and Pam to our Board of Directors,” Kevin McAleenan, CEO of Pangiam, said. “Chris’s expertise in cybersecurity and business resilience, com bined with Pam’s strategic leadership in growing businesses and delivering technolo gies are strong additions to Pangiam. I look forward to working alongside them both as we continue to bring together experts and vi sionaries from government, technology and commercial sectors to build on Pangiam’s success.”PamBraden was an operating partner at AE Industrial Partners, bringing over 35 years of experience in the defence, technology and government services industries. Prior to join ing AE Industrial, Ms. Braden was the chief executive officer and founder of Gryphon Technologies, a former AE Industrial portfolio company, which was sold to ManTech Inter national Corporation in 2021. Chris Krebs is a founding partner of the Krebs Stamos Group, a fellow at the Aspen In stitute, and a CBS news contributor. Chris was the first director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the nation’s lead civilian cyber defence agency. Prior to his government service, he led Micro soft’s U.S. cybersecurity policy efforts.
6 ACW 5 SEPTEMBER 2022 AIR CARG O WEEKNEWS
THE Senior Management team of Coastair Group, a full-service airfreight agency, has announced the appointment of three new directors within the company.
“As markets change and evolve, we need key industry leaders to drive a successful future and by these recent appointments we believe Coastair Group will be in a key position to help its clients both now and in the future with all its service requirements,” the companyCoastairadded.Group is based at its 2,500 sq m Skyhouse at Liege Airport, providing a wide range of air cargo solutions to cargo agents, freight forwarders and airlines.
Chris Krebs and Pam Braden join Pangiam board
KLASJET, an EU-based private air charter com pany is joining its parent group Avia Solutions Group and expanding its service portfolio by adding passenger ACMI to its services list. In 2021, the ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Mainte nance and Insurance) market size was valued at $4.2bn and is projected to reach $8.8bn by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 8.49% from 2022 to “After2030.
In the launch phase, the carbon emissions calculator will accept retrospective AWB num bers, but future iterations will see the tool built into Cathay Pacific Cargo’s digital booking and confirmation solution, Click & Ship. Customers will be able to add offsets directly to their book ings in a one-click process.
Jettainer wins ULD management contract from Norse Atlantic Airways
AIR CARG O
8 ACW 5 SEPTEMBER 2022 NEWS
The tool, which uses the latest IATA method ology, will show the volume of emissions and display the offset charge in local currency, cal culated by weight, and aircraft type. This level of detail is central to the scheme, as explained by Simon Ng, CEO of Global Logistic System, a Cathay Pacific-owned subsidiary that designed the technology. “Multiple factors can lead to variance in the amount of emis sions generated by a booked shipment. GLSHK helped refine this system with Cathay Pacific Cargo by using a variety of data sources to cal culate the emissions for a shipment including the actual flown route, aircraft type, and actual flying distance to maximise the accuracy of the offset for our customers,” Ng said. After each submission, customers will be sent a spreadsheet showing the totals carried and claimed, plus the carbon-offset calcula tion. They will also receive a monthly statement displaying all submissions from the previous month and the total to be settled. Customers will then receive a certificate showing the offset total and the project they have supported.
NORSE Atlantic Airways, a brand-new Norwe gian airline, has been taking to the skies since June, connecting Oslo with several North American destinations. Now, the network is being ramped up with regular connections from Berlin to New York and Los Angeles. From the very first flight, Jettainer, the global leader in unit load device (ULD) management, has provided the airline with a customised and dedicated fleet of con tainers and pallets. In addition to providing highly efficient ULD management services, Jettainer will also take care of the repair and maintenance of all units. This full-service support has enabled the airline to start and now to expand operations on schedule despite the current shortage of ULDs. The long-term partnership will run for five years to safeguard the ULD needs of this growing“Norseairline.Atlantic is offering affordable direct transatlantic flights, allowing everyone to ex plore new destinations. As we are committed to a modern and environmentally friendly fleet, we have also chosen the most cost-efficient and sustainable solution for our ULDs,” said Bjørn Tore Larsen, chief executive officer at Norse At lantic“WithAirways.ourexpertise, advanced management technology and global network we support established airlines in outsourcing ULD manage ment services and new emerging carriers like Norse Atlantic in ramping up their operations. We are looking forward to long-term success and mutual growth,” added Thomas Sonntag, managing director at Jettainer.
Cathay Pacific Cargo introduces Fly Greener
CATHAY Pacific is taking the lead in the aviation sector’s sustainability efforts in Asia with the extension of space Fly Greener to its air cargo services.FlyGreener is a carbon-offset programme powered by an integrated carbon emissions calculator, as part of the airline’s commitment to tackling climate change by achieving net-ze ro carbon emissions by 2050. The new carbon emissions calculator works out the carbon emissions of shipments and the cost to offset them in just a couple of simple steps. Customers can then make a contribu tion to purchase carbon offsets that come from carefully selected carbon-offset projects. The carbon-offset programme follows the launch earlier this year of Cathay Pacif ic’s Corporate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Programme, which brings SAF into Hong Kong International Airport for the first time in history. It provides corporate customers the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint from business travel and air cargo shipments by contributing to the use of SAF. Cathay Pacific was also among the first carriers in the world to announce a target of 10% SAF in its total fuel use by 2030. “The carbon emissions calculator is another tool we have made available to help our cus tomers achieve their sustainability targets to make our business and our industry more sus tainable.
The monetary contributions go directly to fund third-party validated projects that help to offset the CO2 generated by shipments, through carbon credits bought by Cathay Pa cific and passed on to customers at cost. The airline makes no profit in the carbon-offset transactions.Thescheme currently supports four proj ects which bring fuel-efficient cooking stoves to families in Bangladesh, solar-powered hot water to households in India, and solar-pow ered cooking stoves and small biogas plants to families in the Chinese Mainland.
“We are excited to be driving industry lead ership in Asia for sustainability, and we look forward to working with our customers to promote sustainable air cargo shipments. We know that carbon-offset calculations can be complex and need to be accurate for sustain ability auditing purposes. We believe that the ease and simplicity of Fly Greener and the car bon emissions calculator makes the rigour and complexity that goes into carbon emissions calculations straightforward and user-friendly, which is something our customers have been actively seeking,” Chris Bowden, head of cargo global partnerships, said.
Avia Solutions Group continues increasing its ACMI market share
Covid, airlines’ creditors, sharehold ers, governments are seeking more efficiency from the operators. Historically, airlines gen erated an average of 1.57% profit per year over the last 19 years. So, there aren’t many opportunities to increase efficiency, except contracting ACMI for peak season. From edu cated customers, we see a huge demand for aircraft leasing with the crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI) included. Avia Solu tions Group is the largest capacity sharer in the world, and we want to be part of ongoing growth,” Rita Domkute, CEO of KlasJet, said. According to her, the airline is planning to expand its current fleet by adding more next-generation Boeing 737. “We plan to add five economy class Boeing aircraft with a ca pacity for 189 passengers to our fleet this year, and by the end of 2023, we should have 15 more aircraft for ACMI operations,” KlasJet’s CEO explained.
In tandem with our promotion and development of SAF capabilities, the calculator will give our customers flexibility to offset their carbon emissions via a suite of accredited car bon offset projects,” George Edmunds, general manager of cargo commercial, said. Customers have already been able to es timate their potential carbon emissions by searching for flight connections with the emis sion calculator on cathaypacificcargo.com, but now registered customers using the website will be able to offset their shipments by air way bill (AWB) number. Users can enter five AWB numbers at a time, but can submit as many ap plications as required over any monthly period.
Personnel is at the heart of the business As with many similar companies during the pandemic years, Uni lode had to scale back and scale down its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations. However, with the business returning, the company is looking to ramp up operations, and improve its performance levels in its MRO department.
10 ACW 5 SEPTEMBER 2022 ULD AIR CARG O WEEK
First impressions count Ross Marino joined Unilode in February, bringing over 30 years of aviation experience to the role. “What really struck from the outset is that we’ve got great people in our business,” Marino said, dis cussing his first impressions of the company. “Having spent almost my entire career working with the ULD market…What really im pressed me was the digital capability the team had produced and the huge potential for that.”
“Unilode isn’t alone in turbulentduringchallengesfacingthesetimes”
The invasion of Ukraine came only days before Marino became CEO of Unilode, with the subsequent fallout requiring companies to adapt quickly to keep their post-pandemic rebound alive. Unilode isn’t alone in facing challenges during these turbulent times. Having come out of the pandemic years, the hopes of mov ing into smoother times were dashed by supply chain challenges and international instability. When asked about how Unilode is seeking to minimise the impact, Marino said “I am sure you’ll be asking that question to the leader in every business right now.”
Unilode Aviation Solutions, which has the largest fleet of ULDs in the market, with over 145,000 for more than 45 airlines across 550 airports, prides itself on being the market leader in this field.
But, with any company, there is always potential room for im provement and growth, with any new CEO responsible for swiftly identifying that. “Continuous improvement should be in our DNA. We should never ever sit back and relax” Marino stated.
These supply chain delays have compounded troubles caused by soaring inflation, rising property prices and increasing energy bills. “There is a huge amount to manage at this time…having all of these elements in sight, so that we can plan accordingly is incredi bly important for the business.”
A smarter supply chain set up
To cope with that, it’s crucial that Unilode has the stock avail able to our customers, so reviving ULDs that have been damaged, sat redundant or might not be in the right place after a couple of years of inactivity requires our attention. Achieving this requires a dedicated and hardworking base of employees, so bringing peo ple back into the industry after furlough or time away during the pandemic is a challenge that must be overcome.
Unit Load Devices (ULDs) are a vital part of transport logistics, ensuring simpler sorting, storage and move ment of cargo. With 140,000 tonnes of cargo being transported every 24 hours, these devices ensure items safely make it from one destination to another.
DIGITAL FLEETS HELP CARGO
With the air cargo industry embracing technological innovation, as the sector seeks to respond to the disruption of the past few years, Unilode is now aiming to go further by building a truly dig ital skyway.
Many MRO businesses prior to the pandemic were working mul tiple shifts, while during the pandemic that was reduced down to one shift. “Trying to ramp up, so that we can improve our output
“The delay in receiving stock and spare parts is the most chal lenging it’s ever been,” Marino revealed, “what may have taken a few weeks or a couple months to receive is now taking up to a year.” With there already being a well-chronicled shortage of ULDs in the aviation industry, “we’ve got to be smarter with the manage ment of our ULD inventory, in order for us to keep our customers happy. This is why it is so important for us to stay ‘ahead of the curve’ in terms of ordering new ULDs and spare parts,” Marino said.
The MRO operations are “vast in terms of global footprint and scale,” Marino highlighted, as their branches span most continents. Although, with a sizeable operation comes the need to ensure it is as effective and efficient as possible. Marino will turn the compa ny’s attention back to the roll-out of its lean programme for MRO facilities, after the company was forced to delay the project during the“Ifpandemic.weseegrowth as an ambition, which we do, the ongoing recovery from the pandemic with our customer base is akin to winning a number of new customers anyway,” Marino explained, “we saw a huge decrease in activity during the pandemic and all of a sudden, our customer volumes are ‘bouncing back’ to pre-pan demic levels, and in some cases particularly in cargo they have increased further”
11ACW 5 SEPTEMBER 2022 FEATURE CARGO FLY
Driving digitalisation Despite this though, it’s not all doom and gloom, as, in times of difficulty, there are always opportunities. Right now, there is a strong cargo market and the passenger business is coming back.Seizing on the growing demand for digitalisation, Unilode is looking to boost supply chain visibility through tagging ULDs. The company recently achieved a significant milestone, having reached an unrivalled 120,000 digital ULDs, which are now live in its container and pallet fleet. But that success is just the start. “I’d really like to see us drive our digitalisation to another level,” Marino said, looking for ward at the company’s plans to digitise its entire fleet of ULDs. The aspiration is for the entire ULD fleet to upgraded to that standard within the next 12 months but Marino accepts that, this will be an ongoing process and challenge, as many ULDs can be ‘in use’ or go missing for significant periods of time be fore they get to one of our MRO facilities. “That automation level for us on the digital side and some of our other IT development is incredibly important. We want to get to a point where our systems drive performance improve ment. How much stock is there currently? How much do we have available and where is it needed? This helps us with the decision making for our people.”
and efficiency is a challenge but it’s one we’re meeting head -on,” Marino “Attractingsaid.staff back into the aviation business is also chal lenge that the industry has to meet head-on”, you’ve really got to look long and hard at this aspect as many airport workers moved to other industries during the pandemic, we need to find solutions to this challenge” Marino admitted.
New horizons are calling Building on the existing markets where Unilode already op erates is a commercial propriety for Marino, as it’s important to “keep feeding that network.” “To be successful with our business model, we need scale,” Marino said, “when you run a pooling concept where you expect airlines to come into a particular location and have ULDs available, you’ve got to have well managed stock levels that satisfy demand.”Beyond the obvious markets of Asia, Eu rope and North America, there are new targets for the company though, having recently further expanded into the South American area. “Big movements with our ULD management customers such as Azul coming on board, which means that area continues to grow and be a key target,” Ma rino explained. “The South American market naturally feeds the North American market,” he highlighted, creating a virtuous circle for theFurthercompany.afield, Unilode sees opportu nities in Africa, as that untouched by the company at this point. “We’re quite close to securing a foothold,” he revealed, set ting a timeline for expansion into that area within the next six to 12 months.
Chennault has also established a formal relationship with U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the clearance of foreign aircraft, crews, and air cargo at Chennault.
aircargoweek.com
The major businesses currently located at Chennault include Northrop Grumman, Citadel Completions, LandLocked Aviation Services, Louisiana Millwork/Masonite, and Million Air.
hennault International Airport, which will be among the exhibitors at November’s air cargo forum Miami and transport logistic Americas conference, has completed its $4 million air cargo facility. The airport’s cargo pass-through facility is now ready and available for lease at the emerging aerospace hub along the central US Gulf Coast. The site in Lake Charles, Louisiana includes a 1,000 sq ft office area and an expandable 9,000-square foot warehouse. The adjacent aircraft parking apron is 127,000 sq ft, able to accommodate both large and small cargo“Chennaultaircraft. is a very robust airport with enormous potential, and Southwest Louisiana is a cargo-rich region of the world,” national consultant David Whitaker said. Chennault International Airport is offering competitive incentives, and has enabled interna tional clearance capabilities for air cargo activity. The airport has also approved the acquisition of specialised air cargo ground equipment to mitigate a capital expense that otherwise can be a barrier to start-up activity.
Chennault’s other advantages include its two-mile-long runway, the longest of any airport be tween Houston and Cape Canaveral, its uncongested airspace and ground space, recent taxiway improvements, and the additional land available to expand the air cargo site. “As part of that package, two years of waived landing fees are offered for all commercial air cargo landings in an effort to reduce airline costs associated with a new market,” Chennault International Airport’s executive director Kevin Melton said. “The willingness to change and look for opportunities outside of the norm is critical to remaining relevant in our dynamic world today.”“Chennault remains a game-changer for Southwest Louisiana and we’re excited to offer this new opportunity for more development and more jobs,” Melton added. Currently, nearly 1,000 people work at tenant businesses at the airport, with an annual payroll of $127 million.
AVAILABLEAIRAIRPORT’SINTERNATIONALCHENNAULT$4MILLIONCARGOFACILITYNOWFORLEASE
The site, a former U.S. Air Force base, is now a complex for aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, high-end aircraft refinishing and non-aerospace manufacturing. In all, it now has 1.5 million sq ft of buildings/hangar space that is available for business tenants.
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