Freight stumbles at Liege Airport in 2022

Covid and Ukraine conflict. Around 1.14 million tonnes of freight transited through the Belgian air hub, a 19 percent drop compared to figures seen in 2021. Passenger numbers at the airport meanwhile soared 118 percent to 166,898, compared to 2021.

For Liege Airport chief, Laurent Jossart, the decrease in freight transport was ‘predictable,’ given the geopolitical instability created by the war in Ukraine, the current global tensions and the Covid zero strategy in China. There was also the case of having ample supply over the last 2 years, backed by pax aircraft conversion for cargo use, reactivation of older freighters and strong growth in e-commerce.

“After two years of strong growth in air cargo capacity and supply, Liege Airport, like all cargo airports, is experiencing a decrease in comparison with 2021. For us more specifically, we have to add the restructuring of Fedex and the stop of AirBridgeCargo activities. The doubledigit inflation had also a significant negative impact on consumption, e-commerce and therefore on the overall flow of goods,” added Jossart.

Changi teams up with Brussels Airport on cargo

Liege Airport saw a ‘contrasted’ 2022 as the cargo airport saw freight demand fall whilst passenger numbers increased no thanks to the double whammy brought about by Brussels Airport Company and Changi Airport Group have signed a memorandum of understanding on 2 March 2023 to augment the strategic partnership between the two airports in the area of air cargo development.

Both airports will drive initiatives to enhance capabilities in pharmaceutical logistics, undertake studies and trials in the fields of digitalisation and sustainability and exchange information and best practices. The two airport groups have collaborated on various projects since 2016, and one of their first joint initiatives was the cofounding of Pharma.Aero with Miami International Airport.

Under the MOU, the two airport companies will jointly explore and undertake trials and initiatives in areas of growing importance like sustainability. One of the projects is a Green Air Pharma Corridor study to establish a green lane with a set of sustainability standards throughout the end-to-end supply chain. The two will also work together to strengthen passenger and cargo connectivity between Singapore and Brussels.

New Goa airport gets boost with Kale Logistics Solutions

system is used by several hub airports and cargo terminals all over the world and is currently operating at more than 100 air cargo stations globally. Alongside inbound and outbound cargo, the solution also covers processing for transshipment and direct delivery.

India’s newly opened Goa airport has rolled out a cargo management system as it looks to become a hub for cargo movement alongside Mumbai and Bengaluru in Western India. Kale Logistics Solutions has gone live with its state-of-the-art cargo management system at GMR Goa Air Cargo and will now enable digital processing for all domestic inbound and outbound cargo at Goa Airport.

The GALAXY cargo management

GMR Goa International Airport Limited, a subsidiary of GMR Airports Limited, was inaugurated in December 2022 by the Indian prime minister. Domestic air cargo operations went live from an interim facility at the airport with Kale’s solution in January.

Amsterdam airside turns to renewable diesel

Starting this year all diesel-powered ground handling vehicles and machinery at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands will be using Neste MY Renewable Diesel, also known as HVO100, which is produced from 100 percent renewable raw materials.

KLM Equipment Services or KES, fuel supplier for all vehicles and machinery at Schiphol, will be supplied by Neste’s distribution partner EG Group. KES has a fuel station at the airport as well as three fuel trucks operating seven days a week.

There are around 1,900 ground handling vehicles with a diesel engine at Schiphol airport, varying from standard cars, vans, pushback tractors and trucks to more specialized ground support like conveyor belt loaders, pallet or container loaders, catering highlifts, aircraft fuel dispensers, passenger steps and ground power units. As part of the group’s sustainability targets, the airport also plans to expand the number of electric vehicles and charging stations.

Hong Kong shares expertise with Thai airport

An airport in Thailand has signed a memorandum of understanding with airport advisor HKIA Consultancy as it looks to become a major international hub. Under the MoU’s framework, HKIA Consultancy will advise U-Tapao International Aviation or UTA on matters related to airport planning, operations, smart technology and commercial development.

The move is part of the development project of U-Tapao International Airport and Eastern Airport City near Bangkok, which is positioned to become a logistics hub and strategically located in a free-trade zone with multimodal transport connections.

Hong Kong airport will share knowledge and experience in management and technology with UTA, and service

Cargo at Munich Airport grew 55 percent in 2022

Air cargo reaped the benefits from the boom in traffic at Munich Airport in 2022 as air freight volume increased by 55 percent from 2021 to around 259,000 metric tonnes. Munich Airport saw massive growth in all traffic figures in 2022 thanks to a busy summer, with passenger numbers jumping more than twoand-a-half-fold from a year ago to a total of 31.6 million. This represents two-thirds of the airport’s record performance in 2019, pre-pandemic. The number of aircraft movements nearly doubled compared with 2021 to more than 285,000 take-offs and landings. The seat load factor of aircraft in Munich saw the same record figure of 77.5 percent from 2018. in the capacity of a consultant for various projects under the MoU. Top delegates from UTA visited Hong Kong airport in late-December last year to observe the current development of the air hub, including a site visit at cargo terminal Hactl.

The airport said that traffic between Munich and US destinations has already been higher than the 2019 level since July. Traffic to destinations in India, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand, meanwhile, saw the same trend at the start of the 2022/2023 winter flight schedule. Munich saw the most action during the third quarter after it logged 10 million passengers. It now links to 210 destinations in 63 countries.

SATS Indian subsidiary to build cargo hub at new airport near Delhi

India’s ambitions to become a major logistics hub could steer in a positive direction with the planned construction of a cargo facility at Noida International Airport, which is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2024.

Singapore-based cargo handler SATS announced on Monday last week, 13 February, that its Indian subsidiary AISATS, a joint venture with Tataowned Air India, has been selected to design, build, finance and operate a multimodal cargo hub by Yamuna

International Airport Private Limited or YIAPL, the airport developer fully owned by Zurich Airport AG that has been tasked to operate the future airport in Jewar, Uttar Pradesh, near the Indian capital of Delhi.

The future cargo facility will comprise an integrated cargo terminal and an integrated warehousing and logistics zone to be built over 87 acres of land. SATS said the cargo hub will be the first of its kind in the country, positioning it to become the gateway for northern India. The group expects the infrastructure to strengthen the supply chain for industrial clusters in Western Uttar Pradesh and National Capital Region, which include textiles, electronics, e-commerce, pharmaceuticals and perishables.

Lödige Industries grabs cargo deal in Hong Kong

centre, which is scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2023.

Lödige Industries has won a contract to deliver an automated material handling system for Alibaba’s logistics arm Cainiao Network at Hong Kong

International Airport. The installation will be used at Caniao Smart Gateway, a ‘smart’ logistics hub considered to be Hong Kong’s third largest logistics

WFS wins China Eastern contract in Liege

China Eastern Airlines has extended its partnership with Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) with a new contract to handle Boeing 777 cargoonly flights at Liege Airport. The new 3-year agreement will see WFS handling around 32,000 tonnes of cargo each year for the carrier.

Lödige will provide Cainiao with an innovative handling system for the receipt, delivery, storage, retrieval, transhipment and sorting of air cargo. Cainiao’s Hong Kong logistics facility will provide warehousing and distribution services under the Alibaba electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP), a private sector-led and multi-stakeholder initiative that was set up to lower trade barriers and provide more equitable access through global trade facilitation for businesses and consumers around the world.

China Eastern operates up to nine B777 flights a week into the Belgian airport from Yantai Penglai International Airport (YNT) in China’s Shandong Province. Alongside warehouse operations, WFS also provides ramp handling for the airline’s 777 services. It also handles CHina Eastern’s cargo operations and growth in Paris CDG, Frankfurt, Stockholm, and New York JFK.

CEVA forms new org to drive auto logistics

CEVA Logistics is eyeing to finish within the top three in global logistics as the company continued its integration with GEFCO, which specializes in finished vehicle logistics (FVL).

The transport and logistics player, backed by parent company CMA CGM Group who bought GEFCO in July 2022, has formed a dedicated

WiseTech brings in rail game with $414m acquisition

Software developer WiseTech Global is making a strategic step in integrating rail into its landside logistics business in North America as it announced the purchase of US-based Blume Global, for US$414 million.

WiseTech is buying the rail solutions company from funds managed by Apollo, EQT and other minority shareholders. Blume’s platform enables complete asset management and reservation processing for organisation as it plans to become a global leader in automotive logistics. intermodal railroad operations.

GEFCO, created by French automaker Peugeot in 1949, has been transporting around 4 million vehicles a year using its fleet of 1,600 trucks, nearly 3,000 vehicle transport wagons and more than 100 vehicle compounds. CEVA to replace the GEFCO brand worldwide in 2023, including its existing operations in contract logistics and ground transportation. Former director and COO, Emmanuel Cheremetinski, will lead the team of around 4,000 employees following the integration.

The platform helps manage intermodal containers for six of the seven Class-1 US railroads in the US, ocean carriers and other intermodal equipment providers. These include freight forwarders and beneficial cargo

SEKO Logistics ended 2022 with Vietnam expansion

SEKO Logistics officially established its presence in Vietnam’s largest city as it opened its newest headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City in late December of 2022. The logistics company looks to prioritize investments in the region and has set up facilities and staff in key markets across the country, which include two locations in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi and the coastal city of Da Nang.

SEKO started expanding in Vietnam after it took over Bansard International’s operations in 2021. The company now offers over 300,000 square meters of multifunctional warehouses, such as CFS, bonded and general cargo facilities, in eight locations in Vietnam, including the biggest manufacturing areas of Hai Phong, Da Nang and Binh Duong, the company noted. owners. With Blume, railroads can manage and track crucial assets across the complete supply chain lifecycle.

The company also has a fleet of over 350 trucks that provide daily linehaul services; strong presence at the Yen Vien Rail Terminal in Hanoi and at port and inland container depots; weekly LCL/MCC and domestic ocean freight as well as air cargo opportunities with over 20 airlines; and a dedicated customs brokerage team.

Blume is projected to generate revenues in the range of US$65-$70 million in FY24 and expects to cashflow breakeven by the end of FY24.

Apex Logistics welcomes last Queen freighter

Apex Logistics International is set to offer air cargo capacity on the last ‘Queen of the Sky’ to come out of a Boeing production facility as part of a long-term charter agreement with Atlas Air. The event marks the end of an era for the ‘Queen of the Skies,’ which has helped catapult the global air logistics industry with its unique nose-loading capability, payload capacity and fuel efficiency.

Parent company Kuehne+Nagel said the last Boeing 747-8F, under the name ‘Empower’, will be deployed on transpacific routes to strengthen intra-Asia connectivity. Atlas Air, the world’s largest operator of 747 freighters, will operate the aircraft on behalf of Apex Logistics. This is the second delivery as part of a long-term strategic partnership with Kuehne+Nagel.

Teleport sets eyes on Australian exports with Wexco

Wexco is now in charge of filling a total of 43 flights per week out of Sydney (SYD), Perth (PER), and Melbourne (MEL), with an average weekly uplift of 120 tonnes.

The GSSA is confident in capitalizing for both companies, citing the strong movements of perishable cargo, health food supplements, electrical goods, general cargo (consolidations), and mail within the region. The company said its goal for 2023 is developing yearround perishable shipment flows, whilst increasing its agent and commodity mix throughout the AirAsia network.

Dimerco secures certifications in Singapore

Dimerco Singapore recently got two certifications for best practices in handling customers’ sensitive cargo between the city state and other countries. It is now certified under the Good Distribution Practice for

Medical Devices (GDPMDS) and Secure Trade Partnership (STP).

“GDPMDS shows that Dimerco Singapore is qualified to handle medical devices by protecting them against contamination and ensuring the quality and integrity of the cargo during every point of the transit.”

“Dimerco Singapore is also certified with the highest level of security STP-Plus (Premium Band) under the TradeFIRST assessment and the Regulated Air Cargo Agent Regime. This certification demonstrates Dimerco’s robust capabilities in security and visibility of goods, which reduce the risk of cargo theft and ensure efficient and safe supply chain management for all customers.”

The Taiwanese freight company said the STP-Plus certification is equivalent to the AEO (Authorized Economic Operator) certification, which it holds across China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Germany and The Netherlands. Dimerco is also certified in similar AEO programmes in the US and Canada.