IN BRIEF, THE LATEST CARGO AIRLINE INDUSTRY NEWS.
Antonov Airlines sees revenues soar
It was not just 2017 which was a good year for Antonov Airlines, but also the first five months of 2018 show a notable revenue increase. The Kiev-based carrier which also has established its UK
headquarters at London-Stansted Airport, saw revenues for 2017 rise by a massive 81 percent. The carrier states that this growth is thanks to their having set up their UK headquarters where much
business is being generated and also thanks to the strategic partnership with Dreamlifts Limited.
Antonov Airlines has not revealed actual revenues generated, but also states that the first five months of this year saw revenues increasing by 42 percent over those of last year. The joining of
forces by the Antonov Company and Dreamlifts has it seems ensured that business opportunities and contracts won by Antonov Airlines have soared. There are seven AN-124 “Ruslan” aircraft in their
fleet and the company is busy trying to find ways to work with Western suppliers in order to modernise the fleet and keep these heavy lift transporters in the air for many years to come. It also
operates AN-22 turboprop freighters which can carry up to 60 tonnes, as well as the only AN-225 “Mriya” transporter with a 250 tonne payload capacity.
LH Cargo and freights offer eBooking digitisation
Freightos WebCargo and Lufthansa Cargo have joined forces to try and radically decrease the number of manual air freight bookings still being done worldwide. They say that the slow transfer to
digitised bookings is still costing the industry billions of dollars or euros each year and continues to result in an average six-day transit time despite most flights only taking a few
hours.
Both companies have developed what they term as an ‘application programming interface (API) service’ which is meant to enable forwarders to be able to search for contracted rates, asses capacity
available and book their shipments much faster than before. Both LH Cargo and Freightos are convinced that this new system can speed up the booking and transport chain and they plan to expand
this globally in the near future. The first rollout will be in the European market.
Dirk Schneider, Global Airfreight Director of Röhlig Logistics is it seems convinced of the new system and commented “The new functionality enables rapid quoting and booking of our shipments.
Röhlig Logistics customers benefit as one of the first through improved information flow and handling of their consignments.”
Lars Magnusson joins TIACA Advisory Committee
TIACA’s Shipper Advisory Committee has gained Lars Magnusson as the new Ericsson Industry and Society representative. The Advisory committee is made up of representatives from different
industries with the aim of encouraging all sectors of the air cargo supply chain to enter into discussions to advance technology and new processes.
Mr Magnusson who brings more than 25 years experience in international supply chain management, specialises in digitisation. He is responsible for Business Architecture, Deliver, at Ericsson AB
and is based in Stockholm. He is also currently part of the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) Digitisation Task Force. On his appointment Magnusson commented that: “TIACA
is the only organisation representing all corners of the air freight supply chain and joining the Shippers Advisory Committee is an opportunity to help the industry improve digital processes and
collaborate with colleagues from different sectors.”
K+N has god first half year
Switzerland-based logistics giant Kuehne + Nagel has seen growth rising quite rapidly during the first six months of this year. They recently stated that all units saw strong volume growth and
that with a stiff cost-management system in place, K+N were able to further improve their financial results. A significant increase in EBIT was recorded and the EBIT-to-gross-profit ratio
(conversion rate) was maintained at a high level.
The airfreight sector showed a tonnage increase of 18.1% to 863,000 tons. Industry specific solutions made a particularly important contribution. Compared to the previous year, EBIT increased by
20.5% to CHF 182 million. A further increase was also recorded in the conversion rate which with 31% is at a high level.
The Seafreight, Overland and Contract Logistics sectors also came in with good results during the first half-year. Seafreight volumes rose by 8.1% thanks to new business being obtained. In the
Overland sector net turnover rose by 17.7% and gross profit went up by 16.5%. Here, the EBIT picture showed a 48.3% rise to CHF 43 million (€36.9 mn). Last, but not least, Contract Logistics net
turnover increased by 12.2% and gross profit by 11.3%.
Hactl introduces IATA handling audit system
Hong Kong-based cargo handler, Hactl is now the first cargo terminal operator (CTO) worldwide who has completed a pilot project for IATA’s new Facility Operational Capacity Audit (SFOC). The SFOC
is part of the Smart facility programme which aims to provide total transparency on capacities and services offered by CTO’s, by means of a multi-tiered validation process. This, Hactl states
could ensure that thousands of man hours are saved annually by doing away with duplicated auditing efforts.
Hactl was chosen by IATA as a launch test site for the new audit system because of the ‘scale and complexity of its operations, the diverse range of cargo it handles, the number of carriers (100)
it serves and the company’s highly-developed quality management systems.’
American Airlines Cargo gets a taste for Asparagus
Fresh asparagus is in high demand in restaurants and homes across the globe and requires fast and efficient handling when being transported by air to ensure it re-mains fresh for the
end-consumer.
American Airlines Cargo has played an important role here and recently announced that they had transported almost 12 million pounds of fresh asparagus during the first six months of this
year.
Most of the asparagus that AA Cargo transported was produced in Mexico and Peru and was destined for markets in Asia and Europe. The green asparagus is especially in demand in Asian restaurants.
Large amounts were moved daily between Los Angeles and Tokyo.
John Mc Donagh
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