

Lavazza’s coffee lifts KLM up
Coffee gives most of us a boost. Italy’s Lavazza coffee is due to give KLM Royal Dutch Airlines a special lift as the two companies signed an agreement on 05FEB20 to cooperate in KLM's corporate
biofuel program. This program is focused on improving the airline industry’s footprint by pushing for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), since it has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by up
to 85% compared to fossil fuels. KLM is currently the only European airline using sustainable fuel on intercontinental flights and has been working on SAF since 2011. In MAY19, the company
committed to developing and purchasing 75,000 tons of sustainable kerosene per annum over the next ten years, making it the world’s first airline to invest in SAF on a large scale.
KLM only sources sustainable aviation fuels based on waste and residue feedstocks that significantly reduce the CO2 footprint and do not have a negative impact on food production or the
environment. Lavazza, as the first Italian company to support KLM’s Corporate BioFuel Program, announced that it had joined the “CEO Carbon Neutral Challenge” on 20JAN20, and has decided
to collaborate with major organizations aiming to fulfill sustainability objectives. Both Lavazza and KLM believe that progress in these objectives can only come about if all players across
industries come together and instigate change.

Air freight rates from China likely to rocket
Predictions are that once production in China is up and running again, air cargo rates may increase by as much as 300-400% prior to passenger flights taking up service again, providing belly
access (see also our separate report in this CFG issue). Many passenger airlines have halted flights to the end of February, some for the rest of the winter flight schedule at the end of March,
whilst cargo airlines are updating their services on a day-to-day basis, though on average 50% of cargo capacity has been cancelled. Meanwhile, Chinese factories are likely going to resume
manufacturing from next week and will slowly ramp up as March approaches. Given that factories have been idle recently – due to production traditionally being halted in the two weeks prior and
two weeks after Chinese New Year’s Eve (which fell on 25JAN20 this year) – there has not been much cargo in the market, so the virus impact on air freight has not been quite as disruptive as it
would have been, had manufacturing continued. At this point, it is difficult to predict how quickly production in China will recover, and depending on its speed, there may well be a serious
shortage of cargo capacity, reminiscent of the difficult global situation back in 2010 after the fallout of ash from Iceland’s volcano partly halted air traffic for weeks.

AEI to convert two MD-83SF to freighters for Aeronaves TSM
Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. (AEI) announced on 03FEB20, that it signed a contract to provide Saltillo, Mexico-based Aeronaves T.S.M. S.A. de C.V. (TSM) with two additional AEI MD-83SF freighter
conversions. Aeronaves TSM AERONAVES TSM, S.A. de C.V., which was founded in 1995, provides customized solutions both for air cargo and passenger transportation throughout the Americas. It
currently has a very mixed cargo fleet, and the two MD-83SFs will bring their MD-80SF series fleet up to 14.
Work will start on the first MD-83 (MSN 49945) in March 2020, while the second MD-83 will undergo modification from November 2020. In both cases, touch labor will be carried out by Commercial
Jet’s Miami, Florida facility, which is an authorized AEI Conversion Center. They will be fitted with Ancra cargo loading systems (CLS) capable of carrying 12 88” x 108” Containers/Pallets. The
reliability ensured by the AEI converted MD-83SF, will enable TSM to keep their aircraft “In the air, generating revenue.”

U.S. secures 7th freedom rights in Kenya
On 05FEB20, Kenya and the U.S signed an amendment to the U.S.-Kenya Air Transport Agreement at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. This amendment, initially negotiated and documented
in the bilateral Air Transport Agreement on 04DEC19, adds seventh-freedom traffic rights for all-cargo operations to the bilateral agreement, and will become applicable once diplomatic notes have
been exchanged. Then, U.S. all-cargo airlines will be allowed to fly between Kenya and a third nation without stopping in the United States. This is an important right for carriers operating a
cargo hub. Kenyan all-cargo carriers also have reciprocal rights to serve the United States. This is another step towards fully opening the included nations’ air cargo service markets to one
another, facilitating the liberalization of Africa’s international civil aviation sector, and providing air carriers greater flexibility to more efficiently meet the needs of their cargo and
express delivery customers.

Leipzig/Halle Airport shows just how cool it is
Germany’s second largest and Europe’s fifth largest cargo airport, having handled 1.24 million tons of air freight in 2019, has recently received its IATA CEIV Pharma certification. After an
intense year-long process which includes ensuring a suitable infrastructure, appropriate quality management and regular training for all staff involved in the process, the ground handling and
cargo specialist belonging to Leipzig’s Mitteldeutsche Flughafen AG, PortGround GmbH, was awarded the international “Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics”
accreditation, which confirms that it correctly handles sensitive pharmaceutical goods in accordance with international standards, and enables the airport to process time-critical,
temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical shipments around the clock. Leipzig/Halle Airport’s new cold storage facility in the World Cargo Center dates back to 2017, and the airport has a 24-hour
operating permit for cargo flights in addition to convenient, direct links to road and rail networks.
“Thanks to the CEIV Pharma accreditation, we are expanding our business area and now have a fully certified process for sensitive pharmaceuticals. That means we can provide a full range of
handling services at Leipzig/Halle Airport from a single source – from receiving deliveries, preparing and storing freight to loading it on the aircraft,” Alexander König, Managing Director
of PortGround GmbH, commented.

The name is DHL, Official Logistics Partner DHL!
For the fifth time since 2006, and its Casino Royale kick-off, DHL logistics has completed its “Excellence. Simply delivered.” mission, and transported film and stunt equipment
around the world for the newest and 25th James Bond film: “No Time to Die.” The film, which is coming to cinemas from 02APR20, features unique props such as Bond’s legendary Aston Martin,
and was shot in various locations including Norway, Jamaica, Italy, and all over the UK. UK-based EON Productions, which has made all the James Bond films since 1962, again
counted on DHL to ensure that these props, along with costumes and, for example, underwater filming equipment, were all carefully inventoried and sent to the right locations in time for each
shoot.
Commenting on the prestigious project, Frank Appel, CEO Deutsche Post DHL Group, stated, “Timeliness and precision are crucial for blockbuster productions of this magnitude. Thanks to our
international network and the well-orchestrated processes carried out by our respective air, ocean, and road freight teams, DHL is positioned to fulfil those requirements and accomplish such an
extraordinary project. We are proud to have supported the famous Secret Service agent on his mission to save the world for the fifth time.”

Four tails are better than one! Trans-Atlantic Joint Venture starts
Titled “The Power of Choice for Cargo Customers,” Delta’s press-release from 03FEB20 announced the new trans-Atlantic Joint Venture between Air France-KLM, Delta and Virgin Atlantic,
offering cargo customers a number of benefits, including more connections, greater shipment routing flexibility, improved trucking options, aligned services and innovative digital solutions.
Together, the joint venture partners represent almost one-quarter (23%) of the world’s total trans-Atlantic air cargo capacity (over 600,000 tons annually), on a combined network of up to 341
peak daily trans-Atlantic services, including 110 nonstop routes and on-forwarding connections to 238 cities in North America, 98 in Continental Europe and 16 in the U.K. The airlines, which
already co-locate at a number of warehouses in main U.S., U.K. and European airports, are pooling their trucking options, and offering seamless booking as well as interconnected service recovery
where required. Likewise, their specialized product services, which include end-to-end GDP and IATA CEIV quality compliance for pharmaceuticals, along with dedicated facilities and team support
around the world, offer the customer "the most and best trans-Atlantic options ever in the cargo industry," according to Adriaan den Heijer, Executive Vice President of Air France-KLM
Cargo.
"This announcement is just the first step in the journey," said Shawn Cole, Vice President - Delta Cargo. "Our customers can expect additional benefits as we evolve our partnership
further to deliver best-in class customer experience and operational reliability, with differentiated products and services that are tailored and developed to make it easier to do business with
the four airlines."
Brigitte Gledhill
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