SHORT SHOTS

LATAM doubling its cargo fleet by 2023
LATAM has a solid growth plan for its freighter fleet between now and the end of 2023: a total of 10 converted B767-300s will be taken delivery of, bringing its cargo fleet up to 21 B767 – two more than originally communicated in MAR21, and with the four options initially announced then, now added to the four fixed orders. Its average fleet age will also drop from 17 to 14 years. The first of the four aircraft due between 2021 and 2022, will begin flying in DEC21. The other six aircraft will arrive between 2022 and 2023. Three of the aircraft awaiting conversion will be deployed as preighter hybrids in the interim: with the seats fully removed, they will carry payloads of up to 46 tons per flight. Two of these planes are already operational, and the third will begin operations in the second quarter of 2021, serving capacity-critical markets.
“The decision to expand our fleet is based on the attractive growth opportunities available, recent efficiency improvements and flexibility that the Boeing 767F  freighter offers. Thanks to these elements we believe we will grow profitably, even if facing conditions similar to those that we faced before the pandemic. This expansion will allow LATAM’s cargo subsidiaries to continue responding to our customers’ needs and supporting the region’s economic growth through increased and improved connectivity,” said Andrés Bianchi, LATAM Cargo CEO.
Kamal Hadad, LATAM Cargo's Network and Alliances Director, added: “In general terms, the majority of the plan focuses on improving connectivity between North and South America. In particular, capacity from Colombia and Ecuador will be strengthened to support the flower export industry. Additional flights to support Chilean salmon exports as well as import traffic into the country will also be reinforced. Capacity to and from Brazil will also go up as we add routes from North America and Europe, boosting both the export and import markets.”

dnata Singapore has its head in the Hermes cloud
Ground handler, dnata, is adopting and rolling out Hermes' New Generation (NG) Ecosystem at its Changi Airport location in Singapore. The new cloud cargo ecosystem will enable it to streamline its ground handling operations. Consisting of the Hermes 5 Cargo Management System (CMS), NG Business Intelligence (BI) and Datalakes, Hermes Track&Trace, and other pay-as-you-go self-serve apps that can be run on any device, the scalable cloud ecosystem, will assist in developing greater efficiencies based on the data it collects. Handling processes will become more transparent, and data will be easier to share along the supply chain where required. Through Artificial Intelligence and machine learning algorithms, Hermes NG data will assist in decision making and optimizing business and handling processes.
Yuval Baruch, Chief Executive Officer, Hermes Logistics Technologies, explained: “The Hermes NG Ecosystem was developed with a best-in-class digital transformation agenda in mind for ground handling. Our cloud-based solutions not only support our customers to streamline their services, the data we collect when matched with machine-learning algorithms provides valuable insights on efficiencies, costs, and new services.”
Dirk Goovaerts, Regional Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific, commented: “After the successful upgrade and seeing the benefits of the same system across our operations in Australia, we are excited to implement this technology in Singapore. The Hermes 5 technology allows for improved oversight on a local and global level, supports enhanced customer engagement and service excellence, elevating data sharing with all our stakeholders in the air cargo eco-system and provides enhanced transparency across the cargo handling process.”
H5 will manage all the import, export, messaging, service monitoring, and accounting processes for dnata its 32,000 m² Singapore hub, which sees a 6,000+ ton throughput of cargo every week.

dnata growing its cargo facilities Down-Under
The ground handler has just signed a 5-year lease with Sydney Airport and has announced plans to add a 4,800 m² extension to its existing cargo facility at the international airfreight terminal. This will bring its handling facilities up to 16,300 m², and furnish its direct ramp access with an increased number of landside and airside docks, improving its processing capacity and throughput as required. Mid-2021 will see the addition of another truck hoist, enabling airside accredited drivers to deliver their intact units at the bypass. Brett Fuller, Managing Director, dnata Australia, said: “We are committed to consistently investing in infrastructure and equipment to deliver world-class service, safety and efficiency to our customers. This expansion provides strategic and operational benefits for dnata to support continued cargo volume growth driven by increased customer demand.” The Sydney Airport operation is one of six cargo terminal operations in Australia – the others being located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, and Perth. Altogether, dnata moves around 300,000 tons annually on behalf of over 20 airline customers. It also runs a 10,000 m² dedicated, off-airport, import warehouse at Sydney's Eastern Suburb of Matraville. Here, containers are broken down and loose cargo are collected by the forwarding community. dnata is the only air services provider in Australia to have been awarded the Good Distribution Practice (GDP) certification for the pharmaceutical handling services at its facilities.

The writing on the plane: Lufthansa Cargo and DB Schenker’s air message
Sending a press release to the media is one thing. Publishing a joint commitment on the side of aircraft, means that the message is transported across the world – not just physical, but also via all the plane-spotting aficionados sharing their photos online and across social media. Rather like the German proverb “Tue Gutes und rede darüber“ (Do good things and talk about them), Lufthansa Cargo and DB Schenker have decided to sign their declaration to avoid CO2-emissions through the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel, on side of one of Lufthansa Cargo’s B777F. Registration D-ALFG took to the skies with the new livery for the first time on 19MAY21. It reads: “Flying 100% CO2 neutral powered by DB Schenker” and refers to the sustainability commitment the two companies entered into in NOV20 and have been regularly carrying out since APR21: weekly, CO2-neutral cargo rotations between Frankfurt and Shanghai, using SAF.
Ashwin Bhat, Lufthansa Cargo Chief Commercial Officer, stated: “We are delighted to have DB Schenker at our side, a partner who is so energetically promoting the reduction of CO2 in the air freight industry. The special livery gives us the opportunity to draw attention to our joint commitment worldwide. It also shows that we take our support of the United Nations’ ‘Climate Action’ Goal very seriously. The increased use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel and a modern freighter fleet are measures with a great impact to sustainably reduce our CO2 emissions.”
Thorsten Meincke, Global Board Member for Air & Ocean Freight at DB Schenker, whose company logo has only appeared on two other aircraft prior to this, explained: “Sustainability is not just a nice-to-have. It is our declared goal to transport more goods in an environmentally friendly way. In doing so, we roll up our sleeves where it is particularly important to be active – in air transport! Together with Lufthansa Cargo, we offer a regular carbon neutral cargo flight connection. We are now celebrating this milestone on an aircraft for everyone to see. We are proud that we have already been able to inspire many customers with our green offer. With this special jet, we are driving awareness for our sustainability partnership around the world.”

Carrying oxygen equipment to India: Antonov Airlines
In cooperation with Indian GSA, Flywell Aviation Pvt. Ltd., and supply chain service provider, Delhivery, Antonov Airlines carried 2,500 oxygen concentrators from Tel Aviv, Israel to Delhi, India recently. The 70-ton cargo shipment flew on board of one of Antonov Airlines’ seven AN-124-100, which touched down for a technical stop in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) for refueling – something that would not have been possible in recent years prior to the peace deal signed last year. The oxygen concentrators, which work by collecting and filtering the surrounding air to produce up to 95% pure oxygen, which can then be administered to patients by nasal cannulas or oxygen masks, were destined for hospitals in India, where Covid-19 cases have exploded recently, and where there is a severe shortage of oxygen for patients.
“Antonov Airlines is well prepared when it comes to transporting urgent medical equipment within a short time frame thanks to our many years of working on humanitarian aid programs and disaster relief projects,” Andriy Blagovisniy, Commercial Director, Antonov Airlines, elaborated. “Our AN-124-100 aircraft provided rapid loading and unloading of this urgent cargo with its ramp access and large cargo capacity.”
Ajith Pai, Chief Operating Officer, Delhivery, said: “During these unprecedented times, Delhivery is extending its full suite of logistical services to bring in emergency and essential medical loads to support the critical situation on the ground in India. We have received the first lot of 2500 oxygen concentrators from Israel; our efforts are well supported by Antonov Airlines and the Ministry of External Affairs for delivery to administrators, hospitals, and charities around the country in the coming weeks.”
Anil Bal, Managing Director, Flywell Aviation Pvt. Ltd., illustrated: “This flight was successfully completed during unprecedented times working with Antonov Airlines. Flywell, through its offices in India, the UAE, the Netherlands, and Romania, provides the airlift of essential items such as oxygen concentrators and cryogenic containers to transport oxygen between cities in India.”

Menzies scores half a century in its cargo network
With the addition of 17 new airports and successful new cargo contracts and strategic joint ventures over the course of last year, Menzies Aviation now counts 50 stations in its cargo handling network. Among them, cargo handling contracts with Qatar Cargo in the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, with United Airlines Cargo in Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, and Avianca at Miami, USA. Joint ventures include MASIL together with Iraqi Airways at Baghdad International Airport, and the acquisition of Royal Airport Services over in Pakistan, where Menzies operates in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi and Multan since the start of the year. 2020 was a record cargo year for the company, and 2021 looks to follow suit, as Menzies also continues to upgrade and expand its various cargo handling facilities across the globe.
Robert Fordree, Executive Vice President, Cargo at Menzies Aviation said: “Breaking through the 50-station milestone is a major achievement for Menzies. The growth from 36 to 53 stations in our cargo handling network alongside the continued success of AMI clearly represents our determination to deliver on our strategy of pursuing cargo services growth, as we look to balance our services portfolio. Despite a challenging year, our cargo team has grown key customer relationships, remaining nimble at all times in the face of unpredictability. It is also fantastic to see the successful start-up of cargo operations in new markets for Menzies, such as Iraq and Pakistan. AMI’s footprint is expanding from 23 to 26 airports and its growth is a core part of our strategy. Looking ahead, we remain committed to expanding our cargo network further and enhancing our facilities worldwide with our Cargo Executive team now fully in place.”

ATRAN Airlines grows by two B737-800BCF

Volga-Dnepr announced on 20MAY21, that its subsidiary, ATRAN Airlines is growing its express fleet, adding another two Boeing 737-800BCF aircraft. One plane has already been delivered and is operating on commercial flights. The second one is due to arrive by the end of this month. Both are being carried out under an agreement with GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), which previously also delivered its other B737-800BCF aircraft in MAR19 and OCT19 as part of a strategy launched in OCT18. GECAS is the largest customer for the Boeing conversion program, with a total of 34 Boeing 737s in cargo modification and an order for 60 deliveries. Powered by CFM56-7B engines, the narrow-body Boeing 737-800BCF is capable of carrying up to 23.5 tons of cargo. “GECAS is very pleased that Volga-Dnepr Group continues to choose Boeing 737-800BCF to strengthen its position, and continues to cooperate with ATRAN,” Richard Greener, Senior Vice President and Group Leader for Cargo Program at GECAS, said.
ATRAN Airlines, which operates out of Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow (Russia), providing express cargo, e-commerce goods, and cross-border trade services, will be deploying the additional freighters on routes connecting Russia, the CIS and Europe. “We highly appreciate the cooperation with GECAS and the cargo project team, which helps us to expand our route network and fleet. The Boeing 737-800BCF continues to form the backbone of our fleet, and additional aircraft will help us continue to provide high-quality logistics solutions for our customers,” Vitaly Andreev, General Director of ATRAN Airlines, emphasized.

Brigitte Gledhill

We always welcome your comments to our articles. However, we can only publish them when the sender name is authentic.