SHORT SHOTS

LATAM Cargo goes live on WebCargo
South America’s largest carrier, LATAM Cargo, has chosen WebCargo by Freightos as its first foray into real-time, online booking platforms. It the first South American carrier to bring its real-time capacity offers to the more than 3,500 forwarders on WebCargo by Freightos. They can look forward to an airline network the covers more than 135 destinations in over 20 countries. “Real-time bookings with LATAM Cargo are already available for WebCargo customers on 27 lanes, with the possibility of connecting in South America. With LATAM Cargo, carriers representing over 36% of global air cargo capacity are available for booking on WebCargo, unlocking additional customer value, and improving efficiency,” the release states.
“Having LATAM on WebCargo and 7LFreight for real-time booking is an excellent addition to facilitate our moves to Latin and South America,” Carlos Cheeseman, Owner of Airgroup Miami, a Radiant Logistics Company, enthused.
Jorge Galvez, the SVP Marketing and Development LATAM Cargo at LATAM group, explained: “The industry is shifting towards digital collaboration and, as the leading carrier of South America, we want to provide customers with reliable and efficient solutions and a broad set of options that allows them to choose what works best for them. As part of our digitalization roadmap, we decided to partner up with WebCargo by Freightos to provide our customers access to our capacity. This collaboration is an important milestone in LATAM Cargo’s digital roadmap."
Manuel Galindo, WebCargo by Freightos CEO, summarized: “Global trade moves faster than it ever has before. With innovative partners like LATAM Cargo, forwarders can move at the same pace, improving efficiency across over 100,000 quarterly bookings.” With LATAM Cargo as its latest airline, WebCargo now hosts 40% of the world’s air capacity offers on its platform.

Together, we’re (800,00 liters of SAF) greener
Cargolux and Bolloré Logistics recently signed an agreement that they will buy and use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in their joint operations. Bolloré has committed to 800,000 liters of SAF in Cargolux’s SAF program: the equivalent of a more than 2,200-ton reduction in CO2 emissions overall for Bolloré Logistics. Pierre Houé, Deputy COO of Bolloré Logistics, stated: “Sustainable Aviation Fuel is a key solution for Bolloré Logistics to decarbonize transportation and reach our carbon reduction targets set up in our CSR Program ‘Powering Sustainable Logistics’. Building a strong partnership with a crucial partner like Cargolux is critical to enabling the aviation industry to operate a transition towards a more sustainable future. We are very glad to engage in this journey together.”
Bolloré’s ‘Powering Sustainable Logistics’ CSR program aims to slash its Scope 3 CO2 emissions by 30% (compared to 2019) by 2030. It also launched an AIRsaf product to help its customers reduce their carbon footprint for air cargo shipments, and it is this that has led it to cooperate with Cargolux (as with other airlines deploying SAF). In addition to the use of sustainable aviation fuel, Bolloré looks to incorporate an end-to-end approach to sustainability, which includes low-carbon pre-carriage and post-carriage transportation, as well as the management of reusable packaging.
Domenico Ceci, Executive Vice President for Sales and Marketing, announced: “Cargolux is strongly committed to the development and use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel and has foreseen investment in SAF-related projects over the coming years. The agreement we signed with our long-term partner Bolloré Logistics is a significant achievement, one we hope to build on in the future. Taking this step with a trusted customer is important for Cargolux and it highlights both our companies’ engagement for environmentally-sound operations.”

MODIFY MY BOOKING is not an order, it’s a feature
Online bookings are great if they are perfectly correct from the start. In an ideal process, that would be the case: you know the size, weight, and volume of your shipment, its commodity, and the required origin and destination. You go in the system, book the space, get a confirmation, and are all set to the deliver the goods as planned. Yet, in real life, things change. Shipments are smaller or larger than initially expected, or perhaps other parameters such as the delivery to airport date changes. In the past, these changes posed a problem. Users would have to cancel their original booking and risk losing the capacity altogether. Those days are now over. AFKLMP has launched MODIFY MY BOOKING in its myCargo portal, that allows the customer to make any kind changes (except to the AWB number, itself) at any time. “The updated booking will not be executed until all necessary capacity for the updated booking has been confirmed, otherwise one can always go back to the original booking during the modification process, eliminating any risk of losing the shipping slot,” the airline promises. If the booking space cannot be confirmed, the customer is offered immediate access to alternatives at the best rate. This unique feature is just the first of more customer experience improvements to come: “Our aim is to make myCargo as efficient as possible,” the statement confirms.
GertJan Roelands, Senior Vice President of Sales & Distribution, commented: “In recent years, we’ve transformed our commercial strategy and organization, and invested in systems and digital solutions with the clear goal of providing our customers the best possible service, in the most sustainable way. Our teams have worked hard to develop ‘Modify my booking’, which gives our customers even more control over the way they want to do business with us. Online interaction with our customers is increasing rapidly. Last month, we saw a record 70% of bookings coming in via our online channels. We will continue to invest in digital services, as well as in our people, and in sustainability-related initiatives to continuously improve the value we offer customers. Naturally, our experienced teams remain ready to assist our customers whenever they need support.”

After 46 years, CAL Cargo has been given a new name
Not unusual when you join a family, to take on their name. CAL Cargo is part of Challenge Group and, in line with the Group’s rebranding, has been renamed CHALLENGE AIRLINES IL. The new name is just one of the changes the airline is seeing this year. The Group is investing in a new headquarter building in Tel Aviv, Israel, for the airline, and its current fleet of two B747 will soon be upgraded to two B767, currently undergoing passenger-to-freighter conversion.
Founded in 1976, CAL Cargo started out as a means of exporting Israel’s agriculture produce. Over the years it has grown to become the country's largest and leading cargo airline, and now offers freighter services to Europe, the USA, the Far East, as well as the U.A.E., most recently. It counts thousands of customers in Israel and abroad, among them the Israeli Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health, and Defense, and has contributed significantly to Israel's international business connectivity. er field. Offer Gilboa acquired the airline in 2010, becoming its Chairman of the Board. He introduced a commercial approach to the airline's activities, opened new destinations, laying the foundations for Challenge Group which was launched in 2020.
“There is something quite poetic in an airline originally set up to fly agricultural produce, actually becoming the seed that grew to form the roots of our Challenge Group, today,” Yossi Shoukroun, Chief Executive Officer of Challenge Group, and new Chief Executive Officer of Challenge Airlines IL, stated. “CAL Cargo has built up an excellent reputation over the past 46 years, as an expert in uplifting complex, outsize shipments. Hence its tagline 'Your non-standard is our standard'. We felt that the time is now right to reward CAL Cargo's contribution, both by investing in renewing its fleet and facilities, as well as by firmly establishing it within our group. We have therefore decided on a new brand name that reflects CAL Cargo's untiring hands-on attitude and connects it to the other airline subsidiaries within our group. Welcome, Challenge Airlines IL! With our new look and new name, we will continue to build on our expertise and strive to offer our dedicated customers in Israel and abroad the best service in alignment with ever-changing market conditions.”

Lufthansa Cargo goes cubist
LCCevolution in progress. This intriguing and colorful box now located at Lufthansa Cargo’s main hub in Frankfurt/Main, houses a special warehouse, and is one milestone in the cargo airline’s grand “LCCevolution” modernization plan for its home base, scheduled for completion in 2029. This particular module is a bespoke warehouse, especially constructed to provide the best conditions for Fine Arts shipments. Not only do they require storage at the correct temperature and humidity, but they are also called as “Vulnerable” cargo and need protection against theft. Double the space of its predecessor, the 155m² ‘ARTcube’ warehouse, therefore, includes a ventilation system with heating and cooling functions for targeted temperature control, and vertical window strips for natural lighting that is enhanced via a supporting lighting system. The ARTcube is controlled and monitored by sensitive security technology, restricting access to unauthorized people. Specially trained handling staff ensure commodity-specific handling and “optimally coordinated processes”. Lufthansa Cargo offers its customers an Add-on Service: the possibility to book a personal attendant for their Fine Arts shipments, especially on the ground.
Lufthansa Cargo has been flying highly valuable and well-known artworks around the world for decades, delivering to renowned exhibition houses and museums, and has fine-tuned its “Vulnerables” service to perfection.
Thomas Rohrmeier, Head of Handling Frankfurt at Lufthansa Cargo, explained: “The modern ARTcube combines optimal handling processes with the highest security features. This allows us to meet the special requirements of sensitive art objects and offer customized solutions for the storage of Fine Arts in our Hub. With the new building, we have further sharpened our qualitative focus on this special product and thus curators and art collectors experience the best storage conditions for their Fine Arts shipments with us.”

WestJet set to cut the drag
Less make-up, less drag… but this is not about performance in nightclubs, it’s about performance in the air. Talk is of Texas-based Aero Design Labs (ADL)’s pioneering Aerodynamic Drag Reduction System (ADRS 1) – a product designed to reduce fuel burn, and a very welcome one given the current price of fuel. Founded in 2017, ADL has been developing lightweight drag reduction kits to achieve 1.5% less fuel burn on Boeing 737-700 models, first, later also on -800s and -900s, once approved. Jeff Martin, President and CEO of ADL, explains. “Each kit will provide a different benefit based on the carrier’s fleet composition and how they fly the aircraft. Based on our computational fluid dynamics results, we are targeting a 1.5% carbon reduction with the 737-700, and we expect additional gains on the 737-800 and 737-900.” He calculates that, based on an average of $3 a gallon, 1.5% less drag works out at around $12,000 per month in fuel cost savings, and over 40 tons of CO2 reduction per aircraft per month – a large step in the direction of Corsia and 2050 carbon neutrality targets.
Perfect for WestJet, which is increasing its own efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. It announced on 13JUN22, that it was partnering with Aero Design Labs as launch customer and would be modifying its 737-700 NG fleet, pending Transport Canada’s approval based on the FAA STC. Test flights have been taking place since last year, and the first approved, modified 737-700 aircraft is expected to take off in Fall 2022. Diederik Pen, WestJet Chief Operating Officer, stated: “With one of North America's youngest and most efficient fleets, WestJet continues to make significant investments to make air travel more sustainable. Through our innovative partnership with Aero Design Labs, we are currently testing a first-of-its kind product designed to reduce fuel burn and improve the efficiency and longevity of our 737-700s.” WestJet was a key partner in the installation, certification, and validation of the product. The two companies collected data and findings, resulting in additional modifications and are now waiting for Transport Canada to approve and validate the kit for commercial use.
Chris Jones, Chief Commercial Officer at Aero Design Labs, said: “We are delighted that WestJet, as the largest 737NG operators in Canada, chose to partner with ADL as the launch customer on the 737-700 using our ADRS1 Kit that we have developed for the 737NG family. WestJet clearly shares our enthusiasm and conviction toward reducing carbon emissions.”

GCL and SAL sign exclusive agreement
Los Angeles-based Global Critical Logistics (GCL) and SAL Saudi Logistics Services have entered into an exclusive commercial partnership agreement, following in official signing ceremony on 14JUN22. GCL, which is specialized in providing logistics for entertainment, live events, (motor) sports, fine arts, film, and television production companies, is growing its global footprint. It acquired film and television logistics company, Dynamic International, half a year ago, and more recently added Spanish Asesores de Flete, S.A. (ADF). SAL has chosen to work with GCL on account of this specialization and the company will support SAL in projects in these areas that originate in Saudi Arabia and require solutions into and out of the country.
Paul J. Martins, CEO and President of GCL, said: “Our group has been supporting live events in the Kingdom for several years now and it has been exciting to witness the incredible development and growth of this industry and related sectors in Saudi Arabia. Being part of the positive transformation that the country is driving is a privilege that we do not take lightly and working with a strong local partner is key. SAL is not only well established as the clear leader of integrated logistics services in Saudi Arabia, but equally has the desire and vision to further develop and grow logistics solutions for critical end markets. In order to deliver high-quality, dependable, and on-time solutions for critical projects, it is of utmost importance to understand local regulation, requirements, and ways of working. Partnering with a locally established leader that shares our ambition for zero-failure service delivery is the best way for us to ensure that we can deliver the high-quality value proposition that our customers expect."
Mr. Faisal Al-Bedah, Managing Director and CEO of SAL, added: “GCL is one of the leading international companies providing critical logistics services and has a key role in facilitating entertainment and art activities. The importance of this partnership reflects on Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which puts considerable focus on sports and entertainment industries, in turn reflecting positively on enhancing the quality of life within the Kingdom,” referring to Saudi Arabia's economic and social reform framework, which includes an estimated $64 billion investment in developing its attractiveness for the entertainment industry.

Brigitte Gledhill

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