Dimitri Bettoni steps into Nathan De Valck’s shoes ad interim
Dimitri Bettoni has temporarily joined Brussels Airport Company (BAC) as the new Head of Cargo, Product & Network Development. According to BAC, the quest for a permanent successor to Nathan
De Valck continues. On 01JAN22 Mr. Bettoni became the new CEO of Swissport Cargo Belgium, a position in which he was responsible for the activities in Brussels as well as Liège Airports. And now,
within the temporary job for BAC, which began on 01JAN23, his career demonstrates that he is made of the right stuff for the air cargo business.
In its Brucargo Newsletter, BAC states that: “Given his 20+ years’ experience within the industry, and through the strong network and expertise he brings, we’re delighted he can provide the
continuity required towards our ambitious 2023 goals and in support of the team. He will further focus on the execution of the product & network strategy for the pharma & life sciences,
e-commerce, perishables and live animals’ segments in particular. Aside from that, his focus will be to further strengthen the collaboration with the cargo industry and our community at Air Cargo
Belgium in particular.”
Bettoni is also a Pharma logistics specialist. From NOV11 until JUN20, he ran his own company, Bio Pharma Logistics, specializing in (bio) pharmaceutical shipments & clinical trials,
warehousing, and added-value services. This has most certainly left him with a great deal of expertise in Brussels Airport’s top commodity. Further upstream in his career portfolio, Mr. Bettoni
also held the position of Airside Services Manager at Aviapartner, and Site Manager at DHL Excel Supply Chain.
Marcel Schoeters in Brussels
Savino Del Bene’s German team is growing
Savino Del Bene announced two new managers joining its management team in Germany, putting a focus on Quality and Sales. Gregor Kokorski is the company’s new Quality Manager, with immediate
effect. He has a long background in quality management in the field of international air and sea freight forwarding, worldwide express and combined transports. Kokorski commented: “I am very
pleased to be part of the global Savino Del Bene family and to ensure and further develop the quality of our services and business processes in a customer-oriented manner, particularly in the
pharmaceutical & healthcare, automotive, machinery, chemical and general cargo sectors.”
On the sales side, André Fischer is Savino Del Bene’s new Business Development Manager for existing and new customers in Northern Germany. He has joined CK Sum, Head of Sales Germany’s team with
immediate effect. A native Hamburger, Fischer is well-versed in freight forwarding and brings international experience in the logistics from stints in Europe and Asia. Fischer said: “I am
very pleased to be now part of the global Savino Del Bene family and to be able to offer our customers real added value here in the north with tailor-made and sustainable logistics
solutions.”
Dual carriageway from Kenya to the UAE
On 30JAN23, Kenya Airways Cargo (KQ Cargo) and Kenya-based, Astral Aviation announced that they have signed a codeshare agreement to boost trade between Africa and the United Arab Emirates. This
is the first time that two African cargo operators have agreed to work in harmony, and means that KQ will publish codeshare flight numbers on Astral Aviation flights originating from UAE’s Dubai
airport to Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, for onward distribution within Africa. Kenya Airways Cargo Director, Dick Murianki, pointed out that cargo customers will now have more
capacity options: “KQ Cargo and Astral Aviation have had a long-standing commercial cooperation for the past 20 years, and this partnership is a continuation of our efforts to strengthen
collaboration and partnerships amongst African airlines and to boost intercontinental trade while driving sustainable development of the African continent.”
Sanjeev Gadhia, the Chief Executive Officer for Astral Aviation, added: “This codeshare agreement, a first among two major players in the cargo sphere in Africa, will lead to a more efficient
schedule and increased capacity for African traders wishing to bring in goods from the Middle East.” On LinkedIn, he commented: “A real honor to enter into a codeshare with Kenya Airways
Cargo who we have been cooperating with for over 20 years, under a bilateral interline agreement which enables both airlines to feed cargo into each other’s network. We will continue to promote
Nairobi as the premier cargo hub in Africa.”
Together, the two airlines have succeeded over the past 20 years, in creating the largest cargo network in Africa from the freighter-friendly Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. “During the
COVID-19 pandemic, Astral Aviation contracted Kenya Airways repurposed Dreamliners to carry Covid related materials from Guangzhou to Nairobi for onward connection to the rest of Africa,” the
press release explains.
EL AL Israel Airlines Cargo Division opts for Opticooler
Following the official Master Rental Agreement signing on 31JAN23, DoKaSch Temperature Solutions will now be providing its Opticooler to EL AL Israel Airlines’ Cargo Division to ensure unbroken
cool transports. Pharmaceuticals are a large and important part of Israel's internationally networked economy, and some of the world's largest manufacturers are based in the country, with Tel
Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport being the country’s international trade hub. DoKaSch’s Opticoolers will be leaving Ben Gurion Airport both in the bellies of EL AL’s passenger fleet as well as its
dedicated freighters, and be flown to any of 42 destinations.
Moshe Popovich, Pharma Manager at EL AL Cargo Division, explained: “Pharmaceuticals are the fastest growing market segment in the air cargo industry. However, temperature fluctuations during
transport can pose a serious threat to the integrity of these sensitive products. As Israel's national airline with an extensive global network, an efficient and reliable cold chain service is
therefore crucial for us. The Master Rental Agreement with DoKaSch Temperature Solutions supports our high standards in this area and enables us to offer our customers stable and high-quality
transportation for their pharmaceutical shipments.”
Dor Saidof, Global Marketing Manager and Business Development Manager Israel at DoKaSch Temperature Solutions, added: “Israel is a competitive and rapidly developing market that has become a
key area for multinational companies. Air transport plays a vital role here since no freight is transported out of the country by road or rail. The Master Rental Agreement with El Al Airlines now
opens up further possibilities for the market to ship their temperature-sensitive goods to and from Israel. Especially in a country with a hot climate like Israel, it is essential that the
packaging solution can reliably protect the sensitive goods.”
Andreas Seitz, Managing Director at DoKaSch Temperature Solutions, stated: “The new Master Rental Agreement with El Al Airlines is an important addition to our partner network and
significantly increases the availability of our Opticoolers on routes to and from the important Israeli market. By providing our Opticoolers for El Al, we are able to support reliable cool chain
capacities and the supply of lifesaving medicines in the region and globally.”
Cologne Bonn Airport goes solar
With around 2.5 million euros standing on its sustainability invoice for investments over the next few years, Cologne Bonn Airport is ramping up to green energy and installing 8,600 new
photovoltaic systems on the rooves of four of its cargo warehouses and admin facilities over the coming months. Once complete, the airport will be in a position to generate a total output of
circa 2.6 megawatts-peak (MWp) - enough to supply nearly 600 homes with electricity for an entire year, the release reveals. Thilo Schmid, CEO of Flughafen Köln/Bonn GmbH, emphasizes:
“Expanding our renewable-energy facilities is an important step towards carbon-neutrality. It takes us that much closer to our goal of being carbon-neutral by 2045."
This is not the first time the airport has selected to install solar panel systems. The initial venture in the green energy source was in 2009, when two systems were set- up and commenced
operation. Now, a total of seven similar systems, comprising around 13,000 modules, are capable of generating circa 2,800 megawatt hours (MWh) of solar power per annum.
The newest 8,600 modules are being installed on UPS’ facility (1,500 kilowatts peak output), FedEx’ facility (700 kWp), and another two buildings housing Eurowings’ headquarters (400 kWp). The
rest of the 2.5 million euros are being put towards other green energy infrastructures as the airport distances itself from fossil fuels. Other sustainable investment examples are: the focus on
zero-emission generation of heat and cold using ice-storage technology in combination with solar panel systems and heat pumps, and a substation and woodchip-fired power plant. The airport’s own
co-generation plant was also upgraded in 2022.
Qatar Airways Cargo offers Penang freighter service again
Since 02FEB23, Qatar Airways Cargo customers have access to more than 70 tons of capacity each week out of Doha to Malaysia’s Penang airport – the country’s second-busiest cargo airport. The
airline has resumed its services after an extended pandemic break. What is on offer, is a passenger freighter service using an A330, and an ingenious optimization measure, since Qatar Airways'
regular Doha-Phuket passenger connection changes into a Phuket-Penang-Phuket passenger-freighter on four days of the week during the airline’s long ground time in Phuket. It carries cargo to and
from Penang, returns to Phuket, and then continues back to Doha as the official passenger service once more, with cargo in its belly. “The re-launch of our Penang connections in an innovative
and unique manner illustrates our ambition and ability, at Qatar Airways Cargo, to provide connectivity to our customers in the best possible way,” says Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer
Cargo at Qatar Airways Cargo. “Qatar Airways Cargo is implementing its meticulous Next Generation approach throughout its network, aiming for optimum resource deployment in alignment with
customer requirements. Our network planning team saw a perfect opportunity in the passenger A330 flight's ground-time in Phuket, and have worked hard to establish a well-scheduled, interim
passenger-freighter connection to Penang and back to maximize the cargo capacity into and out of Malaysia's second-busiest cargo airport.”
All commodity types except Mail, can be booked to and from Penang using any of Qatar Airways Cargo’s booking channels. The state is the largest export contributor within Malaysia, and mainly
transports electronics/electrical equipment, general cargo, and vulnerable cargo by air. The latest service addition complements the existing seven weekly belly-hold flights to the Malaysian
capital, Kuala Lumpur, providing customers with over 200 tons of cargo capacity from Malaysia.
Turkish Cargo opts for CargoAi
The airline is ramping up one digital platform per year: WebCargo in 2021, cargo.one last year, and now Turkish Cargo has chosen to pilot on CargoAi’s CargoMART. This is the first step to a ramp
up which will eventually see the cargo carrier publish its entire global capacity on the digital platform, if the pilot is successful: That would mean the more than 6,000 registered freight
forwarders in 63 countries around the world, using CargoAi’s CargoMART to date, would gain full visibility of and be able to book on all Turkish Cargo routes.
For now, Turkish Cargo has gone live on CargoMART in three European and one Asian countries: France, Spain, Netherlands, and Singapore. CargoAi users can now book against Turkish Cargo's TK SMART
(general cargo service), TK PREMIUM, and TK URGENT (express cargo service) services, and get immediate confirmation.
“In keeping with its philosophy to provide full visibility to its users for informed and actionable business decisions, CargoAi's integration with Turkish Cargo is unique in that it displays
non-bookable options to its users. Where other platforms filter out such options, forwarders on CargoMART are instantly in the know and can quickly make an offline booking (via call for example)
for such shipments,” the release points out. CargoMART offers real-time schedules, bulk quoting, e-booking, shipment tracking, as well as CargoAi's Cargo2ZERO sustainable features in its
Tech for Good quest to assist the air cargo industry in reaching net zero by 2050.
Matt Petot, CEO of CargoAi, commented: “We're thrilled to be announcing the partnership between Turkish Cargo and CargoAi, as this will significantly increase Turkish Airlines' cargo revenue
opportunities from a 360 perspective. By providing full visibility throughout the air freight procurement process, we continue our mission to bring the best digital booking experience that
CargoMART offers to our joint customers.”
Dronamics names new senior executives
Dronamics introduced two new names on 01FEB23, as it ramps up for commercial operations as planned this year, once its test flight program is successfully completed. Its first Chief Legal Office
and also new member of the Executive team, is Pete MacIntyre. The legal expert looks back on more than twenty years of law positions across diverse, international technology companies such as
TikTok, Microsoft, Yell, Yahoo, and App Annie. His responsibility now will be on the legal side of Dronamics’ European commercialization drive, with a view to launching in other regions,
too.
The second appointment comes in the form of experienced airspace industry program director, Robert Harnan, who is now Dronamics’ Director of Supply Chain and External Manufacturing, and also a
member of the Senior Management team. He has a long background with Rolls-Royce which includes manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, and complex project management in conjunction to various
aero engine programs. He will lead Dronamics’ next phase of cargo drone manufacturing at scale, collaborating with leading manufacturing partners such as Australian company, Quickstep, and Cotesa
in Germany.
Svilen Rangelov, Co-Founder and CEO of Dronamics, stated: “As the world’s first cargo drone airline, our business crosses over aviation, tech and logistics. Pete and Robert’s valuable
experience will be instrumental as we prepare for commercial operations and manufacturing at-scale. Their expertise in leading complex projects will help accelerate our next stage of
growth.”
Brigitte Gledhill
We welcome and publish comments from all authenticated users.
Write a comment