SHORT SHOTS

Riege Software and INVENTORY to provide seamless IT support
Darmstadt, Germany-based IT service and cybersecurity provider, INVENTRY, has been chosen by forwarding and customers software expert, Riege, to cover IT support for its customers. The two companies signed an agreement on 24APR23, with INVENTRY immediately assuming reliable IT support from that day on to those Riege Software customers using Scope. “Apart from a new contact person, nothing will change for Scope users for the time being. IT-specific questions can still be issued via the familiar ticket system,” the release promises. The decision to outsource customer support to INVENTRY was taken in order to allow the 120 Riege employees across seven worldwide branches to concentrate fully on further developing Scope in line with customer and market-specific requirements. Working with INVENTORY will provide Scope customers with faster and more efficient support.

Tobias Riege, CEO Riege Software, stated: “The expertise of INVENTRY’s employees allows us to solve our customers’ IT-related questions quickly, comprehensibly, and sustainably. We are glad to have a competent partner like INVENTRY at our side and hope to grow together in the future, focusing on people.”

Maurice Teltscher, Founder and CEO of INVENTRY GmbH, said: “The cooperation between Riege and INVENTRY brings significant added value to our customers: the line between software and IT infrastructure disappears. The result of this expanded spectrum of competence is efficient solutions and shorter distances for our customers.”

Sniffer dogs to support lithium battery detection in HKG
Qatar Airways Cargo is a constant advocate for safer procedures when it comes to lithium battery transports – particularly the problem of undeclared lithium batteries – and Hong Kong is the world’s epicenter of lithium battery exports. Excellent news, therefore, that ground handler, Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd (Hactl), and Qatar Airways Cargo have partnered and are now deploying sniffer dogs to detect lithium batteries in air cargo as “an extra layer of security for the airline’s ex-Hong Kong flights” – the first airline and cargo handler to do so. Hactl is already in talks with another major carrier and plans to provide the service with all of its airline customers. Leading specialist, MSA Security®, An Allied Universal® Company (MSA), provides the service, operating a team of security experts and (US-trained) canine detection units within a dedicated area of Hactl’s SuperTerminal 1 facility. Dogs are more reliable than x-rays when it comes to uncovering lithium batteries, especially in cases of e-commerce shipments which may contain many different batteries in small packages. They are trained to detect specific odors and can find lithium batteries, no matter whether they are in loose, palletized, or containerized cargo. “In proving trials at Hactl, an MSA dog successfully detected packages containing lithium batteries in PCs, and even a single power bank, located on pallets containing other general cargo,” the release states.

Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways said: “We always maintain the highest possible level of aviation safety and security and we have continuously advocated for proper regulation in the transport of lithium batteries. We recently became the second airline in the world to become IATA CEIV Lithium Batteries certified, and we continue to look at ways to improve our methods. The trials with MSA have been very impressive, and our agreement to adopt their services through Hactl marks an important step forward for our brand.”

Adds Hactl Chief Executive Wilson Kwong: “We are very pleased to partner with our valued customer Qatar Airways Cargo in facilitating this innovative enhancement to the services we provide to them. Effective aviation safety and security demand that we leverage every new technology and technique, and this latest move perfectly aligns with Hactl’s constant drive for continuous improvement in all aspects of its operations.”

Georgia’s Gryphon Air takes delivery of its first freighter
Gryphon Air, not to be confused with Gryphon Airlines, is a new cargo airline based in Georgia, that is planning to become one of the largest providers of air cargo services in the Caucasus region, linking Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa. According to its website, its name is inspired by the mythical creature “that unites the celestial divinity that is the eagle with the terrestrial one, the lion. As a symbol of both intellect and strength, the gryphon best reflects our vision of a company that is equally strong in flight, in intelligent project management and in the provision of high-class services to our clients.” These include tailored logistics services. “Our goal is to make air transportation more accessible and flexible.”

Since 14OCT22, a 1998-vintage unit Boeing 737-300F (registration 4L-GRA, msn 29326) which previously flew for Suparna Airlines in China, has been based at Uzbekistan Airways Technics LLC’s hangar in Tashkent, undergoing maintenance and painting. Work was finally completed on 24APR23. The aircraft’s old red and white livery had been completely removed, the aircraft degreased and carefully checked, before receiving a primer, renewed cleaning, and then receiving the other coats of paint. Once dry, the aircraft was stickered, stenciled and painted in Gryphon’s new livery – purple and white and the shape of a griffin on its tail. The design had been passed to UAT long before the aircraft physically arrived. Finally, following a final degrease, two layers of varnish were applied. Before leaving the hangar, the aircraft was weighed for trim purposes, and then flew to Tbilisi (TBS) on 25APR23 where it was handed over to Gryphon Air. The airline intends to soon begin operations as a cargo charter/ACMI specialist with its first and single Boeing B737-300F.

Hongyuan Group becomes cargo.one’s first Chinese partner
cargo.one has been steadily building up its footprint in Asia-Pacific, signing major airlines in the region’s countries. Hongyuan Group, however, is its first Chinese carrier, in a partnership agreement that give thousands of freight forwarders access to the group’s network – in particular, important destinations in China such as Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu. Hongyuan Group is an established cargo logistics company with over 20 years of experience, and offers high-frequency air cargo flights between China, Europe, and the United States. It owns a fleet of 3 B747-8F (front-loading, offering options for oversize pieces up to 6 meters in length) and 1 A330-200F, and last year ordered 11 B777-300(SF)(ER)s with an option for 9 more at a later stage. The first of these is due to be operational towards the end of 2024. As the group ramps up to meet future cargo demand, it can now also look forward to quickly reaching more customers that before, through cargo.one’s forwarder users, as well as benefit from cargo.one’s technical and business teams, with access to market insights via cargo.one360, for example.

Mr. Wen Yi, Business Representative of Hongyuan Group, said: “Since 2018, we have been building up air cargo services with a strong mission to open up the world for freight forwarders. Digital sales is an important step in offering our customers greater convenience and service quality, and cargo.one is the ideal expert partner to enable us to seize maximum potential in all our relevant markets.”

Moritz Claussen, Founder and Co-CEO of cargo.one, added: “We are proud to bolster our clear leadership for digital distribution by becoming Hongyuan Group’s partner of choice for their digital sales efforts. Thousands of freight forwarders using cargo.one will soon benefit from Hongyuan’s strong offerings into Asia. Hongyuan Group can now accelerate its digital sales journey and gain important ground with our established frameworks and digital best practices.”

TIACA’s Africa event in JUN23 hosted by KAA
Not long to go now until TIACA’s first TIACA Event – Africa from 19-21JUN23 in Nairobi, Kenya. The association announced on 27APR23, that Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) will be the event’s host. It will kick off with a Welcome Reception on the evening of 19JUN23, at Emara Hotel Ole Sereni, where international delegates will have the opportunity to network with the local air cargo community. This will be followed by two conference days focused on all of Africa, and including a mix of keynote addresses, panel sessions, and presentations dealing with topical issues affecting air cargo operations into, out of, and within Africa. Similar to the events held in Amsterdam (Europe) and Delhi (India), for the first time, members, partners and those doing or aiming to do business in Africa, will come together to as an air cargo community to identify and discuss specific issues affecting the industry at this regional level.

KAA MD Alex Gitari, said: “We are honored to host the first ‘TIACA Event’ in Africa, a testament to our commitment to developing and enhancing the air cargo industry on the continent. At Kenya Airports Authority, we recognize the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing in driving innovation and growth in the air cargo industry. This TIACA event will provide a valuable platform for industry stakeholders to come together and address the challenges and opportunities facing the sector in Africa and around the globe.”

Steven Polmans, TIACA Chair, announced: “We are thrilled to organize the TIACA Event – Africa in Nairobi. The support we will receive from Kenya Airports Authority as host will be invaluable to the attendees, the association, and the industry.”

Glyn Hughes, Director General, TIACA, commented: “We are excited about bringing this event for the first time ever to Kenya. The key to this event is that it is a global event focused on regional issues, so those who are doing business or want to do business can see the big picture that is needed to expand their horizons within Africa. We are grateful for the support received from Kenya Airports Authority and our other sponsors that allow us to bring important events like this to the industry.”

Pharma.Aero grows by three more members
For three companies so heavily involved in pharma logistics over the past decades, it is surprising that they had not been Pharma.Aero members up until now. After all, the Brussels-based, highly recognized, leading international cross-industry collaboration platform was already established back in 2016. High time, then, for the Lufthansa Group trio to join the club which now counts more than 50 partners and members. Lufthansa Cargo, Swiss WorldCargo, and time:matters announced their membership both at the IATA WCS in Istanbul as well as the concurrent LogiPharma 2023 in Lyon.

Ashwin Bhat, Chief Executive Officer at Lufthansa Cargo, said: “The exchange of knowledge sharpens understanding - not only for the needs of business partners and customers, but also for the existing and future demand for products. We would like to make our contribution here with our know-how from the Lufthansa Group perspective, work closely together and thus actively shape the future of innovative transport solutions in the airfreight segment.”

Lorenzo Stoll Head of Cargo at Swiss International Air Lines, too, looked “forward to fostering the dialogue between all relevant actors involved and contributing with our know-how to innovation, digitalization, and sustainability in the air cargo industry.”

Lars Krosch, COO at time:matters, which for the past 20 years has carried cell and gene therapies, pointed out that their “logistics differ significantly from traditional pharmaceutical logistics solutions. […] As a new member of the Pharma.Aero network, we look forward to contributing our long-standing expertise to the development of a global logistics infrastructure to provide patients with better access to advanced therapies and healthcare services.”

Trevor Caswell, Chairman of Pharma.Aero, declared: “Onboarding such a significant, global industry leader [Lufthansa Group], with a clear and determined focus on the life sciences and MedTech sector, demonstrates once more the importance of our mission and the value our association provides to the industry. We are excited to collaborate and leverage our industry knowledge through forward-thinking projects that offer meaningful content to our industry and result in better access to healthcare for people around the world.”

Turkish Cargo celebrates two more milestones at the IATA WCS
The first was officially becoming CEIV Lithium Battery certified at the IATA press conference held on 25APR23 at the Hilton Bomonti Hotel – the venue of the 16th World Cargo Symposium of which Turkish Cargo was the main sponsor.

Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Ekşi said: “As a global air cargo brand, we are strongly committed to maintaining the supply chain for the lithium battery products and diligently fulfilling our responsibilities in this regard. Thus, participation in the CEIV Li-batt certification program, which is globally accepted as one of the highest standards, is a great source of pride to us. Such new certification program underlines the adherence of Turkish Cargo to the high-quality standards and its commitment to provide safe, fast, and secure air cargo service to our customers, once again.”

Brendan Sullivan, the Global Head of Cargo at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), remarked: “The European freight market is one of the largest in the world, accounting for close to a quarter of total global trade. Having Turkish Airlines, one of Europe’s largest cargo carriers achieve CEIV Li-batt certification is a significant boost for meeting shippers’ expectations in terms of the safe transport of goods containing lithium batteries.”

The second was the signing – also at the WCS - of an MoU between Turkish Cargo and Avianca Cargo, heralding closer cooperation and stronger air cargo connections, providing smoother, more efficient services to their customers. Freighter capacity agreements are planned, and both airlines look to benefit from each other’s broader network. Turhan Özen, Chief Cargo Officer of Turkish Airlines, said: “[…] we chose Avianca Cargo as our strategic partner in the region, because it allows us to advance our firm purpose of improving our global cargo operations. Through this cooperation, in line with our customer-oriented approach, we are reinforcing our intercontinental connections and expanding our cargo services to destinations in South America.”

Gabriel Oliva, CEO of Avianca Cargo, commented: “This agreement represents the possibility of strengthening bilateral cooperation between both airlines, new commercial opportunities, and a closer operational, technological, and product collaboration. The extensive trajectory and leadership of Avianca Cargo in Latin American markets, added to the worldwide experience of Turkish Cargo and its positioning, will ultimately allow us to achieve the highest levels of product offer, service, and value for the benefit of our customers.”

Fraport showcases sustainability strategy at ACD
Fraport used the platform of the ACD (Aircargo Club Germany) to present its “ambitious sustainability strategy” on 27APR23 for Frankfurt/Main Airport. Fraport has been active in establishing environmental measures since 1999, when it identified energy consumption at Frankfurt Airport as a key aspect and set targets in its environmental program. Since then, the entire group has been committed to improving environmental performance. Last year, Frankfurt Airport produced a total of circa 116,000 tons of CO2. By 2030, this should be reduced by 56% to 50,000 (instead of a previous 75,000-ton target) and includes the commissioning of Terminal 3 and its associated infrastructure. By 2045, Fraport Group aims to be completely CO2-free (Scope 1&2) not only at its home base FRA, but also worldwide at all fully consolidated air traffic sites. Its “Master Plan Decarbonization” 2045 framework, presented at the ACD, focuses on three main areas: energy optimization and refurbishment of existing buildings, gradual conversion of vehicle fleets to alternative drive systems, and conversion of lighting on the taxiways and apron, in terminals and in car parks. Frankfurt plans greener electricity with 85% of electricity demand to be covered North Sea wind power farms from 2026 onwards. Large-scale photovoltaic systems will also be installed on the airport grounds to supply another relevant share of the required energy.

Dr. Jonas Kaesler, Sustainability Management at Fraport AG, told the ACD audience: “The pandemic presented Fraport with major challenges, both economically and operationally. Yet, thanks to our team’s good preparatory work, we were able to continue almost undisrupted with our commitment to climate and environmental protection and the implementation of the measures. However, sustainable business encompasses more than just the ecological perspective. For Fraport, sustainability means future viability. The topic has many facets and also plays a role, for example, in customer satisfaction, our attractiveness as an employer, and our function as a regional economic factor.”

Ingo Richter, Vice President of the aircargo club Deutschland, commented: “The aviation industry has a responsibility to make its contribution to protecting our global climate and to act much faster than in previous years. We therefore welcome every political initiative that supports this goal. However, this must not lead to distortions of competition. If flying becomes more expensive only in Germany, passengers will switch to other routes, and climate protection goals will not be achieved.”

Gebrüder Weiss adds MIA to its U.S. footprint
Gebrüder Weiss USA announced this week that it has opened a new Air & Sea office in Miami, Florida. “Miami is a central logistics hub for transports to and from Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean,” Mark McCullough, Country Manager USA at Gebrüder Weiss, explained. The logistics provider first set foot on the continent in 2017 and has been growing its network of US locations and services since then. Gebrüder Weiss now has 130 staff working at its five warehouses and other business locations across the USA. It is present in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, El Paso, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and now this latest station: Miami. Here air and sea freight are on offer, with the choice of national or international full-loads, heavy cargo, or specific logistics solutions. Goods warehousing, local distribution, and e-commerce solutions also make up part of the service portfolio. Marcin Gonzalez, who has been with Gebrüder Weiss for just over one year and has a background in supply chain and food logistics, heads the new team of six in Miami. They are tasked with building the location up as a gateway for transports to South and Central America, often originating from Asia, given the still limited direct connections. The new facility is located near to Miam International Airport, “one of the country’s busiest cargo handling facilities.”

“Gebrüder Weiss has firmly established its brand and services in the market over the past five years. Our customers benefit from a globally integrated network with a high level of local expertise,” Mark McCullough commented. Not too long ago, the company moved into a larger head office in Chicago and opened another logistics warehouse.

Brigitte Gledhill

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