LATAM Cargo and CGM Nuclear partner against cancer
The sooner cancer is detected, the greater the chance of survival for the patient. Four years ago, three in four medical centers capable of carrying out early diagnostics were in Santiago, forcing Chileans to travel for testing: a costly and stressful affair. In the last two years following the collaboration between LATAM Cargo Chile and CGM Nuclear (the country’s main producer of the radioactive pharmaceuticals required in the "PET-CT" examination to detect cancer), they now have a greater chance of being examined in a regional hospital: “access to this examination has increased by more than 40% in regional hospitals,” the release states, confirming that this partnership was recently renewed.
LATAM Cargo currently flies these highly sensitive pharmaceuticals (very short shelf-life) at least three times a week to locations that are otherwise difficult to reach via passenger services due to long transit times: Concepción, Valdivia, Antofagasta, and Puerto Montt, are thus served by freighter, providing around 7,000 patients with access to vital diagnostics near their homes. The airline plans to expand operations to these regions, adding Temuco and La Serena-Coquimbo, by the end of 2024, thus doubling the number of patients set to benefit from regional testing access: “between 12,000 to 15,000 individuals […] will have timely diagnoses and, consequently, a better prognosis.”
Diego García, SVP of Operations and Handling at LATAM Cargo, commented: “At LATAM Cargo, we understand that our responsibility goes beyond simply transporting cargo from one point to another. Our collaborative work with CGM Nuclear for the transport of these radiopharmaceuticals reflects how our logistical expertise can contribute to causes as significant as the fight against cancer. We will continue to work towards being an asset within the country, bringing early cancer diagnoses closer to patients in Chilean regions.”
Juan José Olea, General Manager of CGM Nuclear, explained: “As one of the leading producers of radiopharmaceuticals in the country, we understand our responsibility to bring these vital resources to all regions, enabling more people to access early cancer diagnoses. Our collaboration with LATAM Cargo has been instrumental in achieving this goal, and a clear example is the case of a clinic in Puerto Montt that was able to inaugurate the southernmost PET-CT unit in Chile for cancer diagnosis a few months ago. This achievement reflects our firm commitment to advancing nuclear medicine in the treatment of diseases, especially oncological ones, thus contributing to a more hopeful future for all Chileans.”
Anonymous customer giant first to deploy Collapsible AAX
As a huge fan of VRR’s Collapsible Containers (viz Two men, two minutes and a certified piece of ULD-origami-magic!, Two have and to fold, and Building up interest for collapsible ULDs over the past couple of years), CargoForwarder Global was excited to receive a press release informing of a first customer to commercially deploy the AAX Collapsible. Yet a second and third read of the brief revealed no customer name, and a follow-up message requested an amendment to remove information of the commodity type originally mentioned as well as the freighter version. Why all the secrecy? Surely the anonymous customer should be proud to be the first in the new container’s history? The only hints are that it is a global company and has selected the collapsible solution to counteract the usual problem of ULD imbalance on certain routes. Hence, the containers will fly main deck, loaded with the undisclosed commodity one-way – on one specific route only - and return folded in stacks of four (with the possibility to load other freight on top of the stack, and thus efficiently use the aircraft’s capacity) in the lower deck of the secret freighter type. The other VRR’s release underlines that “the AAX Collapsible has the same shape, capacity and durability as the standard AAX,” and declares that “At VRR, the champagne corks are popping.” Ben Lakerveld, Sales & Marketing Manager of VRR, is quoted as saying: “We’re delighted that such a reputable company is putting so much trust in our product. It’s a very exciting time for both companies.” A shame that that trust is not extended to the PR, eh?
Nevertheless, a positive move for sure. Lakerveld goes on to say: “When we launched this innovative container last year, we were amazed by the reaction. People immediately saw its potential. Now the container’s been certified, that potential can be unlocked. ULD managers now have a cost-effective way to simplify their repositioning and storage challenges. We’re keen to see how much of a difference the AAX Collapsible will have on our customer’s day-to-day operations. This and the AAY Collapsible have been developed to solve specific ULD operational challenges, so our customer’s data will show how our designs perform out there in the real world.”
GAC China and Royal Air Brunei Airlines enhance cargo
Since 01JUL23, the ECS Group branch, Globe Air Cargo China, has been representing Royal Air Brunei Airlines as its General Sales Agent (GSA) with the aim of enhancing the airline’s air cargo operations across the whole of China. The airline is already represented by ECS Group in other countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. This particular China partnership envisages a total of 100 tons being sold this year, as the two companies look to grow cargo operations and improve connectivity and the seamless movement of goods between China and the rest of the world. As the main commodities being transported are general cargo and e-commerce shipments, the potential for growth and collaboration here is considerable.
Royal Brunei currently operates a number of flights out of China, including 3 weekly flights from Beijing Airport (PKX) and 1 weekly flight from Hangzhou (HGH) with A320NEO aircraft, offering a combined weekly cargo capacity of around 7 tons. Two weekly flights from and to Nanning Wuxu joined the network schedule on 27AUG23, offering an additional weekly cargo capacity of around 4,400kg. Royal Brunei flights departing from Chinese airports, such as Beijing (PKX), Hangzhou (HGH), Shanghai Pudong (PVG) and Nanning Wuxu (NNG), connect to over 20 global destinations.
Managing Director of Globe Air Cargo China, Jean Chen, stated: “We are proud to be a global GSA with a local focus, leveraging our team of experts, flexibility, and market-specific know-how to cater to the unique needs, strategies, and desired outcomes of our esteemed partners.”
Christina Chua Ngoh Boi, RB Acting Chief Commercial Officer, commented: “We are pleased to partner with Globe Air Cargo China to further enhance our air cargo operations in China. With Globe Air Cargo China's expertise and local focus, coupled with Royal Brunei's extensive flight network, we are confident that this collaboration will create new opportunities and elevate air cargo services to greater heights.”
Lufthansa Cargo expands its flight connections
Asia, Africa, and Mexico are focus points for Lufthansa Cargo’s expanded operations come the winter schedule 2023/2024. It comes into effect from 29OCT23, and is bookable already from 08OCT23 onwards. Not only does the cargo airline offer 83 weekly B777F connections with its growing fleet (17 of this freighter type will be operational before the end of this year, and a fourth Airbus A321 freighter is due to join this month bringing expansions in short- and medium-haul segments), but it also markets the belly cargo capacity of more than 6,000 weekly flights operated by Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, and SunExpress.
Tel Aviv (TLV) and Cairo (CAI) will be served thrice weekly with B777 freighters from next month. Over in Asia, Hong Kong (HKG) services will be increased from six to seven weekly flights by routing via Mumbai (BOM), whilst two new freighter destinations will be added in combination through a flight from Frankfurt via Riyadh (RUH) to Taipei (TPE). This service will start in NOV22, with two flights a week. “Taipei will become part of the global route network for the first time, while Riyadh has already been served by Lufthansa Cargo until 2020,” the release points out, going on to explain that “Due to steady demand, Lufthansa Cargo is also increasing the number of weekly connections to Mexico City (NLU) from six to a total of seven weekly freighter rotations in this year's winter flight schedule. In JUL23, all freighter flights were transferred to Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU), and numerous infrastructure measures were created, including truck shuttle services, to ensure the fast and reliable transfer of shipments between the now passenger-only Mexico City (MEX) airport and Felipe Ángeles (NLU) as a cargo airport.” Its usual services to eight destinations in the U.S. and Canada and six destinations in South America, remain unchanged.
Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo, explained: “The market for air freight is and remains volatile, but Asia and Mexico continue to be attractive, economically strong regions for us. The additional capacity of our 17th Boeing 777F in our long-haul fleet offers opportunities to specifically adapt the flight offering to the needs of our customers in these markets.”
Cargo iQ counts a new airline member: LOT Polish Airlines
Founded in 1929, LOT is one of the world’s oldest, still running airlines and is obviously already doing a lot of things right to have survived this far through all the challenges it has and still faces. Yet, when it comes to service quality, it is about to enhance its game even further. This month, the airline became Cargo iQ’s latest airline member and thus joins a community that works together to ensure transparency along the supply chain, and drive quality standards and improvements. The airline has opted for Cargo iQ since this denotes it as being “a reliable partner of choice in an increasingly competitive industry landscape,” and increases its competitiveness: “The airline joins Cargo iQ with the goal of staying ahead of the curve in a continually changing industry, looking initially to address current challenges related to electronic data exchange, both internally and collaboratively with partners' operating systems,” the release details.
Michał Grochowski, Cargo and Mail Director, LOT Polish Airlines, declared: “LOT has a precise vision of innovation and continuous development, and we recognize Cargo iQ as a first league community which provides a gateway to achieving this. Our goal remains unchanged in our desire to be more present in global tenders with quality freight forwarders and we hope to be recognized as global best-in-class for quality in the cargo business. That is why we invest our resources in acquiring IATA CEIV certifications, as well as being part of Cargo iQ, as indisputable proof of quality.”
Lothar Moehle, Executive Director, Cargo iQ, stated: “LOT Polish Airlines shares in our vision for enhanced data visibility and improved quality in the global supply chain and will begin working together with other Cargo iQ members towards this goal. As our members progress towards 100 percent reporting in the end-to-end shipment process, and we continue to develop and implement quality standards for global air freight, the Cargo iQ name is becoming synonymous with quality in our industry.”
Air Tahiti Nui and Unilode continue cooperation
The partnership between Air Tahiti Nui and Unilode that began in 2015, has just now been extended for another six years to 2029. Unilode with therefore continue to provide ULD management, repair, and digital services to French Polynesia’s flag carrier. Since that time, Unilode has upgraded the airline’s ULD fleet to a more durable, efficient and lightweight selection of digitized ULDs, and Air Tahiti benefits from the ULD manager’s pooling synergies, digital solutions and maintenance and repair network across all of its overseas destinations. Those include destinations in France, New Zealand and the USA, which the airline serves out of its hub in Tahiti, operating a fleet of four Boeing 787-9 aircraft.
Raymond Topin, Air Tahiti Nui Executive Vice President Operation, said: “In the past eight years of our ULD management partnership, Unilode has proven its continuous support, customer-centric service delivery and the value of its ULD management solutions. We appreciate the benefits of ULD pooling, especially the repositioning, synergy and fuel saving opportunities, and the availability of repair stations in our network. As Air Tahiti Nui’s business has regained momentum and we expanded our horizons with new routes, we have been able to focus on our business without worrying about ULDs and are pleased with the extension of our ULD management partnership with Unilode.”
Ross Marino, Unilode Chief Executive Officer, added: “We place great value on customer retention, so we are delighted to extend our partnership with Air Tahiti Nui. Unilode’s pooling benefits and our dedicated customer success staff that provide 24/7 management support to Air Tahiti Nui has played a key role in enabling the renewal of our agreement. We are glad to have been able to contribute to Air Tahiti Nui’s success, help them reach their sustainability targets and strengthen their market leader position in Polynesia. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Air Tahiti Nui for many more years to come and seeing continued growth and success.”
Flying along the rails, carbon-neutrally
There have always been a few sparks flying across the border between England and Scotland over the centuries, however the latest ones truly are electric and definitely positive. Talk is of Carousel Logistics’ and Varamis Rail’s joint attempt to offer a zero-emission rail cargo route between Birmingham and Glasgow. Varamis Rail is the UK's first electric-only high-speed rail freight operator, It has had former passenger trains converted to carry cargo at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, and operates between the Midlands and Scotland. Electric express is a perfect solution for in-night delivery specialist, Carousel Logistics. The two companies therefore came together in FEB23, to trial their idea of an electric rail cargo route. The pilot was a success, hence its official launch now as part of Carousel Logistics' pan-European delivery operations, and operates Monday to Friday, leaving Birmingham (just two miles shy of the airport) at midnight and connecting with Glasgow’s Mossen rail hub in just four hours. Powered by Network Rail's overhead line infrastructure and all electricity generated from environmentally friendly sources, the route served both ways, five times a week, should save 1,350 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
Andrew Lowery, Managing Director UK, Carousel Logistics, explained. “The introduction of this zero-emission route out of Birmingham, our primary UK hub, is a real win-win for us. Not only does this high-speed electric train drive our journey toward carbon neutrality, it is also faster than the diesel-fueled alternatives. We're looking forward to expanding our partnership with Varamis Rail as they add more capacity to this route, and sustainably connect more British cities." The solution follows hot on the heels from Carousel Logistics' recent investment in Electron - battery-run electric aircraft planned to carry out zero emission, point-to-point air freight deliveries across Europe.
Phil Read, Managing Director, Varamis Rail, commented: “Carousel Logistics has been instrumental in helping us design a route that meets the needs of time-critical delivery services – for this venture to be successful, it must serve the industry. Like ourselves, they're pioneers – their team is innovative and exploring new, green alternatives in a bid to make cargo transport more sustainable. From the onset, we knew that our electric route had to be faster, more cost effective, and greener to be viable – and Carousel Logistics is helping us prove to the freight industry that we are all of the above.”
HLT brings in industry expert to drive Ecosystem augmentation
Hermes Logistics Technologies announced this week that it has brought Stuart Piper on board as Global Sales Director. The industry expert who has accumulated 27 years of software and solutions experience at global brands such as IBM, SAP, and Samsung, is tasked with driving “the implementation of the most complete and mature iteration of the Hermes ecosystem to date,” the release states, and “spearhead[ing] the launch of new developments in the Hermes Ecosystem of cargo management solutions, marking a period of accelerated growth for the company.” It points to next week’s Air Cargo Handling & Logistics (ACHL) conference in Athens as the launch backdrop of its new, comprehensive training tool for Hermes users. The company’s mission is to ensure maximum efficiency of cargo operations and a streamlined experience for its users, which it says it illustrates with its latest ecosystem addition: the Hermes Integration module. “This module allows third-party systems to interact with the Hermes SaaS ecosystem in a stable, future-proof form, enabling users to connect disparate systems into one place to ensure a seamless workflow can be achieved.”
Yuval Baruch, Chief Executive Officer, Hermes Logistics Technologies, said: “As our ecosystem continues to develop, we have needed to expand our team in order to match this growth, and Stuart represents a tremendous asset to our team given his impressive knowledge of cloud solutions, automation and artificial intelligence. We have completed all the necessary research and development to deliver our most comprehensive and robust managed service to date, and Stuart will be integral to driving uptake across our global customer base.”
Stuart Piper declared: “Digitalization is at the forefront of the air cargo industry, especially as ground handlers are increasingly expected to reach higher levels of efficiency, which can only be achieved by leveraging cloud, data, integration and automation technologies. In my new role I look forward to using my knowledge of the market to help Hermes users maximize their interaction with the Hermes Ecosystem, including introducing them to the substantial benefits afforded by its newest developments.”
Brigitte Gledhill
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Rayhan Ahmed (Monday, 18 September 2023 13:23)
LOT polish need to replace the
B737 to a containerised A321 NEO
Into Heathrow in line with all other
Carriers instead of embarking on other
Ventures.