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Iberia Maintenance deepens relationship with DHL

Posted on by Keith McKinley

DHL Supply Chain Iberia and Iberia Maintenance have signed a contract through which DHL will manage the internal logistics of spare parts and components for Iberia Maintenance at its La Muñoza hub in Madrid and also at the Madrid-Barajas Adolfo Suarez and Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat airports.

In addition to this contract, DHL provides Iberia Maintenance with global distribution of these spare parts when the need arises at any of the customer airline’s destinations around the world.

This contract with DHL also includes the logistics of Iberia’s IT and aircraft supply warehouses, where a large part of the elements necessary for the in-flight service are managed.

The new agreement also continues the solid relationship that Iberia and DHL have maintained for years, with Iberia Maintenance providing maintenance, repair and overhaul services for DHL’s fleet of engines since 2008. Specifically, Iberia Maintenance has serviced more than 113 RB-211 engines used in the Boeing B757s of DHL’s subsidiaries DHL Air UK and Blue Dart at its engine workshop in Madrid.

In the new contract signed by Iberia Maintenance and DHL, DHL Supply Chain’s mission will be to ensure the supply of material on demand for Iberia Maintenance technicians, and to reinforce the logistical design to ensure the reliability and visibility that this supply chain requires to optimise planning and improve the availability of the aircraft.

All this within a redefinition of the pre-existing logistics processes and with a strong focus on continuous and exhaustive stock control and inventory and material movement management, carried out by DHL with advanced digitalization tools, which will allow operations to adapt to the demand of Iberia Maintenance’s different business units in a timely manner, with the maximum quality and efficiency of service required in this complex environment.

Iván González Vallejo, Maintenance Strategy and Supply Chain Director, says: “This strengthened partnership will guarantee real-time traceability of parts moving through our system, complete inventory accuracy and the integration of the freight forwarding activity that DHL has been developing for the last three years for Iberia Maintenance.”

Matilde Torquemada, Business Development Director of DHL Supply Chain in Spain, explains: “It is an honour and a source of pride that a company like Iberia Maintenance, a benchmark in quality and customer commitment, has placed its trust in DHL to guarantee its spare parts logistics, a critical area in which DHL Supply Chain can provide enormous experience. This is a long-term agreement in which DHL provides rapid implementation with seamless transition and business continuity in these value-added services for the airline’s MRO operations, providing agile execution and centralised logistics decision making.”

Among other advantages, this new agreement allows Iberia Maintenance to integrate the interface of this logistics operation with its transport control tower, which reinforces the precision in the inventory of key parts for Iberia Maintenance’s maintenance and repair operations and guarantees real-time knowledge of the complete traceability of the components, knowing at all times where they are and their arrival times at their destination.

Priority Freight transports rapidly auto parts

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Priority Freight recently transported two tonnes of automotive parts from China to Europe in less than 36 hours.

Priority Freight says it is an expert in providing the fastest, most cost-effective and reliable time-critical logistics solutions – with an industry-leading reaction time of under 15 minutes and an on-time delivery rate of 99.6%. The company’s specialist services were called upon by an automotive manufacturer who required immediate support transporting two tons of automotive parts from Tianjin, China to Spain in just 48 hours.

When the call came in from the customer in Spain on Thursday evening, the relevant Chinese manufacturers and airlines were already closed. However, scenario planning began immediately and the client was offered the express tariffs that Priority Freight already had secured with airlines operating out of China in advance.

The cargo needed to be collected from two different Tianjin-based manufacturers which, at the time of the booking, were closed and had no idea the emergency transport was already being organised.

Priority Freight prepared the relevant paperwork needed for customs and was ready with two vehicles to pick up the parts as soon as the Chinese manufacturers started work for the day, transferring to Shanghai airport (PVG) for the first available flight on Friday.

To ensure the goods would arrive in Spain by Saturday evening, Priority Freight knew the only solution would be air freight to Frankfurt (FRA) and then an air charter to Madrid (MAD). Priority Freight having its own regional office at FRA airport played a big part in the success of the operation. The company secured a direct flight to FRA for all two tonnes of cargo, where the team was able to expedite customs for a re-route to Stuttgart airport (STR). There, the chartered SAAB 340ª aircraft was waiting to fly to MAD on Saturday morning.

The capabilities of Priority Freight’s 24/7 team made a huge difference in this case. Priority Freight’s night team in Europe was able to liaise with the partners in China and, as soon as the truck arrived to collect the goods at the factories, they communicated independently with the manufacturers, knowing exactly what was needed, acting on the customer’s behalf while their offices in Europe were closed.

By the time Priority Freight’s Spanish customer had woken up, all cargo had been loaded from both loading points and the vehicles were able to make the deadline to PVG.

 

GEODIS plans airside site at Paris-Charles de Gaulle

Posted on by Keith McKinley

GEODIS is to open a 6,000 sq m site within the cargo area of Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport to provide certified services, especially for customers in the health and luxury goods sectors.

The new complex will have immediate airside access. It will be located near Air France’s main warehouse (G1XL) and other main service providers at the airport.

The latest generation of cargo handling technology, highly secure and certified CEIV (Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics) and TAPA (Transported Asset protection Association) Level A, will offer a level of service excellence targeted at the pharmaceutical and luxury goods sectors. The complex will be equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure for the processing of temperature-controlled products, including negative temperatures.

“With this investment, GEODIS confirms its ability to provide a high-quality air cargo offering. Thanks to the strategic location of this new cargo station, we are able to accelerate processing times for the flow of goods, both for export and import, while ensuring rigorous safety standards for the products entrusted to us by our customers,” says Massimo Norcaro, Director of the Freight Forwarding line of Business of GEODIS in France.

As part of GEODIS‘ ongoing commitment, this HQE Excellent certified building will ensure the highest environmental standards are met.

The site will be operational in October 2021 and will have around 120 employees.

 

 

Cargo up 72% at Brussels Airport

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Cargo traffic through Brussels Airport in April 2021 continued its strong growth, with a 72% increase on the same period in 2020. But it handled only 250,065 passengers, down 89% on April 2019. This very low number is due to the ban on non-essential travel which remained in effect until 18th April and the array of travel restrictions and conditions.

The very good start of the year with strong growth in cargo volumes continued and even accelerated through April, largely due to the high demand for air cargo across Europe.

Contrary to the passenger figures, cargo volumes compared to the 2020 figures as the COVID pandemic has had only a limited impact on 2020 volumes.

The growth of air freight compared to 2020 is remarkable in all segments, in the integrator segment (+ 55), the full-freighter segment (+59%) and even in belly cargo, which rebounded from very low volumes in April 2020 (+492%).

In the full-freighter segment, Brussels Airport records general growth in the activities of all existing clients. Four new cargo carriers have come to strengthen the logistics platform at Brussels Airport by opening new routes to Asia: Azul, Japan Airlines, SpiceJet and China Central Longhao Airlines. The activity in the integrator segment structurally remains at a higher level than in previous years thanks to the strong increase in online purchases.

Import and export volumes have increased, especially inbound volumes coming from Asia and North America.

Covid-19 vaccine shipments to and from Brussels Airport continue, with several tens of millions of vaccines handled at Brussels Airport to this day, making Brussels Airport an important hub in the global distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.

Passenger traffic down by 89%

250,065 passengers passed through Brussels Airport in April, a decrease of 89% compared to April 2019. Although this is a very poor number, it is slightly higher than the number of passengers recorded in February and March 2021. After the ban on non-essential travel was lifted on 19th April, passenger traffic at Brussels Airport picked up in the second half of the month, a trend that is expected to continue through May.

However, the array of conditions imposed on travellers, e.g. testing and especially the quarantine requirements for travellers returning from a red zone, as well as the fact that several countries refuse travellers, have a negative impact on passenger numbers.

Passenger numbers are compared to those of 2019 because, in April 2020, Belgium was on lockdown and the number of passengers was limited to a minimum because of the travel ban. As a result, the number of passengers recorded in April 2020 was already much lower than it would have been in normal times (17,042 in 2020 compared to nearly 2.3 million in 2019).

In April 2021, 25% of the passengers were transfer passengers, thanks to the network operated by Brussels Airlines and its partner airlines between North America, Europe and Africa. The share of intercontinental passengers is again at a high level of 30%. The majority are transfer passengers and passengers who travel for essential reasons. The travel ban imposed by the Moroccan government on the other hand will continue to have a negative impact until the 10th of June at best.

Flight movements

The total number of flight movements decreased by 70% in April 2021 (5,879 movements compared to 19,710 movements in pre-COVID April 2019). The number of passenger flights decreased by 83%. The average number of passengers per flight was 85.

The number of full-freighter flights remains well above the level forecast for 2020, with a high number of additional flights operated with passenger aircraft used to carry cargo only. Proportionally, there is no increase in night flights or the use of noisy wide bodies. Several airlines continue to use these aircraft to provide additional cargo capacity to compensate partially for the loss of belly capacity on normal passenger flights.

Samskip Air opens at Schiphol Airport

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Samskip has established a dedicated air freight business, adding significant new options to a service portfolio that already includes rail, road, shortsea and inland waterway links throughout Europe and global cargo logistics solutions.

On 1st May 2021, Samskip Air opened its doors at new offices at Schiphol Airport, tasked with growing the air freight volumes Samskip already books, establishing new routes and developing opportunities for cooperation with Samskip’s pan-European multimodal network. The ‘one-stop shop’ logistics options already available to Samskip generate 850,000TEU in container traffic each year, as well as sizeable general, breakbulk and project cargo volumes.

Samskip Air will be managed by Hans Blauw, whose 35-year resumé reads like a Who’s Who of air freight, including executive positions with KLM, Hellman Worldwide, FedEx, TNT and ALM (Aircraft Load Management). Joining Samskip as Airfreight Manager after four years of running Fairways Group to support Aeroméxico and DHL Aviation, Blauw reports to Mon Verstegen, General Manager Freight Forwarding, Samskip Logistics.

“As a career logistics professional, the opportunity to help Samskip Air become a force in airfreight logistics was too good to miss, in a market that is currently under-served on quality,” says Blauw. “The group has exceptional skills in temperature-controlled goods, pharmaceuticals, electrical goods and automotive parts, and there is always room for services that offer reliability, cargo handling expertise, security and robust documentation.

“With 47 offices in 35 countries, Samskip has the network, the local staff, the customs know-how and the digital booking systems to flourish in offering airfreight services for high value cargoes, pier-to-pier and door-to-door.”

While Covid-19 brought a dip in 2020 traffic, recent years have seen annual freight volumes handled by Dutch airports stabilise at between 1.6 million and 1.8 million tonnes. Around 93% of this freight is handled at Schiphol, Europe’s no.2 airport for freight.

“Schiphol is a global gateway for air freight business with China, the United States, South America, Russia, the Middle East and Africa, and provides a European gateway to Samskip’s multimodal network of trucks, trains, barges and short sea vessels,” says Martijn Tasma, Director Global Forwarding, Samskip Logistics.

“Hans’s track record speaks for itself and we are delighted to welcome him aboard as the entrepreneurial engine driving Samskip Air. We look forward to consolidating our leading logistics role in Scandinavian fisheries exports and working with our global offices to develop other volumes and links at other airports.

“In the weeks ahead, we will be presenting Samskip Air and explaining how, as a major transport group, Samskip has the negotiating power that works to the advantage of its airfreight customers and the support network to de-risk the air freight supply chain.”

Menzies makes carbon-neutral commitment

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Global aviation logistics specialist Menzies Aviation has committed to make 100% of its operations carbon neutral by the company’s 200-year anniversary in 2033. Menzies believes it is the first aviation services company to make this ground-breaking commitment to carbon neutrality.

Menzies Aviation will formalise the commitment by becoming a signatory to the UN Global Compact in 2021, which supports the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In order to reach carbon neutrality Menzies will focus on investing in electric ground support equipment (GSE), reducing emissions through identifying operational efficiencies and balancing remaining emissions with carbon offsetting initiatives.

The transition to electric and lower-emission GSE is particularly critical to reducing carbon footprint and supporting customers’ sustainability ambitions, and in 2020 Menzies made significant progress in upgrading equipment as part of new contracts.

At Gothenburg and Stockholm airports a new contract with Qatar Airways enabled Menzies to invest in three new electric baggage tractors and two new electric aircraft loaders, as well as an electric towbarless tractor in Stockholm.

In South Africa, a new contract with Mango Airlines saw the Group purchase 15 new electric belt loaders and 12 new electric baggage tractors across three airports in South Africa – Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. In North America, Menzies replaced and retired older, less efficient GSE across four locations and will continue to do so across the region.

Alongside investment in new equipment, Menzies will support teams with implementing processes to make zero fuel spills a daily target throughout the business as well as local initiatives to reduce energy use and lessen environmental impacts. Efforts to enhance the sustainability of operations will complement Menzies’ broader ESG programme which promotes responsible business, from legal and ethical compliance, to employee engagement and development and supporting the local communities in which Menzies operates.

Philipp Joeinig, CEO & Chairman of Menzies Aviation said: “Menzies is a business that has constantly adapted and what better way to mark our 200-year anniversary in 2033 than to celebrate our next era of environmental sustainability by achieving carbon neutrality.

“As flight volumes recover we see an opportunity to rebuild the aviation industry to be more sustainable, and we will be taking advantage of this to promote greener operations across our entire business. With our Sustainability Strategy and Programme now in place, we have clearly defined targets and supporting action plans to help realise them, however it is critical that we build relationships across the aviation ecosystem, from trade bodies to suppliers, to ensure that we can collectively remove barriers to green innovation and adoption.”

IAG Cargo celebrates 10th anniversary

Posted on by Keith McKinley

This month (April 2021), IAG Cargo, the cargo division of International Airlines Group (IAG), celebrates its 10th anniversary – marking a decade of transporting vital shipments safely and efficiently for customers across the world.

IAG Cargo was created in 2011 following the merger of British Airways World Cargo and Iberia Cargo, bringing together two distinct brands focused on providing a quality services for their customers to unlock the full potential of their networks. Since then, IAG Cargo’s mission – to be ‘always moving’ – has led it to become one of the largest cargo operators in the world, serving key sectors of the global economy including ecommerce, tech, manufacturing, automotive, pharmaceutical and aerospace.

In total, in the last decade it is estimated that IAG  has served nearly 14,000 freight forwarders, operated 950,000 flights, transporting millions of tonnes of cargo and flown to over 450 destinations worldwide using 30 models of aircraft.  Today, the business is trusted by some of the world’s best-known brands to transport their precious cargo, from ancient artefacts for The British Museum, endangered animals for BornFree, vaccine shipments for Biological E to airplane parts for Boeing.

Today IAG  operates in 60 countries, across 5 continents and employs more than 2,250 professionals worldwide. The business has grown significantly in its first 10 years – integrating Vueling in 2013, Aer Lingus in 2015 and Level in 2016 to expand its network; invested in new facilities to increase capacity and developed innovative and specialist product offerings in areas like pharmaceutical, live animals and high security shipments.

John Cheetham, Chief Commercial Officer at IAG, said: “This is a major milestone for IAG Cargo. It’s been exciting to see the business grow and transform into one of the largest cargo carriers in the world today.

“We’ve built a strong relationship with our customers across the world to understand their needs and adapted our products, as well as launched new products and routes to support them. We’re very proud of our ‘always moving’ spirit to provide some of the most flexible options for customers, helping them get their freight across the world 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We look forward to continuing to expand our offering in the years to come.”

Brussels Airport conducts drone trials

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Brussels Airport and skeyes have been testing the operational use of drones at and around the airport this week. In a secure environment, an innovative safety drone is deployed, which can be controlled from a large distance to find out how drones can increase the safety, security and efficiency of airport operations. In addition, a drone detection system is being tested to detect unwanted drones, as these are not allowed in normal circumstances at and around the airport.

Drones and aircraft are not a good combination, which is why drones are prohibited at and around the airport. A stray drone can create very dangerous situations for air traffic. The only exception is the safety drone that Brussels Airport and skeyes are testing in close cooperation. During two test days on 31 March and 1 April the possibilities and operational procedures of such a safety drone have been investigated.

Given the large surface area of the airport, a drone can be a means of quickly gaining a unique perspective of the situation at a particular location on the airport grounds. In cooperation with Citymesh, drone operator and partner for the private 5G network at the airport, a safety drone was tested for the first time at Brussels Airport.

The special feature of this drone is that it can be controlled from a very large distance through the private 5G network at the airport. For this test the Citymesh drone pilot was not on site, but in West Flanders (Bruges). They controlled the drone via 5G “beyond visual line of sight”, which is a first for an airport!

Variety of evaluation activities

There are various activities at the airport for which drones could provide added value. During the test days, it was investigated how the drone can be used for inspection rounds on the grounds and for monitoring the airport area, where the drone can function as remote binoculars in addition to physical inspections.

A second simulation concerns an aircraft incident where a drone can arrive very quickly to get a first impression of the situation and to be able to already pass on important information to the emergency services. A drone could also be used for animal-related inspections, such as for birds or rabbits, at the airport, as these animals can be dangerous to aircraft taking off or landing.

Arnaud Feist, Brussels Airport CEO: “It is important for our airport to continue to focus on innovation. Although drones and aviation do not initially seem like a good combination, this is a new reality, the possibilities of which must be explored. Today, thanks to our private 5G network, we managed to control a drone remotely, which is an innovative first together with our partners. Drones can be additional tools in our operations, and these tests will give us more insight into the possibilities.”

Johan Decuyper, skeyes CEO: “skeyes has been building drone-related expertise for a long time. We often work on real-life test projects. This was a first test in our ‘natural habitat’: an airport environment. These test days have already shown that drones can also be put to very good use here. We want to explore the possibilities as much as possible together with our airport partners. But of course always with our first concern in mind: the safety of the whole of all air traffic.”

Drone detection system in practice

A drone is not allowed in the vicinity of the airport. Signs indicating a “no drone zone” can be found around the airport for the safety of air traffic. Because drones are becoming more and more common, the second objective of the test days was to find out whether drones could be detected in the vicinity of the airport using a combination of various technologies.

This allows for the detection of both cooperative drones, the flight of which is authorised and which share their location, and non-cooperative drones. Several drones will be used during the test to subsequently identify them.

A drone operator must contact the regulator to request their flight in advance. During the test, it is checked whether the flight authorisation data correspond to the flight actually performed. In addition to visual observation by pilots, airport security or air traffic controllers, detection via high-tech systems is the only way of quickly discovering non-authorised flights.

On the drone traffic management platform of SkeyDrone, a subsidiary of skeyes, the data from the drone detections and flight authorisations are compared, processed and visualised. Based on these results, it is now possible to further investigate which technologies can offer the greatest added value.

Safe environment

These tests have been prepared for a long time in advance. Obviously, they must not jeopardise air traffic and they may disrupt regular airport operations as little as possible. The test moments were coordinated with the air traffic, taking into account the weather conditions. Part of the runways were closed off for this purpose. Activities on and around the runways were kept to a minimum so that the drones could always keep enough distance from people, buildings and aircraft. Everything happens in close cooperation between the air traffic controllers in the tower and the Airport Operations Centre of Brussels Airport.

Since the entry into force of the new European legislation on drones, skeyes is responsible for authorising drone flights in the airspace around Belgian airports. Drone pilots who want to fly their drones around an airport have to apply for flight authorisation with skeyes via the DSA (Drone Service Application), a tool especially developed for this purpose by SkeyDrone. Through the DSA application, both the pilot and skeyes can follow the flight in real time. All test flights that have been taking place this week were planned in coordination with the air traffic controllers.

Singapore Cargo Warehouse Modernisation Project

Posted on by David Priestman

Lödige Industries, a leading global provider of cargo terminal solutions, has announced that it has been selected by dnata Singapore Pte Ltd to modernise and upgrade its cargo warehouse at Changi Airport. Designed to handle an annual turnover of 550,000 tonnes, the facility will incorporate new advanced ULD handling equipment and control technology, replacing and enhancing existing warehouse fittings.

“Our company continuously strives to make investments that enable us to offer enhanced services to our customers,” says Sam Gould, dnata Singapore’s Head of Cargo. “The new ULD handling equipment seamlessly integrates with our existing procedures and helps ensure the safety of our staff as well as the cargo they handle.”

The project, which Lödige Industries will deliver by May 2021, includes replacing existing equipment with a modern turntable transfer vehicle, control system hardware and software, and slave pallet movers for flexible cargo handling. The equipment is designed to enhance the warehouse’s ability to handle peaks and extend the terminal lifespan by 15 to 20 years while reducing costs by minimising ULD damage.

Ranga Jayaweera, General Manager (Singapore) for Lödige Industries, points out: “Installing the new equipment (within just four weeks) while cargo operations continue, requires careful project planning and management to minimise the impact on dnata and its customers. We incorporated a practical and cost-efficient component redundancy in the project, which will reduce impact during construction, handle peaks and avoid unplanned downtime in the future.”

The introduction of slave pallet movers to the warehouse adds a versatile and highly maneuverable cargo handling tool that allows for safe and efficient build-up and breakdown activities anywhere in the warehouse.

Dachser Logistics Reorganise Regional Management

Posted on by David Priestman

Dachser Air & Sea Logistics (ASL) has reorganised management within its business units in Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) and Americas regions.

The position of Managing Director, ASL EMEA has been assumed by Dr Tobias Burger, who is already responsible for the strategic development of the business field Air & Sea Logistics as Deputy Director ASL. Before moving to the air and sea freight business, the 43-year-old was head of Corporate Governance & CEO Office at Dachser. Dr Burger succeeds Thomas Krüger, who has led the air and sea freight business in the EMEA region since 2016.

With immediate effect, Dachser Air & Sea Logistics has assigned responsibility for the ASL Americas business unit to Ralph Riehl. Before joining Dachser, the experienced manager worked for the logistics group Panalpina, now DSV Panalpina, for over 30 years, holding management positions in France, Singapore, and the United States. Most recently, Riehl was Senior Vice President of Sales, responsible for all DSV Panalpina sales in North and Latin America. Riehl assumes the position of Managing Director ASL Americas from Guido Gries, who has led Dachser’s business in the region since 2012.

“We would like to thank Thomas Krüger and Guido Gries for their many years of dedicated work in the business development and integration of our air and sea freight network, and we wish them all the best for their professional and personal future,” says Edoardo Podestà, COO Air & Sea Logistics at Dachser.

“Dr Tobias Burger and Ralph Riehl will provide new impetus for the sustainable and profitable development of Dachser Air & Sea Logistics in their regions through their optimal combination of in-house and external expertise. As a result, they will consistently drive the development of globally integrated, value-added solutions for our customers.”

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