Tag: air cargo|freight forwarding|logistics

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.

 

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.”