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Tag: airfreight

IBS Software Acquires AFLS

Posted on by David Priestman

IBS Software, a leading SaaS solutions provider to the travel industry globally, has announced the completion of a transaction to acquire Accenture Freight and Logistics Software (AFLS). AFLS provides technology platforms to help airline and ocean transportation companies manage their freight operations and grow through digital transformation and innovation.

The acquisition will strengthen IBS Software’s leadership as a technology provider to the air freight industry by bringing together complementary solutions and a shared vision for innovating and transforming the air cargo businesses. Boosting the freight business is an increasingly critical priority for airlines and the AFLS acquisition consolidates latest innovations to accelerate growth, especially AFLS’ cloud-based collaboration platforms which deliver advancements in airline partnerships – a major focus area for carriers.

The acquisition is also a strategic step in recognizing IBS Software’s vision to establish itself as an end-to-end player in the global freight supply chain. AFLS has a strong heritage in ocean freight innovation with a suite of new generation platforms that enable ocean carriers to automate critical business functions and make data-led decisions for commercial operations. Further, the transaction helps the company to deploy its cargo and logistics management expertise in the ocean transportation sector.

With increasing industry focus on the digitalization of the ocean supply chain to improve efficiencies, expansion into ocean cargo presents a significant growth opportunity for IBS Software. The acquisition will also allow the company to tap into a highly capable talent pool of experts in logistics and supply chain management that can drive innovation and deliver value to the industry.

To support this expansion, IBS Software will open a new development centre in Chennai, its fourth in India, for travel, transportation and logistics. The centre will accelerate the company’s mission to transform how travel companies operate in a digital world by delivering next-generation products to accelerate growth, drive efficiency, and create differentiated customer experiences.

“The acquisition of AFLS is a strategically important milestone for our cargo and logistics business to broaden its global footprint, with ocean transportation being a natural adjacent industry in which to expand our expertise,” said V K Mathews, Executive Chairman of IBS Software. “It is a synergistic opportunity to bring our decades of experience and expertise to the ocean cargo business, as well as strengthen our own capabilities to provide greater value to the air cargo customers.”

“Cargo and logistics are vital to the global economy. It’s an area ripe for growth and hungry for transformation. Recent moves by logistics businesses to enter air cargo as they seek to influence the supply chain at every level are evidence of the growing disruption in the sector. AFLS will be pivotal in our wider mission to transform the global supply chain through digital innovation,” said Anand Krishnan, CEO, IBS Software.

15 Years in Hong Kong for cargo-partner

Posted on by David Priestman

On February 17th international logistics provider cargo-partner hosted a celebration for employees to honour the 15th anniversary the regional hub for Asia-Pacific, in Hong Kong. In addition, the year 2023 also marks the 40th anniversary of cargo-partner’s founding in Austria.

The year 2023 is cause for celebration in the international cargo-partner network. Not only is it the 40th anniversary of the company’s founding at Vienna Airport, but several local organizations are celebrating significant milestones as well. One of these is the branch in Hong Kong, which represents the company’s regional head office for the entire Asia-Pacific region.

More than 1,000 employees in over 40 offices across Asia

In 2004, cargo-partner decided to set foot in Asia with its first offices in Taiwan and Mainland China. In 2006, the company added an office in Hong Kong, at first under the company name “c.p.” In 2008, the company name was officially changed to “cargo-partner” and the Hong Kong branch became the regional head office for cargo-partner’s continuously growing presence in Asia-Pacific. Since then, the logistics provider has completed its regional network with additional branches in India, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Australia. Today, cargo-partner is represented at over 40 offices with more than 1,000 employees across Asia, representing a quarter of the company’s global staff base.

On February 17, 2023, cargo-partner’s Hong Kong branch hosted a celebration for employees to honour the 15th anniversary of its founding. The local team took this opportunity to look back on the successes achieved in the past one and a half decades. cargo-partner CEO Luca Ferrara expressed his appreciation to the teams in Asia: “We’ve achieved a lot together in the last 15 years. In particular, the past three years have been the most turbulent period the global logistics industry has ever seen. Our team across Asia-Pacific has mastered this time exceptionally well, reacting quickly and flexibly to each new challenge and proving our resilience and passion for innovation.”

Steady growth in transport volumes

Since its founding in 2006, the cargo-partner branch in Hong Kong has grown from only 10 staff members to 130 employees. At the same time, the local team recorded a steady increase in transport requests and shipment volumes. In 2022, the Hong Kong organization handled over 52,000 transport requests, with the largest volume increase in air freight, amounting to 42,900t in the past year. The demand for warehousing services has also grown exponentially, evidenced by an increase of 52.5% in logistics turnover between 2021 and 2022. cargo-partner currently offers 9,600 m² of warehouse space in Hong Kong and over 32,000 m² of warehouse space across the entire Asia-Pacific region.

At the moment, the cargo-partner team in Asia is focusing on the further development of its services, especially in regard to information technology, e-commerce solutions and vertical market expertise in food and beverage, healthcare, and fashion and textiles. Looking ahead, Luca Ferrara is optimistic: “I am very proud of the performance of our teams and convinced that our organization has grown stronger with each new challenge. We will continue to build on our successes, grow our expertise and go the extra mile to exceed our customers’ expectations.”

In addition to Hong Kong, the cargo-partner branches in Thailand and Singapore are also celebrating their 15th anniversaries this year. The logistics provider currently operates three offices with over 100 employees in Thailand and an office with over 30 staff members in Singapore. cargo-partner is a privately owned full-range info-logistics provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of air, sea, land transport and warehousing solutions. With 40 years of expertise in information technology and supply chain optimization, the company designs tailor-made services for a wide range of industries to create competitive benefits for its customers all around the world. Founded in 1983, cargo-partner generated a turnover of 1.8 billion euro in 2021 and an estimated 2.05 billion euro in 2022 and currently employs 4,000 people worldwide.

Airbridge for Turkey Humanitarian Relief

Posted on by David Priestman

Amid widespread devastation caused by the recent earthquake people in the affected areas in Turkey and Syria need all the humanitarian relief available as soon as possible. UPS has put its worldwide smart logistics network to the task to transport relief supplies.

A Boeing 767 is currently taking off every night from the UPS Air Hub at Cologne Bonn airport, transporting urgently needed goods to Turkey from national and international aid organizations, UPS employees, citizens, and companies.

The willingness to donate in the region was so extensive that on-site donations are not currently being accepted. In-kind and monetary donations should instead be given to other aid organizations providing support.

The UPS Air Hub at Cologne Bonn Airport is UPS’s European air freight hub for international transport of goods. As a European hub, it is not only a platform to service customers but is also central to disaster relief efforts and support. The UPS Air Hub was also able to demonstrate its strategically important position and its reliability in the handling of shipments for the worldwide distribution of vaccines.

Relief supplies and donations receive freight space within the UPS network

In addition to the Cologne-Istanbul airbridge, UPS and The UPS Foundation have taken other measures to provide assistance where it is most needed. This includes:

• Pledging more than US$1 million in global logistics services.
• Working with the World Food Program, UNHCR and International Red Cross & Red Crescent to fly in relief items from Dubai.
• Offering transport capacity in UPS trucks for the Istanbul city government and NeedsMap, a local NGO that UPS supports.
• Activating EDUARDO, an emergency air dashboard created by skilled UPS volunteers to help humanitarian relief organizations quickly access all available flight capacity available at airports across Turkey.

Frank Jørgensen, President of UPS Germany, Austria and Switzerland, told us “Our hearts and thoughts are with the people of Turkey and Syria. Our sympathy also goes to the many relatives – including numerous UPS employees – of the people affected in the earthquake area. Above all, we help by using what we have: our committed employees with their expertise and our global logistics network.”

Air Horse Stall ULD Delivered

Posted on by David Priestman

Jettainer and VRR, the leading provider of ULD devices, are celebrating their long-standing collaboration with the 100th air horse stall. The global leader of ULD management, Jettainer, which handles approximately 100,000 ULDs in 500 locations around the world, is constantly refining its service and product portfolio to meet the specific needs of its customers. Its collaboration with ULD manufacturer VRR since 2010 has played an important role in this successful approach.

“We feel very proud that Jettainer is still coming to VRR for its containers after more than a decade of doing business,” says Ben Lakerveld, Sales Manager of VRR. “They deliver top-of-the-line services so we have to deliver top-of-the-line containers. To do so, we also have to keep listening and innovating.”

Until 2019, Jettainer bought mainly HMJ stalls from VRR. It then switched to the collapsible version, which can be folded for lower-deck transportation on return flights. Most of their horse stalls are leased to their parent company, Lufthansa Cargo AG, which provides individualised transportation for Live Animals.

“Every year, our customers fly a four-digit number of horses to all corners of the world,” says Marcus Bezold, Head of Global Handling Performance Management at Lufthansa Cargo AG. “We appreciate Jettainer and VRR’s horse container solutions because they guarantee comfortable travel with minimum stress and maximum safety.”

The designs of VRR’s air horse stalls rely heavily on input from equine transporters, and Lufthansa Cargo AG is one of those important collaborators. The airline’s experience in transporting horses by air has helped VRR greatly over the years to engineer quality and innovative containers like the HMR and HML.

“The collaboration with VRR is exceptional and their products meet latest standards. What we like about the collapsible horse stall,” explains Frank Mühlenkamp, Director Global Operations at Jettainer, “is that it cuts down the cost of empty ULD repositioning without compromising the well-being of the horses. It really helps us and our customers maximise fleet utilisation.”

With approximately 100,000 Unit Load Devices (ULDs) in 500 locations worldwide, the global leader Jettainer operates the world`s most efficient ULD fleet.

Through its unique combination of dedicated teams and leading IT landscape, using big data and artificial intelligence, the industry expert guarantees steering and positioning as well as maintenance and repair with 100% availability of containers and pallets. A strong partner and independent repair network, close to the customer’s processes, completes Jettainer’s global setup with local presence. Meaningful innovation and digitization for highest efficiency at lowest cost are key for the transparency driver. Its continuously enhanced service and product portfolio is complemented with ULD leasing services, cool management and temperature chain solutions.

Jettainer GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Cargo AG.

Air Cargo Hub Jewel

Posted on by David Priestman

Where is the air cargo market headed? David Priestman met Mr Lim Ching Kiat, Managing Director for Air Hub Development at Singapore’s Changi Airport Group (CAG), at the World Air Cargo Forum in Miami to gain a perspective.

Despite short-term challenges, such as global economic uncertainty and inflationary pressures, air cargo continues to flourish. CAG is owned by the Singaporean government but is self-governing and remains steadfast in its mission to facilitate global trade. “Our goal is to bring more traffic overall; more airlines and more destinations,” Mr Lim informed me. “Our motto is ‘Welcome to World Class’.”

Total air cargo throughput has recovered to near pre-pandemic levels, 2m tonnes p.a. at Changi, but is heavily dependent on belly capacity in passenger jets. “Cargo recovered more quickly than passenger traffic,” Lim added, “because there are no borders for freight. But it is quite flat so we are cautious.” The ban on western airlines flying in Russian airspace reduces capacity but is leading to new lanes. Another big holdback is the lack of travel in and out of China, which was Changi’s number two passenger market pre-Covid.

Changi’s top five air cargo markets currently are China, Australia, USA, Hong Kong and Japan. Lim sees growth potential in South East Asia, where diversification is creating new, resilient supply chains. He identified key verticals: perishables, pharmaceuticals, ecommerce, oil/gas and advanced materials.

New cargo links

Pursuing air cargo connectivity and capacity, as well as building long-term competitive advantages, are paramount to the Changi cargo hub and it will continue efforts to work closely with airline partners to expand their freighter operations and passenger flights. Changi Airport has recently welcomed three new freighter operators – SpiceXpress, Tasman Cargo Airlines and Atlas Air. DHL Express has supplemented its intercontinental trans-shipment network from Changi with partners, including five Boeing 777 freighters jointly operated with Singapore Airlines operating on routes via points in North Asia and Australia.

The pandemic has shown that global supply chains are vulnerable but there is a pressing need for the air cargo sector to move forward with digitalization and automation, in order to improve the efficiency of otherwise manual processes. Digitalization will also enable an interconnected air cargo ecosystem and empower data-sharing. Through this, improved supply chain visibility for better demand planning and operational excellence can be achieved.

CAG is facilitating closer industry collaboration. A community data-sharing platform – Changi Air Cargo Community System, is an open ecosystem of applications underpinned by an information-sharing platform that aggregates export data from all forwarders and shippers involved in the cargo handling process.

Among the first use cases is the Truck Dock Slot Booking application, which aims to even out cargo lodgement and collection at the handler’s airfreight terminals, thereby reducing waiting time. Lorries/trucks arrive exactly when the shipment is ready, optimizing resources and supporting the airport’s sustainability efforts.

CAG also focuses on pharmaceutical handling capabilities. Locally, it has established a large community of IATA pharma-certified companies. It meets to discuss emerging pharma supply chain trends and discuss how to address these. “We offer economies of scale, compared to other hubs,” Lim stated. CAG continues to automate materials handling in its warehousing due to the shortage of manpower.

Changi Airport’s cargo facilities will be expanded with the opening of the new Changi East Industrial Zone (CEIZ), built on land reclaimed from the sea, as part of the Changi East Development, in the mid-2030s. CEIZ will serve airfreight, air express and maintenance, repair and operation activities. Together with a re-modelled Changi Airfreight Centre that forms a contiguous cargo village, handling capabilities will increase from 3 million tonnes per annum today, to 5.4 million tonnes per annum when the project is completed. With CEIZ, CAG also hopes to better serve freighter operations with a sizeable increase in freighter bays.

 

Titanosaur Skeleton Flown from Argentina to UK

Posted on by David Priestman

IAG Cargo, the cargo division of International Airlines Group, has safely delivered one of the largest dinosaurs to walk the Earth on a shipment from Buenos Aires to London Heathrow. The titanosaur Patagotitan mayorum is around the same length as a British Airways’ Airbus A320 aircraft or four double decker buses.

The Natural History Museum confirmed IAG Cargo as its official exhibition logistics partner for its upcoming exhibition Titanosaur: Life as the biggest dinosaur back in November 2022. Now on UK soil, this will be the first time the magnificent titanosaur will be displayed in Europe.

The dinosaur’s journey started in Trelow, Argentina, from where the cast travelled to Buenos Aires before it moved onto London. In Trelow, Argentina, Patagotitan was dismantled into more than 40 crates – to be flown in the bellyhold of two British Airways B787-9 passenger aircrafts. Upon landing at London Heathrow, the unique freight was transported to a special facility ahead of its journey to the Natural History Museum where it will be re-assembled ready for public display in March.

IAG Cargo has many years of experience in transporting high-value, unique and precious consignments via its dedicated ‘Secure’ product, ensuring total peace of mind when it comes to moving cargo like the awe-inspiring titanosaur.

John Cheetham, Chief Commercial Officer at IAG Cargo commented: “It is a privilege to partner with the Natural History Museum as the custodian of some of the world’s most important scientific artefacts. I want to thank our teams in Argentina and the UK who made this colossal task of transporting a 37-metre dinosaur a reality.”

Alex Burch, Director of Public Programmes at the Natural History Museum commented: “We’re pleased to have IAG Cargo as our exhibition logistics partner on this exhibition. As one of the largest dinosaurs to ever roam the Earth, it is so important that we are able to showcase this cast to the public, connecting our visitors with nature and inspiring them to care for the large animals we share the planet with today.”

British Airways’ Captain Simon Boswell, said: “I and the entire team felt honoured and privileged to fly this unique artefact from Argentina to the UK, and it was really very special to have been able to carry this precious cargo on a British Airways’ aircraft. Working with our sister company IAG Cargo, we’re delighted to have been able to play our part in its safe onward journey.”

The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most-visited indoor attraction in the UK. With a vision of a future in which both people and the planet thrive, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful champion for balancing humanity’s needs with those of the natural world.

It is custodian of one of the world’s most important scientific collections comprising over 80 million specimens accessed by researchers from all over the world both in person and via over 30 billion digital data downloads to date. The Museum’s 350 scientists are finding solutions to the planetary emergency from biodiversity loss through to the sustainable extraction of natural resources.

The Museum uses its global reach and influence to meet its mission to create advocates for the planet – to inform, inspire and empower everyone to make a difference for nature. We welcome millions of visitors through our doors each year, our website has had 17 million visits in the last year and our touring exhibitions have been seen by around 20 million people in the last 10 years.

IAG Cargo is the single business created following the merger of British Airways World Cargo and Iberia Cargo in April 2011. Following the integration of additional airlines into the business, including Aer Lingus, Vueling and bmi, IAG Cargo now covers a global network. In 2021, IAG Cargo had a commercial revenue of €1,673 million. It has a combined workforce of more than 2,250 people. Its parent company, International Airlines Group, is one of the world’s largest airline groups with 531 aircraft at 31st December 2021. It is the third largest group in Europe and the sixth largest in the world, based on revenue.

Drone Services for Heavy Payloads

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Leading drone operator, Skyports Drone Services, and electric, autonomous aircraft manufacturer, Pyka, have agreed on a partnership for heavy payload drone logistics. The collaboration will leverage Skyports Drone Services’ extensive operational experience and Pyka’s best-in-class heavy payload aircraft to provide game-changing drone delivery services.

The partnership will see Skyports Drone Services welcome the newly unveiled Pyka Pelican Cargo uncrewed aerial system (UAS) as the latest addition to its fleet. The large autonomous electric aircraft’s 175+ kg payload capacity and 1.85m3 cargo volume, significantly increases Skyports Drone Services’ payload capabilities and complements the existing lineup of UAS solutions currently utilised by the UK drone operator. Pyka’s Pelican Cargo will be deployed for a range of use cases and operations, including services for humanitarian aid, logistics and delivery companies, as well as healthcare and medical organisations.

A full flight programme with Pelican Cargo will begin in early Q2 in Cornwall, UK, and will include flights for the Future Flight Challenge phase three Open Skies Cornwall project, one of four UK Research & Innovation funded projects won by Skyports Drone Services in July 2022. The introduction of Pyka’s Pelican Cargo aircraft into the Skyports Drone Services fleet supports the company’s ambitions of implementing drone operations at scale. The substantial uplift in capacity strengthens the UK drone operator’s proposition and market position.

Alex Brown, Director, Skyports Drone Services, said: “Having a fully electric, autonomous, heavylift cargo drone in our fleet is a real gamechanger. To date, we’ve been focused on operations with smaller, high value payloads; the introduction of the Pelican Cargo brings new capabilities and means we can now fly significant volumes of cargo long distances, connecting communities in remote areas and providing a regular, robust form of transport in and out of hard-to-reach areas. Importantly, we’re doing this now – this isn’t future gazing, it’s a ready-to-go service.”

“Skyports Drone Services is one of the most sophisticated drone operators in the market and an ideal partner for the deployment of Pyka’s Pelican Cargo,” says Pyka Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, Michael Norcia. “We are thrilled to be working with the team at Skyports to demonstrate the Pelican Cargo’s revolutionary capabilities and operating economics.”

read more

Warehouse Inventory Drone Solution to Go Live Later This Year

 

DHL Express orders first electric cargo planes

Posted on by David Priestman

DHL Express, the world’s leading express service provider, and Eviation, the Seattle-area based global manufacturer of all-electric aircraft, write aviation history in announcing that DHL is the first to order 12 fully electric Alice eCargo planes from Eviation. With this engagement DHL aims to set up an unparalleled electric Express network and make a pioneering step into a sustainable aviation future. Eviation’s Alice is the world’s leading fully electric aircraft, which enables airlines – both cargo and passenger – to operate a zero-emission fleet. Eviation expects to deliver the Alice electric aircraft to DHL Express in 2024.

“We firmly believe in a future with zero-emission logistics,” says John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express. “Therefore, our investments always follow the objective of improving our carbon footprint. On our way to clean logistics operations, the electrification of every transport mode plays a crucial role and will significantly contribute to our overall sustainability goal of zero emissions. Founded in 1969, DHL Express has been known as a pioneer in the aviation industry for decades. We have found the perfect partner with Eviation as they share our purpose, and together we will take off into a new era of sustainable aviation.”

Alice can be flown by a single pilot and will carry 1,200 kilograms (2,600 lbs). It will require 30 minutes or less to charge per flight hour and have a maximum range of up to 815 kilometers (440 nautical miles). Alice will operate in all environments currently serviced by piston and turbine aircraft. Alice’s advanced electric motors have fewer moving parts to increase reliability and reduce maintenance costs. Its operating software constantly monitors flight performance to ensure optimal efficiency.

“From day one, we set an audacious goal to transform the aviation industry and create a new era with electric aircraft,” said Eviation CEO Omer Bar-Yohay. “Partnering with companies like DHL who are the leaders in sustainable e-cargo transportation is a testament that the electric era is upon us. This announcement is a significant milestone on our quest to transform the future of flight across the globe.”

The aircraft is ideal for feeder routes and requires less investment in station infrastructure. The Alice can be charged while loading and unloading operations occur, ensuring quick turnaround times that maintain DHL Express’ tight schedules.

“My compliments to Eviation on the innovative development of the fully electric Alice aircraft” says Travis Cobb, EVP Global Network Operations and Aviation for DHL Express. “With Alice’s range and capacity, this is a fantastic sustainable solution for our global network. Our aspiration is to make a substantial contribution in reducing our carbon footprint, and these advancements in fleet and technology will go a long way in achieving further carbon reductions. For us and our customers, this is a very important step in our decarbonization journey and a step forward for the aviation industry as a whole.”

With innovation, performance and sustainability serving as its North Star, Eviation is creating a new era in aviation with the all-electric Alice aircraft. Alice has been specifically designed so that it can be configured for e-cargo or passengers. Eviation’s Alice all-electric aircraft is on track for its first flight later this year.

“The next time you order an on-demand package, check if it was delivered with a zero-emission aircraft like DHL will be doing,” said Eviation Executive Chairman Roei Ganzarski. “With on-demand shopping and deliveries on a constant rise, Alice is enabling DHL to establish a clean, quiet and low-cost operation that will open up greater opportunities for more communities.”

The decarbonization of its operations is one of the main pillars of DPDHL Group’s new Sustainability roadmap announced in Q1 2021. The Group is investing a total of 7 billion euros (Opex and Capex) by 2030 in measures to reduce its CO2 emissions. The funds will go in particular towards electrification of last-mile delivery fleet, sustainable aviation fuels and climate-neutral buildings. On the way to the zero emissions target by 2050, which has already been in place for four years, the company is committing to new, ambitious interim targets. For example, as part of the renowned Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi), Deutsche Post DHL Group is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.

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.”

Long-term Airfreight Capacity Between Europe and USA

Posted on by David Priestman

GEODIS, a global logistics provider, has announced the continuation of its scheduled Own Controlled Network (OCN) service linking Europe and the USA. The current service, providing three full rotations each week, has been confirmed throughout 2021.

With transatlantic air freight capacity continuing to be tight and forecasted to remain so well into 2021, GEODIS is contracting freighters to operate within its OCN as part of its global AirDirect service offering. The 2021 schedule is confirmed between Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) and Chicago O’Hare (ORD) with 3 departures and 3 return flights a week.

Eric Martin-Neuville, Executive Vice President, Freight Forwarding of GEODIS said, “Our customers on both sides of the Atlantic have been suffering from a severe shortage of regular, guaranteed air freight options. We foresee this situation remaining for some time and so have committed resources to provide stability and assure the continuity of our service through the full year of 2021. As a critical element of our OCN program, we can ensure seamless end-to-end delivery through consistent monitoring and control of all shipments, including pharmaceuticals and medical equipment as well as vaccine delivery as it becomes available.”

Through its AirDirect product, GEODIS will offer capacity wherever the market demand requires. Additionally, GEODIS AirDirect services operate a weekly fixed day schedule between Hong Kong (HKG) and Guadalajara, Mexico (GDL) as well as Shanghai-Amsterdam-Shanghai (AMS-PVG-AMS). More news here

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