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InsightsConverted aircraft operators looking for freighter mileage
BBAM A321P2F undergoing conversion. Source: BBAMRisk averse freighter operators are seeking younger conversions, while overcapacity and passenger feedstock demand blight the market, according to aviation consultant Cirium.Age isn’t just a number in the freighter conversion business. In fact, every year matters when it comes to getting the most mileage for ...
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InsightsLatin America lifted by e-commerce
Photo: Avianca Cargo Rates and yields have climbed in Latin America as imports soar, with freighters shifted elsewhere. Airports in Latin America are looking to beef up their cargo infrastructure. They need to boost capacity to cope with a surge in e-commerce that has swept into the ...
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InsightsAir charter steps up for humanitarian aid again in 2024
Ben Dinsdale. Photo: Air Charter ServiceThe air charter industry has once again this year stepped up to humanitarian crises around the globe, highlighting the importance of chartered aircraft in moving essential goods.This year, the industry has been busy assisting in humanitarian operations in the Far East, Africa, the Middle East ...
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InsightsPutzger perspective: Pricing smoke and mirrors
Photo: William Potter/ Shutterstock Parcel shippers were hit with peak season surcharges but carriers’ pricing gambles didn’t pay off. Digitalisation has made some headway in the industry, but it appears to have failed to move the needle significantly when it comes to pricing. Witness the parcel sector, ...
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InsightsTop 20 cargo airports: Hong Kong retains top spot
Photo: Fedor Selivanov/ ShutterstockAirport Council International (ACI) World’s latest annual dataset indicates an overall decline in air cargo traffic for 2023, while cargo traffic remains concentrated in the world’s main hub airports (see the top 20 table at the end of the article).Global air cargo volumes are estimated to have ...
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InsightsFreight forwarders face complex challenges
Source: ShutterstockAs we close out 2024, it’s clear that freight forwarding in the US is navigating a complex web of challenges and opportunities. From labour disputes to natural disasters and tightening regulatory frameworks, the air cargo and logistics sector continues to be at the forefront of US economic resilience.Members of ...
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InsightsPutzger perspective: No freighters to the rescue
Unpainted 767F at Boeing Everett factory. Photo: Thiago B Trevisan/ Shutterstock The gap between demand and capacity growth is widening as supply chain issues continue and newbuild freighters become more elusive. Companies that are looking to get hold of widebody freighters have been faced for some time ...
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InsightsA tale of two airports
Photo: European CargoTwo UK airports are undergoing major changes, but only one of these airports will become more involved in air cargo.Manchester Airports Group (MAG) have announced a £1.1bn investment to expand London Stansted Airport, but made no reference to expanding freight services at its subsidiary operation.The fact that freight ...
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InsightsScaling up open source software
Andreas Nettstrater (Lleft) and Henk Mulder. Photo: Open Logistics Foundation/ IATACollaborative open source implementation is key for future air cargo data sharing, says the Open Logistics Foundation and IATA.The Open Logistics Foundation, a European organisation that focuses on developing open-source solutions, and trade association, IATA are cooperating to advance digitalisation ...
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InsightsSAF leads the way for aviation emissions reduction but has its challenges
The International Council on Clean Transportation estimates that in 2018 2.4% of total C02 emissions came from commercial aviation
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InsightsHeavylift supply chains thrive
Moving outsize and extremely heavy loads by air is a specialist business and a thriving one, according to the carriers, freight forwarders and handlers that are experts in the sector. Qatar Airways Cargo operates a fleet of 28 dedicated Boeing 777 freighters, which offer the specialised capability to transport a ...
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Insights
Putzger Perspective: Canadian freeze for airlines
Air cargo operations have been tough in the Canadian market, though there are still ample opportunities for charter flights. The Canadian air cargo market is still waiting for its revolution. WestJet, which had promised to disrupt the frozen landscape, abandoned its quest to do so before this correspondent could figure ...
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Insights
UK’s cold chain sector faces opportunities and challenges
Some pointers about the possible future shape and direction of air cargo’s cold chain component, led by a more productive relationship with the new government, were outlined at the recent Cold Chain Live event in the UK.Figures made available at the conference from the 2024 Cold Chain Report show air ...
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Insights
AI’s role in the future of airfreight
AI has already disrupted personal transportation, so what’s in store for air cargo?There have been countless IT-fuelled disruptions of well-established markets. Streaming killed Blockbuster. Digital cameras drove film sales from an estimated 200m rolls in 1999 to only 5m rolls by 2009. The ‘disrupted into oblivion’ list is long and ...
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Insights
Airfreight capacity conundrum as peak season approaches
The Red Sea shipping crisis and e-commerce are driving demand for airfreight and consequently capacity is looking tight for the peak season.Since October 2023, more than 75 cargo ships have been attacked by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. 12% of all global trade traditionally took this route, via the ...
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Insights
Putzger perspective: Is e-commerce trade under threat?
Trade legislation crackdowns in the EU and US could hamper e-commerce supply chains as the air cargo industry gears up for peak season. By early August a chorus of voices proclaimed the approaching end of the 2024 peak ocean shipping season. According to the National Retail Association, containerised imports to ...
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InsightsWhy the EU-China tariff tensions are more than just a trade dispute
Mike Parra. Photo: DHLTariff tension between the European Union and China has flared up again, but global trade needs to be protected during any negotiations to safeguard economic growth amongst other reasons.Europe and China find themselves once again in the midst of a tariff dispute. This is not the first ...
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InsightsTop 25 cargo carriers: Cargo goes slow on growth in 2023
Air cargo demand in 2023 was slow to recover from the previous year’s market slump and the top 25 cargo airlines felt the strain.2023 was undoubtedly a tough year for air cargo with global full-year demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs), for the top 25 airlines down 1.7% compared to ...
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InsightsFAA gives green light to drone flights without visual observers in common airspace
In what the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says is a first for US aviation, it has authorised commercial drone flying without visual observers in the same Dallas-area airspace. Authorisations have been granted to Zipline International and Wing Aviation to allow them to deliver packages while keeping their drones safely separated ...
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Insights
Preserving the US de minimis threshold to foster global trade
The de minimis threshold, a key facilitator of global trade, has been instrumental in encouraging the seamless movement of goods into the US.Its increase, though perhaps unexpected, has sparked a surge in e-commerce, leading to unprecedented cargo volumes.This underscores the need to preserve the de minimis threshold and ensure adequate ...