A

The weekly newspaper for air cargo professionals

The weekly newspaper for air cargo professionals

Volume: 19

Issue: 42

24 October 2016

Hollande looking to make France gateway to Europe

rance is looking to take

advantage of the UK leaving the European Union
(EU) and its dithering
over aviation runway
capacity by making the country the
gateway to the European market.
President Francois Hollande
believes Brexit should bring more
investment into France and make
it showcase its attractiveness.
He was speaking last week at
FedExs facility at Paris Charles
de Gaulle (CDG) International
Airport where the express freight
firm announced a 1.4 billion euro
($1.54 billion) investment in
France and doubling of its logistics
operations (see page 10 for more).
Hollande says its not about taking what Britons have but they
must live with the consequences of
Brexit and France must become the
point of access to the European
market. He adds: The opening of
this facility is an additional sign of

Frances attractiveness. With the

decision by Britons to leave the
EU, it should lead us to attract even
more investments.
The extra 25,000 square metres
of space will make FedExs Roissy
centre its second biggest in the
world after Memphis in the US.
TNT Express, bought in May by
FedEx, also plans to open a new
facility in the Paris region.
As competition hots up with the
UK leaving the EU, the UK Government continues to drag its heels
on airport expansion as it decides

whether to give Heathrow Airport the nod for a third runway, or

Gatwick Airport a second runway.
The Government is set to
announce its preference this week,
but it could still be at least a year
before MPs vote on the issue to
allow for a full debate, which will
be welcomed by Paris CDG, and
other EU gateways.
A cabinet airports sub-committee meeting this week is set to
name Heathrow as its preferred
option as recommended by the
Airports Commission. The Freight

Transport Association, British

International Freight Association, various regional airports,
and the Scottish Government back
this move.
Heathrow released its ninemonth figures last week, which
said cargo volumes increased by
2.1 per cent while revenue was
up 1.2 per cent to 2,093 million
($2.45 billion) but it reported a
210 million post-tax loss - compared to a 419 millionprofit in
the nine-month period last year.
Chief executive officer, John
Holland Kaye says: Heathrow
is the right choice to help make
Britain stronger and fairer for
everyone thats why there is
such broad support across the UK
from Newquay to Inverness for
our plans and we stand ready to
deliver the runway that will keep
Britain a confident, outward looking trading nation as soon as we get
the green light from Government.

have capacity to handle 5.5 million tonnes of cargo a year and

have significant dedicated freight
facilities. In the first two phases
the annual cargo capacity will be
around 4.5 million tonnes per year.
After opening Terminal 2, there
will be another cargo and logistic

area close to the terminal with an

additional one million tonnes per
year of cargo capacity bringing
space for 5.5 million tonnes. There
are plans to expand the airport
further in the years ahead to six
runways and three terminals.
On opening, 180,000 square
metres of online warehouses and
50,000 square metres of offline
warehouses with custom and
cargo agent offices will be ready
before the beginning of 2018.
When completed there will be
300,000 square metres of online
warehouses and around 100,000
square metres of offline warehouses for freight forwarders.
Istanbul New Airport is being
built on an area of 76.5 million
square metres, and is located 35
kilometres from the city centre.

Istanbul New Airport on track and accepting lease bids

Istanbuls new 10.2 billion euros

($11.1 billion) gateway - Istanbul New Airport - is now seeking
companies to lease spaces in the
first terminal building, set to open
on 26 February 2018.
The Istanbul Grand Airport
(IGA) company is calling any firm
wanting to operate at the hub,
which is set to see 250 airlines
run services, including all-cargo
carriers. IGA has sent invitations
to more than 60 airlines and carrier service companies to submit
request forms by 18 November
this year.
The airport project consists
of four phases. The first phase
consists of two detached parallel
runways 1,700 metres apart, and
two attached runways.
When all phases are completed,

the hub will be able to handle 200

million passengers a year, and the
1.4 million square metre Cargo
City within the airports customs
zone will include 300 cargo agency
offices, on which the book-building
process has already begun.
Istanbul New will eventually

60 SECONDS WITH
JONAS VAN
STEKELENBURG
60 SECONDS WITH
ARIAEN
ZIMMERMANN
SWISS MARKET
BOUNCING BACK
AFTER TOUGH 2015
STATES URGED TO
TAKE ACTION ON
LITHIUM BATTERIES

14

18

21

Charters up 9% so
far in 2016 for ACS
AIR Charter Service (ACS) saw charter
numbers rise year-on-year (YOY) by nine
per cent at its financial years halfway
point as of 31 July.
ACS Groups chief executive officer,Justin Bowman says numbers are up nine per
centcompared to the same time last year
at more than 5,800 contracts to the end
of July.
He explains: Were very pleased with
this continued growth, as last year was
our best year by quite some way, exceeding our expectations.
This year so far we have not had any
special events, such as the West Coast
Port Strike last year, for which we were
doing up to three Boeing B747 charters a
day for three weeks.
ACS says the largest project it has undertaken in 2016 was the 48-leg Iron
Maiden world tour between February and
July using the B747 nicknamed Ed Force
One.
Bowman adds: Away from full charters,
our revamped onboard courier division is
doing very well, with an increase of 94
per cent. They are on track to hit 1,000
jobs this year, which will be a remarkable
achievement.

aircargoweek.com

Air cargo conditions improving as year rolls on

NEWS WEEK

he airfreight market conditions have improved since the

start of the year, though world trade volumes and low loads
continue to cause problems, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports in its Airlines Financial
Monitor.
The association says conditions have improved after a weak
patch at the beginning of the year but the world trade outlook continues to present a stiff headwind.
Capacity growth in available freight tonne kilometres has eased
in recent months mainly due to fewer passenger aircraft with bellyhold capacity being delivered, particularly in Asia Pacific.
Industry load factors remain at record lows, keeping cargo yields
and revenue under pressure though IATA says they have stabilised,
though remained at a historically low level.
IATA says: Low freight loads continue to exert pressure on
yields and revenues a particular headwind for Asia Pacific carriers, for whom cargo is a key part of their business.
Fuel prices have increased slightly, with Brent crude oil finishing
September at just under $50 a barrel before rising to just above
$52 in early October, rallying after OPEC agreed to cut oil output
in the coming months, though IATA comments the lack of detail

surrounding the deal caused some analysts to question its success

in rebalancing the market.
IATA says oil prices are around five per cent higher than a year
ago and a weak upward trend is predicted over the foreseeable
future, with prices remaining relatively low at below $60 until
2020.
Net post tax profits of sample airlines have remained robust by
historical standards but were 20 per cent lower in dollar terms
in the second quarter of 2016 compared to 2015 reflecting lower
unit revenues.
Unlike last year, Latin America made a profit and Africa & Middle
East saw an improvement, while North America, Europe and Asia
Pacific were all down.

Spectre orders driven

by e-com

SPECTRE Air Capital is continuing its rapid growth with an

order for 18 Boeing 737-700s and 737-800s due to demand caused by the rapid growth of e-commerce.
The Texan aircraft lessor has ordered 15 firm plus rolling
options for 737-700 and 737-800 passenger to freighter
conversions with Israel Aerospace Industries and a launch
order from Air Incheon for three 737-800 freighters on long
term lease for delivery in early 2017.
Spectre chief executive officer and co-founder, Jordan
Jaffe says demand for express freighters is at an all-time
high, with hundreds more required in the coming years to
meet the demand created by rapid growth in e-commerce
and expansion of the global middle class.

Volumes falling at Abu Dhabi

ABU Dhabi International Airport continues to be affected by
the slight slowdown in the Middle East as it handled 64,626
tonnes of cargo in September, which was a year-on-year
(YOY) fall of 3.8 per cent on the same month in 2015.
For the first nine months of the year, the United Arab Emirate gateway handled 588,900 tonnes, a YOY decline of 5.2
per cent on the 621,191 tonnes handled in the same period
last year.
Cargo traffic has performed better in the last three months
as for the first half of the year from 1 January to 30 June it
was down six per cent on the first half of 2015.
Abu Dhabis passenger traffic has been going in the opposite direction and was up YOY by six per cent after nine
months of 2016 compared to the same period last year.

WorldNews
DESCARTES Systems Group has acquired Appterra a
US-based provider of cloud-based business-to-business
supply chain integration services. Descartes struck a
deal which involves a consideration of $5.8 million, plus
a potential performance-based consideration.
THE Airports Council International Europe says in August freight traffic across the European airport network
grew by 4.5 per cent. For the first eight months of this
year cargo is up by 1.9 per cent across the European
airport network, compared to the same period in 2015.

aircargoweek.com

ACW 24 OCTOBER 2016

NEWSWEEK
K+Ns airfreight EBIT and volumes grow in first 9 months of 2016

uehne + Nagels (K+N) airfreight business has registered a

strong growth in EBIT in the first
nine months of 2016 despite the
company seeing falls in the third
quarter (Q3).
Airfreight earnings before interest and
tax (EBIT) rose by 8.9 per cent to 220 million
Swiss francs ($222 million) in the first nine
months of 2016, with volumes increasing by 2.2
per cent.
Airfreight turnover dipped from 4.1 billion in
the first nine months of 2015 to 3.9 billion this
year.
K+N
explains:
The
global
airfreight
market
remained
tense
in
the third quarter and pressure on margins continued due to shrinking demand
and further capacity increases. Against
this trend, Kuehne + Nagel grew its
tonnage by 3.8 per cent and gross profit

per 100 kilos by 1.4

per cent, mainly due to
further scaling its industry-specific solutions.
For
the
whole
company,
turnover
declined 1.4 per cent
to 12.2 billion Swiss
francs though profits
were up 4.1 per cent to
533 million Swiss francs.
In Q3, turnover was down 2.4 per cent to 4.1
billion Swiss francs and profits dipped by 4.8
per cent to 177 million Swiss francs.
K+N chief executive officer, Dr Detlef Trefzger
(pictured left) says: By maintaining our Groups
focus on industry-specific logistics solutions
and high-quality services, we succeeded in
achieving growth and stable results despite
the demanding market environment. We are
confident about the business development in

the fourth quarter of 2016.

K+N has gained various contracts this year
including being chosen as the preferred provider
of intercontinental cargo flows and end-to-end
shipment order management partner for beauty
and cosmetic manufacturer, Belcorp.
The partnership covers shipment order

management,
door-to-door
visibility,
monitoring, tracking and exception management
through a team of integrated logistics experts in
Bogota.
The transportation services include all
airfreight operations from Europe, Asia and
within the Americas.

Hartrodt helps rare rhino move to Oz

Freight forwarder a. hartrodt (Belgium)

arranged the transportation of a rare rhino
via Singapore Airlines Cargo and says it was
delighted to contribute to the survival of
rhinos.
The challenging task saw a 1100 kilogramme rhino from a German zoo via
Brussels Airport to Australia.
The highly endangered mammal was
destined for a breeding facility Down Under
to broaden the genetic diversity of the
Australian rhino population and ensure its
survival.
This rhino airlift was deemed critically
important to increase the number of
animals born. Its a proven tool for rhino
conservation.
The Australian government has very strict
rules and regulations in relation to the

ACW 24 octoBER 2016

aircargoweek.com

importation of live animals the transport

project had to be carefully planned and all
paperwork meticulously completed before
the animal was able to take off.
In addition, a. hartrodt had to comply with
the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
a.hartrodt (Beigium) director, Philippe
Fierens says: The transport of the rhino
continues a proud tradition of a. hartrodt
to support animal conservation efforts.
The welfare of the animal is, of course, the
most important thing for us.
We therefore asked Singapore Airlines
Cargo to delay the flight out of Brussels.
This way we were able to reduce the transit time in Singapore and the overall travel
time for the rhino to a minimum.
The well-being and comfort of the animal
was closely monitored during the whole trip
by a very experienced veterinarian who accompanied the shipment.
The rhino with its tailor-made transport
box weighed in at 3150 kg and it adds to
the live animals the forwarder has moved
over the last 20 years, which has included
everything from lions, to leopards.
a. hartrodt regional managing director
for Belgium, France and Switzerland, Jens
Roemer: We are proud that we have been
able to develop such good relations with
zoos and breeding stations as well as state
vets, customs authorities, and airlines.
It allows us to prepare and manage such
challenging projects to the highest professional standards both on the ground and in
the air. This is a niche market. It requires
a passion for animals. I am proud that a.
hartrodt has such staff.

NEWSWEEK
BARIG calls for more infrastructure

Bannerman gets top Cargolux role

Cargolux Airlines International has
appointed Christoph Bannerman (pictured)
as its new vice president of corporate development and strategy - succeeding Maxim
Strauss - who took over as executive vice
president and chief financial officer.
Bannerman has gained extensive experience in the aviation and logistics industry
including for the Lufthansa Group as manager of the sales steering and marketing for

he Board of Airline Representatives in Germany (BARIG) says if

Germany wants to maintain its status
as the worlds leading export nation,
it must build more suitable logistics
infrastructure.
BARIG says the airfreight business in Germany is in need of locations that are allowed
to develop dynamically and if this is not the
case, then logistics routes will evade Germany
and increasingly shift to airports in neighbouring countries that are already equipped with
far better framework conditions.
BARIG says its standpoint is clear - the infrastructure for air cargo and logistics in Germany
must be further optimised and organised more
efficiently and large infrastructural projects at
gateways shall no longer be delayed, but rather
tackled consequently.
BARIG secretary general, Michael Hoppe
says: If we miss out on laying the fundament
for a prosperous future today, Germany will
continue to lose ground in international competition, thereby putting its important position
in scheduled, charter and cargo flights at risk.

ACW 24 octoBER 2016

This in return would have serious consequences for economy, jobs and consumers.
The call was made at BARIGs recent industry
event in Munich, attended by over 100 guests.
To strengthen individual air cargo locations
in Germany, BARIG is inducing additional
regional initiatives aimed at securing growth
and enhancing Germanys position towards
competitors from neighbouring countries.
BARIG says a good example is the Air Cargo
Community Frankfurt, a coalition of firms,
institutions and associations with the clear goal
of growing air cargo in Frankfurt and features
over 40 members from all areas of the air cargo
supply chain.
Hoppe adds: Without a perfectly working
infrastructure air cargo has no future in Germany. A rapid enhancement and optimisation
of infrastructure is urgently required. Further
obstacles shall not be placed in the path of
airlines.
New bans on night flights, additional noise
intermissions or noise ceilings imply obvious
and more operational restrictions for airlines
harm the business location Germany.

Asia Pacific at Lufthansa Cargo.

Cargolux president and chief executive
officer, Richard Forson says: We welcome
Christoph Bannerman as a veteran of the
industry.
His knowledge and experience will be a
valuable contribution to the development of
our company and in the formulation of its
strategy in an increasingly challenging market environment.

Strong September for worlds busiest cargo hub

HONG Kong International Airport (HKIA)
posted strong year-on-year (YOY) growth
of 7.2 per cent in September, handling
394,000 tonnes compared to 368,000
tonnes in the same month in 2015.
Transshipments experienced a 15 per
cent increase compared to the same month
last year, and continued to be the main driver of growth in cargo throughput.
HKIA says traffic to and from key trad-

aircargoweek.com

ing regions in North America and South

East Asia saw the most significant rises in
September.
During the first nine months of 2016,
HKIA cargo traffic increased YOY by 1.2 per
cent to 3.2 million tonnes.
On a rolling 12-month basis, HKIA handled 4.4 million tonnes of cargo, marking
YOY increase of 0.9 per cent. Last year,
HKIA was the worlds busiest cargo hub.

NEWS WEEK
Belly capacity upgrades for Etihad

tihad Airways is to add three more

flights a week on its Abu Dhabi to
Madrid Airbus A330-200 service from
1 June 2017, making it a daily service.
This will add another 36 tonnes of
freight capacity with industries including fashion, petrochemicals and construction likely to
see benefits of the change.
Etihad Aviation Group chief strategy and planning officer, Kevin Knight (pictured) says: The
extra flights will cater to the strong demand
between the two capital cities, and connect our
diverse international network even more with
the Spanish capital and destinations across
Spain and beyond,
through our partners.
The extra flights will
provide access to markets across the Middle
East, Africa, Indian
Subcontinent,
Asia
and Australasia.
Etihad has also
announced increased

bellyhold services to Dublin and Dallas Fort

Worth.
From 2 February 2017, the three times a week
Abu Dhabi Dallas will become daily, providing
an additional 96 tonnes of cargo capacity using
a Boeing 777-200LR.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
chief executive officer, Sean Donohue says: We
are excited by the news that Etihad Airways will
soon increase their service from Dallas Fort
Worth to Abu Dhabi to daily flights.
This move shows the strength of the North
Texas market for international travel, and further demonstrates that a great amount of global
business flows through DFW.
The Abu Dhabi-based carrier will also celebrate 10 years in Dublin by doubling cargo
capacity to two A330-200 flights a day to the
Irish capital on 1 April 2017.
Knight comments: This is a commitment to
the Irish market and demonstrates our confidence to dedicate capacity throughout the year
on a route that has enjoyed tremendous support
from travel partners.

Qantas to return to Beijing

Qantas is to return to Beijing for the first

time since 2009 with daily Airbus A330200 bellyhold flights from Sydney as of 25
January 2017.
The flights are subject to government and
regulatory approval.
Qantas Group chief executive, Alan Joyce
(pictured) says: The business travel market is another key focus for this route,
particularly off the back of the free trade
agreement with China, which is increasing
the amount of freight were carrying.
Beijing is Qantas third Chinese route,
adding to its daily return services to Shanghai and 28 returns a week to Hong Kong.
It will increase capacity into Greater China
by 18 per cent and Asian capacity by seven
per cent.
Qantas is focusing on Asia, having
added
services
to
Hong
Kong,
Singapore,
Japan,
the
Philip-

pines and Indonesia over the past

12 months, with 50 per cent of international
capacity focused on the region, compared
with 30 per cent 10 years ago.
Qantas will also be expanding its presence in Japan with daily Melbourne Tokyo
Narita bellyhold services from 16 December using an Airbus A330-300, adding to
the Sydney Tokyo Haneda and Brisbane
Tokyo Narita launched in 2015.

More widebody belly flights for Jet

Jet Airways is to increase domestic connectivity with the introduction of widebody
services and will also be introducing new
routes across India.
It will introduce Airbus A330s on Mumbai
Delhi and Delhi Kolkata routes, doubling
bellyhold capacity on the fast growing routes.
On 30 October, Jet will introduce new flights
between Delhi and Kochi, which is home several businesses including heavy industries,
industrial minerals, fishing and information

aircargoweek.com

technology. For its winter schedule, Jet will

also add a fifth daily Delhi Kolkata service
and a third to Bengaluru Kolkata.
Meanwhile, Icelandic transatlantic airline
WOW air has announced plans to increase
the number of bellyhold flights from London
to its hub in Iceland to two per day, as well
as increases to onward long-haul services to
California. From 27 March 2017, the carrier
will fly daily from London to Los Angeles and
San Francisco, via Reykjavik.

ACW 24 OCTOBER 2016

NEWSWEEK
Expanded Changi Airport hub opened by DHL Express
Strong September
for Cathay

HL Express has opened an expanded DHL South Asia

Hub within Changi Airfreight Centre (CAC) at Singapore
Changi Airport as part of an85 million euro ($93.5 million) investment.
The24-hour express hub facility spans 23,600 square metres
and outfitted with the industrys first fully automated express
parcel sorting and processing system in South Asia.
DHL says it will boost its operational capacity and efficiency
offering speedier deliveries for customers in the region and says
the opening is timely as it has recorded healthy shipment
growth in recent years, particularly in the southern part of Asia
Pacific.
Between 2012 and 2015, the average daily shipments for Oceania grew approximately 50 per cent, South Asia at 30 per cent
and Southeast Asia rose 25 per cent. This facility is 33 per cent
larger than the previous hub, providing DHL with additional
capacity to handle the growing shipment volumes for regional
and international destinations.
DHL explains with the hub located within the CAC, a 24-hour
Free Trade Zone managed by Changi Airport Group, it improves
the flow of goods between aircraft and the facility, and allows
consignments to be shipped or transshipped within an hour.
DHL Express chief executive officer (CEO), Ken Allen says:

Over the years, weve invested significantly to bolster our network and services in Asia Pacific.
Our investment in the DHL South Asia Hub is the most recent
in a series of global network investments made, and is the largest
infrastructural investment made in Singapore to date.
The countrys strategic location not only boosts our operational network capabilities, but also supports growing trade in
the region aided by a stronger global economy.
DHL Express Asia Pacific CEO, Ken Lee sayswith four hubs
in Asia Pacific Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Bangkok
- itlinks over 70 DHL Express Gateways located throughout the
region.
He adds: This will also allow us to add more network flights
in and out of Singapore , such as the recent introduction of the
Phnom Penh Bangkok flight that adds to our existing Bangkok
Singapore service, as regional trade continues to grow.
DHL says thefacility processes up to 24,000 shipments and
documents per hour and can handle more than 628 tonnes of
cargo during the peak processing window.
This processing speed is six times faster, while the handling
capacity is three times more, as compared to the manual operations in the previous facility, significantly boosting DHLs
operations in the region.

CATHAY Pacific Airways had a strong September as Cathay Pacific and Dragonair carried a combined 162,116
tonnes of cargo and mail, a year-on-year (YOY) surge of
7.1 per cent on the amount handled in the same month
in 2015.
The cargo and mail load factor also rose by 2.6 percentage points to 65 per cent and capacity, measured in
available cargo/mail tonne kilometres, increased by 2.2
per cent, while cargo and mail revenue tonne kilometres
(RTKs) increased by 6.3 per cent.
In the first nine months of 2016, the tonnage carried
rose by 1.9 per cent against a 0.5 per cent increase in
capacity and it was flat in RTKs.
Cathay Pacific general manager for cargo sales and
marketing, Mark Sutch says: Overall cargo demand in
September was fairly strong and tonnage continued to
grow. Exports from Europe, Asia and Mainland China all
saw good growth, while demand for freight on our North
America routes was robust.
The last week of the month, prior to the long national
holiday in Mainland China, saw us break the companys
weekly uplift tonnage record. Although yield is down from
the same period in 2015, we plan to maximise our freighter schedule over the last quarter as we expect demand to
strengthen during the traditional peak season.

New cargo facility

to be built in Jakarta
GARUDA Indonesia has signed an agreement with stateowned airport operator Angkasa Pura II at Jakartas
Soekarno-Hatta Airport for development of a commercial
cargo area.
Local media report both penned a deal to develop AP
IIs commercial area in the gatewayscargo warehouse at
Garudas cargo operational service area. The area is set
span 23,000 square metres.
There will reportedly be revenue sharing between Garuda
and AP II from the airfreightbusiness. Garuda is targetinggrowing its cargo business and is seeking to obtain
a$269 million of cargo profit share in 2016.
Garuda Indonesia has 70 Cargo Service Centres (CSC)
across Indonesia with 46 CSCs located in airports and 24
are in city centres, but is looking toexpand its business to
remote corners of Indonesia to support the rapid growth of
domestic and international cargo shipping.

ACW 24 octoBER 2016

aircargoweek.com

60

60 SECONDS

Seconds with

jonas van stekelenburg

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is one of Europes main
air cargo hubs and arguably its most forward thinking
and innovative freight gateway. Director of cargo, Jonas
van Stekelenburg spoke to Air Cargo Week about how
business is and how the airport is working to tap into
the opportunities that e-commerce presents.

Justin Burns, ACW: How has tonnage performed this year?

Van Stekelenburg: We have experienced 1.6 per cent year-onyear growth during the first eight months of 2016. August saw a
small decline compared to last year, but other months were on
average better than last year. Asia remains our biggest market.

Justin Burns, ACW: Which sectors are growing at Schiphol?

Van Stekelenburg: Flowers continue to be a strong performer
worldwide. We are also seeing promising results in pharma,
boosted in part by the Pharma Gateway Amsterdam initiative,
put in place by the whole community.
E-commerce has surprised us with its performance; and
through conversations with Dutch Customs, the number of
small shipments are up. They are seeing an increased number of
declarations each month. Together with Customs, we identified
this as a particular area of opportunity to improve service
delivery, and introduced our new declaration, VENUE, which
assists e-commerce shippers to streamline Customs procedures.

through two pre-existing Customs online platforms. This

increases speed of fulfilment and security of the data.
Last month we entered into a pilot data-sharing project with
KLM Cargo, Jan de Rijk Logistics, Cargonaut, Swissport,
Kuehne+Nagel, Customs services, and tax authorities. The
initiative is part of the Schiphol 2020 Mainport Programme.
Data is being shared real-time. We will have a Cloud platform for
data exchange, reuse, supplementation, and modification.

jonas van stekelenburg

Justin Burns, ACW: How can we tap into e-comm more?
Van Stekelenburg: Air cargo needs to offer even smarter and
more efficient products than we are doing, and push datasharing on all fields, not only in paperless processes, but also
to sharing operational data that allow for better planning and
increased efficiency. Being able to handle huge flows of data
is essential in this matter and it is all about capacity and being
able to be connected to e-commerce hubs wordwide.

Justin Burns, ACW: What growth has Schiphol seen in

e-commerce?
Van Stekelenburg: E-commerce is a fast growing segment. We
seeing strong growth in consolidated e-commerce shipments
and FBA (Fullfilment by Amazon) shipments through our
airport, Post NL gateway is also showing double-digit growth in
parcel units shipped via Schiphol.

Justin Burns, ACW: What kinds of e-comm are you handling?

Van Stekelenburg: Exports are milk powder and other baby
foods, beauty and skin care products, handbags, and fashion.
Imports -personal electronics, sportswear, and fashion.
Justin Burns, ACW: What is Schiphol doing to capture more
e-comm business?
Van Stekelenburg: We are engaging with business partners
to discover more about what their requirements are to use
Schiphol as their main e-commerce gateway in and out of
Europe. We have built up a strong network of e-commerce
businesses in China that are using our strong network and
carriers such as Air China, China Southern, and Yangtze River
Express to ship through Schiphol. Due to our strong ties with
Chinese markets, more logistic companies in China are setting
up around Schiphol.

Justin Burns, ACW: What are the strong e-trade lanes?

Van Stekelenburg: China is the largest market, and other trade
lanes are growing fast, especially looking at mail and parcels.
Inbound, the UK is leading as expected, but NL is ideally situated
as a European Union distribution hub for large markets
such as Germany and France. Special events such as Singles
day, Valentines day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday play an
increasingly important role in cross border e-commerce trade.
Justin Burns, ACW: How important is Asia for e-commerce?
Van Stekelenburg: Very important, both in terms of import as
exports, and due to our strong networks even to Australasia.
In China the e-commerce boom is largely attributed to women,
particularly overseas shopping for Western products. Known as
Chinas she-economy, women are responsible for more than 60
per cent of online shopping and a higher spend value, despite
making up 44 per cent of online users. Baby formulas, beauty
products and health supplements are top items.
Justin Burns, ACW: How important is digitisation?
Van Stekelenburg: We see digitisation as absolutely vital to
secure a strong future for air cargo. The new VENUE Customs
declaration is completely paperless, and data is transmitted

aircargoweek.com

ACW 24 october 2016

NEWSWEEK
FedEx to expand 40% at CDG

edEx Express is to spend 200 million

($219.7 million) to increase capacity
at its Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport
(CDG) distribution hub (artist impression pictured above), increasing capacity by 40
per cent.
Construction is set to begin in the summer
of 2017 and is scheduled to be operational by
2019. The CDG hub will include an automated
sorting system for large, over-sized packages, a
first for FedEx Express and an increasing market trend as e-commerce grows.
This is part of a plan by FedEx to invest 1.4
billion in its Paris hub as part of a 30-year lease
as it especially targets e-commerce traffic which
is set to grow significantly.
FedEx Express president and chief executive
officer (CEO), David Bronczek says: This strategic expansion in Paris is an example of how
we will continue to invest to move goods faster
and more reliably across borders, which means
our customers can decrease costs, improve their
supply chain and identify new opportunities for
growth and profitability.

10

ACW 24 OCTOBER 2016

FedEx Express Europe president and TNT

CEO, David Binks explains the investment is
part of the companys network expansion strategy, creating more capacity and enabling more
business connections in Europe and around the
world.
He adds: This new expansion, coupled with
the recent TNT acquisition, supports the evolving needs of our customers and the global
marketplace while increasing our ability to support trends like cross-border e-commerce.
The new building will be HQE and BREEAM
certified, meaning it will be built with non-polluting materials and equipped with LED lighting.
FedEx also expects the expansion will create
new jobs, adding to the existing CDG workforce.
In addition, TNT will open a ground hub just
North of Paris in the Ile de France region along
with three TNT ground depots, which it says will
improve connectivity between France, Europe
and the rest of the world.
FedEx Express has been active in France since
1985, and CDG became its main European hub
in 1999.

Lufthansa picks myAirCargo partner

Lufthansa Cargo has appointed Militzer
& Mnch as its exclusive European partner
for the myAirCargo product, to allow private
customers to transport bulky goods by air.
It was awarded the contract in January
2016, and Militzer & Mnch will coordinate the handling in the Europe region from
Frankfurt.
Staff from the branch office are responsible for the collection of goods for export,
drawing up accompanying documents and
getting the shipment ready for transport
including weighing, measuring, customs
clearance and security check. For imports,
staff do the customs clearance and on-car-

riage to the consignee.

At present, myAirCargo is only available
on routes connecting Europe and the US.
Militzer & Mnchs US partner Pilot Freight
Services does the US handling.
MyAirCargo is for items weighing over 50
kilogrammes and is designed for products
such as an art object that is too large or
heavy to take home as carry-on luggage.
Meanwhile, Lufthansa Cargo and DB
Schenker say they have saved 10,000
tonnes of CO2 over the past five years and
hope to save another 10,000 by 2020.
Schenker says 40 per cent of its direct and
indirect CO2 emissions are from air cargo.

WFS and PIA sign 3-year UK deal

Worldwide
Flight
Services
(WFS) has signed a three-year deal
to provide Pakistan International
Airlines (PIA) with cargo handling
and trucking services in the UK.
WFS will handle import and
export cargo on PIA flights from
Londons Heathrow Airport, Birmingham Airport and Manchester
Airport, connecting UK customers with Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.
WFS operations director, UK & Ireland,
Cliff McKrell (pictured) says: This is another important contract win for WFS. PIA
has recognised the value of having a single cargo handler at all three of its online

aircargoweek.com

airports in the UK, which we are also

able to connect using our UK coastwise trucking network.
Combined with our close
working relationship with the
airlines GSA partner in the
UK, this increases the potential
to generate cargo for the airlines
flights from across the country.
Cargo carried onboard PIAs 10 flights
a week at Heathrow will be managed at
WFS Building 551 at the World Cargocentre. WFS also operates terminals at
Birmingham and Manchester, and PIA does
10 flights a week from Manchester and four
a week from Birmingham.

NEWS WEEK
Boeing 767 part shipped by Volga

large aircraft production component

for a Boeing 767 was delivered this
month to Paine Field Airport in
the US on a Volga-Dnepr Airlines
An-124-100 under the logistics
support agreement between Boeing and Volga-Dnepr Group.
The oversized component, was transported
inside an ocean container to ensure its secured
and timely delivery from the production plant in
Japan. With additional aircraft parts and other
equipment, the total weight of the shipment
from Nagoya was 35,000 kilogrammes.
The cargo was
delivered from
Japan to Paine
Field and onto
the nearby Boeing factory in
Everett
within
24 hours of its
arrival at the airport in Nagoya.
To expedite the
handling process,
the container was
loaded onboard

the An-124 Freighter using Volga-Dneprs specially-developed loading ramps.

Volga-Dnepr Groups global director for the
aerospace industry, Axel Kaldschmidt (pictured)
says: This latest transportation is a further
demonstration of the fast and dependable logistics support we continue to offer through our
valued partnership with Boeing.
In July, Boeing and Volga-Dnepr Group
strengthened their cooperation by signing a
new agreement for the Groups subsidiaries
AirBridgeCargo Airlines and Volga-Dnepr
Airlines to provide long-term logistics support
for Boeing Commercial Airplanes and its partners using Boeing 747-8F and Antonov 124-100
Freighters.
In addition, Volga-Dnepr Group confirmed its
order for the acquisition of 20 747-8 Freighters.
Meanwhile, Volga-Dnepr Group has promoted
Robert van de Weg to senior vice president of
sales and marketing. He is responsible for the
scheduled cargo operations and charter businesses covering ABC Airlines, Volga-Dnepr
Airlines and Atran Airlines.
Between them, they have a fleet of 16 747s, 12
AN-124-100s, five Ilyushin IL-76TD-90VDs and
three Boeing 737-400 Freighters.

12 Dreamliners for China Southern

CHINA Southern Airlines has finalised its

order for 12 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners valued at $3.2 billion - to further strengthen
its expanding long-haul fleet.
The 787-9s fuselage is six metres longer than the 787-8, and can fly more cargo
further. Boeing says the 787-9 uses 20 per
cent less fuel with 20 per cent fewer emissions than similar sized aircraft.
China Southern Airlines chief executive officer, Tan Wangeng says: The 787
Dreamliners have helped us to achieve
initial success in implementing our internationalisation strategy in the past few years
and enabled us to make our operation and
services more appealing to passengers.

The additional new 787-9s will further

increase our capacity and services for our
long-haul routes.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes senior vice
president Northeast Asia Sales, Ihssane
Mounir says: China Southern has been a
long-standing Boeing customer and we truly
appreciate their confidence in the 787. The
787-9 will help the airline achieve a new
level of efficiency and profitability.
China Southern was the Chinese launch
customer for the 787, operating 10 787-8s
which enabled it to launch six new nonstop routes to London and Rome in Europe,
Vancouver in North America and Perth,
Auckland and Christchurch in Australasia.

Hyperloop capsule mission for DHL

DHL has helped the future of transport by

delivering the TU Delft Hyperloop capsule to
the US for the Hyperloop Pod Competition.
The Hyperloop came from US entrepreneur, Elon Musks desire for faster, durable,
safe and reliable transportation, and is designed to transport people and goods at a
speed of 1,200 kilometres per hour through
tubes of very low air pressure.
The competition capsules are half shelled
prototypes, which are not able to transport passengers or freight at this time, and

Delfts unit weighs 149 kilogrammes and is

about 4.5 metres long and one high.
DHL Express chief executive officer,
Ken Allen says it is happy to support any
initiatives that look to push the boundaries of logistics to new levels of speed and
efficiency.
DHLs logistic support consisted of transportation, and advice on feasibility and data
to give the Delft team a benchmark against
existing modes of transport and building a
business case for the technology.

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ACW 24 OCTOBER 2016

11

NEWSWEEK
Business on track for HAE in the US

he North American general sales and

services agent (GSSA) market has
been challenging in some parts for
HAE, but also rewarding.
HAE has eight offices in the US and
represents the likes of Ethiopian Airlines,
Hainan Airlines, and Swiss World Cargo.
Americas president, Ian Hutchinson explains
that business this year has been about what it
expected given the overcapacity in the market
and the challenging nature of the GSSA business at the moment.
He notes: Challenging, requirement constant
innovation and creativity, with a strong costs
control style and a drive for greater IT solutions.
Hutchinson says the GSSA marketplace is
extremely competitive, given the current market demands and rising cost pressures such as
health care benefits and he notes HAE tailors its
offerings to suit clients.
On 1 June, HAE Canada became a functioning
part of the HAE Group and based at Toronto
Pearson International Airport and a partnership between the HAE Group and GSM Cargo.
Hutchinson says: The global scope of HAE,
combined with local expertise, and strong
Canadian relationships of GSM will ensure a
welcomed addition to the HAE Group.
HAE Canadas aim is to develop a strong

12

ACW 24 octoBER 2016

GSSA presence, coupled with a dynamic and

creative solutions business, using HAEs global
footprint, unique tools and twenty years of
aviation experience. HAE will also expand its
training business into the Canadian market over
the coming months.
HAE Canada is proud to represent Aztec Airways, Air Jamaica and SATA Azores Airlines,
with a few more in the pipeline.
HAE Canadas team is comprised of industry
focused professionals, who have many years of
experience related to GSSA, international project and airline training activities lead.
HAE he explains is on supporting its current
client list, while driving sustainable growth.
Hutchinson adds: We are also focusing on
the US Government related business to Africa
and the Middle East, where we have invested in
our new transit hub in JNB and expanded on our
products and support via HAE DXB.
These investments enables us to offer carriers, and freight forwarding customers, value
added services that are not available elsewhere.
Global expansion of our IATA Training division
into US and Canada is also been evaluated.
As for the future of the North American GSSA
marketplace he expects a continued drive for
efficiencies and an increased call from the
airline to dedication to their individual cause.

Drones deliver blood in Rwanda

RWANDA has operated drones to make
emergency deliveries of blood to transfusing
facilities as part of an international partnership between UPS, Gavi, the Vaccine
Alliance and Zipline.
The Rwandan government will start using
drones to make up to 150 on-demand,
emergency deliveries a day to 21 facilities
in the Western half of the country following
a ceremony in Muhanga District.
The delivery programme will enable blood
transfusion clinics to place emergency orders by text message, which Zipline will
receive at its Muhanga District distribution centre where it maintains a fleet of 15
drones called Zips.
Zipline chief executive officer, Keller Rinaudo says: The inability to deliver life
saving medicines to the people who need
them the most causes millions of preventable deaths each year around the world.
Zipline will help solve that problem once

and for all. Weve built an instant delivery

system for the world, allowing medicine to
be delivered on-demand and at low-cost,
anywhere.
Zipline says the Zips can fly up to 150
kilometres on a round trip carrying 1.5 kilogrammes of blood, with the drones taking
off and landing at the Nest. The Zips make
deliveries by descending close to the ground
and air dropping medicine to a designated
spot called a mailbox near the health centres and can make fulfil orders in around 30
minutes.

Alaska Airlines opts for SmartKargo

SMARTKARGO has been selected by Alaska Airlines to provide its booking engine for
Alaskas expanding cargo business throughout North America.
The IT provider will provide the technology to drive growth and business innovation
for the carrier. The cloud-based SmartKargo
solution will feature ease-of-use for cargo
customers through a smart booking process
that provides a robust backend system to
allow users to input the booking require-

aircargoweek.com

ments on a single screen.

The engine comes pre-loaded with key
information, such as IATA regulatory and
commodity codes. The technology also enables the electronic air waybill.
Alaska Airlines managing director of
cargo, Jason Berry says the carrier is excited about the future capabilities SmartKargo
provides, while its commitment to drive innovation aligns with its own to deliver the
best customer experience in the business.

NEWS WEEK

Miami launches ocean-to-air transhipment program

iami International Airport (MIA) is expecting to

handle its first ocean-to-air transhipments by the
end of this year after its permit was approved by
the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
It says the ocean-to-air pilot program will save
cargo shippers time and money, who will receive expedited air
transport for perishable products and will not be required to pay
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) duties.
MIA partnered with Crowley Maritime subsidiary Customized Brokers to gain approval allowing the logistics company to
coordinate ocean shipments of perishable products from Latin
America to PortMiami or Port Everglades and
then transport them to MIA, where they will
depart by air via KLM Cargo or Centurion
Cargo to foreign destinations in Europe
and Asia.
The CBP has granted approval for
expedited processing of ocean shipments
before departing by air.
Miami-Dade Aviation director, Emilio
Gonzalez (pictured) says: We deeply appre-

Budapest aiming high

ciate the USDA and CBP for recognising the value of this pilot
program to both the local and national economy.
Cargo shippers now have an additional, expedited channel
for transporting perishables through the U.S., which incentivises

them to do more business at MIA and PortMiami two of our

states strongest economic engines. The pilot programme also
continues our efforts to grow cargo at MIA through outside-thebox initiatives.
Customized Brokers vice president, Kimberly Wakeman adds:
This pilot program follows wins that weve had in securing additional entry points in South Florida, South Carolina and Savannah
for certain perishables entering the U.S. from Central and South
America. This further expands the distribution of fresh produce
into supermarkets across the globe.
Miami-Dade County mayor, Carlos Gimenez says: Congratulations to MIA and PortMiami, our Countys two largest economic
engines, on collaborating to generate new revenue and better
serve our local cargo industry.
Innovative programs such as this one also help our business
community strengthen ties within the global marketplace.
MIA is the busiest hub in the US for international cargo and 10th in
the world, says handling the new shipments from the seaport
will add to the 1.9 million tonnes of international airfreight
and over 2.1 million tonnes of total airfreight it processes
annually.

Budapest Airport is expecting to handle over 100,000

tonnes of cargo in 2016 after breaking the 10,000 tonne a
month mark for the first time in September.
Cargo volumes grew by 33 per cent in September helped
by strong growth from Cargolux and Turkish Cargo, and
Qatar Airways Cargos decision to operate a third weekly
Airbus A330 Freighter from 7 October is expected to further increase cargo.
In addition, bellyhold cargo has grown with Emirates offering daily Boeing 777 services and new flights to Beijing
with Air China and to Toronto with Air Canada Rouge.
Budapest Airport property director, Ren Droese says
the strong growth means it is even more important that
the dedicated air cargo base, Cargo City opens as planned
in 2018.
We are working hard on commencing the process of
development of the Cargo City, negotiating with potential tenants who may start or continue their activities in a
state-of-the-art air cargo facility within two years replacing
the infrastructure currently used by them, he adds.
Integrators have also been performing well, with the
likes of DHL, UPS and FedEx flying at night to major distribution hubs in Western Europe and returning at dawn with
new cargo. DHL added a second daily aircraft in Budapest
to cater for demand.

5.9% surge for Frankfurt

Cargo volumes at Frankfurt Airport surged by 5.9 per cent
in September helped by the slight recovery of the global
economy.
September cargo throughput, which includes airfreight
and mail for import, export and transit, increased to
180,252 tonnes, and was up 1.3 per cent to 1.58 million
tonnes for the first nine months of the year.
Frankfurts operator, Fraport operates a number of airports around the world. In Slovenia, Ljubljana Joze Pucnik
International Airport was down 0.6 per cent in September
to 923 tonnes, while Limas Jorge Chavez International
Airport in Peru declined 9.5 per cent to 27,479 tonnes.
In Bulgaria, Burgas Airport increased by 19.3 per cent
to 1,131 tonnes and Varna Airport was up 23.7 per cent
to 12 tonnes. Germanys Hannover-Langenhagen Airport
increased by 15.8 per cent in September to 1,565 tonnes
while Fraports Chinese airport, Xian Xianyang International Airport dipped two per cent to 22,040 tonnes.

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ACW 24 OCTOBER 2016

13

60
60 SECONDS

Seconds with

Justin Burns, ACW: What have youachieved

since the rebranding?
Zimmermann: We have implemented changes.
Some has been under the hood of Cargo iQ,
such as preparing full membership options for
members, finalising selection of our external
audit partners, and aligning our door-to-airport

ariaen zimmermann
Cargo iQ has added to its members over the summer and is set
to announce more soon as it grows since its rebranding from
Cargo 2000 in March. Executive director, Ariaen Zimmermann
spoke to Air Cargo Week about what the International Air
Transport Association interest group has been up to and got his
views on the air cargo industry.

and airport-to-door specs.

Some have been very visible, such as our
bi-monthly newsletter inSight, and our reports.
We have new members in ground handling and
airports, and are in promising discussions with
several airlines. Many members have upgraded
their level of commitment. An initiative I am

excited about involves commercial departments

of members becoming more involved in Cargo
iQ. We are producing a commercial toolkit that
will be distributed to members. This will help
the commercial side of organisations better
understand and communicate what we do for
them, and keep the Cargo iQ message clear.
Justin Burns, ACW: What response has
Cargo iQ had from across the supply chain?
Zimmermann: Overall, we feel a great
shift in how we are perceived. In short Id
say reservation has been replaced with
expectation. People are understanding the
nature of our work better: were no longer seen
as a project, but rather a movement of change
and improvement. The popular opinion at the
time of our rebranding was change was needed
industry-wide, and we feel we have captured
this. We are sure the uplift in the amount
of members becoming Cargo iQ accredited
is down to clearer messaging about the
benefits. To drive quality, the market and our
members need to value quality; it is up to us to
demonstrate value and make quality visible.

Justin Burns, ACW: Why should air cargo

focus on quality?
Zimmermann: There is no alternative. We feel
the industry is under duress from low rates and
the economic setup of our markets. The current
players will have to intensify their efforts to
be part of the future. Quality has effects on the
cost as well as on the value of our products.
With ever increasing pressure on our margins,
we cannot afford any more waste. Losing
control of shipments comes with huge costs.
We see shipments are driven by budget, but
also those by an absolute need for speed.
We need to be able to sell different products
to these types of demand. For this we need
control, and to reduce waste and offer a
fitting product, sometimes with thin and very
generous margins. The reality is if we dont do
itour competitors will and before we know it
our spot at the table will be taken by another.
Historically the industry has focused on
quantity and volume as an indicator of success.
Although these are crucial for forecasting
especially, it means we lose the analytical edge,
and do not have the ability to look at how and
why things may go wrong.

14

ACW 24 OCTOBER 2016

aircargoweek.com

ariaen zimmermann
Justin Burns, ACW: What finds have you
made in your data analysis?
Zimmermann: Two things pop out, one
has to do with the overall numbers of our
industry and the other is we have started to
realise the potential of this data tool. We can
learn so much more from our data. We can
provide detailed information on our members
processes in the context of comparison to that
of their competitors. We can help our members
focus their quality investments where they
actually matter. We can even check our
members performance data regarding various
elements a kind of real-time continuous audit.
We already notice we are providing insight in
door-to-door journey times (around 5.5 days,
of which 33 per cent is spent under carrier
control) the discussion becomes more focused
on where we need to improve.
Quality and measurement are the pathways
to process improvement. The data we are
gathering now tells us and our customers much
more. We are able to demonstrate success,
areas for improvement, and how we plan to get
there. These are what customers really need.

Justin Burns, ACW: What are the biggest

challenges facing the industry?
Zimmermann: The biggest challenges seem to
be the economics of an industry where most of
our costs are fixed on the short term, demand
seems more or less stable, and a systemic state
of overcapacity puts pressure on rates.
We need to differentiate our products, and
demonstrate to the customer what they are
paying for. There is a lot of demand out there
for our premium services and we should
offer those services in addition to serving
our budget driven customers. When we can
demonstrate we are best equipped to address
the needs of every customer, we should offer
a premium product and only then we may
expect a premium return. Its true we do need
to reduce costs, but not merely at specific parts
by reducing the rates we are willing to pay. The
best way for our industry and our customers to
reduce costs is to avoid them.
Improved quality and control will allow us to
differentiate our products and avoid waste. If
we are good and efficient enough, whole new
markets are open to us such e-commerce.

Tabloid trim.indd 1

30/09/2016 17:03

PERISHABLES

US gateway for perishables to expand facilities

iami International Airport

(MIA) is Americas principle perishables gateway, handling more
than 66 per cent of all perishable
imports and nearly 90 per cent of
all flower imports coming into the US.
This year, the perishables industry has continued to exhibit strong growth through MIA,
explains Miami-Dade Aviation department
division director of marketing, Chris Mangos.
For example, in terms of flowers, the number
of stems handled during the Mothers Day and
Valentines Day peak periods were up by nearly
eight per cent over last year. We expect to see
continued growth the rest of the year as well,
he observes.
Flowers make up a large share of the perishables imported into MIA. Fish and crustaceans
are also an important source of business, as
are vegetables. There has been traffic growth

through MIA in each of these three major perishable segments over the last five years.
But with increasing perishables traffic, MIA is
going to require more infrastructure to handle
it. Our Cargo Optimisation, Redevelopment and
Expansion (CORE) Program is a seven-phase
plan still in the conceptual stage that is designed
to - optimise the use of existing facilities and
space to provide additional near-term capacity;
remove and re-develop select existing facilities
that are costly to maintain with newer, more efficient and better demand-serving facilities; and
expand cargo facilities incrementally in order to
serve demand-driven needs and growth, Mangos explains.
This year, we expect to finalise the plan, identify viable sources of funding, and commence
Phase 1, with Phase 1 and 2 projected for completion in 2021, Mangos adds.
The airport operator is also working on its

cargo master plan, which includes plans to significantly expand its perishables facilities by the
year 2035.
MIA has 24/7 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations and extended hours for
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspections on site, which help importers to minimise
costs in the processing and clearing of goods.
Moreover, MIA is also the only US gateway
with two on-site fumigation facilities, which
provide for efficient pest control of perishables
needing immediate fumigation.

However, improvements in this area are being

sought by the airport operator. For example,
The current volume of perishable imports and
increased volumes of other commodities is putting a strain on the limited number of CBP and
USDA inspectors currently assigned to MIA,
Mangos observes.
He adds: Increased delays in the inspection
process may result in additional business being
diverted elsewhere. USDA providing 24/7 operations similar to CBP would greatly expedite the
inspection process.

Flowers power AFKLMP uplift

MANY of the worlds big air cargo carriers

have developed their time and temperature
sensitive products to support the movement
of perishables along with pharmaceuticals.
One is Air France KLM Martinair Cargo
(AFKLMP), which moves a substantial
amount of perishables with a large part
of this consisting of flowers flown into the
Dutch capital to support what is Europes
biggest flower market Aalsmeer - just outside Amsterdam.
We fly roughly 100,000 tonnes (of perishables) a year into Amsterdam, informs
AFKLMP director of perishables, Pieter
Fotma. Out of Amsterdam, we are talking
about roughly 40,000 tonnes a year.
A vast amount of this traffic consists
of flowers (as well as the imports, flowers
are re-exported out of the Netherlands), although more and more flowers are delivered
directly to the end-customer.
Out of Africa, flowers destined for the
Netherlands tend to go via the auction in
Aalsmeer.
Fotma continues: The perishables business is a very important and consistent
factor in the airfreight industry, and for
AFKLMP. We are still the number one play-

16

ACW 24 OCTOBER 2016

aircargoweek.com

er in the flower business and are trying to

maintain that position by focusing our full
freighter capacity on the main flower corridors linking Quito, Bogota and Nairobi to the
Netherlands.
To support its perishables business,
AFKLMP offers three dedicated services,
Fresh 1, Fresh 2 and Fresh 3, each with different specifications to meet the needs of
various customers.
Ensuring the integrity of perishable shipments is a top priority. We constantly strive
to keep a closed cool chain for our perishables and involve our partners in the chain
as much as possible to ensure this integrity, Fotma says.
He continues: A good example of this is
the recently formed Holland Flower Alliance
(HFA), created together with Royal FloraHolland and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
In this non-exclusive alliance, we strive
for elevating the quality of the integrated
cool chain to the highest possible level, ensuring an extended vase life for flowers.
Under the umbrella of the alliance, we
are currently preparing for a couple of workshops in which we will look into the potential
to design the ideal cool chain.

PERISHABLES

Asia driving Panalpina Fresh is big in China

or Panalpina, perishables represent

an important business, but preserving
the integrity of the cool-chain throughout the entire shipping process is key
and requires care and thought.
The worldwide perishables airfreight sector grew by around eight per cent in 2015 and
Panalpinas volumes grew above the market
average, says global head of specialty vertical
perishables, Colin Wells.
Asia is an increasingly important import market, he observes, driving growth in the sector.
Many perishables traditionally imported into
Europe are now also in high demand in Asia.
Moreover, theres been strong growth in volumes moved out of South America and Central
America, especially Mexico, while the European
market continues to hold up well.
The forwarder has moved into new areas of
the perishables business. It has focused on a
number of types of artisan produce, away from
the well-recognised segments like flowers, fish,
and fruit and vegetables. Panalpina is also now
overseeing the movement of British cheese into
the Middle East and moving ice cream from the
UK into the southern Mediterranean.
As well as ensuring perishables reach their
destination quickly and in the condition that
they left their place of origin, Panalpina offers
its customers value-added services, such as pick
and pack and quality control reports.
Panalpinas perishables business chief in
Europe, Quint Wilken notes relations with cargo
carriers is vital to ensure the needs of the customer for cool-chain integrity are met, perhaps
even more important is how the cargo is treated
on the ground on the apron, in the warehouse

and on the road, which is hard to manage for any

shipper or forwarder.
One trend Wilken and Wells point to as having a potentially huge impact on perishables in
airfreight is e-commerce. More and more consumers are ordering them online and direct from
sources remote from their own location. Given
their expectations of rapid delivery of orders,
that is going to require airfreight shipping.
We may start seeing more perishables previously moved by sea freight move by air, Wells
predicts, describing e-commerce as a positive
influence to be embraced.
Panalpinas perishables business requires
investment in people, facilities and equipment.
It is now trialing new cool-chain blankets and a
container alternative to Envirotainer while its
Product Empathy strategy is key focusing on
understanding the product, producer and how
each perishable product needs to be handled.

PERISHABLES are a huge part of business for Hong Kong International Airports
(HKIA) biggest cargo handler, Hong Kong Air
Cargo Terminals (Hactl).
Chief executive, Mark Whitehead says in
2015, Hactl handled around 73,000 tonnes
of perishable cargo. Hactl has provided for
the needs of this sector for many years,
Whitehead notes, adding it provides special
treatment for inbound perishables, including segregation at aircraft unloading.
Capabilities have been further streamlined with adoption of mobile computing
throughout operations, enabling our teams
to alert the terminal direct of arriving perishables, so that all necessary resources
are in place, Whitehead says. Where temperature extremes exist and the cargo is
particularly temperature-sensitive, we have
the option to deploy temperature-controlled
thermal dollies to protect goods during ramp
transfers.
Hactl operates a dedicated Perishable
Cargo Handling Centre, next to the HKIA
cargo apron, allowing rapid transfers of perishables including seafood, fruit and flowers
between aircraft and waiting trucks.

aircargoweek.com

The centre has dedicated airside access

and 33 landside truck docks. It handles exports and imports, and standard time for
release of imports is two hours after arrival, but this window can be reduced further
by prior arrangement. It also has easy access to temperature-controlled storage, for
holding import cargo in peak condition when
required for later collection, or when exports
are delivered early for outbound flights.
Perishables are a major focus for Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo
Terminal Co (PACTL). Vice president, Lutz
Grzegorz says: The volumes of temperature-sensitive cargo on both passenger and
freighter aircraft have been increasing for
several years in a row now.
In April 2016, PACTL opened a 3,500
square metre Cool Center. Grzegorz notes:
The facility features a capacity of up to
100,000 tonnes of temperature-sensitive air
cargo per annum and contributed to development of Shanghai Pudong International
Airport as the number one pharmaceutical
gateway in China. To secure the integrity of
cool chain on the apron, we provide the ramp
handlers with special refrigerated dollies.

ACW 24 OCTOBER 2016

17

SWITZERLAND

Swiss market bouncing back after a tough 2015

015 was a tough year for the Swiss airfreight market from pressure on yields and exchange rates, but
through a combination of creativity, technology and the
further development of key sectors such as pharmaceuticals it is looking to bounce back.
Swiss WorldCargo head of cargo, Ashwin Bhat (pictured)
describes 2016 as a year of change as it strives to drive a recovery in tonnage volumes and revenues from a rocky 2015.
Last year, revenues were hit by currency changes after the
Swiss National Bank abolished its previous minimum Swiss
franc/euro exchange rate. The value of the franc rose and with
Swiss WorldCargo taking around 80 per cent of revenues in foreign currencies, figures were hit. Overcapacity
battered yields with lower fuel surcharges
also proving a headache.
But now Bhat says tonnage volumes, at
least, are beginning a fightback.
One of the main drivers has been the
new additions to the Swiss fleet including
its new Boeing 777-300ER (above), the
first of which was delivered to Zurich Air-

port in January. Swiss has ordered nine of the long-haul twin-jet

aircraft, offering it the opportunity to improve airfreight services
between Zurich and cities such as New York JFK, Hong Kong, Montreal, Los Angeles, Bangkok, Sao Paulo, San Francisco and Tel Aviv.
Utilising the capacity of the 777, which is more flexible than
we had previously, has helped our tonnage numbers. With Airbus
340-300s we could offer between 15 to 18 tonnes but with the
Boeing it is close to 20 to 25 tonnes, says Bhat. The increased
tonnage has however not converted into revenues as the pressure
of the market is still there in terms of yield.
Bhat says its focus remains on not just general cargo as it looks

to fill this increased capacity but special, niche cargo such as

pharmaceuticals.
Pharma is developing fast. There is a demand given that some
of the big players are based here in Switzerland and it fits our
skill-sets. We want to penetrate further into this area and take
a bigger part of the pie but whatever we offer in pharma, quality must be of the highest standard, he states. We have Good
Distribution Practice and CEIV Pharma certification in Zurich but
now we are undertaking certification of Swiss WorldCargo as an
organisation. We have started the process and realistically we
could have it by the end of this year to the first quarter of 2017.

CEIV trade lanes

It is also developing CEIV lanes such as the deal in June where

it, Cargologic and SATS secured a temperature-controlled, quality corridor between Singapores Changi Airport and Zurich. The
primary target is the pharma industry with its need for the highest level of certified, temperature integrity and tracking.
We needed to get our handling agents together to create
these quality corridors where the big pharma traffic is passing
through, Bhat states. We are looking at more quality corridors
around the globe and for like-minded partners. Certain discussions have already started but it is too early to reveal anything.
It also recently signed a partnership deal with va-Q-tec, developer of passive closed cold chain container solutions. The aim is
to further support pharma manufacturers and forwarders to ship
their temperature goods within the Swiss WorldCargos global
network through direct airline container rentals.
va-Q-tec offers five hard shell container sizes, taking up to two
pallets inside, andtemperatures ranges from -70 degrees Celsius
to +25 degrees Celsius.
The focus for this deal is again on the quality of service,
explains Bhat. We will also soon be announcing that we have
an active tracking device on our network as it is one of the pain
points in pharma. We will have one central team supporting our
customers if they have any questions relating to their shipments.
Away from pharma, Swiss WorldCargo is also making the case
for the new electronic air waybill (e-AWB).
It is about improving efficiency, speed and transparency and
we are part of the IATA e-AWB 360 initiative. I would like the
penetration to be much higher, but our customers and handling
agents must be in the same mindset, Bhat says.

Digitisation vital

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ACW 24 october 2016

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Digitisation in a wider sense is also vital. How can we use

developing global technology to our and our customers benefit
in terms of transparency, data exchange and efficiency? he says.
We will be coming out with our new track and trace module
within SwissWorldCargo.com in the last quarter of this year.
With a click of our button they can know about their shipments
but also our capabilities at any given station. Also what does
machine learning mean for us? What does Big Data mean how
do I bring value to our customers and improve their experience?
Bhat also believes customer service is growing in importance:
Airfreight is becoming more commoditised and one way of
differentiating your self is further developing your brand proposition, he says. It is not just about moving say pharma products.
It is about knowing how to talk to the industry and understand their requirements. You need to have a knowledge based
organisation and understanding every part of the customer
journey.
Swiss WorldCargo is also further evaluating the potential of
perishables and e-commerce and what both may mean for the
group. We will have a role to play in the growth of e-commerce
and the continued growth of perishables. We have to find our own
space, Bhat states.
He adds: There are opportunities and we are getting our capabilities ready for those areas. It is about finding solutions and
giving services to our customers.

2016 looking better for Swiss hubs

urich Airport (pictured) had an

encouraging first-half of 2016 recording a 1.8 per cent increase to 206,215
tonnes compared to 2015.
Weve been boosted by the extra
capacity given to Swiss International Airlines thanks to the new fleet of Boeing 777s,
says Zurichs head of cargo operations, Andreas
Keller. The Swiss economy has also recovered
a bit after the EU/Swiss franc currency changes
last year. The freight market is highly competitive and rates have dropped. But we expect a
plus of about two per cent for the whole year.
Keller identifies pharma, valuables and specific goods as most prone to growth. We have a
new project called E Freight which should simplify processes and make them more efficient,
Keller says. We are also planning, among other
projects, the extension of already existing infrastructure for special goods.
Geneva Airport stumbled in 2015 when
cargo activity declined by 10.3 per cent to 65,016
tonnes. It blames increased processing capacities at other competing airports in Switzerland
with imported and exported volumes remaining
at encouraging levels. The weakening of the
business climate and regional economic conditions also had a negative impact on air cargo
activity, the airport explains.
2016 looks more promising helped by the
introduction of Qatar Airways Dreamliner
and Emirates, adding a second daily service
to Geneva from 1 June. Emirates has added
additional cargo capacity of 20 tonnes per day
in each direction including pharma products,
spare parts, chemicals and semi-conductors.
Geneva business development and cargo

manager, Samer Jabr says: We are recovering

and we should end the year slightly positive. But
2017 should be even better. We had been progressing for six consecutive years (until 2015).
It is also developing a pharma project. We are
looking at a facility dedicated to pharma as here
in Geneva we have many pharma plants. People
tend to think that only Basel has this kind of
business but we have many important groups
here as well, so we are targeting it, Jabr says.
We are looking at developing a temperature
controlled storage facility which we expect to
open in 2017 or 2018.
Geneva is also focusing on more long-haul
cargo: We have space for this. We are looking
at one or two more Asian airlines, one or two in
Africa and Latin America and talking to airlines
interested in coming, Jabr states.
He is a backer of e-freight: Its time for it to
take-off so we dont lose too much ground to
other transportation modes. Its a standard process here and should be extended to all major
airlines, freight forwarders and agents.

SWITZERLAND
Export falls impacting air cargo

PANALPINAs head of airfreight in

Switzerland, Andre Kaiser says the
market in 2015 and 2016 has been truly
challenging.
The currency decoupling of the Swiss
franc and the euro in January 2015 has
had a significantly negative effect on Swiss
exports. From summer 2015 to summer
2016 we have lost ground in tonnage
movements produced by the Swiss export
industry. This is partly down to some Swiss
companies moving production into lower
cost countries, especially the machinery
industry, and a decline in the high-value
market worldwide, he says.
Sales of traditional strong sellers such
as Swiss watches are down because of the
strong Swiss franc as well as weakening
consumer demand.
Kaiser notes the traditionally healthy
pharma sector has been hit in the last year
with a quite drastic shift of mode from air
to ocean because of cost pressures.
The resulting blows from major export
industries has led to a two to five per cent
drop in tonnage volumes in the market.
Panalpina was hit over the period, but has
maintained its leading freight exporter
position in Switzerland.
Because of the strong currency the

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logistics industry has looked at ways of

potentially shifting freight from Swiss
airports to others such as Luxembourg,
Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris. Airlines in
Switzerland have reacted in the meantime,
so this effect has decreased, he states.
What is the Swiss market doing to fight
back? Kaiser says some logistics providers
and airlines are offering customers longer
transit times at lower operational costs.
You have to give your customers other
alternatives to remain with airfreight and
airlines have reacted by lowering prices
in the Swiss market. In other areas such
as pharma and high-value cargo it is up
to Swiss freight companies to offer and
promote their specialisms and quality.
You need to show you are more customer
oriented, that you are lean and low cost.
Challenging times has led to Swiss
players coming together in forums: We
have been looking at e-freight and working
out how we can collaborate more closely
with the manufacturing industry. How can
we communicate with each other more
effectively in every part of the chain.
Kaiser says. From this has emerged a pilot
project to test e-freight: We are talking
to a couple of airlines and customers and
expect it to begin in early 2017, he adds.

ACW 24 OCTOBER 2016

19

DANGEROUS GOODS
Volumes grow with capacity

he growing number of airlines refusing to carry certain lithium batteries is helping AirBridgeCargo (ABC) Airlines volumes rise in line with capacity, Volga-Dnepr Group
senior vice president of sales and marketing, Robert van de Weg (pictured) tells Air Cargo
Week (ACW).
ABC, which operates freighter aircraft only, has benefitted from the restrictions placed
on UN3090 and UN3480 lithium ion batteries, banning them from carriage in the bellyhold of passenger aircraft.
Van de Weg comments the market has been stable, with traffic volumes rising by 25 per cent, in
line with capacity growth. Growth numbers, for transportation of certain lithium batteries (UN
3090/UN3480) are higher due to restrictions on transportation since 1 April, 2016 and refusal of a
number of airlines from their carriage, he explains.
ABC strictly complies with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and International
Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Good Regulations, and van de Weg says: The airline
has a special department that regulates dangerous goods transportation and controls the actions of
ground agents participants to which it assigns its responsibilities.
He adds: When transporting lithium metal batteries such specialists check the documents of
each shipment offered for transportation on ABC aircraft.
ABC transports all types of dangerous goods permitted under ICAO Technical Instructions / IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, and seen the amount
of lithium batteries and equipment containing batteries growing.
We have made a decision to proceed with transportation of all types
of lithium batteries under ICAO TI/IATA DGR, therefore we will arrange
procedures of approving the batteries, local restrictions for loading onto
the aircraft, he says.
Van de Weg tells ACW: Due to obtaining the license for transportation
of radioactive and divisible cargo, the number of packages containing radioactive materials has grown.

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ACW 24 OCTOBER 2016

Note7 banned due to fire fears

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has banned Samsung Galaxy Note7s from
all aircraft as the Korean firm halts production of the troubled mobile phone.
The Note7 was released on 19 August but was subject to a recall following a number
of battery fires. Samsung stopped production on 11 October after the replacements also
suffered battery fires.
The emergency order issued by the DOT, the Federal Aviation Administration and the
Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on 15 October prohibits
Note7s in carry-on or checked in baggage on flights to, from and within the US, and bans
them from being shipped as air cargo.
Transportation secretary, Anthony Foxx admits it will cause inconvenience, but says:
We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident inflight poses a high
risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk.
The PHMSA has issued a special permit to Samsung to facilitate commercial shipment
of the recalled devices by ground transportation.
Even before the DOTs decision, a number of airlines
in the US and around the world announced they would
not accept shipments of Note7s, whether they were the
recalled versions or the new versions. United Cargo for
example, prohibited the acceptance and carriage of the
smartphone on 16 September, before extending the ban
to include all devices on 11 October.
On 11 October, American Airlines Cargo announced:
For the safety of our passengers, employees and other
cargo, we will not be transporting any Samsung Galaxy
Note7 devices. This policy follows new IATA guidelines,
which were put into place after reports of the battery
catching fire during or after charging.
Following the emergency order, Alaska Airlines vice
president of safety, Tom Nunn said: The safety of our
customers and employees is our top priority. In light of
recent events involving the Note7, we will be complying
with the FAA ban in order to ensure these devices are no
longer allowed to fly onboard our aircraft.
Other airlines including Emirates SkyCargo, Qantas
Freight and Lufthansa Cargo have also issued warnings
that they will not accept shipments of Note7s due to
safety concerns.

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DANGEROUS GOODS

States urged to take action on rogue lithium battery manufacturers

ithium batteries are the hottest dangerous (DGR) goods

topic in air cargo due to the threat they pose to safety.
Just over six months ago, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) prohibited the carriage as
cargo of lithium ion batteries (UN 3480 only) on passenger aircraft.
Other changes, include the requirement UN 3480 be shipped at
no more than 30 per cent state of charge and restricting shippers
consigning as cargo, the small lithium ion and lithium metal cells
and batteries to not more than one package per consignment for
packages largely excepted from the regulations.
The International Air Transport Associations (IATA) head
of DGR and assistant director for cargo safety and standards,
Dave Brennan (pictured) believes a period of consolidation is
now needed to allow time for the effectiveness of the last round
of regulatory changes to be assessed.
He says: These changes had a significant impact on shippers
logistics processes, so we believe more time is required to identify if the changes have solved some of the safety concerns or
whether more changes are warranted.
But does Brennan feel there are more safety regulations that
could be introduced to improve the safety of shipping lithium
batteries?
He explains: We believe there are opportunities to look at additional risk mitigation
measures. One that the IATA Dangerous
Goods Board is considering is to limit
which other dangerous goods can
be placed in the same package with
lithium batteries and also to limit shippers from placing packages containing
lithium batteries next to packages containing certain other dangerous goods
in an overpack.
The idea here being if there was to be a
fire involving the lithium batteries we should
not have other dangerous goods such as flammable liquids or
flammable gases right next to the package containing the lithium
batteries.
Brennan says there is also work ongoing through the SAE G-27
Committee to develop a packaging performance standard and
the broad objective is to have packaging that has been demonstrated to contain a fire involving lithium batteries. He notes the
G-27 Committee started work in early 2016 and the original plan
was to have the packaging performance standard completed and
approved by the end of 2016, but that date has slipped and the
target is now late in the first quarter of 2017.

are subject to proper oversight and

where necessary - enforcement.
He also says there should be
appropriate penalty action
on rogue producers who
flout regulation to address
non-compliance and where
it is identified shippers are
knowingly shipping counterfeit lithium batteries,
or avoiding compliance
with the regulations, then
the penalties applied should
be very severe and made
public.
Prohibition of shipping lithium
batteries is also impacting authentic
manufacturers and exporters. Brennan says it
has had a significant impact on the ability of shippers
of genuine products to get their products to customers: There

are parts of the world such as New Zealand and

Australia where there are also no options to
be able to get lithium ion batteries by air.
This has meant that manufacturers and
shippers have had to completely redesign their logistics system to instead
move to sea freight and then establish local centres to store products.
The challenge with this is where
in airfreight you can ship a single
package, in sea freight the standard
shipping unit is a container. Shippers of small numbers of packages are
then having to wait for months until the
freight forwarder has sufficient freight to
fill an entire container.
But Brennan says lithium batteries are different to other DGR goods, as they are manufactured and
shipped in very significant numbers - estimating a mind-boggling
eight billion lithium cells will be manufactured in 2016.

States need to do more

Brennan adds: Potentially the standard will allow lithium ion

batteries and possibly lithium metal batteries as cargo back onto
passenger aircraft, although this remains to be seen.
IATA, airlines and the battery industry believe governments
need to do much more to address safety at the point of origin.
Brennan says the work to date has been focused on air transport and the regulations on what can be shipped by air, however,
given lithium batteries may be manufactured in one State, but
placed into air transport in a different State, the air transport system and regulators cannot solve all the safety issues.
He says: The safety of lithium batteries in transport, and the
safety of consumers must be addressed across governments and
across States. Lithium battery safety must involve enforcement of
appropriate manufacturing standards in the State of manufacture
as well as other authorities such as Customs, consumer safety
and of course transport, including aviation, road and sea.
Brennan believes cooperation between jurisdictions to address
situations where lithium batteries are manufactured in one country and driven to another is essential. There must be cooperation
between States to ensure the regulations are properly enforced
and non-compliances are addressed, he says.
IATA, the Global Shippers Forum, The International Air
Cargo Association (TIACA), the Rechargeable Battery Association (PRBA) and RECHARGE - the Advanced Rechargeable
& Lithium Batteries Association have written to governments
in a number of States requesting ministers take urgent action
to improve cross and inter-governmental action to address
non-compliance.
Brennan says States have a duty of care to their citizens to
ensure relevant laws and regulations on lithium battery safety

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21

PHARMA NEWS ROUND-UP

Pharma logistics initiative launched

he TEAM-UP pharma-logistics initiative has been founded with the aim to

improve corporate efficiencies, better overall sector performance and
enhanced patient/user safety when it goes live
in January 2017.
The initiative was announced at the International Air Transport Association AirPharma

Conference in Brussels on 12 October and is

modelled around supply chain models from
other sectors. TEAM-UP was conceived as
a hands-on, interactive community with all
participants committing to following agreed
collaborative principles, commitment to a programme of continuous improvement and all
having access to a shared repository of collaborative tools, templates and advice.
TEAM-UP founder, Alan Kennedy says: With
the huge challenges it is facing, the pharmaceutical logistics sector faces a very uncertain
future unless it is prepared to abandon its traditional silo thinking and practices in favour of
a more collaborative approach.
The advent of the TEAM-UP integration
framework will help accelerate the changes
needed and open the doors to faster, more equitable, more systematic supply chain integration.
There is no longer any excuse for inertia.
TEAM-UP is a not-for-profit organisation.

Container deals for va-Q-tec

IAG Cargo and Cargolux Airlines International have both signed rental container
agreements with va-Q-tec.
IAGs deal will see it use va-Q-tainers,
which it says will mean cool chain is transported in a safe and cost efficient way.
The va-Q-tainers deployed will provide
temperature controlled solutions for six
temperature ranges ranging from -70 degrees Celsius to +25 degrees Celsius in five
container sizes and will be used as an advance passive shipping service.
IAG says the units area cutting-edge face
change material which, when placed in the
correct environment, allows the coolant to
be re-charged; providing a consistent layer

of protection from temperature deviation.

Global head of pharmaceuticals and life
sciences, Alan Dorling (pictured left) says:
With consistent year on year growth in Constant Climate shipments, we are continually
investing in innovative customer solutions
that match our own high standards; as such
we are fully confident that this agreement
will be welcomed by customers looking to
ship pharmaceuticals across the globe.
Va-Q-tec managing director, Dominic
Hyde (pictured right) adds the broad network offered by IAG and the integrated
va-Q-tainer rental option will provide pharma shippers with a solution that meets
challenging requirements for global health
care flows.
And Cargolux has signed a deal to use
va-Q-tec advanced passive containers to
strengthened its CV Pharma product.
The carrier started flying to Aguadilla in
Puerto Rico last month mainly to cater for the
pharma industry, and the Luxembourg-based
airline says the va-Q-tec containers are ideally suited for these operations.
Cargolux director global logistics services,
Franco Nanna says with the intuitive vaQ-tec passive solutions, it has the most
appropriate and proven shipping tool for
temperature sensitive healthcare products.

More carriers seek to gain IATAs CEIV

AMERICAN Airlines Cargo has started the

process to obtain International Air Transport Association (IATA) Center of Excellence
for Independent Validators (CEIV) Pharma
certification.
Initially its home base and key hub Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport, and
Miami International Airport will be assessed followed by its 25,000 square foot
pharmaceutical and healthcare facility at
Philadelphia International Airport, which
opened in 2015.
American Airlines Cargo manager of cold
chain strategy, Tom Grubb says: Were extremely proud of our temperature-control
network.
Our focus is on moving pharmaceuticals
safely and efficiently across the globe, and
being the first U.S. carrier to promote this
certification will help show our partners
and customers how confident we are in our

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ACW 24 october 2016

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abilities to offer the best cold-chain service

possible.
The IATA CEIV certification impartially validates capabilities of temperature controlled
pharmaceutical shipments. CEIV facilities
training for warehouse handling staff on regulations and best practices.
American developed its ExpediteTC
product to develop handling and shipping of pharmaceutical and healthcare
commodities.
It says the certification will help promote
the investments American made towards
facility, technology and process enhancements to ensure high quality compliance,
training and handling processes across its
cold-chain network.
SAS Cargo is also working towards
gaining CEIV, while Lufthansa Cargo and
Turkish Cargo were recently awarded the
certificate.

TRADEFINDER
Airlines

Cargo Handling

Freight Forwarders

Turkey

United Kingdom

Caribbean

Freight Forwarders
Hong Kong

Spain

Freight Forwarders
India

Iraq

United Arab Emirates

Industry Events

Freight Forwarders
USA

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