Insights – Page 4
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Insights
Putzger Perspective: Smaller freighters have fallen out of fashion
Smaller freighters are dropping out of the skies. FedEx is retiring about one fifth of its 757 freighter fleet. Next year Atlas Air will end flying eight 737 cargo planes for Amazon – one year ahead of their contract expiry. The same goes for 17 B767Fs that Atlas is currently ...
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InsightsAutomotive: Driving air cargo success
For air cargo carriers and forwarders who handle automotive logistics alike, there is plenty of business to be done in this specialised segment of the airfreight sector, but there are also challenges to be overcome.Lufthansa Cargo, part of Germany’s national flag-carrier airline group, is one of the carriers that transports ...
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Insights
New UK government shines spotlight on aviation
The new government came into power one month ago and it is encouraging that several initiatives have already been announced to support the aviation sector.Airfreight has a critical role to play in boosting economic growth, already contributing £230m of the £185bn logistics businesses add in value to the UK economy.Recent ...
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InsightsSupply chain spotlight: UK logistics sector primed for airfreight growth
The appointment of a new government will provide a significant opportunity to create a policy environment in which the logistics sector can thrive and support economic growth for the whole of the UK.According to Logistics UK, the injection of the appropriate investment, incentives and the right partnerships with government could ...
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InsightsEnergy sector tightrope for brokers
Outsize and general air cargo capacity alike is in short supply for energy charters against a backdrop of heated political debate on the energy transition.“Fragile” is how one executive described the state of their energy supply chain. And, from the logistics operators’ perspective, the picture is not much better. Much ...
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Insights
Putzger perspective: E-commerce shipments face rising pressure
These days no industry event would seem complete without at least one firm verdict from the podium that e-commerce is going to be the driver of air cargo growth. If you’re not in e-commerce, you may as well pull down the shutters and retire. On the regional scene, such predictions ...
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InsightsAirbus anticipates A350F demand growth
Airbus is primed for A350F growth this year with potential for orders from customers in Asia and the US.Asia and the US both hold promise for new orders of the A350 freighter, according to the aircraft manufacturer.Senior director freighter marketing Bernard de l’Estoile notes that Airbus is currently in consultation ...
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InsightsAir cargo rates and volumes continue to soar in May
Airfreight rates continued to rise in May while demand also continued to beat last year's levels.The Baltic Exchange Airfreight Index (BAI) shows that in May rates from Hong Kong to North America increased 9.1% year on year to $5.53 per kg.From Hong Kong to Europe rates paid by forwarders are ...
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InsightsRoad feeder providers rally around demand
Road feeder services heavyweights Wallenborn and Jan de Rijk discuss how air cargo market trends are impacting the sector and why e-commerce has its drawbacks.2024 has so far delivered a remarkably different air cargo market to last year, but the key question for road feeder services (RFS) providers is does ...
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InsightsFAA grants Amazon permission to fly drones beyond line of sight
Source: Amazon The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given Amazon permission to operate parcel delivery drones beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS). Until now e-commerce giant Amazon’s drone operations in the US have been limited to being in line of sight, meaning they need to ...