Entries Tagged 'Uncategorized' ↓

Italy’s all-cargo carrier, Cargoitalia, has joined the long list of airlines who have stepped in to help the giant relief airlift for Haiti.

Cargoitalia says it has so far operated two MD11SF flights: the first from Brindisi to Port au Prince, followed by a second flight from Milan and Rome to Santo Domingo, in the neighbouring Dominican Republic. The two flights carried a total of 135,000 kilograms of first aid equipment, medical kits and food on behalf of the Italian Government and international relief organisations.

Both flights required complex routings, with last minute changes, due to restrictions on civil flights into Port au Prince, and the lack of fuel at several other airports in the area.

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According to Jawad Kamel, founder and CEO of Istanbul-based project forwarder Advance International Transport, project cargo forwarding has been on a roll in the last few years, but for those forwarders that rely on air freight movements, there are a number of challenges on the horizon that may very well impact on their business model within the next decade.

“The first challenge is the future of outsize, maindeck capacity. This appears to have hit a brick wall,” he says. “Since the AN-124 burst on the Western freight market in the early 1990s, we have come to rely completely on its gigantic capacity. My company, alone, handled and chartered more than 100 AN-124 and AN-225 flights in a three month peak period after the end of war in Iraq.

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For many logisticians, nirvana may be considered as automation in the world of efficient warehouses. How, I ask, can a more cost effective nirvana be achieved without automation?

Given the proper time commitment for planning, selection of vendors, manufacturing, through to implementation, automation can work very well and offer a short to medium term payback. But I would also argue that there are many retro fit possibilities within existing racking and operational areas that still offer the ultimate in flexibility and picking benefits. I believe it can be easier and quicker to go this way, as adaptations within existing systems are relatively straightforward with minimal need for downtime or maintenance.

My intention is not to show automation as being secondary, as it is certainly not. When done properly, automaton can reap huge benefits for a business. My point here is that a great    Stewart Arbuckle
deal of upside benefits can be had by making the most of your existing system without using automation.

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Cathay Pacific Airways CEO Tony Tyler started his one-year term as the Chairman of the IATA Board of Governors. Tyler succeeds Samer Majali, CEO of Royal Jordanian Airlines, who served as Chairman from June 2008.

Tyler is a 32-year veteran of the air transport industry who has served as Cathay Pacific CEO since 2007. He worked for Cathay Pacific and the Swire Group in many cities across the globe and has been on the airline’s leadership board since 1996. During that time he helped navigate the airline through several challenges including the Asian financial crisis, the SARS outbreak, and the post September 11-recovery. Tyler takes on the IATA Chairman duties at a difficult time as the airline industry works to weather a global economic recession, which has affected passenger and cargo demand.

“The global economic meltdown is hitting the aviation industry hard. A toxic combination of low fares, a large drop in premium travel, and weak cargo loads is hitting the bottom line hard. IATA has some critical roles to play. It must protect the US$350 billion in industry cash flowing through its financial systems. It must also find even more efficiency gains—not just by airlines but throughout the industry value chain,” Tyler said.

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As part of a public-private partnership to increase the commercial availability and use of alternative fuel vehicles, today announced its first purchases of a little-known technology – the hydraulic hybrid vehicle – that promises dramatic fuel savings and environmental benefits.

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