The Week in brief
DHL has “Automotive Competence Centers” to support the global auto industry
- DHL Global Forwarding has filed a German patent for a collapsible ULD to save space and a double-deck car rack to improve loading and capacity optimization. "The transport box and the car rack offer clients from the automotive sector top-end solutions in terms of safety and flexibility of transport,” explained CEO Hermann Ude. The car rack can be used to stack two sedan-sized vehicles in a standard container. In addition to optimizing space and reducing CO2, another advantage of the new devices is that they require no unloading and reloading for multimodal transport.
- UAE-based Maximus Air Cargo has purchased three JAL A300-600 aircraft for $95.3 million, including conversion by EADS EFW from a passenger to freight configuration to deliver a payload of 48 tonnes. The aircraft will be delivered in July, September and November this year. Maximus Air Cargo president and CEO Fathi Buhazza said his airline increased turnover by 16 percent to $117 million in 2010.
- Changi airport, Singapore, reported an 11 percent increase in freight handled in 2010 over 2009 to total 1.8 million tonnes. "After a very difficult 2008/09, the cargo sector continued its return to growth for the 15th consecutive month, with airfreight handled in December 2010 rising 4.1 percent year-on-year to 155,800 tonnes," according to a statement. Citing Airports Council International data, for the 12 months ending Oct. 2010, the airport claimed it was the world’s seventh busiest in terms of international freight traffic.
- Cargoitalia began a twice weekly MD11 freighter service between Milan and Atlanta via New York this month. The new service will be marketed by Heavyweight Air Express, which represents the airline throughout the U.S.
- According to Animal Airways, 400,000 pets were shipped as cargo in 2010. This number is dwarfed by the 3.6 million animals who traveled as carry-on baggage, but the cargo number still accounts for $1 million in profit for cargo handlers, the airline said.
- Lebanon's Air Liban will become a member of SkyTeam in 2012. A signing ceremony is planned for Feb. 28. SkyTeam is continuing its focus on strengthening its presence in the Middle East. Earlier this month, Sadui Arabia Airlines announced its membership in the alliance. Last year, SkyTeam added China Eastern, Shanghai Airlines, China Airlines, Garuda Indonesia and Aerolíneas Argentinasto its future membership.
- In March, Atlas Air will add two B747-400 freighters into ACMI service on behalf of DHL Express. These craft will be operated for Atlas' sister company, Polar Air Cargo Worldwide. "The two additional 747 freighters that are going into service for DHL are incremental to the six 747-400Fs through which we are currently providing express network ACMI service to DHL,” said William J. Flynn, president and CEO of Atlas.
- Japan Airlines will unveil a new logo featuring a "soaring Japanese red-crown crane with its wings extended in full flight" on April 1, the company said in a statement. A Boeing 767-300ER will be the first plane to model the new signage.
- Non-scheduled charter carriers are now subject to now subject to the Crew Resource Management (CRM) training guidelines, according to a rule passed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Larger carriers have had to comply with CRM since 1995, and now the FAA is requiring smaller carriers to establish CRM training for their personnel within two years. According to a press release, "the training must address the captain’s authority; intra-crew communications; teamwork; managing workload, time, fatigue and stress; and decision-making skills."
- Boeing received final approval from the Chinese government Wednesday for a $19 billion, 200-plane order. The aircraft — mostly 737s and 777s — will be delivered during the next three years.
