Celebi awarded IATA CEIV Pharma certificate in FRA
Ten years since it began operating at Frankfurt Airport and where it is now one of the leading air cargo handlers (having also acquired Aviapartner in MAR14) handling around 200,000 tons/year,
Celebi Cargo GmbH has another feather to add to its cap: it was recently awarded IATA’s CEIV Pharma certification, meaning that it has passed the strict audits related to the handling and storage
of pharmaceutical shipments – at a time where the world’s focus is on this kind of cargo more than ever before. The number of Covid-19 vaccines being transported around the world has added to the
volumes of global pharmaceutical air cargo, and the trend is increasing, so it is vital to be recognized as being able to deliver according to the required safety, security, compliance, and
efficiency standards. In addition to the certification, Celebi has also continued to invest in further growth, infrastructure, and manpower.
Christopher Licht, MD at Celebi Cargo GmbH in FRA, commented: “With the opening of 3 state of the art temperature-controlled rooms earlier this year, it was always our aim to receive the
formal CEIV certification, too. The team has done an incredible job during the last months and it goes without saying that I am very proud of them.” Markus Schmidt, Celebi Cargo GmbH’s new
Sales & Marketing Department Head since 2020, added: “The needs for compliance and transparency are crucial for our customers and we realize the importance with every dialogue, especially
since the start of the pandemic last year.”
Business flies between Saudi Arabia and Belgium
Saudia Cargo and Liège Airport have entered into a commercial partnership initially until 2023. The agreement will see Jeddah-based Saudi Cargo increase its cargo flights to and from the Belgian
Airport, connecting Liège to Saudia Cargo’s vast global network. Liège will also profit from the airline’s participation in the world’s largest air cargo alliance: Skyteam cargo, while at the
same time, Saudia Cargo expands on its European operations. Saudia Cargo will operate both scheduled cargo flights as well as cargo charter operations into and out of Liège Airport. Though Saudia
Cargo offers a wide spectrum on cargo services ranging from pharmaceuticals through to live animals, the Liège focus will likely be mainly on e-commerce, given the airline’s partnership with
Cainiao.
Commenting on the signing, CEO of Liège Airport, Frédéric Jacquet said: “This contract cements the role Liège Airport plays in the center of global logistics. Saudia Cargo has been operating
with us since last year with intensified connections to/from the U.S., Africa, and the Middle East. This leading air cargo company has signed a partnership with Alibaba Group’s logistic arm,
Cainiao, and our airport will remain a crossroad for world trade operations. We look forward to establishing a strong relationship with such a reputable airline.”
Hassan Zaki Al-Dessi, Saudia Cargo’s Executive Director Operations Performance added: “This partnership aligns perfectly with the airline’s business goals, and we are thrilled to extend our
commercial partnership to further strengthen our position in the European arena and highlight Liège Airport’s strong presence in the global logistic network.”
Lufthansa Cargo purchases its 15th B777F
The best way to cash in on the ongoing cargo capacity crunch, is to cash out on another freighter. Lufthansa Cargo has done just this (again!) and is now looking forward to taking delivery of its
15th Boeing 777F before the end of this year. The announcement follows just three months after it published in MAR21 that it would be welcoming its 14th B777F to its brand-new fleet in the fall.
“The twin-engine Boeing 777F has a standard payload capacity of 103 metric tons with a range of more than 9,000 kilometers. It is the most efficient freighter in its class and significantly
more silent than previously operated three- or four-engine models,” the press release points out. Together with the airline’s continued focus on flying CO2 neutral and attracting partners to
its SAF initiative, with its highly efficient cargo fleet, it is well on its way to becoming one of the cleanest cargo airlines.
Dorothea von Boxberg, Lufthansa Cargo's Chief Executive Officer is naturally delighted with the go-ahead to acquire yet another freighter: “We are very pleased that we will be able to offer
our customers additional freighter capacity in the future. The Corona crisis has impressively underlined how important these aircraft are for global supply.”
Over on LinkedIn, the reactions from other Lufthansa Group members were also positive, seeing the latest Lufthansa Cargo fleet addition as a small signal of hope for a stronger Group future given
the recent slash of jobs and strict cost-cutting measures as a result of the pandemic losses.
Gebrüder Weiss assumes Rhenus business in Bulgaria
Gebrüder Weiss has expanded its operations in Bulgaria where it has been active since 1993. It signed a purchase agreement (which now awaits approval by the antitrust authorities), with its
long-standing partner, Rhenus, adding the Rhenus road locations in Sofia, Burgas, Svilengrad, Varna, and Plovdiv to its existing Sofia (Elin Pelin) and Varna network. Over the next few months,
the Rhenus Bulgaria management team will assist in the process of transferring the business, and all circa 100 Rhenus staff will become Gebrüder Weiss employees. The latest acquisition further
strengthens the company’s dense Southeast Europe network, where it offers road, air, and sea freight services, and is expanding in growing Home Delivery segment with its expertise in end-customer
delivery.
Wolfram Senger-Weiss, CEO of Gebrüder Weiss outlined the strategy: “Acquiring the customers and employees of Rhenus Bulgaria doubles the size of our long-standing and successful unit in
Bulgaria, and marks the next major step in our development. We are able to significantly expand our presence in the Bulgarian market for international freight forwarding and logistics, and
strengthen our distribution network with additional locations. This acquisition represents our entry into the Home Delivery area in Bulgaria and expands our geographic coverage in the
region.”
Alexander Gechev, Managing Director of Rhenus Bulgaria remarked: “We are very pleased to have found a long-standing partner in Gebrüder Weiss, who will continue running the Rhenus locations
in Bulgaria together with the existing employees with success.”
Cargo-partner’s Ljubljana fast-track expansion
Just two years after the ceremonial opening of its 25,000 m² iLogistics Center in Brnik, at Ljubljana Airport, Slovenia, cargo-partner’s warehouse has already hit its capacity limits and thus the
expansion originally planned for 2024-2026, has now been brought forward to 2022. The conceptual design was agreed in MAR21, necessary approvals are currently pending, and building is scheduled
to start in early 2022 and end in fall that year. Not only will the facility be extended to cover a total of 39,100 m², it will also be future-focused and include a drone runway intended for
parcel deliveries, as the company focuses on the rapid developments in e-commerce. To that end, a packaging plant is planned on the warehouse premises, that will increase its daily parcel
dispatch capacity by 200%, offering “a ‘drive-in’ pick-up point for personal collection or return of parcels, available to the inhabitants of the northwestern region of Slovenia,” the
press release states.
Investments will also be made in improving process efficiencies in the existing facility, including a 2,500 pallet-slot high-rack system in the block storage area, and a hybrid flow-rack system
with 1,200 pallet slots. The new 8,200 m² facility will be constructed on the northern side of the existing complex and, as well as the drone runway, will offer an additional 14,100 m² of
cross-dock, short-term, and long-term storage space on three floors. It will have 13 loading docks, modern offices spaces (some for rent), a wide- and narrow-aisle racking system offering an
additional 9,000 pallet slots, semi-automated high-rack storage technology, and will be maintained at an ambient storage temperature range of +15 to +25 °C.
Viktor Kastelic, Managing Director of cargo-partner in Slovenia, explained: “Since the opening of the iLogistics Center, things have been moving very fast. We expected that it would take more
than two years to fill up the capacity, so we were delighted that the warehouse was almost full after one year. The rapid growth of our business, the needs of our customers and the success of our
operations in the existing facility have led us to begin planning the expansion, which was originally scheduled for the period 2024-2026, immediately.”
Nippon Cargo Airlines is WebCargo’s latest airline partner
Freightos Group Company’s WebCargo® online booking platform has gained a new airline partner. Japan’s all cargo airline, Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA), which operates a fleet of eight B747-8F
across Asia, Europe, and North America, has come on board and forwarders can look forward to making online bookings with real-time capacity and pricing information on key North America - Asia
routes. WebCargo is used by more than 2,000 across 10,000+ global branches, and the graph illustrates the enormous impact the pandemic has had on the online booking platform, as forwarders have
sought fast, reliable solutions to securing available capacities in a chaotic and unpredictable environment.
Shawn McWhorter, President NCA Americas, stated: “At NCA, we pride ourselves on leveraging digital innovation to provide customers with the best service possible. Through our partnership with
WebCargo, we’re delighted to offer logistics providers the ease and transparency of access to eBookings, making the booking process faster and more straightforward.” Manel Galindo, WebCargo
CEO, added: “With the role of cargo-only carriers more important to supply chain resilience than ever before, we are pleased to be partners with Nippon Cargo Airlines, a similarly
forward-looking partner that recognizes the need for digital tools at this critical juncture. Together, we look forward to serving freight forwarders with the best options possible and ensuring
global supply chains continue functioning as smoothly as possible.”
SecurFoundation campaigns to ship 68 million masks to India
54 million BYD surgical and 14 million N95 NIOSH-approved respirator masks are currently being stored in BIG Logistics’ temperature-controlled, pharmaceutical-grade warehouses in the Dallas / Ft.
Worth, Texas area, awaiting enough donations through SecurFoundation’s Masks4India.org donation platform, to pay for their shipment to India. SecurFoundation, the philanthropic arm of the U.S.
logistics, M&A and financial services firm SecurCapital Corp, recently launched the COVID Relief Effort to raise enough money to send the 68 million masks to the Indian subcontinent to
support doctors in preventing the spread of the pandemic. Individuals or companies can donate to ship any amount from a single case to an entire airline container.
“Our goal is to support prevention with a desperately needed supply of PPE products as well as support equipment focused on treatment,” Steve Russell, SecurCapital Corp Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) explained. Having served as CEO, Salesforce.com Asia, Australia & India, he has a number of personal and professional connections across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka
“whose lives and families are directly being impacted by the pandemic,” and SecurFoundation's 1 + 1 + 1 philanthropy model, launched in 2017, is very similar to that of the SalesForce
Foundation, where companies donate 1% of equity, 1% of products, and 1% of employee time and profits to charitable causes. “SecurCapital and BIG are collaborating with the US-India Chamber of
Commerce Foundation and US-Nepal Chamber of Commerce and other business and charitable Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and commercial airlines supporting the relief effort to identify the
locations with the greatest need.”
SecurCapital Corp portfolio company, BIG Logistics’ CEO Vinod Baliga initiated the outreach efforts to the Indian business community, and already recently collaborated with the US-India Chamber
of Commerce Foundation on a donation of oxygen concentrators shipped to Hyderabad for use in local hospitals. Neel Gonuguntla, President of the US-India Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USICOC),
underlined: “We are grateful for the support BIG Logistics extended to the USICOC Foundation to help ship over 100 oxygen concentrators to Bangalore to address COVID needs on the ground. PPE
including masks are the need of the hour now as India seeks to bring down the case counts and prevent a third wave of the pandemic.”
TCS joins Neutral Air Partner to augment service offer
The pandemic has not only seen e-commerce explode, but also the need for time-critical and on-board-courier solutions (OBC) have sky-rocketed. The Schipol-based, independent Dutch time-critical
and OBC solutions specialist, TCS Time Critical Solutions Worldwide has become a member of Neutral Air Partner, joining its time-critical group NAX 24-7 Time Critical in a strategic step to
strengthen its position in the global freight forwarding sector. TCS offers round-the-clock OBC, air cargo charter, and tailored, intra-European road transport solutions to its customers
specialized in the Automotive, Aerospace/Aviation, Energy, Fashion, Health Care, Pharma, and Maritime industries.
Sander van Woesik, Founder and General Manager of TCS Worldwide explained: “Freight forwarders, located in different corners of the world show a growing interest in onboard couriers. Their
customers in industries such as automotive, aerospace, pharma, and fashion, demand a logistical solution to avoid disruption of production lines. TCS Worldwide, a neutral provider of
time-critical solutions, offers forwarders a customized proposal for their customers’ needs. NAP’s comprehensive network of air cargo logistics providers combined with the experience of TCS
Worldwide makes a perfect, strategic partnership for time-critical consignments.”
Christos Spyrou, CEO of Neutral Air Partner, stated: “We are delighted to welcome TCS in our air cargo logistics family. TCS’s time-critical solutions will further assist our efforts to
provide be-spoke, and innovative time sensitive supply chain solutions to the trade with no boundaries and will deliver tremendous value to our group and to our members. TCS is an excellent
addition to Neutral Air Partner’s sub-industry group NAX 24/7, comprised of leading and independent time critical logistics firms, aiming to advance the interests of the time sensitive and
emergency logistics industry.”
Tasman Cargo Airlines services Singapore-Australia link
The fully registered Australian Tasman Cargo Airlines, founded as a linehaul supplier to the DHL Express Group between Australia and New Zealand in 1995, has recently commenced scheduled
freighter services between Singapore and Australia. Despite Australia being Singapore’s fourth largest air cargo market in 2020, Tasman Cargo Airlines is the first Australia-based freighter
operator to service Changi Airport, now operating five weekly services on a Melbourne-Darwin-Singapore (bi-directional) route using a B767-300F aircraft. Chartered by DHL Express, it is however
the 10th airline partner at the Singaporean airport, where the express integrator runs its major South Asia hub counting over 100 flights a week through its various airline partners. Cross-border
e-commerce flows in particular, are handled here, being onforwarded across DHL’s global and Southwest Pacific network. In 2020, online shopping in Australia exploded, growing 57% year-on-year,
with cross-border e-commerce accounting for around 60% of Australian online consumers’ purchases.
Mr Lim Ching Kiat, Changi Airport Group (CAG)’s Managing Director of Air Hub Development, said, “We are pleased that DHL Express has continued to enhance its hub at Changi to facilitate quick
and reliable cargo shipments. This new service will further strengthen Singapore’s position as the leading international freight gateway for Australia and is especially important to serving
essential supplies and growing e-commerce demand during the pandemic.”
Mr Sean Wall, Executive Vice President, Network Operations & Aviation, DHL Express Asia Pacific, stated: “Australia is growing as an important market for DHL as local businesses continue
to adapt, innovate and adopt e-commerce practices for their business needs. To cope with rising shipment volume and ensure we continue to provide timely deliveries to our customers, we have
swiftly responded by adding flights3 connecting Australia to the rest of the world. Our robust network complemented by strong partner airlines will play a vital role in supporting businesses as
they expand their international footprint and presence.”
Brigitte Gledhill
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