Air Freight News
Below are links to stories relating to air freight
Perishables Challenge – Industry Economics
Being able to buy fresh produce or just picked flowers whenever we want them is no longer just "Nice To Have." We expect it. We demand it. We want those long stem roses for Valentine's Day in the middle of February, fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate for the festive New Year's celebration, and Scottish salmon or Chilean Sea Bass.well, always. And we can still get them - but at what price? Feature on air freighting perishables. (Air Cargo World)
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AIR CARGO MARKET HAS PROBABLY HIT BOTTOM – IATA
A decline in the air cargo freight market following the international financial crisis seems to have hit bottom, according to the head of IATA. He said the market had at least been stabilising at levels around 20% lower than a year ago. IATA said the global aviation industry would aim at improving fuel efficiency by 25% by 2020 compared with 2005, using 10% alternative fuels by 2017. It was targeting a 50% absolute reduction in emissions by 2050. (Reuters)
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DfT produces analysis of the end-to-end journey of UK air freight
The DfT has published its end to end analysis for air freight in the UK. It is a 56 page document, containing a great deal of information about air freight in the UK, over past decades, and projections into the future. The document focuses mainly on Heathrow - the largest cargo airport in the UK, and East Midlands, which has the most express courier services. (DfT publication)
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NTSB: Crashed Convair 580 (cargo) had reversed elevator trim cables
US investigators have confirmed that elevator trim cables on a Convair 580 freighter had been reversed before the aircraft crashed in Ohio last September with the loss of all 3 occupants. The aircraft, operated by Air Tahoma, had undergone maintenance before the 1 September flight, including disconnection, rigging and reconnection of all flight-control cables in the empennage. The cables were reversed, so nose-up trim became nose-down trim. (Flightglobal)
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Delta to Ground its entire fleet of 14 Freighters
Delta Air Lines will ground its entire fleet of 14 freighters as it addresses big losses and a steep decline in cargo business. The aircraft, long operated by Northwest Airlines before Northwest merged with Delta late last year. Delta's first quarter had a $794 million net loss. It said it will ground the freighters "due to the fleet’s age and inefficiency." (Journal of Commerce)
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Six dead in Indonesia cargo crash
SIX people were killed in a cargo plane crash in Indonesia. The Aviastar Mandiri BAe 146-300 aircraft was trying to land at the town of Wamena in Papua province. Wamena, like many towns in Indonesia, is largely cut off from the rest of the country so the plane was carrying essential supplies. Indonesia has one of Asia’s worst air safety records. The EU has banned all Indonesian-registered aircraft from its airspace. (Air Cargo News)
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‘Why would you use sea-air from Asia?’
Asia-Europe sea-air traffic is down 60% year-on-year on some lanes, due to air freight rates dropping to an all-time low. Asia-Europe rates of around HK$14-17/kg were now normal "for decent-sized loads". Another said HK$10/kg – including surcharges – was common from China and Hong Kong for loads of 2-3 tonnes or more. It is cheaper right now in some areas to go by pure air than by sea-air. (IFW)
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UK airports mail tonnage figures for recent years
Figures for mail tonnage, for UK airports (CAA data)
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FedEx Plane Explodes on Landing in Tokyo
A FedEx cargo plane burst into flames after bouncing off a runway in unusually high winds at Tokyo's main international airport Monday, killing the pilot and copilot and closing a major runway for several hours. Kyodo News said it was the first fatal aircraft accident at Narita Airport since it opened in 1978. the aircraft was carrying a flammable liquid onboard, but had no other details. Unusually strong winds of up to about 47 mph were blowing. (Fox)
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Air benefits from cash-flow crunch
Plummeting air freight rates, smaller orders and the need to speed cash flow are prompting some manufacturers of high-value finished products to switch from sea to air on AsiaEurope routes. An TNT spokesman said "We’re already moving more goods by air for a number of hi-tech clients that have done the maths and decided that air is cheaper overall, despite the higher transport costs." Air freight rates are as low as US $1.20-$1.40/kg)from Hong Kong to Europe. IFW)