Air Freight News
Below are links to stories relating to air freight
3 dead in cargo plane crash in Shanghai
A Zimbabwe cargo plane crashed as it took off from Shanghai's main international airport, killing 3 crew members. One other crew member was seriously injured, and three more were slightly hurt. China Central Television said the plane's tail struck the ground on takeoff, and an airport warehouse also caught fire in the crash. The report showed billowing thick black smoke.
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Manchester – Expansion of airport World Freight Terminal approved
Plans to create a new cargo hangar at Manchester Airport World Freight Terminal have been approved by Manchester City Council's planning committee. Two cottages will be demolished to make way for a new 200,000 sq ft depot which the airport says would help growth in the upturn. A 300-year-old pond with a colony of great-crested newts will also be destroyed. The earlier plans had been for two hangars. Traffic and pollution will be increased. (Crains)
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IATA – Deeper Losses Forecast – Falling Yields, Rising Fuel Costs
Just focusing on the freight part of the IATA announcement: global cargo demand is forecast to decline by 14% in 2009 (from 2008). The market remains weak. Yields are expected to drop by 15%, and are not expected to recover soon. Cargo utilisation remains at less than 50% desite the removal of 227 freighters from the global fleet. IATA expects losses to continue into 2010. It hopes for a revival of air cargo by 5% in 2010, yields of 0.9% and oil at $72 a barrel.
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U2’s ‘massive carbon footprint’ called into question
U2 and Bono’s long-held commitment to "save the planet" has come into question after it emerged they have a carbon footprint big enough to fly the band to Mars and back. They have a 100-date 18-month world tour, travelling by private jets, along with 200 crew and backstage staff. There are also three 390-tonne stages criss-crossing the globe by air, producing 3,286.60 tonnes of CO2, with another 916.07 tonnes for extra equipment. (Independent)
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Cargo B grounded by the recession
Cargo B Airlines has become the latest victim of the recession, forced out of business by falling rates, delayed aircraft deliveries and a failure to attract new investors. The Belgian freighter operator’s load factors had been on target, but yields were lower than required to make the business viable. Rates for the carrier’s markets - EuropeAfrica and Europe-Latin America - had declined by 20-25% since October, with no improvement in sight. (IFW)
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IATA figures for May – Some Improvement in Freight
IATA May figures show freight demand was down by 17.4% compared to May 2008. It is a smaller decline than the 21.7% fall in April. IATA believes air cargo tonnage has bottomed out. Inventories remain 10-15% higher than normal in relation to sales levels, indicating that a significant recovery is not expected in the near term. European freight declined by 19.2% compared to a fall of 21% for Latin America, Africa down 20%, North America down 18.8%.
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Decline of 18.2% in air freight tonnage at BAA airports in May
Air cargo tonnage at BAA's airports fell in May, by a total of 18.2%. The decline was 18.9% for the London airports - with Gatwick's at 21.5% compared to May 2008. Heathrow - massively the largest airport for freight - declined by 19.2%. The decline was in line with the decline in the past few months, and no greater. Air cargo tonnage rose by 79.9% at Edinburgh - though this is only about 1.5% as much air cargo as handled by the BAA London area airports.
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Lufthansa Cargo says night flight ban would hurt
The German state of Hesse approved in 2007 plans to expand the airport, but one condition was that flight movements were limited to an average of 17 per night between 11 pm. and 5 am. to keep noise pollution to a minimum. Lufthansa says it would require an average of 23 flights per night by 2020 for passenger transportation and cargo flights, and other operators want more. A German court may rule this week on a night flight ban. (Reuters)
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Launch of the Eat Seasonably campaign
A new campaign called "Eat Seasonably" has just been launched. Its aim is to get people to be aware of what foods are seasonal (many have lost all idea of what is in season, as it all appears on the supermarket shelves almost every month). The campaign is very relevant in helping people to choose foods with a lower carbon footprint, avoiding either products that have been grown in greenhouses, in cold climates using heating, or been air freighted.
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Demand Decline slows – But No Recovery in Sight
IATA released international traffic data for April showing a 21.7% fall in cargo demand compared to April 2008. Freight demand had its 5th consecutive month at more than 20% below previous year levels. Middle Eastern carriers were -11.1%. European, North American, Asia-Pacific and African carriers had similar performance of -23.3%, -22.4%, -22.3% and –18.8% respectively. Latin American carriers were the worst performers at -24.2%. (IATA)