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05/03/2020 15:40

The weekly newspaper for air cargo professionals No. 1,085

15 June 2020

Special report - The Preighter takes off into the unknown

TIACA’S RENAISSANCE QUICKENS

ACW Exclusive

The 30-year old association accelerates its transformation to better meet its members’ needs in the 2020s and beyond

Last month, upon recommendations from a special Transformation Task Force composed of seven board members, TIACA’s board of directors unanimously voted in favour of the plan to speed up the moves to the ‘new TIACA’. The goal of this final stage of TIACA’s transformation is to make the association fit for its newly redefined purpose. The association has mandated the consulting firm Change Horizon to deliver its transformation programme by the end of August 2020 with a revised governance structure and a fitter organisational set-up established. As part of the change, the role of the Secretary General will evolve. TIACA needs a director-general accountable for the organisation’s strategy, delivery model, team and financials. At present, this role is more limited and vaguely split between the chairman of the board and the secretary general and it leads to inefficiencies. The new TIACA needs to be more agile and responsive to the market’s needs. Vladimir Zubkov will continue supporting the association, pursuing the work with ICAO and supporting industry affairs and advocacy efforts. During the transition phase, Celine Hourcade will act as the transition director of TIACA to ensure business continuity until the future director-general of TIACA is appointed. “The new TIACA will emerge with a revised mission, strong values and clear strategic priorities, in keeping with the industry’s expectations. Our new TIACA will be fit for its new purpose, able to deliver its ambitions while maximising the value of its membership for the air cargo community,” said Polmans.

BUILDING on the momentum from its last Executive Summit and considering the feedback from members, The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) announces its plan to speed-up its transformation programme. TIACA’s transformation journey started in 2018 with a primary objective to make the association financially sustainable and strong enough to take up the challenges requested and needed by its members in the long term. The second transformation priority is to adapt TIACA’s agenda and focus to the new industry challenges. “Our last Executive Summit in Budapest in November 2019 received incredibly positive feedback, which encouraged us to redouble our efforts. While the COVID19 crisis forced us to slow down on our new initiatives, it has highlighted the crucial nature of air cargo for economies and society, the need for greater and more efficient industry collaboration and the relevance of TIACA’s mission to unite the air cargo community. It has also been seen by the board as an opportunity to speed up TIACA’s transformation journey to better support our members and the air cargo community moving forward,” explains Steven Polmans, TIACA chairman (right).

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INSIDE SOLIDARY PLANE FLIES

WITH closed-border policies and countries’ restrictions, transporting patients, health professionals, medical supplies or carrying out ... PAGE 3

REDUCED WAITING HOURS WITH CDM

AS the air logistics industry struggles back to resume its vital role, there is a greater than ever need to reduce costs and for more transpare... PAGE 4 GEBRÜDER WEISS OPENS IN SOUTH KOREA

GEBRUDER Weiss has opened an air and sea office in the South Korean capital of Seoul effective June 1, 2020. The international logistics ... PAGE 5

RFD REACHES RANK OF 19TH IN USA

THE US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released its 2019 All-Cargo Data for US Airports report that showed Chicago Rockford ... PAGE 5

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The Preighter takes off into the unknown THE widespread temporary conversion of passenger aircraft to cargo aircraft is one of the unexpected outcomes of this global pandemic – what are the legal and regulatory considerations? Alana Checksfield, associate at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, an international law firm, headquartered in St Louis, Missouri, United States delves into this issue.

Special report

ntil the start of the year, it was straightforward. Passengers or ‘self-loading cargo’ would fly in the cabin and cargo would be safely stowed under their feet in the hold. The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 is a severe and unprecedented challenge for the aviation industry. As demand for passenger air travel has plummeted worldwide, a number of airlines have chosen to diversify their income stream by pursuing the temporary conversion of passenger aircraft to cargo aircraft. Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr dubbed them ‘Preighters’ – a combination of passenger aircraft and freighter. Air cargo is facing a serious capacity crunch. Although demand has fallen by 15.2%, capacity has dropped faster, by 22.7%, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). By temporarily modifying passenger aircraft to allow them to transport cargo, airlines are able to: offset this capacity reduction, at least partially; assist the global effort to combat COVID-19 through the distribution of personal protective equipment, medicines, testing kits and ventilators; and save the costly parking fees often applicable to grounded aircraft.

Cargo conversion solutions Typically cargo conversions of passenger aircraft are of a permanent nature, involve material structural changes over six to 12 months, and necessitate additional regulatory certificates. In the context of COVID-19 however, airlines have looked to more temporary conversions. These range from simple and temporary changes whereby cargo is placed in seat bags strapped to passenger seats, to more robust changes whereby seats have been removed, loading zones created and netting introduced. Airbus has recently published a new temporary cargo conversion solution for A330s and A350s, which uses standard equipment and can be completed by airlines or a local maintenance service provider. Once the seats have been removed, the pallets can be installed in two hours. Airbus has announced it will manage the process for obtain-

ing EASA certification. These conversions therefore look to be quick and cost-effective for airlines, involving minimum regulatory interference. This may pave the way for a similar, possibly more permanent, solution for A380s. Last month it was announced that Lufthansa Technik is working on the world’s first conversion of an A380 for freight use.

insurances, and so lessees should first review their insurance policy. Further, lease agreements commonly require parts not installed on the aircraft to be properly and safely stored and insured, so lessees will need to provide for this if, for example, seats are removed.

Operational undertakings

If there is financing in place, the financing documents should be reviewed. For example, loan agreements commonly require the lender’s consent before the lessor can amend or grant any waiver or consent under, or agree any mitigation arrangements in respect of, the relevant lease agreement. Here, the lessor would be well-advised to engage the lender in conversations at an early stage, to bring them on board and secure their consent to the lessee’s proposals regarding conversion.

Typically in lease agreements lessees give a number of operational undertakings, which will need to be considered in the context of the proposed change of use of an aircraft. For example, has the aircraft been made suitable for the purpose of transporting cargo? Are the crew suitably qualified to load and transport cargo? Is the lessee duly authorised to transport cargo? Does the lessee need to obtain any additional licences or permits? Consideration should also be given to the type of cargo, as certain types may be disallowed under lease agreements. For example, as flagged by IATA, medical supplies may contain mercury, in thermometers. Lease agreements may prohibit the carriage of these substances as cargo, as well as cargo which could be expected to damage the aircraft.

Modifications and obligations on re-delivery Some lease agreements require the lessor’s prior written consent to any modifications, whereas others are less burdensome. It may be that the lessee may make modifications of less than a certain value if the lessee simply notifies the lessor. Temporary modifications or cabin or configuration changes are often permitted without the lessor’s consent. The relevant lease provisions will need to be studied and, if the lessor’s consent is required, the lessee should engage the lessor in these conversations at an early stage, to avoid delays. Lease agreements usually oblige the lessee on re-delivery to restore the aircraft to its initial configuration, or to redeliver the aircraft as otherwise acceptable to the lessor. It is in the lessee’s interest to start discussions with the lessor at an early stage, in order to factor the lessor’s requirements into the redelivery timeline and avoid potentially unnecessary rectification costs.

Insurance considerations Lessees should consider the types of cargo they will be transporting, and how any parts removed from the aircraft will be stored. Lease agreements typically prohibit the carriage of cargo which would not be adequately covered by the

ACW 15 JUNE 2020

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Financing

Regulatory considerations IATA prescribes that humanitarian supplies/medicines, and general cargo and/or mail, may be carried in the overhead lockers, under passenger seats, and in the cargo compartment, of passenger aircraft. However, carrying this kind of cargo on passenger seats requires aviation authority approval, and using pallets or containers on the cabin floor with the seats removed requires aviation authority and manufacturer approval. Where airlines wish to use or remove seats to carry cargo, IATA directs that they should also undertake a comprehensive safety risk assessment. Importantly in the context of COVID-19, additional restrictions apply to dangerous goods – this includes mercury thermometers and alcohol-based sanitisers, which may be contained in medical supplies. Dangerous goods may only be carried by airlines which hold the requisite aviation authority approval. Lease agreements may explicitly require lessees to comply with any and all carriage regulations or restrictions from time to time issued by IATA, so airlines should pay close attention to these requirements to ensure they are not in default under their lease agreements. Airlines wishing to pursue temporary conversions of passenger aircraft to cargo aircraft should review their lease agreements to identify whether they need additional authorisations and/or approvals, what type of cargo they can transport, and whether modifications require lessor and/or financier consent. The lease agreements should be read in conjunction with IATA’s regulatory guidance, which directs airlines to begin with a comprehensive safety risk assessment.

Solidary Plane flies in the face of the pandemic

WITH closed-border policies and countries’ restrictions, transporting patients, health professionals, medical supplies or carrying out urgent missions like delivering stem cells and organs for transplants have been the major challenges for LATAM Airlines Group’s Solidary Plane programme in the midst of the COVID19 crisis. Due to its commitment and effort during the pandemic, the Solidary Plane transported over 400 health professionals in order to address COVID-19 needs and also allowed more than 300 people suffering from various diseases to receive medical treatment or urgent surgery in the region. Additionally, for the first time ever, it landed in China to transport medical supplies, including mechanical ventilators. Nine years after its implementation, the Solidary Plane has become a vital air bridge for humanitarian and health needs in Latin America. “The Solidary Plane is active all year round, and now more than ever it is flying to support the region in fighting one of the world’s worst health crisis. To this date, we have transported more than 400 tonnes of medical supplies

including masks, rapid COVID-19 tests, mechanical ventilators and medicines, among others. This has benefitted Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Argentina,” states LATAM Airlines Group’s head of sustainability, Francisca Arias. Part of these supplies come from China in over 60-hour flights considering the round trip. A team of more than 30 people participate in these flights’ planning and execution, remaining a challenge for the airline. The company reconfigured two of their most modern Boeing aircraft (787 and 777), removing part of the cabin seats to increase cargo space. The Solidary Plane programme has a partnership with the DKMS Foundation, an institution that looks for compatible donors for blood cancer patients, regardless of their location. The programme, present in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, transported 4,000+ patients and multidisciplinary teams by the end of 2019. It also allowed over 800 organs and/or tissues to be transported, in addition to 87 tonnes of cargo in light of health needs and humanitarian aid.

AFKLM Cargo continues to expand cargo network

ir France KLM Martinair Cargo passed a significant milestone last week with the re-opening of routes from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Saint Martin, Panama City, Bangui and Johannesburg. and from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Paramaribo, Aruba, Saint Martin and Quito. Added frequencies to several destinations such as Sao Paulo, Bogotá, Cayenne, Los Angeles, Toronto and Seoul have also re-started. The airline is serving 73 unique destinations, operating more than 375 weekly frequencies across its combined network. It is also still

offering belly hold charter options with passenger aircraft. Gertjan Roelands, senior vp sales and distribution says: “For us, it’s key to continuously adapt our offer and services in order to meet market demand. In recent months, we’ve seen that airfreight is a critical link in the global logistics supply chain. Also for the recovery phase, it’s key that industries are able to distribute their goods. As Air France KLM Martinair Cargo, we will continue to build our network intelligently, coupled with always improving our services and distribution capabilities.”

U-Freight Swedish partner enhances trusted trader status

SIX years after Conroute Air & Sea, the exclusive Swedish partner of the U-Freight Group (UFL), was certified by the Swedish Customs authority as an Authorised Economic Operator (AEO-F), its sister company Conroute Logistics has achieved its own AEO-F accreditation. Simon Wong, CEO of UFL says: “For UFL, supply chain security remains a number one priority, both for our own subsidiaries and for our exclusive partner network.” Companies within the U-Freight network have achieved AEO accreditation, such as U-Freight Holland and German (Alpha trans Luft- und Seefrachtspedition) partners. U-Freight America is validated under the US Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT).

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ACW 15 JUNE 2020

Swissport operates UN’s logistics hubs in Liege and Accra

THE United Nations’ World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have chosen Liège Airport in Belgium and Accra Airport in Ghana as logistics hubs for moving medical supplies across the world in the fight against COVID-19. Swissport plays a key role as a cargo handler at both UN hubs in Liège and Accra. Belgium’s Liège airport (LGG) and Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana (ACC) have been selected to be part of a network of eight UN global logistics hubs that ship medical and humanitarian material across the globe. Shipments on the LGG-ACC routing are handled by Swissport on arrival and departure, highlighting its importance as part of a reliable global supply chain. Swissport ensures the handling of three weekly Air Ghana flights between Liège Airport and Kotoka International Airport, many of which carry WFP cargo. The global collapse of commercial air travel and border closures have been hindering aid agencies and health authorities from bringing supplies to fragile areas. “Swissport plays an important role as part of a resilient global logistics chain. We are pleased to contribute to these relief efforts with our expertise in safe and reliable logistics. The transport of medical and humanitarian equipment to Africa is crucial, especially now that the importance of efficient logistics is greater than ever,” says Hendrik Leyssens, Swissport’s VP global operations cargo. The first flight departed from Liège on April 30 carrying 16 tonnes of medical cargo and personal protective equipment on behalf of UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The cargo was destined for Burkina Faso, Ghana and the Republic of Congo. Every month some 100 million face masks and gloves will be passing through Liège Airport, together with 25 million breathing devices and 2.5 million coronavirus test kits. A recent article published in Air Cargo Week about Chicago Rockford International Airport saw the word Rockford accidently replaced with the word Rockwell. We are happy to put the record straight on this matter.

ACW 15 JUNE 2020

he aviation-finance sector is bracing itself for Covid-19 turbulence as aircraft market values and lease rental factors fall amid subdued demand for air transport even as the long-term impact of the pandemic is hard to discern for now. Scope Ratings says that any prolonged decline in aircraft values and leasing costs – represented by lease rental factors – could benefit surviving airlines when acquiring new aircraft. However, until that happens, low aircraft values and lease rentals will remain a burden for airlines and aircraft lessors, respectively. “Take the sale and lease back of unencumbered aircraft which is one way that airlines can cope with some of the extra debt they have taken on to get through the crisis,” says Helen Spro, aviation finance analyst at Scope. “The catch is that the level of financial benefit from a sale and lease back is directly correlated to the sales price the airlines can obtain for the aircraft,” Spro says. Lessors face a similar dilemma. They will benefit from low aircraft values in a sale and lease back transaction if they have the financial capabilities to finance new acquisitions right now. Yet demand from airlines for leasing new aircraft will be subdued at best as the industry faces a period of slack growth in air travel, assuming world economic growth recovers only slowly from the Covid-19 shock (See Scope’s latest airlines sector outlook). “For aircraft lessors, the fall in residual val-

ues and renegotiation of lease rentals will substantially squeeze profitability,” says Spro. The dramatic impact to date of the pandemic on the airline sector could accelerate the long-running trend toward leasing rather than owning passenger planes - more than half of airlines’ fleets were leased in 2018, according to consultancy CAPA – which is not necessarily an unhealthy development, Spro says. The growing importance of aircraft lessors in the aviation market has increasingly helped distribute risk more evenly in the sector given how high the residual-value risk of a passenger jet is for airlines. “Avoiding this risk is one of the reasons airlines enter leasing contracts instead of owning their whole fleet, leaving lessors holding the residual value risk of the aircraft in their possession,” says Spro. “If the crisis continues, many airlines are likely to use unencumbered aircraft to secure capital through sale-and-leaseback transactions,” says Spro. “Considering a leasing contract is normally signed for between six and 12 years, the impact on the aviation market could be felt well into the next decade,” she says. That said, there is still plenty of uncertainty for the outlook for aviation finance. “Much depends on whether lenders and lessors remain willing to enter aircraft transactions without a strong rebound in demand for air travel - and the extent to which carriers retire planes from existing fleets,” Spro says. If the crisis leads to a large oversupply in the

Aviation finance braces for near-term shake-up from Covid-19

market, it could be that many aircraft models will be retired and sold for parts, known as “parting out.” “This could, of course, lead to an even balance between aircraft being parted out and new lease contracts which would mean that the level of leased aircraft will remain similar to today’s in the future,” says Spro. But if the current crisis leads to the parting out of a much larger proportion of airlines’ fleets, then lessors would be hit hard. Airlines would seek to operate their older models for as long as the economic value of doing so is greater than parting the planes out, thereby depriving lessors of new business and putting pressure on them to part out aircraft in their own possession.

Fall in costs When the crisis is over, there could potentially be a large increase in leasing contracts because the fall in lease rental costs will have made it relatively economically attractive for the surviving airlines to lease rather than own aircraft. For aircraft investors, aircraft oversupply is a looming threat though it is also hard to quantify right now. The extent of the problem for aircraft investors depends on whether airlines default due to the crisis, the size of the fleets flown by those carriers and which aircraft models airlines decide to retire first as they streamline operations.

Reduced waiting hours with trucking CDM platform

s the air logistics industry struggles back to resume its vital role, there is a greater than ever need to reduce costs and for more transparency and efficiency in all aspects of the supply chain process. This is especially true of ground operations where cargo can often be delayed unnecessarily thus creating expensive and unacceptable delays. The recent pandemic has thrown a new light on air cargo operations and the need for more efficiency and digitisation. To deal with this pressing need for better solutions, the recently launched innovative collaborative decision making (CDM) trucking platform offers transparency, predictability and a slot allocation planning mechanism to streamline the loading and unloading process between trucking companies and handling agents. Handling agents can allocate timeslots and door numbers and anticipate on real time ETA update times from trucking companies’ drivers, thus ensuring optimum efficiency and avoid long delays. Raoul Paul, CEO and founder of CargoHub’s Trucking CDM platform explains the thinking.

He says: “The main advantage of the CDM platform is to share relevant data and information between all stakeholders involved in the truck movement enabling them to make the best decisions to avoid delays. This is especially important as it allows the handlers to allocate slots and for trucking companies to manage their drivers’ movement schedules efficiently and thus eliminate unnecessary waiting. This also gives the airlines accurate information for informing their customers about the progress of any individual shipment. “Even after loading, by using the platform, the handling agent can continue to track the

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shipment in real-time, whereas normally the agent loses control of the goods once they leave the warehouse. The data can be shared to international airports and handlers thus helping to predict and track the complete cargo progress accurately. Congestion at large airports has become a major cause of delays, increasing pollution and cost, Paul explains. He says: “This problem of congestion on the forecourt is frequently discussed, one possibility being of not allowing trucks to enter the handling agent’s site before registration and approval has been completed. The message that the cargo is ready for loading and the assigned door number can be received by drivers via the CDM platform. Not only does this improve the fluidity on the site, but the truck driver can follow instructions without the intervention of the company’s management.” The project has been launched initially in the Netherlands with a view to expanding it throughout Europe and beyond. Participating pilot partners are AirBridge Cargo, Menzies World Cargo, Swissport, dnata, Jan de Rijk, Fast Forward Freight supported by Air Cargo Netherlands.

FREIGHT FORWARDERS

DHL Global Forwarding combats COVID-19 DIFFICULT times require flexible and pragmatic action - especially when it comes to safeguarding supply chains. DHL Global Forwarding is deploying its expertise to meet rapidly growing demand for transport services in the life sciences and healthcare segment. New technologies and the high degree of dedication displayed by all its employees continue to be pivotal in the company’s successful fight against the Corona crisis, says the company. Without these attributes, large quantities of protective equipment and medical products could not have been sourced and distributed within such a short time. “We’re currently working faster than ever,” says Tobias Schmidt, CEO DHL Global Forwarding in Germany. “Our employees are working almost around the clock to get important deliveries to where

they are urgently needed. We’re currently seeing a strong shift in demand towards products and goods needed in the fight against COVID19. For example, for the past week, we have

been transporting around 100,000 COVID test tubes a day from China to Germany and the Czech Republic for a customer specialising in medical accessories. We’re also still transporting everyday industrial goods and products,” he continues. “Flexibility and pragmatism are needed to meet demand as quickly as possible. We have been using numerous charter flights to ensure that our customers can maintain their supply chains despite the sharp decline in availability among our commercial carriers.” Bottlenecks in supplying medical equipment, stricter controls at international borders, and the absence of airfreight capacity are just some of the challenges facing the logistics industry during the pandemic. However, thanks to its specialists, its worldwide network of terminals, warehouses and

offices, and its technological infrastructure, DHL Global Forwarding remains able to effectively maintain supply chains. Despite the strained situation in air and ocean freight, urgently-needed protective equipment, medicine, and SARS-CoV-2 test kits in particular are still being transported. DHL Global Forwarding also supports its customers when existing options appear to be exhausted. Despite drastically reduced freight capacities, DHL Global Forwarding was able to make resources available on short notice to ensure good distribution practice (GDP) compliant transport of medicine. Over three weeks, more than 100 pallets of temperature-controlled medicine were delivered daily to China. Furthermore, a special unit load device cover designed to control temperature during transport saved valuable time.

Gebrüder Weiss opens location in South Korea GEBRUDER Weiss has opened an air and sea office in the South Korean capital of Seoul effective June 1, 2020. The international logistics expert takes this step to tap another major Asian market that is attractive in terms of both export and import business as a part of its expansion strategy. Customers in Europe and the United States who are maintaining intensive business relationships with South Korea will benefit from this new presence with access to additional experts and channels in the Asian markets. The new office in Seoul is a logical addition to the Gebrüder Weiss Asian network, which currently consists of 32 locations. For some time already, Gebrüder Weiss (GW) has been working on developing a business solution to serve many of the world’s most prestigious high-tech companies housed in South Korea. In spite of the difficulties caused by the coronavirus crisis, this expansion project was completed as scheduled. Overall, 15

air and sea experts are going to work at the new location in Seoul, implementing customized transport and logistics solutions for clients. “Our goal is to grow with our customers and to apply uniform standards in our work around the globe,” says Michael Zankel, regional manager East Asia at Gebrüder Weiss. “As we examine our global supply chains, South Korea is an important component in this respect.”

Expansion at Dachser Nurember

THE logistics provider is investing in its location in Nuremberg, including expansion of transit terminals for industrial goods and food by over 5,200 sq m. In addition to enlarging the office building by 1,200 sq m, Dachser is creating extra parking spaces for trucks and employee vehicles. The company is investing €22.5 million in the project, the construction phase of which was completed last month.

“Over the past ten years, our location in Nuremberg has seen positive development in the areas of industrial goods and food, as well as in warehousing. “So much so that we have now reached the limits of our capacity with the existing facility,” says Bernhard Engel, branch manager European Logistics at Dachser’s Nuremberg logistics centre.

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E Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) has delivered 777-300ER MSN 32789 to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the prototype passenger-to-freighter conversion for the “Big Twin” programme announced last October. Ferrying from Dubai, the aircraft arrived in Tel Aviv where it will undergo an extensive conversion at IAI’s facility, including the addition of the Main Deck Cargo Door, freighter lining, window plugs, a modified crew compartment, a reinforced fuselage, a 9G rigid cargo barrier and more. Dubbed “The Big Twin,” the 777-300ERSF will be the largest ever twin-engine freighter. As launch customer and co-funder of the programme, GECAS has committed fifteen firm orders and has fifteen additional options for the type. “The arrival of the prototype aircraft in Tel Aviv is an exciting milestone for the Big Twin freighter programme,” explains Richard Greener, SVP and manager of GECAS Cargo. “This aircraft sets out to meet requirements of the air cargo

GECAS delivers prototype 777-300ERSF passenger-to-freighter conversion industry for the next 20 years.” Setting what is claimed a new benchmark for cargo operators, The Big Twin will be powered by GE90 engines — the world’s most powerful in-service engine — giving the 777300ERSF 21% lower fuel burn per tonne than the 747-400F.

On a course for the new normal

RFD reaches rank of 19th US cargo airport

THE US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released its 2019 All-Cargo Data for US Airports report that showed Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) sustained its position as the 19th largest cargo airport in the United States. RFD’s continued growth has closed the gap on the number 18 spot held by George Bush International Airport in Houston, Texas and the number 17 spot held by Philadelphia International Airport. Last year was a record-breaking year for cargo at RFD, and 2020 is on pace to shatter that record with 30% continued year-over-year cargo growth through April. RFD has seen more than

851 million pounds of landed weight through the first four months of the year. These numbers continue to rival the cargo operations RFD and its partners see during the peak end-of-year holiday timeframe.

Continued growth

With this continued growth, RFD finds itself among the largest cargo airports in the US, in addition to being the only non-hub airport making the top 20 cargo airports list. This list is comprised of large and medium hub airports located in the largest communities such as Los Angeles, New York City, Miami,

and Atlanta. RFD and the Rockford community finds itself ahead of airports located in Phoenix, Portland, Denver, and Baltimore to name a few. “The need for businesses and individuals to have access to essential materials and e-Commerce opportunities during COVID-19 has strengthened the need for both UPS and Amazon and the service they provide to our region,” said Mike Dunn, executive director, RFD. “The partnerships formed and grown over the past numerous years have greatly benefited our community – in terms of access to supplies as well as jobs, revenue and overall economic impact.”

American launches new www.aacargo.com features AMERICAN Airlines has launched a range of new features to its online booking platform to aid customers. These provide customers with more autonomy when it comes to booking, schedule searching or submitting claims online. The enhancements come after the initial implementation of the new cargo end-to-end management system on October 1, 2019. Amidst the changes in the industry over the last few months due to the coronavirus pandemic, American has remained dedicated to its ongoing modernisation The new features include the ability to make allotment bookings online, a flight schedule search capability that does not require a log-in and an online interactive claims form.

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Complementing the 777-200LRF, the 777-300ERSF shares extensive commonality with the smaller twin production freighter. GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) is an aviation lessor and financier.

“Thankfully we were already committed to a mindset of adaptation and innovation, which is what has allowed us to navigate changing world circumstances and continue to make progress,” said Angela Hudson, head of transformation for American Airlines Cargo. “Our new technology platform allows for a better experience for our customers, enables them to make bookings at their convenience and offers more flexibility and efficiencies behind the scenes for our team members.” The entire technology overhaul replaces the majority of American’s legacy technology. In the event, it has reduced 90 systems down to fewer than 10. The project is on track to be completed by the end of the summer.

GLOBAL commercial aviation charter company Albion Aviation Group is reporting that it is seeing a considerable uptake in its professional cargo broker training courses from the current global pandemic crisis and surge in charter demand. “We have completed a number of webinar courses for a whole of host of companies, looking to manage their own cargo capacity and take control of their supply chain during these uncertain times,” says Lewis King, Albion Aviation Group director. The UAE and UK-based operation has clients that vary from private individuals to passenger airlines and freight forwarders. The geographical coverage of its webinars include the US, UK and Middle East. Clients have included 3PLs, freight forwarders and airline professionals looking to obtain an additional industry qualification, such as pilots, says King.

Online training “Most clients opt for the two-day webinar. We are following strict COVID guidelines and only offer online training for the time being. As part of the webinar training package, our clients are assigned an Albion Aviation mentor to answer any questions they may have post completion of the training course, as well as provide general support with regards to aircraft chartering queries. The Albion Aviation mentor programme is proving to be particularly popular, helping to provide clients with a certain level of comfort and assurance in what is currently a complex and ever changing

charter marketplace.” The most popular course is the professional masterclass in Cargo Aircraft Charter Brokering. One client, US-based Crowley, which provides marine solutions, energy and logistics services in US and international markets, recently undertook the professional masterclass in Cargo Aircraft Charter Brokering, says King. The course was split up over two weekends in the second half of May. They had seven participants on the course. Crowley’s Ann White said: “We used Albion’s 16-hour class to build a more standardised knowledge depth within our company for air charters. The curriculum adapted easily to the varying levels of charter knowledge we have at our company.”

Rhenus Air & Ocean opens new office at Liège Airport LAST month, Rhenus Air & Ocean moved 20 km from Herstal in Belgium to Liège Airport. The reason behind the move is its strategically advantageous position in the “Golden Triangle” between Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris. At the new branch, Rhenus Air & Ocean plans to offer multimodal solutions and expand Rhenus’ global airfreight network. Handling more than 900,000 tonnes of transported goods a year, Liège Airport (LGG) is Belgium’s largest freight airport and the fastest growing cargo airport in Europe. A multitude of large airlines like Qatar Airways, AirBridgeCargo and Ethiopian Airlines use Liège as their European hub and link it with numerous regions worldwide.

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NEWS TRADEFINDER

Cargo in the blood

Freight Forwarders Hong Kong

Audrey Serdjebi, founder & CEO, Lemon Queen Freight Forwarders USA

ake an epidemiologist. A wise head on her shoulders. A coincidence. Love at first sight. Dexterity, a lot of suspense, and a few tonnes of cargo. All the ingredients for a perfect Canadian recipe. Yes, this week, we’re heading for Canada. The crisis is everywhere – and yet everywhere there are talented people working to support cargo. In this week’s e-meeting, I met a rare gem: a young epidemiologist who works in cargo. “I’m an easygoing and happy person. I try to surround myself with things that make me happy, quite simply, whether it be friends, family, hobbies and/or work.” And as a result, this extremely likeable young woman was charmed by the siren calls of our industry – after all, Megan Olynick never planned to go into cargo. “Science was my first passion, and I always believed it would be my life. I pursued it as much as I possibly could, from high schoo to university. I finally specialised in epidemiology, being fascinated with disease propagation and statistics and recently completing graduate school.” How’s that for topical? And yet today, Megan is airfreight team leader at Cargolution in Quebec, Canada. “I’m still very much involved in operations though, and quite honestly, I love it! It helps me stay current on industry changes and allows me to better assist my team members when needed.” Megan joined the industry by chance seven years ago – a summer job to pay for her studies as a researcher. “When fall came around that first summer, I decided to condense my school schedule into three (very long!) days and keep working the remaining couple of days.” Megan never gives up. At all. “Fast-forward a few years, I was still pursuing my graduate studies and was working full time at Cargolution, and this allowed me to pursue both fields that I loved so much.” But then came the time to choose. “Even after having completed my degree, I chose to stay in logistics!” Of course! And today,

Megan has no regrets about her choice. A crisis can be very revealing: “Cargolution doesn’t simply want to be reactive to industry changes but wants to take a step forward by adapting to changes in real-time.” But as well as the customers, it was a whole new world that won over our young researcher. While her definition of cargo – “anything that needs to get from point A to point B. It doesn’t matter what the cargo is, it is valuable to the parties involved” – is extremely pragmatic, what fascinates her is “the logistics, the fast-paced environment and the problem solving. I love it so much – it brings out the analytical side in me. “My goal is not only to find a solution, but to find the best solution to a problem while minimising the risks to the cargo. This requires teamwork, analysis, research, and real-time communication combined.” What a steal for Cargolution. Our industry is fast-paced – and it’s only getting faster. And the young researcher’s pragmatic mindset brings added value in more ways than one. But it goes both ways. Megan loves her company because the company respects its employees and takes them into consideration. Despite the crisis, Cargolution has focused on sharing its management of the crisis with its employees. “The management team was transparent about their decision-making. Industry changes are shared in real-time and teamwork is encouraged. Cargolution has ensured that the staff feel supported and connected throughout the crisis, which is important.” And the reason is that while the whole world is living in a state of global stress, through the support, transparency and solidarity of the management team, the company’s work has remained effective. Megan is full of smiles and hope. What fascinates me about all of these talented people is the faith they have in our industry. In our industry and in humanity. We can learn from the crisis, help each other be better prepared and more proactive, not only as a company.

Charters Netherlands

Industry Events

Lemon Queen is an airfreight industry public relations and communications agency in Paris, France

aircargoweek.com 07_15 June 2020.indd 1

ACW 15 june 2020

7 11/06/2020 11:15

HE WISHES HE KNEW MARY BERRY

The icing on the cake for BIFA Virtual Bake Off gets Young Forwarder Network off to tasty relaunch

atie-Louise Thompson-Friend, customer service co-ordinator, at the Woodland Group, one of the largest privately owned global logistics businesses in the UK, beat off strong competition to win a virtual Bake Off, organised by the British International Freight Association (BIFA), to relaunch its Young Forwarder Network online.

IFA’s virtual Bake Off was the first of many upcoming online events for the trade association’s Young Forwarder Network. Judging was all about the ‘look’ of the baked item rather than the taste.

he three judges – Kyle Lawrence, customer care operator at Unsworth, Brooke Jennings, part of the forwarding team at Burhill Logistics and Graeme Wilkinson, BIFA trainer – freight and customs, shortlisted their top two. Later, using a Zoom poll, all remaining 21 participants in the virtual Bake Off voted for the overall winner.

hompson-Friend baked a cake in the shape and colour of one

of her employer’s trucks, adding the company’s slogan in white icing.

he two runners-up were Kasia Kowalska-Trela, logistics co-ordinator, DSV Air & Sea Ltd and Katie Yewdall freight operations executive, Ligentia.

arl Hobbis, BIFA’s training development manager comments: “Initially, we were obviously mindful that businesses – including ourselves – have had many new challenges due to Covid-19, and more pressing priorities.

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But the development of BIFA’s YFN continues to be of great importance, and via the use of video conferencing online, members of the regional groups will be able to interact with one another.

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The virtual Bake Off was a great way to kick start the YFN and was the first of various online events that will be held including web-based quizzes, guest interviews, training masterclasses, Q&A sessions and so forth.”

Yummy: Katie-Louise’s inspiration

aircargoweek.com