Payload Asia | August - September 2021

MCI (P) 002/07/2016 ISSN 2010-4227 MCI (P) 002/07/2016 ISSN 2010-4227

THE TRADE MAGAZINE FOR THE ASIA-PACIFIC AND MIDDLE EAST REGION VOL. 40 NO. AUG/SEPT 2021

DFW: ON TOP OF THE COLD CHAIN PHARMA AND PERISHABLES

EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITORIAL/PUBLISHER

In this issue, we take a look at the cold chain and feature the companies that are providing the infrastructure and network for the pharma and perishables trade.

On page 13, EasyFresh Logistics shares a unique perspective of the perishables market and the reefer logistics business with insights on new trends, integrated logistics and brand reputation.

In an article, Swiss cargo container manufacturer Envirotainer gives us a rundown of its latest active container product which is expected to be a game changer for shippers and manufacturers in the healthcare industry. Turn to page 19 to learn why more Asia Pacific carriers are approving the new temperaturecontrolled units for fleet use.

For our cover story, we talk to Milton De La Paz, vice president for airline relations and cargobusiness development at Dallas Fortworth Airport, who will walk us through the airport’s cargo community, its latest investments in upgrading cold storage capabilities, and a master plan to elevate its cargo business to new heights.

This 48-page special issue also includes a supplement to put the spotlight on the MRO providers and conversion facilities that are facing surging demand for aircraft maintenance and freighter conversions. Get to know these companies on page 26.

We wrap up the issue with an awards section featuring the final nominees at this year’s 8th Payload Asia Awards. This special volume won’t be complete without the latest industry news on our beloved airports, cargo handlers, aircraft lessors and express and charter operators. Enjoy reading the pages, and we’’ll be back with the October/November bimonthly issue.

Raymond Wong Publishing Director raymond@harvest-info.com Giullian Navarra PLA Editor editor-pla@harvest-info.com

OPERATIONS Mari Vergara Head of Operations mari@asiantvawards.com

MARKETING Franco Rafael Marketing Manager mktg@harvest-info.com

SALES Simon Lee Hong Kong, Europe and Middle East sales@harvest-info.com Chua Chew Huat Asia Pacific sales-sg@harvest-info.com Matt Weidner North America mtw@weidcom.com

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Giullian Navarra Chief Editor

Michael Magsalin tech@harvest-info.com

Harvest Information Pte. Ltd. 1100 Lower Delta Road #02-05-8, EPL Building Singapore 169206

Pte. Ltd. 1100 Lower Delta Road #02-05-8, EPL Building

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1

CONTENT PAGE

18

SPOTLIGHT SATS: Connecting cargo, gateways and supply chains

24

MARKET REPORT Asia Pacific airlines add Releye RLP for fleet use

NEWS

20

INSIGHTS

MRO SUPPLEMENT

04 Hong Kong ‘s third runway on

13 A message to reefer logistics:

26 Precision Aircraft on freighter

06 AirBridgeCargo extends WFS

16 The ‘cold chain logistics

27 Topcast: Looking ahead of

track for next year

collab on 10-year Liege deal

07 Air freight vet David Lara joins CargoAi mentors

08 Hactl takes next step into hub automation with APS robo

09 Ceva opens cold storage,

pharma hub in Singapore

10 Kargo Xpress ups fleet with two 737-800BCF orders

Time for some action

challenge’ of COVID-19 vaccines

SPOTLIGHT 18 SATS: Connecting cargo,

gateways and supply chains

19 Keeping up with TIACA’s Glyn Hughes

11 Amazon starts operations at CVG air hu

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COVER STORY DFW: Staying cool and ahead in the cold chain game

APRIL 2021

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conversions and more future MRO market

28 Q&A with HAECO’s new VP for commercial in EMEA

30 Catching up with IAI on new

orders and network expansion

NEWS - AIRPORTS Hong Kong ‘s third runway on track for next year Hong Kong International Airport, the world’s largest air cargo hub, is on track to finish its third runway in 2022. The airport authority on September 7 announced a major milestone of the three-runway system (3RS) project as runway pavement works were completed.

The airport says the third runway will allow up to 10 million tonnes in cargo volume each year. In its latest monthly figures for August, HKIA saw cargo throughput up 15.5 percent at 429,000 tonnes, with imports, exports and transshipments all recording double-digit growth.

Kerry Logistics sets up network at Huntsville airport

much larger cargo network at the Port of Huntsville.

Kerry Logistics Network introduced a new transpacific air freight service in August to connect multiple locations in Asia to the United States amidst heightened demand in a pandemic-hit air freight market.

The freight integrator is partnering with Huntsville International Airport (HSV) in Alabama to launch its own air network and leverage on the

KLN says the time-definite service will offer standard air freight services with guaranteed space and longterm pricing and will accomodate all sizes of cargo, including dangerous goods and lithium batteries. The Hong Kong-based logistics player plans to establish its own hub at HSV to move inbound and outbound air cargo. It will operate multiple aircraft each week from select origins in Asia as well as trucking connections upon arrival across the Americas.

Atlas Air to open freighter MRO facility in Korea Atlas Air has signed a memorandum of agreement to form a joint venture with Sharp Technics K and develop a dedicated MRO facility at Incheon airport for widebody aircraft. The move comes amidst rapid growth in air cargo and e-commerce on a global scale. The planned custom freighter aircraft maintenance facility will be

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able to accommodate multiple wide- growth’ to boost ICN and Korea’s body jets at the same time and will be position in serving the worldwide available as early as 2025. aviation MRO industry, according to Kyung-Wook Kim, President of Incheon The partnership with Sharp Technics International Airport Corporation. In will allow Atlas Air to streamline May, Sharp Technics K and Incheon maintenance planning for its fleet. airport inked a deal to establish a in Asia Pacific, with the development B777P2F conversion site together with serving as a ‘cornerstone for new Israel Aerospace Industries.

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The Ideal Cargo Gateway

DFW Airport is focused on air cargo, an essential industry to North Texas and the regional economy.

• • • • • •

For more information, visit dfwairport.com/cargo

Central US location Airside cold chain facility Cargo friendly connection for transit freight CEIV Certified cargo community 14 of the top 20 major cargo hubs served Canada, and Mexico are st Nearly all 48 states, within a two-day drive

NEWS - CARRIERS AirBridgeCargo extends WFS collab on 10-year Liege deal Russian airline AirBridgeCargo and airside services provider Worldwide Flight Services have inked a 10-year cargo handling contract at Liege airport. WFS will handle export and import cargo for 15 of the Boeing 747 freighter flights each week and has already subleased half of ABC’s new

cargo terminal at the Belgian air hub handling services with a facility next to to support other carriers. the airport’s freighter parking area. The building provides a dedicated pharma The 12,500-sqm Building 24 cargo zone for temperature-controlled terminal at LGG has the capacity to products and will enable the special handle 150,000 tonnes each year, and handling requirements of high-value WFS provides both cargo and ramp shipments and perishable cargo.

Airports, carriers to require full vaccination for staff and crew Hong Kong International Airport announced last week that it will implement more stringent requirements to further protect airport staff after its most recent confirmed case involving lounge staff. Airport workers who now need to be fully vaccinated include those handling high-risk cargo and having unavoidable close contact with arrival and transfer/transit passengers, such as airline and ground agent staff, ramp coordinator, in-flight

catering coordinator, cargo loading staff, as well as cabin and lavatory cleaners. Meanwhile, operators, including airlines, must only deploy vaccinated staff.

complete at least one dose, whilst those who have completed one dose or fully vaccinated are required to undergo a test every seven days.

Come the end of September, all staff from these groups must have Starting 1 September, staff who are completed two doses of vaccination, part of the targeted groups need to taking a test every seven days.

Qatar Cargo recognised by Nepal forwarder association Qatar Airways Cargo was awarded by the Nepal Freight Forwarders Association (NEFFA) for achieving the highest export tonnage out of the country for 2020 at 2,850 tonnes during the annual Nepal Cargo Day celebration organised by NEFFA on 29 July. The annual awards are held to honour the top three airlines for their roles in supporting the country’s

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exports, with the Doha-based carrier securing first position for more than a decade. The airline, which has been operating flights to Kathmandu since 1997, offers more than 150 tonnes of cargo capacity each week to and from Kathmandu. It estimates export market share in 2020 at 45 percent of the total exports from Nepal with imports constituting 44 percent.

NEWS - INDUSTRY Air freight vet David Lara joins CargoAi mentors Air freight expert and former Ceva Logistics standout, David Lara, has joined CargoAi’s advisory board effective September and will join the company’s quarter business review and work programme this month. The former SVP for global

Colombia’s former aviation chief steps in as ICAO general

airfreight procurement and capacity management at Ceva will provide a mentor role as the cargo booking platform continues its product development to align its customer needs: “Our industry has specific needs and constraints in terms of digitisation and CargoAi has the intelligence to surround itself with people who have customer vision and the field experience to offer simple products to users, and above all those that meet the actual needs,” David said.

managing large organizations. He will work closely with the ICAO Council to further strengthen the agency’s governance and ethical framework, to review the organizational structure

of the Secretariat, to build a digital transformation programme, and to modernize the working methods of the organization to keep pace with aviation innovation.

problem for the air cargo industry is not demand, it’s clearly capacity,” which was at 16 percent below the level seen in August 2019. “In August, a small handful of Covid cases at Pudong airport led to the closure of air cargo terminal operations. When something like this happens at what is the world’s third largest cargo airport, it only reflects how fragile things are for global supply chains and the immediate impact on rates which were already high.”

levels in time for their peak season.

Ground handling delays in China led to 10 percent drop in volumes from the mainland to Europe in the last two weeks of August, whilst westbound capacity was reduced by 18 percent, resulting in spot rates elevating nearly 20 percent in the last week of August compared to the last week of July.

Colombia’s former director general of civil aviation, Juan Carlos Salazar, officially assumed the office of ICAO Secretary General on 1 August 2021.

Salazar, who will succeed Dr. Fang Liu after two terms, will assume the role as CEO of UN’s specialized agency for civil aviation.

The new secretary general brings in more than 26 years of experience in civil aviation, public policy, and

Rates go sky high as supply chains falter amidst new corona cases With already tight capacity due to fewer international passenger flights, the air cargo industry saw rates push up 112 percent in August year on year, no thanks to Covid-related delays in main manufacturing hubs like Vietnam and major air hubs in Shanghai, which have further added to supply chain woes. Clive Data Services managing director, Niall van de Wouw, said “the

Aggravating the demand were the number of retailers who turned from traditional ocean freight-based supply chains to air cargo to replenish stock

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NEWS - CARGO HANDLING

Hactl takes next step into hub automation with APS robot Ground and cargo handler Hactl has taken its first step into robotics with the opening of a new automated parts store (APS) for its giant container and loose cargo handling systems both for routine maintenance and occasional repairs.

multi-compartment bins, housing commonly-used spare parts.

Technicians can simply scan the code for relevant parts, and input quantities needed, via a user terminal. The robot then takes the shortest route to retrieve the parts and serve them to the waiting technician.

updates stock levels after every pick, so no part stock is ever exhausted. When stocks do need to be replenished, the robot collects these from parts store staff at the counter, and places them in the correct location on the rack.

This means technicians can collect any of the most frequently-needed The new APS features an automated spare parts at any time of day or night, robot that manages more than 200 The new APS system automatically cutting the time taken to do so by half.

WFS snags SriLankan cargo contract at Heathrow SriLankan Airlines has become the first new customer at Worldwide Flight Services’ (WFS) off-airport cargo handling terminal near London Heathrow. WFS was awarded a 32-month contract with the airline, commencing in September, and will provide cargo handling and airside transport for the Airbus

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A330-300 flights connecting London and Colombo. SriLankan currently operates a weekly flight on the route but is expected to increase frequencies as the airline industry recovers from the schedule disruptions caused by Covid. In the last 12 months, the UK operation has been successful in taking new contracts with Gulf Air and extending its existing cargo handling agreement with Vietnam Airlines.

Prior to the pandemic, SriLankan Airlines carried some 9,500 tonnes of cargo annually between the two countries.

NEWS - COLD CHAIN Ceva opens cold storage, pharma hub in Singapore Ceva Logistics has opened its first temperature-controlled air freight station in Singapore as it looks to boost its pharma logistics offering and help position the city state as a healthcare logistics hub in Asia Pacific. The French forwarder, who announced plans to operate 40 of such airfreight stations by the end of this year, says the new station will help facilitate seamless regional distribution amongst Asean nations, particularly given the need for vaccines and other medical supplies at this critical time.

Located adjacent to Changi Airport, the new Singapore cold station will have within the range of 15-25C and 2-8C. stocking within the free trade zone of two dedicated areas for temperature Aside from in-transit storage, value-add the airport logistics park of Singapore management of pharma shipments services like dry ice, relabeling and cross- will be offered.

SIA enhances cold chain service with Releye containers Singapore Airlines (SIA) has boosted its cargo handling capabilities for its air freight customers as the airline added Envirotainer’s newest Releye RLP container to its service offering.

The state-of-the-art container has been approved for use on board SIA’s freighter and passenger aircraft, boosting its pharma and cold chain offering with a wider range of active and passive containers. It joins the likes of China Southern Airlines, China Airlines and Cathay Pacific amongst Asia Pacific’s airlines to have the new cargo container approved for fleet use.

ANA offers vital vaccine uplift across Southeast Asia All Nippon Airways (ANA) has been busy providing air lift for Covid-19 vaccines manufactured in Japan, together with forwarder partners, as part of the Japanese government’s

cooperation with the Covax facility.

Recently it partnered with logistics service provider Scan Global Logistics to facilitate the delivery of live-saving jabs from Japan to Cambodia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Laos, East Timor, Fiji and Maldives. It also partnered with Yusen Logistics in late August to transport vaccines from AstraZeneca, headquartered in Kita-Ku, Osaka, from Japan to Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines.

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NEWS - CHARTERS & LEASING Kargo Xpress upgrades air fleet with two 737-800BCF orders Kargo Xpress is ramping up capacity within Asia as the Malaysian cargo airline startup is set to develop a reliable intra-Asia network with the. delivery of two 737-800 Boeing converted freighters from GECAS. Kargo Xpress, which began scheduled flights in June with one 737-400F, is looking to add more capacity as it plans

to expand its footprint to include northern China and western India and cater ‘underserved’ routes. The two 737-800BCFs, set to be delivered in October 2021 and January 2022, will enable the operator to provide fast, timely and efficient delivery of goods, in time for the year-end peak season and Chinese new year.

Antonov sees more charter requests from mining projects Antonov Airlines said it is seeing more charter requests from mining projects this year. The carrier recently transported 40 tonnes of mining equipment from Vatry, France, to Comodoro Rivadavia in Argentina, to meet a strict deadline together with Dynami Aviation. The AN124-100 was chosen to accommodate

more than 700 cbm of unusually shaped cargo. The oversized cargo sections, which included a large semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill head, were split into four sections. The cargo’s journey took two days via Sal, Cabo Verde, for crew rest and refuelling stop, and a second technical stop at Viracopos in Brazil.

airports that saw much of the action The cargo flights include 244 services were Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Macau, from Hong Kong, 88 from Liege and 83 Nanchang, Shanghai and Shenzhen. from Zhengzhou. Other key Chinese The airline’s fleet also provided

cargo capacity to customers in Asia Pacific and Southeast Asia, such as Bangkok, Brisbane, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Airone Aviation books strong first year for AeroTransCargo UK-headquartered Airone Aviation has booked over 145 million kilos or 145,000 tonnes of cargo in its first year as global cargo sales agent for Moldova-based charter airline AeroTransCargo (ATC). The first 12 months of the GSA agreement has seen over 1,300 flights operated by ATC’s fleet of 747-400 freighters, which grew from four to six in over a year.

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NEWS - EXPRESS Amazon starts operations at CVG air hub Amazon in August started operations in its newest air hub at Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). The 800,000-sqft sortation building sits on an over 600-acre campus that features seven buildings, an expansive new ramp for aircraft parking, and a multistory vehicle parking structure. The facility is equipped with robotics technology and interlinked conveyors to help

FedEx adds capacity for Asia Pacific exports to US, Europe FedEx is looking to support further trade in Asia Pacific and provide air freight capacity for exporters in Southeast Asia with four new intercontinental flights connecting the transpacific, north Asia, and European trade lanes. The express operator will launch two transpacific flights originating from its

move and sort packages throughout the premises. The CVG air hub, part of a $1.5 billion investment in Northern Kentucky, will serve as

the central hub for Amazon Air’s US cargo network, which is expected to create more jobs in the coming years.

Guangzhou hub in southern China five, operating five times a week.

One of the flights will fly to Oakland via Anchorage, whilst the other will continue from Anchorage to Indianapolis and Memphis before returning to Guangzhou via Anchorage and Incheon. A third charter flight will connect Beijing to its Memphis hub via its regional hub in Osaka and Anchorage. The new intercontinental services will provide six extra connections to the US from China each week with weekly capacity of around 1,400 tonnes.

DHL Express orders a dozen electric aircraft DHL Express is set to make history with its first order of 12 fully electric cargo planes from Seattlebased manufacturer Eviation as the company pushes forth with its carbon neutral ambitions. Investing in the zero-emission cargo aircraft, dubbed Alice, is part of DHL’s plan to set up an ‘electric express network’ and a pioneering step into a sustainable future for logistics and aviation. DHL expects its order to arrive as early as 2024, with the allelectric aircraft on track for its flight later this year.

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COMMENTARY

Peak season airfreight crunch

By Paul Damkjaer

Air freight rates are currently at two to six times pre-COVID levels, depending on the origin and destination and are not expected to ever return to pre-COVID levels when borders reopen and more passenger flights return to the market.

PAUL DAMKJAER CEO of IFCBAA

With the end of the IFAM looming, air freight rates are expected to leap, raising costs for importers and exporters, IFCBAA CEO Paul Damkjaer writes The International Freight Assistance Mechanism, a program that aims to keep global air links during the COVID-19 pandemic, is slated to come to an end in September. With international passenger flights in any volume not on the cards until well into next year, IFAM’s cancellation is expected to impact freight capacity and rates if no additional capacity is added.

Since Austrade’s IFAM program started in April 2020, there have been 13,726 IFAMsupported flights serving 67 destinations from nine locations, with an expected cost of $800m by September. More than 1000 of these flights were pure IFAM freighter flights—475,000 tonnes of cargo worth more than $6.8bn has been airfreighted under the IFAM program.

Horticulture, seafood, lamb, beef, pork and dairy sectors have accessed IFAM to assist them in sustaining overseas markets. In Western Australia the IFAM freight cost subsidy to exporters is 35% and 30% in other states. IFAM has also supported the import of critical medical supplies to combat COVID-19.

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and general cargo shipments—encountering less capacity and high freight rates.

Imports Space for imported goods by air is currently at capacity on all flights, with additional freighters supporting the booming e-commerce market. But, disrupted ocean cargo schedules, booming imports and full ships are compounding airfreight congestion, where just-in-time supply-chain demands conflict with shipping delays and airfreight is used as back up.

Austrade advises that passenger flight capacity to Australia currently stands at 400 wide-body flights per week. These have a capacity of 116,000 seats, of which around 6000 are filled. There is significant capacity to be used when government restrictions ease and more passengers can travel without adding more aircraft.

There are delays from some origins and through major transit hubs in Asia, with too Space availability on all freighter and much freight fighting for limited space, even passenger aircraft import flights is at capacity at extortionate freight rates. IFAM-supported from all origins. Export capacity is more shipments inbound have tapered down with accessible depending on the destination and the reduction in critical medical supplies of carrier.

PPE which dominated in 2020. Shipments of COVID vaccine have replaced some PPE What happens after IFAM? volumes.

IFCBAA has contacted airlines, cargo terminal operators and freight forwarders for their There were more than 1000 two-way pure feedback on the current situation and IFAM freighter flights, which brought an looking forward beyond September when increase of import capacity to the market.

IFAM ceases. The general consensus is there As imports of prioritised PPE eased, the will be an impact to space capacity and rates balance of capacity on these flights was made following the withdrawal of IFAM support, if available to general cargo imports—which no additional capacity is added. will no longer be available after September.

Austrade has said the reality for exporters moving off IFAM support in September The concerns for importers will be the is that they will have to transition from space availability and freight costs after reliance on emergency assistance and September entering the peak season, further adjust to a recalibrated international trading compounded by booming ocean cargo environment. Businesses must consider volumes. As an island nation, it is essential these newlook supply chains and evaluate that Australia maintains air connectivity to key how their business and commercial models markets. Through IFAM, the aviation sector can align. has been supported until the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is well underway; retaining The question for exporters moving off IFAM Australia’s reputation as a reliable global support is whether they can maintain their trading partner. markets with less capacity availability, high freight rates and 30-35% more freight cost. The high freight rates make it prohibitive for The extent to which they can do so will affect the movement of lower value cargo, thereby the available capacity in the market. Those creating a vulnerability for importers if an exporters who cannot sustain their markets ocean shipping lane fails or is beset with and withdraw will free up space on aircraft. significant delays—airfreight is not a viable option. IFCBAA urges the government to Import freight rates are at prohibitive levels continue funding the IFAM program beyond for importers of mid to low value goods, September 2021 to provide continued so there is little room for significant import stability of capacity and rates in the market freight price hikes to offset soft export for importers and exporters to access. revenues and there is a risk that carriers will reduce flights to maintain capacity and yields. This commentary was originally published in The shakeout of demand and supply will the July 2021 issue of the Daily Commercial inevitably impact exporters of perishables News.

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INSIGHTS

A message to reefer logistics: Time for some action The price of doing the same old thing is sometimes far higher than the price of a new habit. In fact, the world doesn’t like changes, yet they are the only things that bring progress and development. The reefer logistics business has already initiated a path towards change. The pandemic has accelerated the same. Slowly but surely, customers dealing with perishables are switching their thinking, and are now driven by most food retailers in a complex environment full of bottle-necks and challenges.

On one hand, dry cargo logistics is a rapidly evolving market with many factors that are shaping the future of how to transport cargo in the challenging environment of the 21st century, but on the other—look for instance at the “more conservative” reefer cargo. One can observe an obvious fragmentation of the cold chain. Grocery, seafood, meat, poultry retailers, they all have the capacity and the need

for a real U-turn. Therefore, certain reefer logisticians are gradually implementing a new culture within the global temperature-controlled transport industry. This is done by designing specific product models, adapting some to the different dynamics and maturity levels around the globe and adjusting those to the specific routes and customers’ requirements. Europe appears here as an adequate arena for change, as European reefer cargo shippers and receivers are demanding first-class, efficient, and mature logistics solutions. Other areas like Asia or America are enjoying higher maturity levels in their respective cold chain markets. Consequently, the global cold chain is ripe for transformation, and first-mover advantage is up for the taking. Time for classic forwarding or usual or basic reefer shipping should be only marginal in some years, as it is already at its edge honestly in defending the real needs of respective customers.

Complexity can’t be dealt with by simple answers. Only people’s focus, expertise and intelligence can seriously add value to the cold chain.

Over the past 50 years, logistics, as an integral part of the reefer supply chain management, has naturally evolved along with the changes that have taken place in the fresh and frozen cargo business. Earlier, reefer logistics was a concept totally shadowed by port-to-port temperaturecontrolled shipping. As long as sea freight arrangements

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INSIGHTS the phytosanitary procedures, is simply a must to grant the success to transport packages.

When to go global A worldwide focus comes on top of the need for true neutrality and a really flexible and independent vision with no owner or above-mentioned big brother interfering in the real priorities of the business development and ultimately harming the customers’ needs. The “fill-theslot-focus” of the shipping lines is an understandable, but clearly low-customer minded procedure. True reeferminded 3PLs, in turn seek the real solutions for their king—the client— dealing with fresh produce, who is more and more international and less local, regardless if it is perceived from an export or an import perspective.

were clear, logistics was regarded as a field that required not much thinking. The evolution continued into the late 20th century with the incipient involvement of some retailers in the from-crop-to-shelf trend. This led to an emergence of complex cold chains and to realizing that customers and reefer logistics suppliers should jump from low-value to improved supply chain standards, at least on a per case or per transport leg basis.

Success is earnt everyday We are facing a world with utmost demanding customers with the requirement of a complex cold chain and ever-changing relationships. Therefore, reefer logistics suppliers need to closely examine the expertise in reefer trades, adaptability and agility of their logistics networks, because their services will play an ever-greater role in delivering high-performing operations. Given today’s globalization and reefer industry trends, the customers, those being retailers, fresh produce exporters, importers, and many others, are likely to experience an increased level of anxiety and concern. Reefer logistics operators or better, 3PL perishable logistics suppliers, should recognize this. As we say to our team at Easyfresh: “Remember that our success is not an entitlement, but something we need to earn every day.”

Linked to the above, to say the reefer logistics industry is becoming non-asset based or less-asset centric, is a stretch because someone has to own and operate the assets. Having said this, what is interesting is to see the appearance of a reefer logistics provider that doesn’t own assets (coldstores, fleets), but is able to provide perishables logistics services by aggregating information, expertise, and intelligence about assets from the owners. A high understanding of the documentary, and here especially

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The global focus is thus of paramount priority. Crop changes, last minute diverted cargo flows, multi origin sourcing, bans, etc., are a number of reasons that support the concept of customers needing to have immediate solutions to the arising uncertainties within their respective markets. A global reefer specialized or fresh mentality is a must. A good example of this is the EU/Russia ban on fresh produce and traditional Poland-to-Russia apple trade that was dramatically interrupted by a sudden and unexpected political decision. Polish apple shippers had to sell their produce to other destinations, including the Far and Middle East, and North Africa. Only those reefer logistics suppliers who could offer combined solutions out of the Baltic, North European, and Adriatic ports (like well reputed Koper) could really assist the Polish apple shippers with integrated solutions.

Be careful with innovations For most people, a simple and quick solution is sought after first, with no consideration for being right. Possibly this is due to a lack of understanding of the real customer needs.

Reefer 3PLs need to provide the necessary education to their staff and spend some time with customers to jointly search for the most adequate and viable solutions. A broad focus versus a classic local one comes necessarily together. Particularly, in all perishable trades there are no simple solutions for tough or complex cases.

It is another common mistake that new, fancy technologies, gadgets, or brand new software, or even trendy big data are the tools to find the required intelligent solutions to increase margins or those that produce exporters or importers might need. Don’t get us wrong: We do believe in selective innovation methods, these are clearly required. However, having said this, investment in new technologies might also be a bad decision leading to nowhere. In fact, there are a number of known success stories. Nevertheless, in our opinion, the latter happens mostly after a time of maturity.

The innovation has to be tested and its results have to be clear. In other words, not all innovations are adequate.

INSIGHTS The risk of failing in the investment decision is very much linked to the time elapsed since the inception of the technology and its application. Remember that there are a number of obsolete technologies that everyone thought would last forever, such as dial-up modems, e-cigarettes, all sorts of data, video and audio storage media, several computer ports, answering machines, cathode tube TVs, MP3 players. Serious reefer logistics are managed by reefer experts (people!) applying common sense. This will remain forever. The expenditure on unnecessary, fancy, short-term innovation methods lead to a precipice, as we have seen in so many cases (remember the .com bubble which might be replicated with, at least, part of existing 2030 agenda targets and artificial implementation of sometimes unnecessary digitalization processes). And we will see others in the near future, too. Complexity can’t be dealt with by simple answers. Only people’s focus, expertise and intelligence can seriously add value to the cold chain. So, as usual, it’s all about good people in the service industry. The rest are “sweeteners” or “facilitators,” but the brain, leading the perishable logistics, has to be a trained, knowledgeable human.

patterns, and logistics services, marketing strategy, colours, service standards, our dedication to fresh and frozen cargo, unique activity, and all the elements that our clients associate with the brand image. Correct branding has to come with proper planning and business goals.

Within those and given today’s globalised environment and uncertainties, strategic alliances become another key element for development. Sharing resources, capital equipment, knowledge and others by creating synergies and competitive advantage. Deals with ports, shipping lines, suppliers, coldstores, etc., are ventures that allow the business to grow if the tasks of the parties are welldefined. Typically this category covers subcontractors or service providers who have hardware assets in strategic points which form part of the full supply chain. By forming a strategic alliance, this asset gets better integrated in the value chain which increases its utilization, hence market value. By selecting the right strategic alliances new, smart, and alternative supply chains can be developed and offered to customers. We are constantly seeking new ones, being very selective in our final choice.

The weight of brand Another key issue is the reefer cold chain trademark or brand value. As a matter of fact, brand reputational value is irreplaceable and has to be protected. Three decades ago, as much as 95% of the average corporation’s value consisted of tangible assets, according to a report by Thomson Reuters. Nowadays, 75% of that average corporation’s value is intangible. In other words, a business’ most valuable asset is its good name, its brand, and reputation. In a survey released jointly by the World Economic Forum, three-fifths of chief executives said they believed corporate brand and reputation represented more than 40% of their company’s market capitalization.

That value is the organization’s brand reputational value which creates greater profits.

Furthermore, the companies with strong brands can better retain employees, too. A recent study suggests that 80% of employees between the age of 18 and 30 will leave a company if they believe it has a weak brand or no association with ethics. The cost of a compliance or ethics failure goes well beyond legal fees, court judgments, fines and penalties. It spills over into leadership distraction and turnover, forced alteration of a working profit model, and heightened scrutiny in the future. Reefer logistics suppliers are not hard asset-based companies. They subcontract most services to build up a proper cold chain solution.

3PLs must treat their brand’s reputational value like any other asset. They should manage it just the way they take care of their real property and equipment. We at Easyfresh do it as a priority task. We take good care of our registered and protected trademark, logo, trading

THE CONTRIBUTOR Rafael Llerena is the CEO of Easyfresh. He is an extremely reputed shipping and logistics professional. Born in London and based in Spain, he has vast expertise in chartering, liner shipping, logistics and reefer trades, the Easyfresh “bread and butter”. Rafael obtained his university degree in economy (specialized in shipping economics) and is fluent in three languages.

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INSIGHTS

The ‘cold chain logistics challenge’ of COVID-19 vaccines

Words by Adam Tetz, Director of Worldwide Marketing at Peli BioThermal When the first COVID-19 cases were reported, no one could have predicted the devastating impact this virus would wreak worldwide. Developing life-saving doses was the first step in the fight back against the virus. The world then faced the significant challenges of having to protect, transport and safely store temperature-sensitive pandemic payloads worldwide.

Whilst developing effective vaccines is only part of the battle in the ongoing fight against the virus, it’s imperative the cold chain is maintained during shipping and storage, ensuring approved vaccines can be deployed worldwide without affecting efficacy.

It had been anticipated that the first year of the international inoculation programme would be dominated by the need globally for a complex, costly infrastructure, including vast freezer farms providing storage at temperatures of -80C. However, this has not been the case as temperature requirements have changed according to the rising range of vaccines being developed, approved and administered.

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Collaborations with the pharmaceutical companies, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) resulted in the approval of the transportation and storage of vaccines at more manageable temperatures, including -20C and 2–8C. The advantage of the introduction of vaccines which can be stored in a standard refrigerator at 2–8C makes them more useful and accessible to developing countries, which may not be able to store large amounts of vaccine at low temperatures.

Although some vaccines will still need extreme temperature requirements, which are more difficult and costly to maintain, requiring more exotic coolants such as dry ice to achieve -80C, what we continue to see are the various vaccines’ tight temperature shipping and storage requirements changing at a rapid rate.

Temperature conditions are determined by the requirement of the vaccine or therapeutic that’s developed

INSIGHTS By 20 August 2021 approximately 32.2% of the world population had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 24.2% is fully vaccinated. 4.88 billion doses have been administered globally, and 35.88 million doses are now being administered on a daily basis. However, it is estimated only 1.3% of the population in low-income countries have received at least one dose.

and subsequently approved. We are now seeing the introduction of vaccines requiring more easily controlled temperatures during transit, storage and inoculation including -20C or +5C. These temperature requirements can be maintained via the existing infrastructure of refrigerators and freezers, which are already in place at clinics and hospitals. It also aids the ongoing deployment of vaccines to more remote regions which are harder to reach or do not have the necessary infrastructure in place to transport and store vaccines requiring extreme temperature protection.

While it is acknowledged lockdowns globally helped break the chain of the virus spreading intermittently, administering vaccines worldwide is universally viewed as the exit strategy from the pandemic in the long-term.

With the World Health Organization estimating 11 billion doses will be required to successfully vaccinate the entire world to the level of 70%, which is the point where it’s considered the transmission of the virus could be reduced substantially, until the world is vaccinated the fight against COVID-19 will continue for some time to come.

To meet the stringent temperature requirements for vaccine distribution from manufacturer to clinics, hospitals or pop-up vaccination centres, specialized thermal packaging products have been adapted and produced within the industry that are designed to protect and perform for every step of these vaccine journeys.

The temperature requirements for shipping and storage can be complex and as additional approved vaccines are produced the logistics of transporting temperature sensitive pandemic payloads plays a major part in ensuring the worldwide vaccination programme remains on track.

List of vaccines Although the shipping and storage requirements of emerging temperature-sensitive vaccines vary, they all need protection to mitigate potential temperature excursions during transportation. So how do the current approved vaccines compare when it comes to temperature transportation and storage requirements? A summary of vaccine storage and transportation temperatures can be seen in accompanying infographic.

Vaccinating the world According to the World Health Organization, as of 19 August 2021, globally there have been 209,201,939 confirmed cases of COVID-19 including 4,390,467 deaths reported to the organization. By 18 August 2021 it reported a total of 4,543,716,443 vaccine doses had been administered worldwide.

THE CONTRIBUTOR Adam Tetz is director of worldwide marketing at Peli BioThermal and has more than 25 years of marketing experience. His areas of responsibility include brand identity, product launch and communication strategy. Prior to Peli BioThermal, Tetz held positions in product management and marketing communication across a variety of industries, including medical software, financial software, information services and professional consulting services.

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SPOTLIGHT shippers and businesses are likely to see strong demand in October when the peak season starts.

Cargo remains the most resilient part of our business. Majority of SATS’ cargo associates were profitable in the first quarter of our current financial year. First quarter cargo revenue improved 62% year-on-year and 6% quarter-on-quarter. We see opportunities for us to grow our cargo business in Asia and beyond.

With airside locations in Indonesia, India, Malaysia and China, where are you seeing the demand for cargo handling services, and where do you think are your key areas of focus?

Demand for air cargo remains strong, driven by eCommerce and the increased focus on health post-pandemic, which is driving handling for cold-chain handling of vaccines, medical supplies, and fresh food. We have two key areas of focus in the eCommerce space and cold-chain handling, particularly for vaccines.

SATS: Connecting cargo, gateways and supply chains With an experience spanning over 70 years, SATS connects people, businesses and communities seamlessly through comprehensive services for customers like airlines, cruise lines, freight forwarders, postal services and e-commerce companies. Using innovative food technologies and resilient supply chains, it creates tasty, quality food in sustainable ways for airlines, foodservice chains, retailers and institutions.

SATS is delighting customers in over 60 locations and 13 countries across the Asia Pacific, UK, and the Middle East.

Payload Asia managed to interview chief operating officer, Bob Chi, as he touched on being passionate about excellence and striving to deliver the highest quality and value to its customers.

Can you tell us about the year 2020 that was for SATS? What would be the key take-aways and new additions to the company’s existing playbook?

2020 has been one of the most challenging years in our history, as COVID-19 restricted international travel. During this crisis, our customers and communities have recognised SATS as an essential service provider, highlighting our purpose to feed and connect communities. We have begun our transformation even prior to COVID-19, reshaping our organisation to target unique capabilities and new growth opportunities. In the wake of the pandemic, we accelerated the pace of transformation, and today, we are seeing results from some of these early initiatives.

In terms of growing the cargo business, where are the opportunities and what would be the key factors that you need to consider before any major decision?

IATA reports that global air cargo demand will continue with its upswing, with CTKs rising by 9.9% in June 2021. Looking ahead,

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SATS has been investing in specialised handling capabilities and facilities such as perishable handling, pharmaceutical handling, and e-commerce sortation. We will continue to build these capabilities and facilities in major air hubs across Asia, and provide high-quality handling services so that airlines, freight forwarders, and shippers can be assured of consistent high standards.

For example, we re-architected our cargo operating system to operate as a cloud-based service. This means that we can share data freely between different hubs to ensure service productivity and provide track-and-trace to airlines, shippers, and freight forwarders and support eCommerce growth across Asia.

SATS has been acquiring food manufacturing businesses as of late, can you tell us more about this?

SATS is investing in digitalisation and building new capabilities that will create value for our customers and business partners, and support future growth. We continue to work with our airline customers to reimagine travel by digitising touch points and developing innovative food packaging to minimise physical contact during the passenger journey. We recently acquired Food City in Thailand to increase scale for frozen food production, and are setting up our first large-scale central kitchen in India, to supply our growing customer base from aviation to food service and retail across the region. We have also successfully integrated our Monty’s Bakehouse acquisition in the UK to build a global innovation capability that is driving the success of new product innovation.

For gateway services, what would be your outlook for Asia Pacific given the rate of vaccination and travel resumption globally?

SATS is working hard to do our part in enabling the aviation industry to operate safely, efficiently and sustainably. We are supporting the IATA Safe Travel Pass by working with airline customers to create system linkages that will facilitate data transfer into the Safe Travel Pass digital wallet, which will allow passengers to benefit from a digital customer experience with minimal contact. This is both more efficient and safer for passengers, as well as ground handling and immigration staff.

We hope international borders will open soon and continue to collaborate with industry stakeholders to facilitate the gradual reopening of travel across our network.

SPOTLIGHT

Keeping up with TIACA’s Glyn Hughes There are only a handful of individuals who know the industry from the inside out and TIACA’s Glyn Hughes is certainly one of the main ambassadors for air cargo and logistics. With shippers and players in the supply chain taking notice, air cargo has been brought into mainstream media, setting the stage for industry groups and leaders to educate and influence a much wider audience, hopefully the next generation of aviation and cargo professionals. In a brief interview, Payload Asia catches up with Mr Hughes as he shares more about training and development, sustainability, as well as the highly awaited executive summit happening in March next year.

What can you say about your transition to TIACA and what have you been busy with over the last few months?

I have now completed six months in my new role and it was full speed ahead from day 1. TIACA has gone through a great transformation over the previous 12 months with a great vision and set of objectives going forward. The Board is very engaged and highly motivated and it’s been a pleasure to work with them and the entire TIACA team and membership. Regulatory issues, sustainability, vaccine Glyn Hughes, Director General of TIACA movement challenges and consequences of the continuing covid situation has occupied much of the time. We have demand training solutions and I see much of this will continue also been heavily engaged in event planning and member post covid. outreach.

Talking about supply chains, who amongst the stakeholders Based on your current data and talks in the VACscene (regulators, carriers, ground handling agents, logistics initiative, in which regions do you anticipate a further service providers, online retailers and shippers) do you need for capacity and perhaps infrastructure to support think have been effective in executing their sustainability the transport of jabs? agendas? Is there more work that needs to be done?

Unfortunately that is an easy question to answer. Africa I am pleased to say that many supply chain partners have currently poses the largest challenge when it comes taken sustainability responsibilities very seriously and a recent to capacity, connectivity and adequate on the ground TIACA survey indicated that about 70% of respondents have or infrastructure to address the vaccine requirements. The are developing programs to address. But it’s also true to say positive aspect is the desire and willingness of those located that we all have much more to do. TIACA defines sustainability in the region and partners from around the globe to try and as looking at People, Planet and Prosperity and we are working find adequate solutions wherever possible. on some exciting programs in these areas.

What has changed over the last year in air cargo and logistics from a training perspective? What do stakeholders need to unlearn or relearn more than ever to ensure safe supply chains?

There have been several impacts to the area of training during the covid pandemic. Firstly, training needs in areas not previously focused on have become critical. Sanitization, staff health and safety, vaccine handling, new aircraft loading solutions etc. have been required.

Secondly, training delivery methods have had to be rethought. We previously relied on the classroom or in company for much of the training that was provided. With social distancing, home working and other constraints such as travel we have all had to turn to virtual, digital and on

What can you tell us about the upcoming Executive Summit? What can people expect from the event and how are the preparations going?

Unfortunately, due to the continuing travel ban on people coming from the EU, UK, China, India and other places by the US meant we have had to postpone the event until March 2225, 2022. We will still hold in San Francisco and look forward to an exciting event that will have a unique focus on innovation, considering the proximity to silicon valley. We will also focus a lot on interactive sessions helping to create an open debate on the key challenges the industry is facing. There will be networking opportunities and some great solutions will be showcased. We will also hold our 2021 sustainability awards final and will induct the next leader into the TIACA Hall of Fame.

I look forward to welcoming Ing everyone to the event.

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COVER STORY

DFW invested in cold chain facilities and collaborated closely with strategic partners to establish an IATA CEIV Pharma community.

DFW: Staying cool and ahead in the cold chain game In an email interview with Payload Asia, Milton De La Paz, vice president for airline relations and cargo business development at Dallas Fortworth Airport, gives us a rundown of the airport community at DFW, the heightened focus on pharma and perishables as well as the air hub’s future prospects to grow the cargo business.

reflecting our air cargo network strength to the Asia Pacific region.

The big 3 integrators also have operations here at DFW. UPS operates a sizable and growing regional hub, and we also have operations from FedEx and DHL. We have five cargo handlers offering service. Worldwide Flight Services is our largest service provider, we also have Menzies, dnata USA, Pinnacle and Air General. Across the cargo community we have seen significant growth recently, there are more than 150 forwarders operating in the DFW area with the largest global companies represented.

Can you tell us more about DFW? Who are the main airlines, cargo handlers and forwarders that make up the cargo community at the airport?

We currently have 21 passenger carriers and effective September 24 I’m delighted to say we’ll be adding one more, new carrier to DFW with the new service from Turkish Airlines to IST; We also have 11 scheduled freighter DFW has been investing in its cold chain capabilities operators, which include eight cargo airlines from Asia as of late. What makes the airport an ideal hub for the transport of pharma and perishables? Which main trade routes does the airport serve?

Our unique geographical location makes We feel that DFW has several logistics advantages when DFW an ideal hub to connect Asia and it comes to the transportation of pharma and perishable Latin America, which is a big part of our goods, which is why we invested in cold chain facilities and overarching strategy, collaborated closely with strategic partners to establish an

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COVER STORY IATA CEIV Pharma community. Chief among them is our unique geographical location which makes DFW an ideal hub to connect Asia and Latin America, which is a big part of our overarching strategy, and our central US location also enables efficient feed into ground distribution networks serving the U.S. and Mexico. Our freighter and passenger services operating northbound from Buenos Aires, Santiago, Viracopos, Lima, and Bogota can make connections to key Asian perishable markets such as Taipei, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore Similarly, pharma products inbound from key markets in Europe and India can access ground distribution that offers access to a population of 27 million people within a 4 hour drive, and all of the 48 contiguous states, as well as northern Mexico can be reached within 2-day trucking limits. Life sciences are a growth industry in our region, and all 48 states can be reached within a 4-hour flight on our passenger carriers or integrators, making DFW an ideal location for pharma distribution. We have over 37,000 square feet of refrigeration with multiple chambers capable of three temperature zones, along with a growing community of IATA CEIV certified forwarders, truckers, and airlines.

Master Plan to efficiently manage and accommodate growth over the next 20-30 years which calls for new development of infrastructure and facilities.

The first phase of the plan actually begins this week with the demolition of five obsolete cargo buildings to make way for new state-of-the-art cargo facilities with airside access. The new cargo development project will ultimately culminate in around 350,000 square feet of new cargo warehouse space and an additional 9 parking positions for group 6 aircraft all with nose-load capabilities.

We have been working closer than ever before with our U.S. CBP Officers responsible for cargo at DFW. Recently, CBP awarded an airside Central Examination Station (CES) to dnata USA, who also operates our cold-chain facility. The focus of this CES will be to facilitate the quick examination and clearance of international e-commerce and the facility will be manned by CBP officers to perform physical examinations for items targeted for inspection as required.

Today, 97% of all cross-border e-commerce shipped by air, enters and clears at just three U.S. airports, while DFW receives less than 1% of all international e-commerce Has there been more unscheduled charters and cargo- and clears at DFW and the 3 traditional ports of entry only pax flights landing and departing at DFW given are reportedly extremely congested which has been the lack of capacity over the past year? How have exacerbated by explosion of e-commerce during the ground operations changed as a result? pandemic.

We have definitely seen an increase in charter activity. We were aware of the critical need and understood the essential Industry experts have projected that over the last year nature and contribution of air cargo during the pandemic the pandemic has accelerated e-commerce growth by at and DFW welcomed those unscheduled charters. Several least 5 years. Attracting that e-commerce business to DFW carriers operated a regular schedule of cargo-only pax is a key priority, which will enable us to continue or even flights. As the home-based hub carrier, American Airlines exceed our current growth trend for the next 5-10 years obviously operated the most cargo-only pax flights and and beyond. with their footprint on the airport, and they have been able to schedule those departures without much disruption. We are already seeing new e-commerce infrastructure With other foreign flag carriers our airfield operations with final-mile carriers, e-commerce companies, and colleagues did a great job in accommodating those extra customs brokers opening DFW locations where they had services between our cargo area on the west side of the none before. We continue to focus on developing our airport and our hardstands positions at the passenger pharma business, as well as our goal of being the logical terminal. So far, it’s worked out well and we have been connection between Asia and Latin America. able to accommodate everybody, but certain times of the day on certain days of week we approached being maxed For us, we think a key indicator of the recovery will be the out on parking positions. return of international business travel demand, which will bring with it the return of long-haul international passenger What would be the airport’s remaining plans for this widebodies. Long-haul passenger widebodies accounted year and next year, and what would be a key indicator for 27-30% of DFW’s cargo capacity pre-pandemic. Having of a recovery from this still ongoing crisis? that lift back and more international passengers in our We’re encouraged that demand for cargo at DFW continues terminals will be our best sign of recovery. to grow, as stakeholders across the supply chain are seeing the value of our geographic location and logistics advantages as well as a cost-efficient solution to congested We are seeing new e-commerce infrastructure traditional ports of entry. We were growing pre-pandemic with final-mile carriers, e-commerce and we are on track to have our best year ever this year companies, and customs brokers opening during the pandemic. We recently concluded a Cargo DFW locations where they had none before.

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FEATURE

Tarik Parlak, Far East vice president for cargo sales at Turkish Airlines

Meet Turkish Cargo’s Far East vice president Tarik Parlak Turkish Cargo’s operations made a significant contribution to the company’s overall revenue and profit last year and in the Far East region, the team recorded a remarkable 1 billion in revenue..

The flag carrier is certainly in the top 5 combination airlines that are thriving with cargo, operating 21 online stations and connecting services via the Istanbul air hub.

Data released by IATA saw Turkish achieve the biggest growth ratio amongst the top 25 air cargo carriers with 5.7 percent market share in June 2021, moving from sixth to third place for the month versus last year.

In the Far East, we altered our organizational structure in the Region this year in order to ensure a smooth and steady work process. Subregion directors are appointed to China & Central Asia, North-East Asia, and South East Asia respectively to manage the communication across their countries instead of directly reporting to the Regional Office. Experienced operation managers are assigned to the major stations like Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong to ensure operation consistency. Benefitting from the strong export demand, we delivered special cargo by our fruitful experience from food and aid materials to medicine, masks, and medical equipment worldwide, maintaining business relentlessly during this pandemic period, in order not to disrupt the global pharmaceutical supply chain.

In an interview, Payload Asia listens to Tarik Parlak, cargo sales vice president for Far East at Turkish Cargo, as he walks us through his new role, key learnings, as well as We knew that an efficient, quality service along with a high the challenges and opportunities of operating in a new operation capability could lead to customer satisfaction. region.

Our on-going digitalization of our systems, Turkish Cargo Chatbot (Cargy) was launched early this year, offering Can you tell us more about Turkish Cargo’s operations customers an easy way to get instant shipment details 24/7, in the Far East? What would you say would be unique including AWB status, tariff, station capability through the in this market, particularly Asia Pacific? exclusive WhatsApp account.

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FEATURE You were previously handling western and southern Europe as VP for cargo sales, and prior to that you were overseeing the Africa region. What are the key learnings and best practices that you will be bringing to your new team, and what are your expectations?

I have over 15-years logistics experience involving sales, marketing, business development, logistics and supply chain related areas. I joined Turkish Airlines in 2010, stayed in Africa as the Cargo Director and later was appointed to Germany for 7 years with the post of Cargo Vice President for Western and Southern Europe Region. It is absolutely a new challenge for me, as this Region is totally different from the areas I participated in before, especially on the culture, business model, and customer relationship. I believe there are a lot of business opportunities in Asia Pacific as it is the biggest export region in the world with China, Vietnam, Japan and Korea.

We have 21 online stations now in our region, providing air cargo services via our strategic location hub Istanbul to connect the world. Although the overall market environment was unstable last year, thanks to all the hard work from our colleagues, our region recorded a remarkable revenue of 1 billion in 2020.

Passenger and travel demand have slowly picked up in the US and Europe bringing extra belly cargo space. What’s the situation like in Asia Pacific? How are rates and capacity looking? What would be the right strategy for cargo operators given the current volatile situation?

There is a noticeable increase in air freight demand towards the end of 2020 following the unusual condition throughout last year. Turkish Cargo’s operations are continuing at full capacity with freighters and made a significant contribution to the company’s overall revenue and profit compared to those of the previous year. We can see a recovery and positive sign on the Asia Pacific’s export cargo demand, especially on special cargo like perishable shipment, valuable and vulnerable commodities. Comparing the half-year record of the 2021 year to year, Turkish Cargo records a 20% growth on the market share according to WACD Airlines Ranking.

Can you describe to us the transition of moving from Frankfurt to Hong Kong, particularly during a pandemic? What would be your advice to those who want to pursue a career in cargo sales?

There is a saying, you are what you think. If you think big and dream big, the things you dare to desire would further come to you. In contrast, your mindset will bound your view. Since the time I know my transition from Frankfurt to Hong Kong, I was well prepared to understand more about the Region and think what I can do to improve more and more. Thanks to my colleagues who shared all the information that I needed to know when I was still a

newcomer and opened the discussion for better knowing each other. Being in cargo sales is definitely not necessary to have a very fruitful experience, instead you have to learn how to adapt and react in an ever-changing environment quickly as you know, the cargo market is dependent on too many uncontrollable issues like oil prices, economy, environment, currency, job vacancy, etc.

What would be Turkish Cargo’s upcoming plans in the region? Any new routes or services that you will be launching soon, particularly as we head into peak season?

With its successful performance in June, Turkish Cargo managed to reach its goal of becoming one of the top three air cargo brands in the world. According to data released by IATA (International Air Transport Association), flag carrier air cargo brand, after passing biggest brands from Americas, Europe and Far East, managed to rise to third place in June 2021, from being the sixth place in the same period of previous year.

SMARTIST, the new cargo terminal is the biggest project we are processing in Istanbul now and we target to move all operations over to this new facility by spring. It is built to reach 4m tonnes of annual capacity when all phases are completed. Inside the SMARTIST, we also aim to use modern technology such as automated storage systems, 3D ULD planning and unmanned ground vehicles and integrate them fully into warehouse management systems and work processes. By moving into SMARTIST we will complete our transition to a single hub system, and we can provide our customers shorter connection times and better service quality.

We also created the online booking system TKGO for our customers, all forwarders can be able to perform online bookings, tracking transactions and claim cases. In our region, over 70% of the cargo reservation is directly done by this platform, customers could be able to perform their transactions online 24/7 without any intermediaries. For the business side, we are striving to increase our market presence in the region and always respond to the market’s air freight needs. In April, we had expansions for several stations in Southeast Asia, including aircraft upgrade to wide body B777 in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur; adding extra capacity by passenger-cargo flight to Vietnam, Japan and Korea.

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MARKET REPORT

Asia Pacific airlines add Releye RLP for fleet use The need to keep product integrity, particularly for temperature-sensitive shipments like vaccines, requires a certain set of standards and procedures for each stakeholder. With more vaccines being distributed all over the world, carrier and cargo operators are trying to enhance the visibility of shipment data and travel long distances without having to worry about excursions. And this is exactly what Releye RLP does: LD11-sized unit with a unique air flow technology; fits 3-euro pallets (or 2-US pallets), and rechargeable with over 170 hours on a single charge. It gives every stakeholder a view to the shipment in real time.

Digital transformation Digitally, this is what airlines, shippers and forwarders would like to add as part of their agendas, and in Asia Pacific, top carriers like SIA, Cathay, China Airlines, China Eastern and Korean Airlines have all approved the active container for fleet use in just a span of four months.

“Our newly launched Releye RLP container plays a pivotal role in the digitalization drive by providing shippers, forwarders and airlines with real-time shipment data such as the location and temperature of the cargo throughout transit”, says Paul Seet, global key account manager - airlines at Envirotainer.

In an interview, Bernt Anderberg, chief technology officer and supply chain officer at Envirotainer, mentioned 18 sensors that monitor important aspects during shipping, including eight sensors for temperature in different places in and outside the cargo space: humidity, circuit boards, door openings, battery status, cargo loaded, and GPS. Strong partnerships Environtainer said the demand is strong in Asia, and this is why it is important for them to build strong logistics

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Envirotainer says the process to qualify the Releye container is very quick compared to other solutions in the market.

partnership with its airline partners in the region for air repositioning support to meet the availability expectations of its customers.

Service Reliability For shippers and manufacturers, the availability of this container technology can ensure that their consigned pharma or healthcare shipment does not go to waste. Crunching the numbers from their data, Envirotainer said the company had a record low 0.03% temperature deviations, meaning that virtually all shipments stayed within the set temperature interval. For the first half, the company delivered well below 0.1% in temperature deviations and even more importantly, zero product losses, which differs dramatically from the industry at large, Envirotainer claimed.

“We see a strong demand for our active units in countries across the APAC region,” Paul noted. “In countries such as China, South Korea, Japan and India, the demand is particularly high. Our Releye® RLP is still new, and many companies are currently in the phase of qualifying the unit. The process to qualify is very quick compared to other solutions on the market and the feedback from the market has been very positive so we soon expect a strong increase of product being shipped in our Releye® solutions going forward.”

Talking about Releye RLP, Paul added: “when integrated with the airline’s flight In India’s Hyderabad region---an area status information, we will be able to with a large concentration of vaccine empower cold chain stakeholders with manufacturers---cargo handling provider complete monitoring and control of GMR Hyderabad Air Cargo (GHAC) their shipments while minimizing the was the first to break in Envirotainer’s risk of temperature deviation.” new-generation containers at its cargo terminal in Hyderabad airport. The “With enhanced data visibility, we cargo handler worked closely with the can better protect the integrity of the Envirotainer team and partner airline QR medicines, improve patient safety and Cargo to ensure all the infrastructure, reduce financial loss for manufacturers protocols and procedures were in place by proactively managing transportation to induct the RLP containers. risk.”

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MRO & CONVERSIONS In this special issue, we segue to another important business unit not only for air cargo operators but the wider aerospace and engineering industry—MRO and conversions. This MRO supplement features interviews with Precision Aircraft, Topcast, HAECO and Israel Aerospace Industries, companies that are setting the benchmarks and pioneering innovations in this highly specialised field.

MRO SUPPLEMENT

Precision Aircraft on freighter conversions and more Amidst a surge in e-commerce shipments and lack of belly capacity, cargo operators, lessors, and investors are now looking at converting narrowbody freighters as a more longterm strategic investment. But with only a handful of players capable and authorised to make such modifications, one of the issues is where do we find the capacity to convert these orders? In an interview, Payload Asia talks to Zach Young, director of sales and marketing of Precision Aircraft as he gives us a rundown of the conversion market, the company’s near-term plans, as well as its newly certified programme for the A321-200PCF. Can you give us a brief background of Precision Aircraft?

Precision Aircraft Solutions began as Precision Conversions back in 2001. Precision Conversions was formed to design, develop, and produce a 757-200 passenger to cargo conversion. The STC for the 757-200PCF was issued in July 2005. Since then, over 140, 757 conversions have been completed. In 2017, we formed a joint venture with ATSG to design, develop, and produce an A321-200 passenger to cargo conversion. Our FAA STC was awarded in April 2021.

How would you describe the current cargo conversion market? Where do you see the opportunities?

Many conversion customers are lessors with enough capital and idle feedstock to tie-up multiple conversion slots. In some cases, it will force operators into leasing when they would otherwise own and convert themselves. It will not last forever, but currently the demand is greater than the capacity.

looking at freighters as a more long-term strategic investment opportunity now more than ever. Eventually, supply chains could become less dependent on air freight, however, currently we are witnessing historic demand for freighters. In my opinion, we are in a bubble—the question is, for how long?

In many cases, the same customers are competing for the same feedstock. There seems to be enough feedstock to meet the initial demand and number of conversion slots available.

The number of conversion slots available seems to be the bottleneck at this time.

How much does it cost to convert an older plane to let’s say a new generation aircraft? What’s the advantage of converting instead of buying a factory fresh freighter?

Converting is significantly less money upfront than buying a new freighter. Cargo rates do not change, whether it is on a new freighter vs 20 year old freighter. New freighters have a “honeymoon” period with maintenance and reliability, however, most operators cannot afford a new build freighter. There are zero new-build narrowbody freighters available today.

What spurred ATSG and Precision Aircrafts to start its own conversion programme for the Airbus A321? How does this differ from other conversion programmes?

The A321 is the only next-generation freighter that comes close to matching the volume and payload of the 757. While the payload and range are not as great as the 757, the A321 is nearly 20% more fuel efficient and offers more containerized volume thanks to it’s optional containerized lower hold. In a world where volume is king, the A321-200PCF is a winner.

Our A321-200PCF STC has the lowest operating empty weight compared to our competition—approximately 1,500 kilograms lighter. This enables us to have a higher standard payload and more range. The A321-200PCF also has a full-sized flight deck/ entry area which can accommodate up to 6 people (2 crew + 4 supernumeraries) and baggage.

Who would be your major clients for the B757, B757 combi and A321 freighter conversions, and where are they operating?

SF Airlines, YTO Airlines, China Postal, Air China Cargo, CACC, Northwest Cargo, DHL, Blue Dart, Swift Air, Asia Pacific Airlines, SmartLynx, Cargojet, Amerijet, ATI, Aviastar-TU, Airwork New Zealand, GlobalX, Olympus Airways. These are What’s next for Precision Aircraft? Any major plans in the operators, and do not include lessors that own some of these next 2 years? assets.

While future programs are not out of the question, Precision is 110% dedicated to supporting our customers and their fleet Do you expect demand for freighter conversions to growth with simple, functional, proven, and reliable freighter continue? What can you say about the current availability conversions with the A321 and 757. The 757-200PCF will and cost of feedstock? see 2 to 3 more strong years of production, and the A321Brick and mortar storefronts were already becoming a “thing 200PCF program will quickly ramp up to meet the current of the past” pre-COVID. The amount of people working from market demand. We are steadily increasing our in-house home now combined with lockdowns, continues to fuel the manufacturing capabilities which reduces our dependencies e-commerce boom. Operators, lessors, and investors are on supply chains.

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MRO SUPPLEMENT

Topcast: Looking ahead of future MRO market Hong Kong-headquartered parts distributor and MRO provider Topcast has been busy as of late expanding its portfolio with new supplier partnerships and building its team of experts to provide better service for its business partners in the mainland. With China’s MRO sector expected to grow in the next 10 years, the company’s chief executive, Steven Pearson, says there will definitely be a need to expand the support infrastructure both organically and with new entrants.

“As the market continues to expand and mature, the ecosystem needed to support it will likely be more and more China based and less reliant on external support networks than it is today,” Pearson mentioned. In an interview, Payload Asia talks to Steven to know more about the company, as well as he prospects for the MRO market as we head into a new normal.

Can you give us an overview of Topcast: product portfolio, coverage and main customers (if possible)?

TOPCAST has developed and grown strong customer relationships globally for more than 30 years, anchored by our strong presence in China and the broader Asia Pacific region. We strive to provide value to our OEM partners as a key link to our shared customers and an extension of their operations in the regions we support. Our portfolio includes cabin, cargo, engine, electrical & power, flight deck, airframe, consumables & chemicals, and landing gear and braking systems amongst others to deliver a complete solution to the market. We expanded our value offering in 2005 with the establishment of TOPCAST’s MRO business, partnering with top OEM manufacturers as an approved repair provider to offer quality component repair services in the region.

Steven Pearson, chief executive of Topcast

Can you cite examples of what’s unique about the industry dynamics in China? How important does experience play in navigating these dynamics?

We have had a presence in China for more than 30 years and have established strong ties with major Chinese airlines and MROs. We have a very extensive and experienced sales team in China and the benefits of being an existing OEM-approved repair provider for many of the suppliers we support. We expect to leverage synergies between AML’s existing operations and our operations at the Hong Kong headquarters to drive best practices and offer increased value to our Chinese customers.

China’s MRO growth is expected to grow from 6.7% to 8.8% from 2021 to 2031. Is the existing capacity in China enough to fill expected demand or will there be a need perhaps for new entrants or consolidation?

Recently TOPCAST further expanded its presence in China through the acquisition of Shanghai AML Aviation As China’s MRO demand grows along with the fleet expansion, Technologies, to offer more economically justified MRO there will definitely be a need to expand the support services to Chinese customers in the country. infrastructure both organically as well as with new entrants. As the market continues to expand and mature, the ecosystem How would you describe the Chinese MRO market? needed to support it will likely be more and more China based Robust. We see the strong desire for OEM-approved and less reliant on external support networks than it is today. component repairs in the Chinese market. China has led the market in COVID recovery and is forecasted to continue Has the company been profitable since it started? What can this recovery and move back into a growth phase. With the you tell us about the M&A with AML Aviation Technologies projected fleet growth and delivery schedule, we see a market in Shanghai, and how will this help the bottom line? that could double in size in the next decade, and targeted AML is a successful business and will provide exceptional nearplans to build more than 230 new airports while expanding term benefits to the TOPCAST portfolio. Additionally, we see many others in the next 15 years. Coupling this growth with a great opportunity to expand our footprint and consolidate the expanded manufacture of COMAC commercial aircraft operations across our business units in Shanghai to deliver will certainly drive expanded MRO demand in China. further efficiencies.

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MRO SUPPLEMENT

State-of-the -art engine test cell, capable of testing GE9X series engines, at HAECO’s facility in Xiamen

Q&A with HAECO’s new VP for commercial in EMEA HAECO announced in early September that its newly formed commercial division is now up and running. Four regional commercial teams are now in place in Asia Pacific, China, EMEA (or Europe, Middle East and Africa) and the Americas, who will market and sell the company’s full range of products and services covering air frames, cabin, components and engines.

Completing the list of commercial vice presidents to lead the different regions is Klaus-Peter Leinauer, who will be in charge of EMEA. Klaus, who got his qualification as a private pilot at the age of 14 and spent most of his career

There is currently more demand to avoid complex and costly engine overhauls by managing work scopes on a modular level.

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in aviation, says there is currently more demand to avoid complex and costly engine overhauls by managing work scopes on a modular level.

including being a qualified private pilot since the age of fourteen. In order to achieve a successful career in aviation, I see two important aspects: first, an appropriate education and secondly an In an email interview, Payload Asia talks enthusiasm for lifelong learning. to Klaus as he shares his prospects for the EMEA region, the market What would be the first order of trends that will drive the demand for business in your new role? What are HAECO’s services, as well as the group’s your prospects for the EMEA region? future plans, including enhancing its capabilities on narrow-body platforms. Working under HAECO Group Chief Commercial Officer Richard Kendall’s Can you give us a brief background leadership, my team and I will follow of your work experience? Was there the Group’s business strategy based any backstory that led you to pursue on two pillars. First, we will draw on the a career in the aviation and air cargo existing customer relationships in the industry, and where do you attribute EMEA region and make sure that we your success? continue to provide quality services and I have been working in aviation for more solutions to those customers. Second, than 20 years now. Even if not always we will increase the visibility of HAECO easy, I have never regretted working in Group as a leading aviation product the aviation sector. Even in my personal and service provider to other airlines life I spend quite some time in aviation, and aviation entities in the region.

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MRO SUPPLEMENT Our excellent market reputation, the comprehensive service and solution portfolio that we provide and our professional and motivated people will help us in implementing the vision in the regions for which I am responsible.

What are the key trends that would drive the demand for your division’s services in that part of the globe? Is there a particular country or region that you are looking to focus on from the get-go?

There are different trends, partly also driven by the necessity for change due to the pandemic. One trend is that the services being asked for are more related to the overall economic situation in the industry. For example, there is currently more demand to avoid complex and costly engine overhauls by managing work scopes rather on a modular level than sending an engine into full overhaul. Additionally, we are seeing demand for services related to bringing aircraft out of storage.

In general airlines are keen to win back their passengers, particularly their premium passengers, when the pandemic situation becomes more stable and may therefore modify their cabin layouts. We at HAECO can offer both cabin interior products and the modification services and installation of these products.

Klaus-Peter Leinauer, commercial VP for EMEA

As for making sure that all our services are available in Europe, Middle East and Africa, our strategy is relatively straightforward. For components and engines, it does not make a big difference where our customers are located as this is very much a global business.

The equation is slightly different for components such as landing gear or large components such as thrust reversers. However, if an overhaul of a landing gear or thrust reverser can be planned to coincide with the groundDo you expect the new commercial time of a base maintenance layover at team to benefit in correlation with our facilities, we do have extensive backgrowing demand for freighter shop capabilities. conversions? What would be the strategy to ensure that air frames, As for airframes, we currently focus components and engines can be on wide-body aircraft which we would easily accessible whether you’re in send to one of our facilities in the Chinese mainland or Hong Kong. The Europe, the Middle East or Africa?

Passenger-to-Freighter (P2F) conversion fact that HAECO can provide one-stophas always been an important market shop for services and solutions makes and even more important now as it attractive even for markets which are demand on dedicated airfreight slightly further away, particularly if we has increased with the reduction in combine some of those services into passenger aircraft belly space since the ground time of an aircraft. the beginning of the pandemic. We at HAECO have substantial experience and More locally within Europe we have capability to conduct P2F conversions at recently established a facility for our our facilities in the Chinese mainland Global Engine Support division which provides an opportunity where an and in the United States.

operator needs flexible and cost optimised engine solutions.

From your knowledge, are there certain types of aircraft in EMEA that will see more demand and require more capacity? If so, what are they and how are you looking to fill the demand?

The capability list of HAECO shows already that we can serve almost every aircraft platform which is currently flying. There are certain trends in the air transport industry, with a few exceptions the very large aircraft such as the A380 or Boeing 747-400/-8 will be retired and be replaced by more flexible and more economical twinjet such as B777, B787 or A350. We in HAECO Group will therefore continue to develop solutions for these platforms and will increase our capabilities on narrow-body platforms in the future, not only in Europe, Middle East & Africa but also other parts of the world.

We are seeing demand for services related to bringing aircraft out of storage.

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Catching up with IAI on new orders and network expansion Israel-based aviation group Israel Aerospace Industries has been busy expanding its commercial operations across the globe with planned conversion sites from north Asia to the middle east. Its most recent is an agreement with MRO service provider Etihad Engineering to establish its own Abu Dhabi passenger-to-freighter conversion site for twin-engine Boeing 777-3000ER aircraft.

IAI said the new conversion centre will use the airline’s maintenance centre in Abu Dhabi, and will offer cargo configuration and MRO services, to serve the rise in demand for cargo jets of the same widebody model. The company has certainly made progress in its ‘Big Twin’ project after it entered the modification phase in early August, which is expected to take around 5 months.

In a brief interview, Payload Asia talks to Rafi Matalon, EVP for marketing at IAI Aviation Group, as he gave a rundown on the freighter conversion market, the company’s operations and future plans for the group.

How would you describe the current cargo conversion market, and where do you see the opportunities?

As we have seen, many passenger aircraft were grounded as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In parallel, the freighter market received a boost, and we now see a large interest in the passenger-to-freighter conversion programs. In order to provide for this booming demand, IAI increased its conversion capabilities and today, we are running 8 B767 cargo conversion lines across the world.

The demand is coming from Europe, Asia and North America.

Can you tell us more about the network of freighter conversion facilities that the company has lined up all over the globe (existing sites in China, and planned sites at ICN and Ethiopia)?

For the B767 cargo conversion, we have 6 conversion lines at the IAI headquarters in Israel, and two conversion lines in Mexico. For the B737-700/800 cargo conversion, we have 3 remote sites: two in China and one in Italy. We are looking forward to establishing more.

Boeing 737-800BDSF undergoing freighter modifications at IAI’s facility

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What’s involved in building and operating conversion facilities, and how long does one facility usually take to complete?

For the last 40 years, IAI has accumulated extensive experience in building remote sites across the world and has established a knowledge transfer at each site, providing instructions for proper procedures, which include all perspectives of MROs. The time it takes to establish a new remote site is usually around one year.

Seeing how cargo has been the bright spot for the aviation industry over the course of the last year, has there been any change in terms of getting buy-in from stakeholders to build conversion facilities? What’s your take on this?

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the aviation industry, including grounding entire fleets for a long period of time, the MRO business was directly affected as many aircraft did not fly.

Stakeholders reached an understanding that they should explore other businesses beyond MRO that would not be affected by the global pandemic situation, and reduce their business risk. We thus received a lot of interest from MRO centers that wanted to establish conversion sites due to the above reason.

With the Big Twin project entering the modification stages, how many orders has IAI confirmed, and can the current capacity cover the demand?

As we had announced, IAI signed a contract with GECAS for 15 firm conversions plus 15 options, and I am pleased to inform you that GECAS is in a dialog with us to exercise three options. We are in a very late stage of negotiation with another operator, and hope that very soon we will announce more orders and partnerships.

What’s your forecast for air cargo markets in Asia, Africa and Europe? Which countries do you think will require more narrowbody or wide-body cargo conversion capacity over the next few years?

Based on the current interest I see, China and North America are in the progress of developing narrow-body, mid-size and widebody fleets; for Europe and North America, narrow-body and mid-size

Celebrating Air Cargo and Logistics

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What makes us one of the world’s most trusted air cargo hubs: our capabilities.

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Facilities to handle temperature-sensitive cargo, high value collectibles, and live animals. State-of-the-art cargo express facilities with direct airside access within a 24/7 Free Trade Zone. To learn how Singapore Changi Airport continues to meet the rapidly changing operational demands of your business, visit changiairport.com/cargo today.

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FOREWORD Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 8th Payload Asia Awards. It is a great honour to host this event and to organise this timely occasion to celebrate the best and brightest in air cargo and logistics.

In 2020 we saw the world come to a standstill and amidst the worst crisis seen in decades, we saw how air cargo resiliently played a critical role to reconnect supply chains and deliver the goods where they needed to be.

From your favourite cargo handler to your most reliable air freight agent, the Payload Asia Awards recognises the most outstanding in the business and those setting new benchmarks in today’s ever changing and connected markets.

We would like to thank all the companies who have submitted their entries. We also want to thank jury members for their utmost support to the awards, as well as to the speakers who have made this event more interesting. Our appreciation also goes out to our readers who have cast their votes online. The awards would not be possible if not for industry wanting to recognise the many hardworking and dedicated companies and staff, many of whom have gone beyond the call of duty to keep supply chains moving in this pandemic and travel lockdown.

Finally, we want to thank our sponsors for believing in what we do and for sharing the resources to make this event a success. We now wish to congratulate all the winners of the 8th Payload Asia Awards who have been recognised by peers and colleagues alike.

We applaud all the individuals and their companies for their work and dedication to keep the air cargo logistics and supply chain running.

“Air cargo resiliently played its purpose to reconnect supply chains and deliver the goods where they needed to be.”

Mr. Lee Keen Whye

Chairman, Payload Asia Awards

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38 GLOBAL EXPRESS

PROVIDER OF THE YEAR DHL Express SF Express

CONTENTS

40 GSSA OF THE YEAR Ansync Global Global Cargo Far East Limited

41 COLD CHAIN SERVICE

PROVIDER OF THE YEAR

Mumbai Cargo Service Center Cold Chain Solutions Pvt Ltd Royal Cargo dnata

42 GROUND HANDLER OF THE YEAR

SATS Asia Airfreight Terminal dnata

43 IT SERVICE PROVIDER OF THE YEAR SmartKargo IBS Software Unisys Cargo

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44 BEST ECOMMERCE CARRIER

Polar Air Cargo Turkish Airlines AirBridgeCargo Airlines

46 EUROPEAN AIRPORT OF THE YEAR

Liege Airport Brussels Airport

47 ASIA PACIFIC AIRPORT

44

OF THE YEAR

Hong Kong International Airport Changi Airport Narita Airport

48 OVERALL CARRIER OF THE YEAR

Polar Air Cargo Turkish Airlines AirBridgeCargo Airlines

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JURY PANEL Brandon Fried

Brian Wu

Executive Director, Air Forwarders Association

Managing Director, BEL International

Cathy Roberson

Celine Hourcade

Writer & Consultant, Logistics TI

CEO & Founder, Change Horizon

Dr. Paul Tsui Managing Director, The Janel Group of Hong Kong

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Glyn Hughes Director General, TIACA

Paul Damkjaer

Frederic Horst

CEO & President, IFCBAA

Managing Director, Cargo Facts Consulting

Tulsi Nowlakha Mirchandaney

Emma Murray CEO & Founder, Meantime Communications

Managing Director, Blue Dart Aviation

John Peyton Burnett Managing Director, TAC Index

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Global Express Provider of the Year

DHL EXPRESS

SF EXPRESS

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GSSA of the Year

ANSYNC GLOBAL

GLOBAL CARGO FAR EAST LIMITED SF EXPRESS

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Cold Chain Service Provider of the Year

MUMBAI CARGO SERVICE CENTER COLD CHAIN SOLUTIONS PVT LTD

ROYAL CARGO

DNATA UNISYS CARGO

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Ground Handler of the Year

ASIA AIRFREIGHT TERMINAL

SATS

DNATA

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IT Service Provider of the Year

SMARTKARGO

IBS SOFTWARE

UNISYS CARGO

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Best Ecommerce Carrier

POLAR AIR CARGO

TURKISH AIRLINES

AIRBRIDGECARGO AIRLINES

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European Airport of the Year

LIEGE AIRPORT

BRUSSELS AIRPORT

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Asia Pacific Airport of the Year

CHANGI AIRPORT

HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

DNATA AIRPORT NARITA

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Overall Carrier of the Year

POLAR AIR CARGO

TURKISH CARGO

AIRBRIDGECARGO AIRLINES

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