Payload Asia | June - July 2022

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

THE TRADE MAGAZINE FOR THE ASIA-PACIFIC AND MIDDLE EAST REGION VOL. 38 NO. 4 JUNE/JULY 2022

NEW BOEING FREIGHTER DELIVERS ON SUSTAINABILITY

Scan here tothe book nnecting your space with us today! and Logistics ansport perience

Connecting the Transport and Logistics Experience

exhibiting companies

trade visitors

Extensive business What to Expect

High-level summit with industry expertsharing

matchmaking & networking opportunities

More than 100 exhibiting companies

More than 4000 trade visitors

pitchin

Technical & to

Exciting start-up pitching zone

Who should exhibit with us:

» Airlines, airports, supporting services » Charter brokers » Consulting, commercial Insurance, related services » DP systems for logistics, transport, and airline manageme » Equipment for freight transport » Intralogistics, warehouse management systems, auto ID and packaging telematics, e-business, telecommunications » IT, should Who exhibit with us: Organizations and trade associations » »» Services, freight transport, logistics ...and more!

Extensive business matchmaking & networking opportunities

High-level summit with industry expertsharing

Technical site visits & tours

Airlines, airports, supporting services Charter brokers Consulting, commercial Insurance, related services DP systems for logistics, transport, and airline management Equipment for freight transport Intralogistics, warehouse management systems, auto ID and packaging IT, telematics, e-business, telecommunications Organizations Mechanical Chemical and trade associations Services, freightgoods: transport,clothing logistics / ...and more!Metal Consumer

» » » » »Meet decision makers from: » »» » »» »

enginee

» » » » » » »

textiles Oil refining Consumer goods: fast moving Pharmaceutical Meet decision makers from: consumer goods Retail / eCommerce Consumer goods: food and Rubber / Plastic » Mechanical engineering » Chemical beverage Transport / Logistic goods: clothing / » Consumer » Metal Consumer goods: furnishing textiles » Oil refining Vehicle manufacturi goods: fast moving Electrical products Wood » Consumer » Pharmaceutical consumer goods Retail / eCommerce » Glass / Ceramics / Stone / Soil

» » » » » »

» » » »

Consumer goods: food and Rubber / Plastic beverage Transport / Logistics Consumer goods: furnishing Vehicle manufacturing Electrical products Wood Glass / Ceramics / Stone / Soil Manager, MMI Asia Pte CHRISTLE KOH, Project

» » »

tlacSEA@mmiasia.com.sg | +65 6236 0988 CHRISTLE KOH, Project Manager, MMI Asia Pte Ltd tlacSEA@mmiasia.com.sg | +65 6236 0988

15 September 2023

- 15 September 2023 a Bay13 Sands Marina Bay Sands entionConvention Centre, Centre, Singapore Singapore

www.transportlogisticsea.com w.transportlogisticsea.com

Ltd

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EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITORIAL/PUBLISHER

The smallest details often reveal to us the bigger picture, and as the latest data from industry experts reveal muted rates for the month of June, this could be a signal of a softening market or just the usual quieter summer period before we move towards peak season at year-end.

With airports and on-ground services dealing with staff shortages, higher fuel prices, and having to cut summer flights to ease the pressure, who knows what’s in store for the rest of the year? In this issue, we reserve the pages to discuss the new trends that are shaping up the future of air cargo and the wider aviation industry.

ent

One of the companies that we feature has created an exchange platform to trade air cargo capacity using blockchain. Turn to page 14 to find out more about Airblox and what the company is doing to support and transform the industry.

ering

In our C-suite section, we got a chance to chat with Christos Spyrou, chief executive of Neutral Air Partner, as he gave us an update on the cargo network group’s preparations for the upcoming event in September.

Find out the latest developments on page 18.

e

This issue further dives into the concept of sustainability in aviation where we got to talk to leading aircraft manufacturer Boeing to discuss the company’s newest freighter and the other upgrades, aside from its lower carbon footprint.

cs ing

There’s also an interview with Celine Hourcade from Change Horizon, Lodige Industries and DHL Express, highlighting the need for innovation, transformation and sustainability for everyone across the air cargo supply chain.

The magazine won’t be complete without the latest and insights from our newsmakers. Enjoy digesting this bimonthly issue for June and July and stay posted for the upcoming North American supplement in the next issue.

Giullian Navarra Chief Editor

Keen Whye Lee Publisher publisher@harvest-info.com Giullian Navarra PLA Editor editor-pla@harvest-info.com

OPERATIONS Mari Vergara Head of Operations manager-ph@harvest-info.com

MARKETING Lali Singson 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 Michael Magsalin tech@harvest-info.com

Harvest Information Pte. Ltd. 150 Orchard Road, #07-05 Orchard Plaza Singapore 169206 150 Orchard Road, #07-05 Orchard Plaza, Singapore 169206

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CONTENT PAGE

16

FEATURE Lödige Industries talks about automation, expansion and growth

18

C-SUITE Neutral Air Partner takes air cargo stakeholders to the island of the gods

NEWS

FEATURE

04 Cathay and Lufthansa adds

Swiss to cargo joint venture

05 Etihad’s cargo booking app sees wide use in India and China

06 Kansai Airports and Airbus to study hydrogen use in Japan

07 Changi Airport gears up for

more flights to South Korea

08 Menzies joins initiative to

promote ‘carbon-neutral’ flying

09 DHL Express adds B777F

capacity on transpacific route

10

22

SPECIAL FEATURE Why Qatar Airways cares to fly

14 Airblox: New exchange

platform underscores air cargo as a tradable concept

16 German supplier Lödige

C-SUITE 18 Neutral Air Partner takes air cargo stakeholders to the island of the gods

Maersk completes Senator International acquisition with ‘special’ merger

12 CEVA Logistics delivers life-size jet replica for film premiere

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19 Boeing’s widebody

freighters to provide ample cargo space well into the future

Industries talks about automation, expansion and growth

11 Freightos eyes Nasdaq listing

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COVER STORY

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SPECIAL FEATURE 24 Why Qatar Airways Cargo cares to fly

26 DHL Global Forwarding on

Singapore and sustainability in air transport

CHAPTER 3

LET’S STAND TOGETHER

Because every child deserves an education Access to education is a crucial foundation for success and independence as an adult. Because WeQare, we want to give children the tools they need to secure a solid start in life.

Moved by people qrcargo.com

NEWS - CARRIERS Bamboo Airways selects ECS to expand cargo operations

Vietnamese leisure airline Bamboo Airways is placing a strong focus on cargo operations within its network, and has appointed Globe Air Cargo as its exclusive GSA in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Bamboo Airways now operates A321 services between Saigon (SGN) and Singapore (SIN) three times each week. The main commodities transported to Vietnam include electronic goods, raw materials, spare parts, pharmaceuticals, and e-commerce, whilst the return route from Vietnam to Singapore includes perishables, electronics, and readymade garments.

Bamboo Airways plans to gradually expand its network to Europe, USA, Japan, Australia, and other regions.

ECS said it intends to promote Vietnam to e-commerce players and interline partners as the Vietnames carrier grows its schedule.

Cathay and Lufthansa adds Swiss to cargo joint venture

Cathay is expected to boost traffic at Hong Kong airport. The airlines will initially cooperate on traffic from Hong Kong to Zurich and Frankfurt, with traffic to and from Hong Kong Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa Cargo With the addition of Swiss’ network, and the rest of Europe planned to be have welcomed Swiss WorldCargo the combined cargo network of included later this year. into the airlines’ joint business agreement, building a tie-up deal signed in 2016 between the two airlines on sales, pricing, contracts, and the handling of shipments between Hong Kong and Europe.

Under the new agreement, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa Cargo, and Swiss WorldCargo will work closely together on network planning, as well as on sales, IT and ground handling.

Qatar Airways posts record profit; cargo revenue up 25% Qatar Airways posted the strongest financial performance in its 25-year history as the Doha-based airline reported a record net profit of US$1.54 billion during the fiscal year 2021/22, up 200 percent above its previous record.

Both the passenger and cargo business saw significant growth as passenger revenue increased by 210 percent over the last year. Qatar

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Airways Cargo saw revenue jump 25 percent to US$6.326 billion over the previous year thanks to consistent growth in cargo capacity.

The airline transported more than 3 million tonnes of air freight in 2021, up almost 10 percent over the previous year, securing almost eight percent of the global market share. Earlier this year, the airline ordered up to 50 Boeing 777-8 freighters estimated at US$20 billion.

NEWS - CARRIERS Vietnam’s IPP Air Cargo targets September launch

Philip Nguyen, IPP Travel Retail CEO, said the luxury retail conglomerate plans to start its air operations in September, with initial flights to Hong Kong and Singapore. The new carrier is currently in talks with Singpost and Cainiao and has brought in former Polar Air Cargo IPP Group has its fingers crossed COO Lars Winkelbauer as an advisor. as the company’s air cargo division anticipates its air operator certificate With four freighters wet leased or AOC by the end of July, as well from lessor BBAM, Nguyen said the as the delivery of the first of four company plans to procure at least 10 Boeing 737-800BCF freighters in the more freighters, including widebody same month. aircraft, over the next three years.

IAG Cargo restarts cargo-only services to BKK and HKG IAG Cargo is predicting a busy summer schedule and has restarted cargo-only services to Hong Kong and Bangkok using B787-9 aircraft.

Daily flights from London Heathrow (LHR) to Hong Kong (HKG) have already started on 1 June, whilst flights between LHR and BKK from 24 May are being operated four times each week.

IAG Cargo anticipates that e-commerce will continue to be a major growth priority service, which has become pharmaceuticals, perishables and sector for the business this year, popular with e-commerce customers, European supermarket goods into after it saw 32 percent growth for its the airline said. The group also flies Asia Pacific.

Etihad’s cargo booking app sees wide use in India, China Six months after its launch, Etihad Cargo’s booking app has already attracted new users and bookings, with 45 percent of the airline’s bookings made via the app in April.

The airline is confident bookings via the app will grow to half of all the carrier’s bookings in the coming months.

According to Etihad, India ranks first with 95.8 percent adoption, followed

by Hong Kong and China with 95.4 percent and 89.6 percent, respectively.

Citing China as a ‘key market,’ the airline has already launched Mandarin versions of the new booking app and the company website. Etihad said customers will be able to create permanent bookings, including seasonal and bulk bookings, starting the second quarter.

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NEWS - AIRPORTS Kansai Airports and Airbus to study hydrogen use in Japan Airbus and Kansai Airports have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the use of hydrogen at three of the group’s airports in Japan, namely, Kansai International Airport, Osaka International Airport, and Kobe Airport.

Through this partnership, the two companies will jointly prepare a roadmap to address challenges and define an advocacy plan for hydrogen needs. Both parties would lead the study into the development of infrastructure for the use of hydrogen in the aviation sector.

Airbus is already working in partnership with airports around the world including the MoU with VINCI Airports, to lead the scale-up of hydrogen use in the aviation industry. The deal with Kansai Airports is the first one Airbus has signed with an airport operator in Japan and follows the one signed with Kawasaki Heavy Industries in May to work on exploring hydrogen use in Japan’s transport sector.

Brussels Airport allots €70 million to modernize cargo area

Brussels Airport plans to invest ‘no less than’ 70 million euros over the next three years to redevelop a 83,500-sqm cargo zone in the central premises, with a focus on modernization, innovation and sustainability.

The move comes as the airport sees growing demand for storage and handling space and with it the need to modernize several buildings. The airport group said eight obsolete buildings will be demolished to set the stage for three modern and sustainable buildings at the central area, BruCargo Central, scheduled to be completed in 2025.

Construction works at this 83,500sqm central area, located in the second line of access to the tarmac, are scheduled to start at end-2023.

Plans include the redevelopment of the central area of the cargo zone and the development of new cargo buildings and offices on the airport site, with a clear focus on sustainability.

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NEWS - AIRPORTS Changi Airport prepares for more to South Korean destinations

Starting June, Changi Airport will see a 60 percent increase in services connecting to South Korea as three new airlines commence their operations.

Low-cost carrier T’way Air will operate services to Seoul twice a week from 29 May, whilst Air Premia, which commenced ‘passenger aircraft carrying cargo’ (PACC) operations

DHL Global Forwarding widens footprint at Brisbane Airport

in Changi late last year, will operate passenger flights to Seoul three times a week starting 29 June.

Jeju Air will be the only carrier operating the Singapore-Busan route from Changi, with a twice a week schedule from 25 June, whilst SIA Group’s Scoot will open a new route connecting Singapore to Jeju on 15 June.

DHL is looking to have the largest international cold chain services in Brisbane to accommodate demand from the perishables sector, with a planned 4,880-sqm facility at Brisbane Airport.

The new facility, for which the forwarder is investing A$17 million (11 million euros) over the next 10 years, will be ready by early 2023 and is expected to support the growth of general cargo exports coming from Queensland, Australia.

Located on-airport and close to the Port of Brisbane, the facility offers air side access, the facility will feature solar panels, reusable batteries to power most of the warehouse operations, rainwater harvesting and electric vehicle charging stations, DHL noted.

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NEWS - CARGO HANDLING WFS invests in new Schiphol facility ahead of peak

Worldwide Flight Services is set to open a new warehouse at Amsterdam Schiphol for offline cargo in August to support its growing client base and add capacity ahead of the peak season.

The new 3,000-sqm facility is the fourth cargo terminal for the ground handler at Schiphol, where the ground handler now has 17,500 square metres of space. The warehouse will be dedicated to handling offline cargo, the company noted.

WFS emphasized its ongoing commitment to invest in airport facilities in Europe and North America as opportunities to do so become available. The new building will have eight truck docks for loading and unloading available starting August.

Menzies joins initiative to promote ‘carbon-neutral’ flying Menzies Aviation has become the first aviation fuel services provider to sign up with Skies for Tomorrow (CST), a coalition of airlines, airports, and oil companies that are aligning their individual efforts to achieve carbon-neutral flying.

Led by the World Economic Forum along with non-profit Rocky Mountain Institute and the Energy Transitions Commission, the group aims to increase the supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from

Lodige Industries delivers automated cargo terminal at TFU

Lödige Industries has installed a new fully automated air cargo terminal at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU) for international

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shipments, featuring two elevating transfer vehicles (ETVs) with a fivelevel, three-directional automated unit load device (ULD) storage and

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the current 0.1 percent to 10 percent of global jet fuel supply by 2030.

Menzies said its teams have already performed refuels of SAF on commercial flights in both the UK and US and are implementing management of change procedures for the receipt and handling of SAF at some fuel farm locations. The company is committed to becoming carbon neutral for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2033, Menzies’ 200th anniversary.

handling system for 227 20-ft storage positions.

In addition to the international cargo terminal, Lödige Industries also supplied Sichuan Airport Group with state-of-the-art equipment for the airport’s domestic cargo terminal and for a special warehouse for hazardous goods as well as an express distribution centre.

It also includes an international export goods supervision warehouse. Lödige Industries said it secured the contract to provide ULD and pallet handling equipment for more than 83,000 square meters of cargo facilities. The terminal at Tianfu Airport is the first in China to be equipped with ETVs from Lödige Industries.

NEWS - EXPRESS DHL Express adds B777F capacity on transpacific route DHL Japan has introduced a new route connecting Japan to the United States on June 26 as the company responds to growing demand for trade between Asia and the US.

roundtrip flights and deploy a Boeing 777F freighter, operated by DHL Air UK, on top of the regular weekly schedule, with plans to increase to six.

The company already has a B747F flying five times each week operated by Polar Air and a B777F flying the same number of weekly flights operated by Kalitta Air. The express operator will now add three

DHL Air UK, making its debut in Asia, said the new route (Hong KongCentral-Cincinnati-East Midlands, UK) marks the first step in expanding intercontinental flights connecting Europe, the US and Asia.

FedEx boosts Asia-Europe capacity with new PEK-CDG route FedEx Express has opened a new route between Asia and Europe with flights connecting Beijing to Charles de Gaulle (CDG) in Paris, with extended cut-off time for same-day outbound shipments from Beijing to Europe.

Customers in China and Japan are expected to benefit from the new service to CDG, with 10 connections each week via Kansai International

Airport in Osaka for urgent packages or items requiring temperature control and monitoring and even heavyweight packages.

This new route will provide a direct return flight between CDG to Singapore one day a week, providing customers in the city state with additional inbound capacity from Europe of around 50 tonnes each week.

Mexican cargo airline starts scheduled flights to China Mexico-based cargo airline mas, 200P2F (with registration EI-MAA) formerly known as MasAir, has for the first time as it looks to added scheduled flights to China, expand its network into Asia. deploying its newly handed A330-

The new service,with a capacity of 60 tonnes each way, will be operated by mas for Chinese forwarder Universal Translink Aviation Transportation Service ( UTA) and will connect Mexico City International Airport (MEX) and Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO) twice a week.

The airline said it will increase the schedule to CGO three times each week in July, with plans to add another route to China via Chongqing-Jiangbei International Airport (CKG) in the same month.

The new flights come as the airline has been rapidly expanding its fleet over recent months.

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NEWS - FREIGHT FORWARDERS CMA CGM continues fleet expansion with second B777F CMA CGM welcomed its second Boeing 777F freighter as it announced an additional order for two more of the aircraft type at a ceremony signing held in Everett, WA on June 7. The international shipping company, which recently created its own air cargo unit, plans to build up its fleet to a dozen aircraft by 2026.

come from the order CMA CGM AIR tonnes and range of 9,200 kilometers, CARGO placed in Spring 2021,” it noted. across its air freight network in Europe, North America and Asia. The two new The company plans to use the B777F 777F aircraft in order are scheduled to aircraft, with maximum payload of 107 be delivered by 2024.

With the second freighter, the company now counts six aircraft in its fleet, including four A330-200Fs operated by Air Belgium and the maiden B777F delivered earlier on 31 May. In December 2021, Airbus confirmed the group’s order for A350F freighters.

The purchase of two Boeing 777 Freighters was the first direct order since the group announced its dedicated air cargo transport division in February 2021. “These planes both

Maersk completes Senator International acquisition Maersk has completed the its own controlled freight network, capacity will be provided by strategic acquisition of air freight forwarder through a combination of owned commercial carriers and charter Senator International, based in the and leased aircraft. The remaining flight operators.

US, as the shipping giant looks to improve its end-to-end services with integrated logistics. Maersk said the merger will allow for more transport solutions, with more control on the speedup or slowdown of cargo depending on the customer’s changing supply chain needs.

“Senator brings with it a strong organization and a well-developed airfreight network comprising own controlled flights and long-term partnerships with best-in-class airlines, a well-established full container load (FCL) and less than container load (LCL) network and specialized services such packaging, warehousing and distribution across five continents,” Maersk told in a statement.

Maersk said the ambition is to have approximately one third of the annual air tonnage carried within

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NEWS - FREIGHT FORWARDERS Freightos eyes Nasdaq listing with ‘special’ merger

filing: “A merger with us will offer a target business an alternative process to a public listing rather than the traditional initial public offering process. We believe target businesses may favour this alternative, which we believe is less expensive and takes less time, while offering greater certainty of execution than the traditional initial public offering.”

Freight booking and payment platform Freightos Ltd is looking to go public on Nasdaq after the company entered into a definitive merger agreement with special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Gesher I Acquisition Apart from the merger, the company Corp. has secured additional commitments amounting to US$80 million from The enterprise value of the merger airlines and investing firms, including is estimated at around $435 million, $10 million from Qatar Airways, $60 leaving 78 percent stake to existing million from M&G Investments and shareholders after the deal. The up to $10 million from Composite capital raised from the transaction Analysis Group, an affiliate of Safer will be invested to further scale the Logistics. business, driving transaction value and improving margins.

Existing shareholders also include FedEx, SGX Group, Aleph, MoreVC Zvi Schrieber, founder and CEO of and Booking Holdings Chairman Bob Freightos, said the reason for listing Mylod. The deal is slated to close in via a SPAC was due to the ‘better the second half of the year pending process.” Gesher explained in its SEC customary closing conditions.

FIATA launches electronic bill of lading for members Freight forwarder trade body FIATA one of the seven, said customers on its request a connection to the FIATA BL has issued a paperless bill of lading CargoWise platform would be able to starting in June.

(BL), which can be accessed via existing technology, for the use of all its members. The new FIATA BL uses blockchain technology to authenticate the documents and provide an audit trail.

Aside from making the documentation process more transparent, the solution, approved by the International Chamber of Commerce, can be used for multimodal transport and doorto-door. The issuer can decide on the document format to be shared, whether paper or PDF, and FIATA, based on its own eFBL data standard, has developed an API service. The service will be free to software providers, enabling them to connect with FIATA to create secured paperless documents.

Seven software providers have already signed an agreement with FIATA to implement the electronic BL, developed by Komgo. WiseTech Global,

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NEWS - LOGISTICS Cainiao boosts parcel services to Pakistan and Bangladesh Cainiao Network will serve as the official logistics provider of Pakistani e-commerce marketplace Daraz, as the Alibaba logistics unit sees growing demand given the growing number of internet users in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

services, digital customs clearance, sorting, and after-sales customer service.

Bollore said the new hub, designed by Frasers Property Industrial Thailand, was built in line with the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments, featuring a smart lighting system, solar panels,

and water-saving equipment. The forwarder is looking towards its green building certification by the end of 2022, becoming one of the first warehouses in Thailand to do so.

Cainiao will provide air freight shipping services from China to South Asia, with 13 weekly flights to Pakistan and 8 weekly flights to Bangladesh. LastThe new cross-border shipping service mile delivery will be provided by Daraz includes local pick-ups in China, first- Express and affiliated local logistics mile sortation, international line-haul partners in both countries.

Bolloré Logistics opens fulfilment hub in Thailand Bolloré Logistics has something to smile about as the French forwarder opened its brand-new warehouse and distribution centre in Thailand on 8 June.

Nicknamed SMILE HUB, the fulfilment facility is situated in Bangplee—23 kilometres away from Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok. It offers an area of 11,000 square metres and was designed for the perfume, cosmetics and luxury sector.

CEVA Logistics delivers life-size jet replica for film premiere

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The need for speed was critical for the CEVA Logistics Showfreight team as they managed the logistics for a full-scale replica of a Typhoon fighter jet at the new blockbuster movie premiere in London’s Leicester Square.

also in charge of dismantling the display after the event, executing a textbook exercise: by 6 am, the next morning, the replica aircraft and all its associated equipment were dismantled, and the venue was vacated.

The CEVA team had just seven hours to build the aircraft ahead of the premiere event and the arrival of the film’s stars, royalty and invited guests. The CEVA team was

The Typhoon model will next be on display at the Farnborough International Air Show in July. One of the Tempest models was on display Arabia in March and can be seen at at the World Defense Show in Saudi the RAF Cosford Air Show in June.

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FEATURE

Airblox: New exchange platform underscores air cargo as a tradable concept Here’s an interview with Edip Pektas, CEO of Airblox, a digital exchange platform for airlines and freight forwarders to trade air cargo capacity in real time.

Airblox today is the best platform for airlines and freight forwarders to trade air cargo capacity. It is flexible, agile and a tactical tool for market participants to visualize their exposure, expand or contract their capabilities and best of Can you tell us more about what all, another way to manage their risk in prompted you to create Airblox? real time.

By nature, I am an efficiency geek.

Seeing my customers, airlines How does it work? What are the and freight forwarders constantly advantages for stakeholders using struggling to sell cargo space going the platform? through gazillion emails and phone In the world of air cargo, there is calls, was what attracted me to look friction at every step of the way and for a solution. it’s costly and time consuming. We knew from day one that our solution Air cargo is an expensive commodity had to be engineered with a simple that has no common marketplace. use case so that buyers can easily sign Price discovery is a constant struggle up and create electronic block space due to lack of data quality among agreements within minutes so that other factors. Block space agreements sellers are able to react to availability was a perfect place to start because I as quickly as possible. did not want to compete in the spot market booking platform space. I Once an allocation is created on believe our industry needed a way to Airblox by a capacity owner, in most connect to capital markets in a much cases, an airline, it becomes visible more efficient way and digitizing BSAs to the global community of buyers. A was a great opportunity. transaction can be executed in three

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I believe our industry needed a way to connect to capital markets in a much more efficient way and digitizing BSAs was a great opportunity.

ways that we call Bid/Buy/Block, one of which will create a space allocation based on a ULD position on a particular flight or a series of flights based on the frequency and the number of positions transacted.

Versatility is a key to a successful platform. Airblox is a very agile exchange that provides benefits to many different players in multiple verticals. It’s not a platform that will make one party in the supply chain of air cargo irrelevant neither today nor in the future. At the core of it, it’s

FEATURE designed to provide real-time pricing for a future space so it is designed to be a tactical and strategic tool for capacity decision makers.

end of the day, we are a relationship business and we don’t want to lose sight of that just because our solution is on the cloud .

Through customizable dashboards, users will be able to see their position analytics, run scenario analysis and make informed decisions based on dynamics that affect supply and demand.

We are currently in talks with major airlines in onboarding them to our platform. It’s fascinating to learn how each organization perceives cargo and capacity. However, we learned that, for the sake of gaining a competitive edge, simple processes have become extremely complex and hard to scale back from. When we explain to them what Airblox can do, they get excited and start lining up demo sessions with every major stakeholder in their organization.

You are also the CIO for Alliance Ground International. Where is the industry lagging when it comes to automation and digitisation?

We are at the beginning of a major aviation boom that will be one of the largest in history. From airport equipment technologies to digital services solutions, new technologies are emerging every day. The common theme I am happy to hear is collaboration. A true elevation of the whole industry is only possible if we are all connected.

AGI is the fastest growing ground handler in the United States. Our technology department is continuously looking at ways to centralize data that is crunched periodically so that our operations controls, warehouse and customer services teams can leverage the information in the most effective manner. However, we have to harness our own data, which is time consuming and inefficient.

The industry has to work on open-source platforms where data can be shared.

Being a fintech startup, how are you looking to raise capital? What are the mechanics for interested investors?

We have funded our development so far with our own capital and through our family office network.

We just opened a SAFE round and are accepting commitments from strategic investors. There is quite a bit of interest from strategic players that With the addition of Avico, what will are either large freight forwarders or be the strategy for Airblox? Will the financial institutions with an appetite main focus be on trading capacity to provide not only equity but credit on charter services? lines to finance eBSA transactions.

Avico is a great company. Whether its charter or a single position on Can you give us a hint on the launch a scheduled flight, our viewpoint date? doesn’t change from the standpoint of We have been live since Air Cargo standardizing and digitizing a contract Americas Conference earlier this year. and making it available at a global scale. Airlines and Freight Forwarders can We believe that capacity trade should contact us to get onboarded and start start at the market level and trickle the digital block space agreement down from there to each and every journey. We are an API friendly AWB. Since we are not a traditional platform and we make every effort shipment booking platform, we have a to make the process easy for our broader view of the market. customers.

You’re only as good as your weakest link, which today is the unwillingness of supply chain players in providing data for the greater good. The industry has to work on open-source platforms where data can be shared without the fear of losing competitive edge.

Airblox has been active in industry events and conferences. How important are these face-to-face meetings? What has been the response from the market?

These events are where key decision makers come to explore synergies.

Being a tech platform requires that we have face time with each and every one of them. Airblox has a unique value proposition and we find it much more effective to go through the educational process in person. At the

Edip Pektas, CEO of Airblox

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FEATURE

German supplier Lödige Industries talks about automation, expansion and growth Chengdu Tianfu International Airport or TFU, which started operations last year, now has a fully automated cargo terminal as the airport group is looking to transform TFU into an integrated international transport hub connecting China with Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Southeast Asia.

One of the features of the cargo hub are two elevating transfer vehicles (ETVs), installed by Lödige Industries, with a five-level automated ULD storage and handling system for 227 20-ft storage positions. Payload Asia talks to Nicholas Tripptree, managing director of Lödige Industries for Asia Pacific and Australia, to know more about the German company as it makes its move into the region.

Can you give us a brief background about Lodige Industries?

Lödige Industries is the market leader for automated air cargo terminals. The Germany-headquartered company has been active in the air cargo market

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since the 1970s when it built the first such terminal for KLM in Amsterdam.

Key projects since then include the AAT Terminal 2 in Hong Kong, Malaysian Air Cargo terminal in Kuala Lumpur, the IAG world cargo centre at London Heathrow, and more recently Finnair Cool Nordic Cargo Hub, the smartIST cargo terminal at the new international airport of Istanbul, the new dnata cargo warehouses in Frankfurt and in Singapore, and most recently the Chengdu Cargo terminal we just informed about.

Where do you operate, and which key regions is the company looking to expand?

Lödige operates around the world with offices in over 20 countries. Our regional head office for Asia is in Hong Kong and we have offices in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Sydney.

Lödige Industries has been active in Asia for 30 years this year. We have other regional headquarters in the Middle East and North America. Local

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service teams as well as our central 24/7 customer care centre support our clients around the world with service and maintenance provision.

How big is the demand when it comes to your main products and services?

We have seen steadily increasing demand from airlines as well as ground handlers and forwarders for automated cargo terminals to support delivery to their customers. More recently, amidst Covid-restrictions and the recent intensification of

Many things we do today in this industry are not much different from 30 years ago, so planning to change our ways requires more than a financial budget.

FEATURE Automating via automated storage and retrieval systems or flexible and reroutable equipment such as AGVs will improve accuracy, speed and throughput, while increasing the safety of personnel in the terminal.

Nicholas Tripptree, managing director of Lödige Industries for Asia Pacific and Australia

labor shortages in a sector that was already coping with the rise of global e-commerce, we definitely see an uptake in interest for solutions that can ensure service delivery in these conditions. Such a solution is not always a fully automated cargo terminal that can handle hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo, but depending on the requirements of the terminal, can start with mobile equipment such as automated guided vehicles or ‘Flexloaders’ that can assist in the ergonomic and fast building and breaking of containers.

Are there any key verticals or markets that you are focusing on?

It is important to note that the automation software that controls the cargo terminal is just as important as the hardware used. This is a proprietary development for us. Our software solution is based on our more than 50 years of experience in handling air cargo and provides reallife data, monitoring and control of the terminal. While cargo terminals and equipment are definitely a key focus for us, we also have a strong presence in other airport-related services such

as catering systems for customers such as Gate Gourmet (Zurich), Cathay Pacific (Singapore) or more recently for Air China in Chengdu. These are essentially full blown catering handling systems that include both the transportation of trolleys, pallets and bins, as well as the cooled storage until meals are required for their flights. These systems also provide full inventory control to caterers, which often is a key requirement for caterers approaching us.

What have you observed amongst airports when it comes to automation?

Automation is both highly desired in the air cargo world, for the reasons mentioned above, the amount of air cargo is growing, turnaround timelines are becoming faster, shipments are becoming smaller and less people are available to work in warehouses, on top of that e-commerce has taught us all to expect to know exactly where shipments are at any given time. At the same time, automation is also often approached with caution, automated terminals are not only a key investment for cargo handlers, they are also

drivers for change. Financial concerns are usually short-lived, once the very real and short-to mid-term return on investment is calculated. Planning change in the air cargo industry is much less straightforward, many things we do today in this industry are not much different from 30 years ago. So to plan to change our ways requires more than a financial budget. Our partners have had very positive experience with involving their own staff as well as their customers early on in the process, in order to reap the highest potential benefit for everyone involved.

Which technologies do you think will bring further growth for air cargo?

The growth in air cargo is less due to any technology but enabled by technology.

Any automation efforts are going to improve a terminal’s ability to cope with peak flows, schedule changes and further growth. We believe that both labor shortages and cargo growth rates are likely to stay with us. Automating intra-terminal transportation and storage either via automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) or flexible and reroutable equipment such as AGVs not only allows airlines, cargo forwarders and handlers to handle these but will improve accuracy, speed and throughput, while increasing the safety of personnel in the terminal.

How much investment is needed, and what’s the potential payoff?

Due to confidentiality agreements we can’t disclose prices, but costs, in any case, very much depend on the requirements of the client, tonnage, number of items, throughput requirements and degree of automation.

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C-SUITE NAP partners are filtered by sub-industry specialization, sales and trade lane focus, airline procurement strength, as well as vertical and commodity expertise. strength, as well as vertical and commodity expertise. Those invited have a commanding local presence, a proven track record in air cargo operations, and are screened for their service quality, compliance, and financial status.

Christos Spyrou, CEO, Neutral Air Partner

Neutral Air Partner takes air cargo stakeholders to the island of the gods Neutral Air Partner is set to host the group’s 6th annual general meeting from the 19th to the 23rd of September at the Ritz-Carlton in the islands of the gods, Bali, Indonesia.

The event is expected to gather some of the world’s leading air cargo experts and decision makers. With just a few more weeks before the actual event, we got a chance to talk to Christos Spyrou, CEO of Neutral Air Partner, to know more about the group as well as their preparations for the upcoming OpeNAP Asia.

represent over 45 % of the global airfreight volumes, and our network is composed of leading and independent air cargo sales agents and consolidators worldwide. One of our main objectives as an air cargo logistics group, has always been to drive buying power across the air cargo supply chain, and we recently launched our Global Airline Partner program as part of our post COVID-19 plans, aiming to explore possible global or regional BSA/CPA and VID partnership opportunities with leading carriers. During the recent times have been transformed to efficient cargo brokers being able to make flexible decisions and short-term agreements with carriers and provide capacity solutions to their clients.

What’s the advantage of being a neutral air partner?

We offer our members global reach and connectivity with local and independent air cargo specialists around the world, while we drive global airfreight buying power across Why is there a need to address the air cargo supply chain. See neutrality in the industry? enclosed benefits for members.

In our industry it is imperative to be partnering with selected neutral air Which industry issues do you think cargo specialists and consolidators will paint the backdrop for air around the world without the fear that cargo moving forward? Capacity your client will be approached directly constraints and digitalization within by your supplier/partner. Membership the industry to NAP is by invitation only, and available exclusively to selected local How important are small- and mid- and regional airfreight professionals. sized companies in maintaining the NAP partners are filtered by subbalance? industry specialization, sales and SME Forwarders and consolidators trade lane focus, airline procurement

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Can you describe how the group is preparing for the upcoming OpeNAP Asia?

NAP and the team takes our members and guests to a new networking experience, by providing a unique entourage for the exchange of ideas, views, and solutions to the air cargo logistics industry’s issues. OPENAP is the perfect opportunity to promote and launch new products and services and to interact with potential and existing partners.

Who are you looking forward to seeing at the event?

Our members, most of whom we consider friends and partners. Our Asia members that we haven’t seen for 3 years and couldn’t join the Dubai21 event. At the OPENAPASIA we invite forwarders , GSAs, consolidators , airline partners, digital solutions providers to join the event, meet and get to discover the NAP experience and their Air Cargo DNA. How many times have you been to Bali? What can attendees expect from the 3-day event?

It will be the first time our conference goes to Bali, with focus in South East Asia. This year in addition to our general agenda and networking activities, we have organized special panels and workshops, as well as corporate and promotional video interviews of our members by NAP on Air, our professional video production crew. The NAP mobile app and F2F scheduler will be giving a sophisticated and user-friendly networking experience. An amazing Bali tour, casual networking cocktail gatherings, and our 3rd NAP Air Cargo Awards Gala dinner, are some of the activities that make NAP events “pleasure, not just business.”

Annual Global Meeting

Neutral Air Cargo Logistics Conference

NETWORKING JUST GOT AN UPGRADE BALI, Indonesia 19-23 September 2022 www.neutralairpartner.com

Media partner

COVER STORY

Boeing’s widebody freighters to provide ample cargo space well into the future According to the Boeing website, the 777 freighter version has had 24 orders from six renowned airlines and two undisclosed customers.

With a new widebody freighter on offer, the aircraft manufacturer sees the 777-8 freighter as an ideal replacement for the older 747 freighters, with an initial bulk order from Qatar Airways who will be the launch partner. In this interview, Payload Asia talks to Brian Hermesmeyer, Freighter Customer Leader at Boeing, to learn about the new freighter and the company’s plans over the next half-decade.

With slightly less payload than the 747-8F (so-called air cargo’s work horse), how would you describe the 777-8F as part of the Boeing freighter family?

The new Boeing 777-8 freighter offers 747-sized payload capabilities with incredible twinjet efficiency, providing the performance and flexibility operators need for an edge in the global cargo market.

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The 777-8 freighter incorporates the best of the new 777X family and the market-leading 777 freighter to offer more: more payload, fuel efficiency and profit potential. The 777-8 freighter will be the world’s largest and most capable twin-engine freighter, with the highest payload and lowest fuel use, emissions and operating cost per tonne of any large freighter.

Higher-density, general market carriers will value its superior payload, and its superior volume will benefit lower-density express carriers. freighter, 747-8 freighter and 777 freighter, providing our customers with the greatest profit potential, maximum network flexibility and an excellent investment opportunity.

Operators can use the same containers and pallets on the 777 and 777-8 freighters. For operators of 747 freighters, the same pallets can be used with different contouring.

Full-height containers used on the 777 and 777-8 freighters will fit side by side on any 747 freighter.

With the same cross-section and code E designation as the 777 freighter, the 777-8 freighter will provide at least a 10 percent improvement in fuel efficiency, emissions and operating costs and 17 percent more payload. In fact, the 777-8 freighter offers payload and range capability nearly identical to that of the 747400 freighter, with an incredible 30 percent improvement in fuel use and emissions and 25 percent better What makes it the ideal operating costs per tonne. replacement to older widebody freighters?

The 777-8 freighter also can interline Our forecast shows many operators seamlessly with the 747-400 will be looking to replace aging 747-

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COVER STORY 400 freighters later this decade. With nearly identical payload and range capability, the 777-8 freighter will be the ideal choice. The airplane also will deliver the incredible efficiency of the twinjet 777X family—30 percent better fuel and emissions and 25 percent better operating costs per tonne than the 747-400 freighter.

How long do you expect cargo variants of the Queen to continue flying?

These airplanes will be flying for decades to come, and we’ll continue to support 747 operations and sustainment well into the future.

Do you see a demand for freighter conversions of the type? How would this compare (cost-wise and capacity wise) to a factory fresh freighter like the 777-8F? The new Boeing 777-8 freighter will provide more range, more payload capability and lower fuel use and emissions than any converted freighter. Operators will be able to fly more, farther and more efficiently and profitably with the 777-8 freighter.

Demand is especially strong in emerging markets that are experiencing rapid growth in express freight, e-commerce and new domestic cargo networks. Airlines and cargo operators have ample How has e-commerce impacted opportunity to increase profits as Boeing’s design thinking? Are this market continues to grow. there any specific requirements that you’ve overheard from Where do you see the 777X/777a customer?

From your 8F taking off? How is the conversations, do you think company planning to balance investments to serve the the production of passenger and e-commerce market will be freighter aircraft in the long run? profitable for airlines in the long The 777-8 freighter is designed to run? efficiently serve the breadth of the air freight market. Higher-density, While we won’t share specific general market carriers will value its customer conversations, the superior payload, and its superior rise in e-commerce globally has volume will benefit lower-density contributed to the need for more express carriers. The airplane is dedicated freighter space in the ideally positioned to replace the market. We expect world air cargo four-engine 747-400 freighter, in traffic will grow at 4 percent per year addition to providing additional lift over the next 20 years. for the growing air cargo sector.

This growth is influenced by trade and growing express shipments to support expanding e-commerce operations. E-commerce sales are forecast to reach $6.5 trillion by 2023.

Has there been any slight changes to Boeing’s earlier forecast?

Our recent forecast projects a 70 percent increase in the freighter fleet by 2040, including approximately 450 new large widebody freighters

such as the new 777-8 and 777 freighter.

What can you say are the challenges in building aircraft in this day and age? How are you looking to address them?

With regard to production, the 777/777X family is uniquely positioned to serve the needs of the cargo market now and in the future. Both the 777 and 777X are assembled on the same production line in our factory in Everett, Washington, giving us the flexibility to adapt our production plan as needs change. For example, we will add additional 777 freighter capacity in our production system starting in late 2023 by leveraging the 7779 production rate adjustment we announced in April 2022.

We also designed a freighter into the 777X family from the start. By timing the new 777-8 freighter to follow the 777-9 and precede the 777-8 passenger airplane, we are addressing our customers’ needs for additional freighter capacity while long-haul passenger traffic continues to recover from the pandemic.

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INSIGHTS

DHL Global Forwarding on Singapore and sustainability in air transport DHL has committed to covering at least 30 percent of air freight and ocean freight fuel requirements with sustainable fuels by 2030. In this interview, Payload Asia talks to Steffen Treiber, SVP Airfreight Asia Pacific, DHL Global Forwarding, to get a rundown on the company’s roadmap towards achieving net zero.

and together with the alliance partners, purchased the emissions reductions from 3.4 million gallons (12.87 million liters) of SAF in 2021.

That eliminated about 31,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions on a lifecycle basis, compared to the use of conventional jet fuel.

No single company in the world can scale up sustainable aviation fuel solutions and decarbonize air transport alone, but we can help lead the industry to a sustainable future.

In addition, we partnered with Air France KLM Martinair Cargo to purchase even more sustainable aviation fuel, 33 million liters of SAF over three years. The partnership will save over 80,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. In Asia Pacific, we also worked with Cathay Pacific for its pilot corporate SAF program, by contributing to the use of SAF for air freight from Hong Kong International Airport on Cathay Pacific flights.

has committed to covering at least 30 percent of air freight and ocean freight fuel requirements with sustainable fuels by 2030. This is aligned with Deutsche Post DHL Group’s Sustainability Roadmap, which aims to spend €7 billion on green technologies by 2030 and reduce all logistics-related emissions to zero by 2050.

Can you share how your company is contributing in making sustainable air transport a reality?

Using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is one of the key routes to reducing CO2 emissions over the aviation life cycle. DHL Global Forwarding has worked with partners across the aviation value chain to stimulate the changes needed to create an SAF marketplace—to drive up the demand for and, in turn, the supply With our Sustainability Roadmap, we of sustainable aviation fuel. have set ourselves ambitious goals on our journey towards zero emissions.

DHL Global Forwarding joined the Sustainable fuels are a fundamental United Airlines Eco-Skies Alliance part of our efforts. That is why DHL

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How important is the buy-in of cargo shippers and passengers to push forth with initiatives that will help reach a sustainable future for aviation?

INSIGHTS Sustainable Aviation Fuel is currently the best option for reducing aviation emissions, but the high cost remains a big barrier to widespread adoption, especially in a market with elevated freight rates and limited capacity.

That’s why we need to join forces with like-minded companies and organizations.

No single company in the world can scale up sustainable aviation fuel solutions and decarbonize air transport alone, but we can help lead the industry to a sustainable future. If others do the same, the supply of sustainable aviation fuel should increase rapidly, and the price should fall accordingly.

What can you say about Singapore’s status as a sustainable air freight hub?

Singapore is taking great leaps forward to become a global sustainable aviation hub. The republic is primed to have the world’s largest SAF production capacity when Neste’s facility in Tuas is completed next year. Neste is currently the largest producer of SAF in terms of output and capacity, this development will be a game changer in the aviation sector.

Furthermore, the authorities have committed to sustainability as a key priority for Singapore’s aviation sector. A 20-member International Advisory Panel has been set up to develop a sustainable air hub blueprint that will chart the pathways for achieving targets. This blueprint for the air hub is expected to be ready in early 2023.

What are the recent developments that could lead to air cargo growth?

According to the latest DHL Air Freight Market Update, demand in China is likely to ramp up as China gears towards easing lockdowns.

Factories in China are also slowly returning to production in a closed loop system. E-commerce movements will also play a bigger role with China resuming. We expect to see an uptick in e-commerce global air volumes in the coming months.

Amongst the different tech available (or soon to be available), which one would be key to achieving your company’s carbon neutral targets?

At DHL Global Forwarding, we offer a digital customer platform myDHLi that gives full visibility on quoting, booking, tracking of shipments, including features to reduce, track and report their CO2 emissions through the carbon calculator. With myDHLi, customers can choose SAF for their air freight, and similarly for ocean freight.

A 20-member International Advisory Panel has been set up to develop a sustainable air hub blueprint that will chart the pathways for achieving targets.

Steffen Treiber, SVP Airfreight Asia Pacific, DHL Global Forwarding

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23

SPECIAL FEATURE

Why Qatar Airways Cargo cares to fly Here’s an interview a month back with Guillaume Halleux, cargo boss at Qatar Airways, on air transport, inflation and how this all boils down to innovation and sustainability across aviation and the air cargo industry.

Can you share with us the idea behind WeQare Chapter 3? What were the results of the most recent donation drive?

The idea behind Chapter 3 “Let’s Stand Together” came to me when I was on a trip to Africa with my family and visited an orphanage. We were humbled by the visit and, considering the role of Qatar Airways Cargo in air freight, we decided to launch the donation drive and involve our employees across the group and our customers worldwide to contribute and be part of this vision. The donations came in swiftly and I am truly thankful and humbled by the support that has been pouring in by our staff and partners worldwide.

Donations were received from over 50 cities around the world and 250 staff from our teams helped sort them before distribution. In total, nearly 300 boxes and crates of donations were received and distributed.

In a highly fragmented industry, how do you engage stakeholders across the supply chain to adopt sustainable initiatives and promote to their

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partners? How would you describe the awareness of stakeholders when it comes to sustainability across the Hamad airport community?

As one of the leading global carriers, we see it as our duty to lead the way in sustainability and set the path for our partners and customers to follow.

HIA continues to include sustainability in its growth strategy by implementing various measures to reduce waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and noise pollution.

Since 2014, HIA has showcased its commitment to environmental sustainability by pledging to improve carbon efficiency per traffic unit to 30% by 2030. The airport has since observed a steady downward trend in overall CO2 emissions and has been certified at Level 3 by the Airport Council International’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme. HIA’s sustainability measures also extend to wastewater management.

Most of the water used at the airport is directed to HIA’s dedicated wastewater treatment plant, which returns the treated water for irrigating HIA’s landscape features. In 2018, HIA’s treatment plant was successful in recovering 93% of wastewater for reuse.

Upon completion of the airport expansion project, the terminal expansion will make HIA the first airport in the MENA region to achieve a 4-star Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) rating, a performance-based system for rating green buildings and infrastructures.

The terminal will also be a LEED Silver-certified building with innovative energy efficiency measures incorporated throughout the entire premises. At the cargo hub as well, several initiatives are in place, such as waste recycling, reusing spreaders and wooden

SPECIAL FEATURE The investment is high, but the long-term benefits are innumerable as it helps mitigate the effects of manufacturing and shipping on the environment

planks. The majority of forklifts operating in the cargo terminal are electric and tractors which contribute to reducing CO2 emissions and capturing electronic transmission of data. In 2021, the total recycling waste achieved was 62% and total waste reused during the financial period was 15%. Working collaboratively with stakeholders, we managed to go down to 0% waste to landfill in December 2021. Qatar’s airport continually reviews its systems to identify areas of improvement for long-term efficiency and sustainability.

Environmental sustainability and decarbonisation in particular are central to Qatar Airways Cargo’s corporate strategy. In November 2021, we became the first cargo airline to join the IATA CO2NNECT platform and have been working on developing a fully integrated carbon offsetting solution for its customers.

Based on your customer conversations, what do you think are the factors that are driving them to adopt more sustainable practices?

I think sustainability and corporate social responsibility are hot topics and are no longer viewed as a “nice to have” but as a “must”. This is also due to the fact that governments are taking strong measures to slow the impact of climate change. Awareness of climate change and the impact of bad practices on the environment and the planet is leading many companies to adopt sustainable practices. Supply chains account for a large proportion of CO2 emissions and greenhouse gas. It is therefore all the more important that everyone involved in the supply chain industry takes sustainability seriously, as it is also key for the survival of their business.

For airlines and companies that are still reeling from recovery, does the cost justify the end results of sustainable initiatives? What are the ways that companies can go green without hurting the budget?

Digitalisation and supply chain technology innovations are high on our agenda. They make it easier for companies to go green and optimise efficiency at every step of the journey. The investment is high, but the long-term benefits are innumerable as it helps mitigate the effects of manufacturing and shipping on the environment. It is also important for the longterm health and survival of the company. However, companies with a limited budget can definitely start small with the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. Other ways include energy-efficient upgrades and making use of second hand finds like second hand furniture or buying recycled furniture.

Carbon offsetting has also become public and is one of the ways for companies to go green, by making up for the emission of CO2 through funding of carbon offset projects that remove greenhouse gas from the atmosphere, such as planting trees.

We’re now seeing inflated oil prices as an effect of geopolitical situations. Do you see this as a catalyst for aviation to really push the adoption and scale up the production of sustainable aviation fuel, or hydrogen, for that matter? Will we see it happen earlier than expected?

Aviation was recovering from the pandemic and then we witnessed rising oil prices given the current geopolitical situation. The re-routings and air restrictions have increased fuel prices and ticket fares. Countries were already looking at green fuels and hydrogen, however, the situation has accelerated the demand. I think we will see this happen earlier than expected as it is key to reduce emissions and also given that climate change is top on the agenda for world governments and industries.

What’s the next agenda for WeQare?

WeQare, our sustainability programme, revolves around the core pillars of Sustainability: economy, environment, society and culture. Next on the agenda for WeQare is Chapter 4, details will be revealed once we are closer to finalising this chapter, so stay tuned for an exciting new chapter.

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EXCLUSIVE

The Women in Aviation and Logistics initiative successfully completed a 4-month mentorship programme with plans to launch a second mentorship program in autumn

Quick chat with Change Horizon’s Celine Hourcade There are a lot of passionate individuals in aviation and air cargo and we have been lucky to have Celine Hourcade as a real advocate for the real issues surrounding our beloved industry. Here’s a quick catch-up with the founder of Change Horizon, as she shares her insights on sustainability and industry transformation.

Describe to us what you’ve been busy with at Change Horizon Driving sustainability for air cargo businesses individually and setting a global sustainability agenda for the air cargo industry as a whole through our work with TIACA have been our focus recently.

TIACA’s BlueSky assessment, validation, and verification program which we have developed and piloted with major industry players will be a major breakthrough in helping industry gain sustainability credentials, increase transparency, trust and eventually, benchmark against peers. The key value of this program to air cargo companies is its focus on helping companies of any size and business complexity to identify their strengths and areas that they could improve. No matter how far ahead companies are on their sustainability journey, the BlueSky program will be a valuable tool to reassess the direction, identify the priorities and define their sustainability roadmap. I am convinced this program will support and accelerate industry’s sustainable transformation.

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Through our work with individual aviation and logistics businesses across the value chain, our multidisciplinary team helps companies understand the sustainability, environmental, health and safety risks, as well as opportunities behind these issues.

As we seek to grow Change Horizon with new projects, our objective is to make sure our clients are set to achieve growth in a responsible way. Our focus on concrete solutions, recommendations informed by data and client’s needs, measurable results coupled with extensive industry expertise, is what sets us apart as a consulting firm.

Can you share with us your most recent experience traveling for an event/conference?

During my trip to TIACA’s first Regional Symposium Europe, I took a flight to Amsterdam Schiphol, one of the biggest aviation hubs in Europe. I took extra precautions after having heard of major waiting times and flight disruptions at this airport, due to workforce shortage. My trip to Amsterdam went smoothly, however, seeing the challenges this major airport and its major airline KLM, the oldest airline in the world, have been going through made me reflect on how we as an industry should address this growing issue of attracting and retaining talent.

Lack of global air freight sustainability standards and unified ESG reporting mechanism designed specifically for our sector is a major challenge on the way to sustainable air cargo transformation.

EXCLUSIVE Staff shortage issue at the time of the booming travel demand, coupled with the recent regulation announcement from the Dutch government on a 20% reduction of potential air traffic, shows how much sustainability issues can affect the core business operation and the need for this industry to reinvent itself rapidly.

What are you most passionate about when it comes to aviation and logistics?

Innovation and transformation as a means to become more resilient have been my great passions over the past two decades serving the aviation industry. I have always been interested in challenging the status quo, looking for ways to improve processes, answering emerging business and customer needs. This is exactly how I created my consulting firm Change Horizon in September 2019, which now supports companies in various domains in aviation and logistics, seeking to develop or transform with business sustainability at the core of their ambition.

ambitious air cargo professionals. It has helped to increase the participation of women through new speaking opportunities at major industry events, like TIACA’s Regional Symposium in Amsterdam, which featured a WAL expert or mentorship program participant in nearly each morning session. We have seen more women joining cargo Boards as well. But there are so many more great women working behind the scenes. We urge them to join our experts’ database and also sign up to the second WAL Mentorship program which we plan to launch in early Fall.

Our next major step in the development of WAL is formalizing our initiative as an association to be able to expand and strengthen our activities through partnerships and sponsorship, to name a few. We welcome men and women and all businesses keen on pushing gender balance in air cargo to reach out and join forces with us. We are only stronger together.

Where do you see the industry headed when it comes to sustainability?

Sustainability has been gaining momentum in air cargo over the past few years. We can see that next to traditional pressures from customers, employees and business partners, shareholders and regulators have been gaining importance.

Growing national and regional sustainability regulations and pressures from investors have placed the ESG metrics higher on the business agenda. However, lack of global air freight sustainability standards and unified ESG reporting mechanism designed specifically for our sector is a major challenge on the way to sustainable air cargo transformation.

But as businesses seek to embed sustainability in their business strategy, we at Change Horizon are there to help them to identify their areas of priority and objectives, action plans and their sustainability roadmap.

What’s the next plan for WAL? Why should more women sign up?

The Women in Aviation and Logistics initiative is picking pace. We have been overwhelmed by the positive reactions and outcomes of our WAL Mentorship program. This provides us with new energy and determination to continue offering concrete solutions to companies and individuals eager to improve gender balance in air cargo.

As we preach that only what gets measured, gets managed, we push for more industry transparency on gender-related data, more publicly set and ambitious targets as well as concrete action to break the glass ceiling that women still face in this industry.

We are proud of our ever-growing female experts’ database, which now hosts almost 60 talented and

Pavel Kuznetsov, head of air chartering at deugro

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777X

DELIVERING A BETTER FUTURE WITH THE 777-8F For the deliveries of today and tomorrow, the 777-8F includes the very best of the 777F and 777X, making it the most capable and fuel-efficient twin-engine freighter ever. It’s cleaner and quieter while delivering the highest payload and most range capability of any twin-engine freighter. We’re committed to helping our customers across the globe by creating a freighter that delivers a more sustainable and more profitable future for everyone.

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