Air Cargo

Another two high-ranking China Southern Airlines executives have been axed on suspicion of “job related crime” following investigations by the state owned carrier’s parent company.

Cargolux management and the Luxembourg labor unions continue to be locked in a stalemate, unable to reach a collective work agreement (CWA) despite the carrier’s belief that it is key to ensuring the airline’s survival.

China Southern Airlines’ executive vice president and chief operating officer for flight operations have been axed on suspicion of “job-related crime”.

The air freight business has just completed its best peak season in years, but the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has presented a sobering picture of an industry enjoying a cyclical upturn while struggling to overcome structural problems.

Strong air cargo volume on Asia-U.S. routes in the last quarter has seen airlines raising rates faster than forwarders can pass them on to customers, placing margins under pressure.

Records are tumbling at Asia’s air freight hubs of Shanghai and Hong Kong this year, with double-digit growth reported at the main terminals in November and for the year-to-date.

The German government has drawn up a draft law to curb the power of small but powerful niche labour unions than have mounted frequent strikes, mainly in the transport sector, paralyzing the nation’s economy throughout this year.

Cargolux continued its robust performance in November, flying a record volume of freight and bucking the downward trend in the European air cargo market.

Trans-Pacific shipments between Hong Kong and fast recovering North American markets drove up Cathay Pacific cargo throughput in November, with the strong demand expected to last deep into the final month of the year.

The long running investigation into Asia forwarders fixing fees and surcharges on Japan-Singapore routes between 2002 and 2007 was finally brought to a close with the Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) handing out $5.4 million in fines.

Global air cargo revenue will rise to $63 billion in 2015 from an estimated $60 billion this year, but will remain roughly 5 percent lower than in 2010, according to the International Air Transport Association.

Lufthansa Cargo managed to increase traffic in November despite ongoing strikes by pilots, while its leading European rivals posted lower volumes as they prepare to downsize their freighter operations.

Five straight quarters of continued growth and a supply-demand balance has led to a turnaround in the air freight business this year, with more solid growth still to come, believes Atlas Air’s Michael Steen.

FedEx and UPS have boosted their on-time delivery performance to 91 to 95 percent, compared with 83 to 89 percent a year ago, bolstering hopes for a happier holiday season.

Strong consumer spending in the U.S. over the past three months has depleted inventories and the replenishment drive to restock shelves for the Spring launches will keep air and ocean carriers busy well into the first quarter.

Lufthansa Cargo and All Nippon Airways have launched the world’s first air cargo joint venture, with maiden flights between Europe and Japan.

India’s fast growing e-commerce market is facing some formidable challenges, with nation-wide distribution among the key issues logistics services providers must overcome.

Lufthansa Cargo pilots will stage a day-long strike Thursday, the second walk out this week, in a year-long dispute over retirement benefits.

The recovery in the global air cargo gathered pace in October with traffic growing 5.4 percent from a year ago to hit a new monthly high, the International Air Transport Association said.

Lufthansa Cargo pilots will stage a 21-hour walkout Tuesday as part of a year-long wave of strikes that forced the German carrier to cancel almost half of its scheduled short and medium-haul passenger flights today.

Nippon Express Co., Japan’s largest international freight forwarder, said on Monday that it has acquired a controlling stake in Nittsu NEC Logistics Ltd., its joint venture with electronics maker NEC Corp.

The U.S. West Coast port congestion drove shippers to air freight at the worst possible time with rates for air cargo at the seasonal highpoint of what is turning out to be the most robust peak season in years.

The single biggest cost of shipping lines and air cargo carriers continues to tumble, giving the freight transport industry a welcome end-of-year bonus to add to the best peak season in years, with some savings transferred to customers through reduced fuel surcharges.

The international air freight demand of Asia-Pacific airlines, measured in freight ton kilometres (FTK), grew by a firm 6.4 percent in October, on the back of buoyant demand for electronic goods from manufacturing hubs in North Asia.

A tentative U.S.-Mexico aviation pact would expand air cargo services linking the North American trading partners, but the biggest benefits may go to global shippers.

The rapid expansion of China’s largest courier SF Express both internationally and across domestic cities over the past two years has been stunning, yet the growth of e-commerce in its home market is always one step ahead.

All Nippon Airways Co. and United Airlines, both members of the Star Alliance global airline network, plan to launch a strategic air cargo joint venture on trans-Pacific routes, the first of its kind between the U.S. and Asia.

Asia’s competitive airline environment is placing intense profitability pressure on carriers in the region, but the focus on costs will not see air cargo shippers facing the wide scale route cutbacks, reduced frequencies and rolled shipments that have afflicted their ocean freight counterparts.

Air cargo is going through a period of adjustment that will keep profitability largely out of reach for the world’s carriers until more of a balance is achieved between cargo capacity and demand.

Cargolux, Europe’s largest all-cargo carrier, posted its best ever October, with its fleet of 22 Boeing 747 freighters breaking records for tonnage, revenue and block hours.

European Union regulators approved Etihad Airways' acquisition of a 49 percent stake in loss-making Italian-flag carrier Alitalia.

The strong rebound of trans-Pacific trade will ensure the air cargo industry enjoys a happy festive season this year, but few are prepared to forecast the robust growth will continue much past Chinese New Year.

The chaotic waterfront scenes jamming up U.S. gateway ports on the West Coast are proving a boon for the air charter business and with no end in sight to the congestion, forwarders are securing space on chartered freighters for urgent cargo.

Shippers of trans-Pacific ocean freight trying to avoid crippling West Coast port congestion are turning to air cargo in such numbers that forwarders report prices going “through the roof.”

Germany’s Deutsche Post DHL booked higher third-quarter earnings as strong gains in international express and domestic parcel shipments offset shrunken margins at its global freight forwarding unit.

Combined growth among the 50 largest transportation and logistics companies worldwide slowed to a halt in 2013 amid global economic uncertainty. The combined revenue of the 50 companies slipped 0.1 percent after increasing 2.6 percent in 2012 and 8.4 percent in 2011.

Blue Dart Express, India’s leading air express and logistics services provider, reported relatively flat fiscal second-quarter net profit as a 24 percent rise in operating costs offset a 23.5 percent increase in operating revenue.

Transport Canada is proposing to allow shippers to screen their cargo before it reaches an airport, rather than solely relying on carriers to do so, in order to bridge security gaps and prevent terrorist attacks.

DHL has launched a new intra-Asia freighter flight connecting the economies of Thailand, Vietnam, and Hong Kong as the global express services provider responds to increasing business within Southeast Asia.