Air Cargo

Asia’s leading airlines saw international air cargo demand contract last year despite a partial recovery in the final quarter.

Forward Air has agreed to acquire Central States Trucking and Central States Logistics from Central States Inc. for $95.6 million.

Nippon Express Co., Japan’s largest international freight forwarder, has completed its acquisition of Panasonic Logistics...

All the signs are growing that air freight volumes in Asia will rebound this year, but Cathay Pacific posted a surprising 5 percent decline in cargo in December despite boosting capacity.

UPS today proved there’s no such thing as free online shipping. The parcel giant lowered its earnings expectation for the full year to $4.57 a share from a previous prediction of $4.65 to $4.85 a share, citing the unexpected surge in last-minute online shopping orders in a compressed holiday peak season.

Positive train control, improved mass rail transit safety and eliminating driver distration were among the ten top transportation safety improvements the National Transportation Safety Board wants to see advance in 2014.

Expectations are growing that 2014 will finally see air freight volumes and yields pick up after more than two years of bottom feeding, giving airlines in Asia a much needed boost to profits.

The Luxembourg government has completed the sale of a 35 percent stake in all cargo carrier Cargolux to China’s Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment for $120 million.

Direct-to-consumer delivery of merchandise via e-commerce fulfillment has been a boon for the courier industry, but when the consumer is located in another country, the rules of the game change and fulfillment becomes much more complex.

Lufthansa Cargo said the global air freight market could pick up in 2014, reversing two years of flat demand, following positive developments towards the end of 2013.

The coming year will witness a changing of the guard at the top of the global carrier hierarchy. With legal obstacles to the marriage of American Airlines and US Airways removed, the path is clear to creation of the world’s largest airline. In terms of cargo, the new behemoth will offer more capacity and a larger network, but it’s unlikely to change the landscape dramatically. In fact, the two airlines likely will be preoccupied with their integration in the months ahead.

Japanese containerized cargo exports will rise for the second consecutive year in fiscal 2014, which starts on April 1, amid a moderate recovery in the global economy, a Tokyo-based research firm predicted in a new report.

The International Air Transport Association has forecast that international freight volumes will jump 17 percent over the next five years.

The Luxembourg government has agreed to sell a 35 percent stake in Cargolux to Chinese investors for $120 million.

The board of Cargolux has backed a cooperation deal with Henan Civil Aviation Development and Investment Co., clearing the way for the Luxembourg government to sell a 35 percent stake in Europe’s largest all-cargo airline to the Chinese investors.

Japan’s All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA) said that its international cargo volume rose for the eighth straight month in October on a year-on-year basis, surging 12.3 percent to 53,576 tons.

Nippon Express Co., Japan’s largest international freight forwarder, has acquired a 49 percent stake in NEC Logistics Ltd., the logistics arm of NEC Corp., the two companies announced on Dec. 2.

It’s far from a surge of optimism, but shippers’ expectations on how much freight they move via land, sea and air in the coming months is the second highest in the past six quarters.

Lufthansa Cargo’s first Boeing 777 freighter will take off from Frankfurt, Germany, tonight, bound for New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, on its first scheduled flight.

The profitability of Asian carriers with major freighter fleets continues to be negatively impacted by the overhang of excess capacity, but the long-term outlook for air freight is “encouraging,” according to the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.

The 50 largest transportation and logistics companies worldwide grew more slowly in 2012 as the global economy sputtered, increasing revenue only 2.6 percent compared with a more robust 8.4 percent combined growth rate in 2011.

Emirates Group boosted revenue by 13 percent in the first six months of its fiscal year, through Sept. 30, to $11.5 billion.

U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.; Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.; and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., have introduced the Safe Skies Act to ensure that America’s cargo plane pilots...

AirBridgeCargo Airlines transported 92,000 tons of cargo in the third quarter of 2013, a 3 percent increase year-over-year...

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a proposed settlement with US Airways and American Airlines to resolve its lawsuit challenging their planned merger.

More than 10,000 people are feared dead after Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) caused widespread devastation in the central Philippines on Friday and Saturday.

International Airlines Group’s cargo revenue in the third quarter of 2013 slumped more than 14 percent year-over-year, almost double the decline in freight traffic.

Japan’s All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA) said that its international cargo volume rose for the seventh straight month in September on a year-on-year basis, increasing 5.8 percent to 49,999 tons.

Nippon Express Co., Japan’s largest international freight forwarder, said that its group net profit plunged 34.2 percent in the first half of fiscal 2013, which started on April 1, from a year earlier to ¥7.443 billion ($75.9 million) despite revenue growth.

AirBridgeCargo Airlines has increased its flights from Milan and Paris to Moscow.

The global air cargo market stabilized in September, inching up 0.5 percent year-over-year...

Japan Airlines Corp. (JAL) said on Oct. 31 that its group net profit tumbled in the first half of fiscal 2013, which started on April 1, from a year earlier, despite increased revenue from both passenger and cargo operations.

Japan’s ANA Holdings Inc., the parent firm of All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA), said on Oct. 30 that its group net profit nosedived in the first half of fiscal 2013, which started in April, from a year earlier, despite a jump in international cargo revenue.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol handled 383,780 metric tons of cargo in the third quarter of 2013, increasing 2.6 percent compared with the same period in 2012.

TNT Express posted a 25 percent year-over-year decline in third quarter profit on 6.6 percent lower revenue...

TNT is determined to claw back ground lost in Asia during the protracted negotiations of its sale to UPS.

When “Captain Phillips,” Hollywood’s take on the April 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates on the Maersk Alabama, debuted on Oct. 11, it thrust the ocean shipping industry into the mainstream spotlight in a way no recent film has. But it’s certainly not the first film to do so, and it won’t be the last.