Airfreight and ship transport of lithium batteries needs to become safer to prevent fires, TT Club has said.

The international freight transport insurer said it is calling for increased vigilance to ensure secure and safe lithium battery supply chains following a number of recent fire incidents affecting container transport, ro-ro ships and air cargo movements allegedly involving lithium batteries.

E-commerce consumer demand for a wide variety of rechargeable products is driving increased shipments of lithium batteries, but these batteries now carry more energy, and aren’t always being tested.

However, the company added that revised regulatory restrictions regarding the carriage by air of lithium batteries, which took effect from April 1, may result in greater volumes being transported by surface modes.

“Understanding the risks is crucial,” commented TT’s risk management director, Peregrine Storrs-Fox. “As with many successful technologies, market demand has outpaced the development of safety regulations. Since the mid-1980’s lithium batteries have been classified under dangerous goods regulations for transport based on the weight of lithium contained in the cells or batteries and the potential hazard presented by a given battery is also related to the amount of lithium it contains.

“However, as technology has advanced, the amount of energy derived from the active material has increased by up to 50%, leading to regulatory mismatch where provisions are essentially framed around mass and energy output.”

Lithium batteries are required to be certified to an international standard involving a rigorous series of tests performed by an approved independent testing laboratory, to ensure they can both withstand everyday use through their expected lifetime and the rigours of transport, explained TT Club.

Responsibility for testing and achieving certification rests with the shipper and/or manufacturer. The sharp rise in demand has been accompanied by supply of cheaper, poorer quality and untested batteries, including refurbished and even homemade power banks. E-commerce platforms have facilitated a global trade in potentially lethal products, often circumventing global standards and regulations.

Throughout their intermodal journey the primary risks exist when batteries are poorly manufactured, untested or defective; these have a higher propensity to malfunction.

However, supply chain risk – at any point of handling, storage and transport – is compounded by used, fully or partially charged batteries. As such the reverse logistics of batteries must be carefully managed; damaged and faulty products being returned or shipped as waste for disposal or recycling present increased risk.

The consequences of lithium fuelled fires can be more extensive than others.  They are very difficult to extinguish, prone to thermal runaway and present an explosion risk. Due to the heat generated, re-ignition once a fire has been extinguished is an additional risk.

The UK government’s Zero Emission Flight (ZEF) Delivery Group recently confirmed it aims to make use of battery and hydrogen technology to make zero-emissions flights feasible.

US ULD manufacturer Satco also recently opened a $10m air cargo safety research centre (ARC) for Unit Load Devices (ULD) featuring a fire safety test facility, in response to the increase in products using lithium-ion batteries.

And Qatar Cargo recently invested in Safran Cabin’s new Fire Resistant Containers (FRC) as it aims to take a lead in countering the risk posed by lithium battery shipments.

Source: www.aircargonews.net

Image: www.pexels.com

The post Call to improve safe transport of lithium batteries appeared first on Cargo World Today.

Strong air cargo growth is expected to continue in the first half of 2022, but with continued pressure on capacity, writes Ian Putzger.

Despite, and partly because of, ongoing turbulence, air cargo keeps going strong. The industry flew through 2021 with an 18.7% increase in traffic over 2020 and 6.9% higher than in 2019. According to IATA, growth was well ahead of the rise in global trade.

2022 has continued in this vein and predictions are for more of the same at least for the first half of the year. IATA conducted a survey of airline chief financial officers and heads of cargo in December and January, who reported improved passenger and cargo volumes and expressed optimism that cargo yields would remain at lofty heights.

The air cargo industry is soaring on strong fundamentals. Inventory-to-sales ratios remain at low levels, necessitating ongoing re-stocking, with strong impetus from economic growth and rising glocargobal trade. In addition, the congestion that has plagued ocean cargo over the past year is not expected to abate significantly in the near term, with some voices predicting this to last through 2022, which promises elevated need for airfreight.

This spells continuing pressure on capacity, even though passenger airlines are in recovery mode. Aviation intelligence firm IBA predicts capacity of US and European low-cost airlines to exceed pre-Covid levels this year and transatlantic passenger traffic to recover to 2019 levels. However, Asia Pacific carriers continue to limp, with some not expected to reach half of their 2019 capacity this year.

[ED: On top of this is the invasion of Ukraine, which has severely limited AirBridgeCargo’s and Volga-Dnepr’s capacity while other airlines are scrambling to maintain services with extended routings to avoid Russian or European airspace.]

The experience with the Omicron variant was a powerful illustration how volatile the situation remains. Stringent Covid-related restrictions have severely hobbled Cathay Pacific’s longhaul freighter operations for months and Lufthansa Cargo had to embargo flows through its Frankfurt hub in late January after an Omicron outbreak decimated ground staff there.

The inevitable hunt for capacity is keeping rates in the stratosphere, and the trajectory of the oil price is adding fuel to the fire. Shippers are bracing themselves for more squeeze on their wallets. For the red-hot trucking industry, which has shown similar capacity pressures as airfreight, a recent survey reported that 97% of shippers expected to increase their freight procurement budget this year, more than half anticipating increases of 25% or more.

Forwarders are responding to the situation with moves to tie up more dedicated lift, from large players like Flexport to mid-sized companies like cargo-partner.

The scramble for capacity will go on. Those that have automated processes will find the going somewhat less strenuous.

Source: www.aircargo.com

Image: www.pixybay.com

The post Putzger perspective: Outlook bright and tight appeared first on Cargo World Today.

It seems that 2022 will once again be a year of cargo charter flights for freight forwarders.

James Gagne, president and chief executive of Seko Logistics, outlined a challenging market for freight forwarders in 2022.

He highlighted ongoing issues in ocean shipping, labour shortages due to Covid hitting port/airport operations, ongoing consumer spending for at least the first six to nine months despite inflation, elevated freight rates, rising e-commerce demand, semi conducter demand/shortages and driver shortages as just some of the challenges facing supply chains this year.

For airfreight, belly capacity also appears unlikely to recover to pre-Covid levels this year.

As a result, 2022 will be “the year for air charters”, he said.

“The focus is on doing more on the charter part and we see the need for charter capacity only growing to service our clients,” he said.

Last year the company used 397 charter flights compared with around 72 flights in 2020. This year Seko expects this figure to grow further by around 20-30%.

Other forwarders have also been busy expanding their charter operations in the opening months of the year.

Geodis will expand its AirDirect cargo network in Asia Pacific as it looks to meet “surging demand” in the region.

AirAsia X (AAX) has formed a new air logistics partnership with Geodis to provide the additional cargo capacity.

As part of the partnership, the airline will provide Geodis with “dedicated scheduled cargo flights” on a new weekly rotation from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Shanghai (PVG) and Sydney (SYD) and will also add a second weekly rotation to its existing KUL – Hong Kong (HKG) – Chennai (MAA) – KUL service.

This agreement is set to run for an initial period of six months commencing from January 20 with further extensions to be considered.

All the flight schedules are serviced by aircraft chartered on a long-term basis and will add an extra 320 tonnes of capacity to its charter network each week, Geodis said.

Meanwhile, in mid-January, DB Schenker added charter capacity out of India as it looks to meet capacity constraints.

The forwarder offers charter capacity on a weekly flight operating on the route: Bengaluru-Doha-Munich-Chicago. The new route is being operated by Qatar Airways Cargo utilising one of its B777 freighters.

The flight is in addition to its existing charter operation covering Mumbai, Frankfurt and Atlanta.

Both flights connect three continents as part of the forwarder’s Global Flight Operations Network.

The company told Air Cargo News that the new route would cover a wide range of verticals such as automotive, consumer and retail, electronics, industrial and chemicals, healthcare and aerospace.

Also, DSV has responded to Covid restrictions and lockdowns in Asia by adding extra freighter capacity from Hong Kong and Singapore.

The freight forwarder is adding two extra weekly flights – offering 100 tonnes of capacity each – to its Hong Kong-Liege-Hong Kong loop, bringing its weekly flights on the route to three.

Meanwhile, the company has also introduced a new weekly route from Singapore to Los Angeles.

DSV vice president and head of the DSV Air Charter Network, Mads Ravn, said: “Right now, the market is greatly underserved – especially out of Asia where the situation is being impacted these days by increased Covid incidents and by new restrictions. We are monitoring the situation closely, so we can continue to do what we can to keep our customers supply chains flowing.

“We are also introducing a new DSV Air Charter route from Singapore to Los Angeles (LAX), which can further relieve the pressure on some of the other hubs in the region and also bring a little more flexibility to our customers on our airfreight offerings out of Asia.”

The announcement from DSV came shortly after Cathay Pacific made “substantial reductions” in its long-haul freighter network for the first quarter, with no flights operating to Europe and just seven per week to the Americas.

www.aircargonews.com

www.pixibay.com

The post 2022 set to be the year of charter operations for freight forwarders appeared first on Cargo World Today.

Cargo handlers have been bolstering their handling operations in order to meet the surge in airfreight prompted by the pandemic. To navigate potential backlogs and increased volumes at airports, handlers have utilized technology and employee training to increase operational efficiency. Among these handlers is Prague-based Skyport, which has continued to ramp up its operations, partnerships and digitalization efforts over the past few years.

Skyport processes more than half of the cargo moving through Prague Airport (PRG), where it operates an 8,300-square-meter, semiautomated facility with a 100,000-tonne cargo capacity. The handler was acquired in April by airfreight infrastructure investment firm Ventus and Sky Logistica, providing new funding for additional technology developments. In addition to PRG, Skyport also has handling operations in Slovakia at Bratislava Airport (BTS) and Kosice (KSC).

Air Cargo World spoke with David Adamek, chief executive officer at Skyport, about changes in passenger and cargo operations, future goals and expansion, and how the handler has navigated labor challenges throughout the pandemic.

Air Cargo World: With the recent acquisition of Skyport by Ventus and Sky Logistica, what improvements are in the works? Do you expect to expand to any additional airports?

David Adamek: We have focused on digital initiatives that will help to improve processes and adapt to the present requirements from airline customers, in particular concentrating on artificial intelligence, the digitization of the physical space and blending with existing software systems. We have overhauled a very traditional industry and digitised the entire process of moving a box from A to Z, with the help of our unique software platform.

As Ventus, we have an in-house technology team, which is mostly based on artificial intelligence technologies, and Skyport continues to nurture relationships with technology partners, too.

As far as additional markets are concerned, we will focus on improving what we have rather than expanding.

ACW: Many cargo handlers have experienced problems around labor shortages and high turnover. What has Skyport done to avoid or address those issues?

DA: Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, Skyport has retained its entire team and we focused on training to provide the additional skills that were required in the crisis.

We were lucky to have a robust team and robust infrastructure that allowed us to adapt swiftly to coping with volatility in cargo flows, where we had to adapt almost daily to erratic flight schedules and ever-expanding trucking volumes.

ACW: Have you added any carriers this year apart from Finnair Cargo? Do you expect to do so in the next year?

DA: Winning Finnair was a great achievement for us. With its existing air cargo infrastructure, Prague (PRG) airport can handle in excess of 200,000 tonnes of cargo a year and we are available to support the airport in attracting more traffic that will help to maximize this capacity.

Currently, the airport is operating at around 50% capacity, but it is not actively promoted as a cargo-friendly hub. We would like to put Prague on the map as a cargo hub and we’re available to work with all the stakeholders to achieve this, and to bring in more contracts like Finnair.

Source: www.aircargoworld.com

Image: www.pexel.com

The post Cargo Chat: Skyport’s Adamek on handling changes, future expansion appeared first on Cargo World Today.

Dronamics has signed up its first three German airports to its European network that will see cargo drones fly between them.

The company, which is developing drones capable of carrying up to 350kg of cargo up to 2,500km, said the latest signatories mean it now has 38 airports in 12 European countries signed up to the scheme. Now, Paderborn-Lippstadt, Weeze and Rostock-Laage airports will be ready to join the drone operations which are scheduled to begin in 2022.

Dronamics co-founder and CEO Svilen Rangelov said: “With the first 3 droneports in Germany, we are unlocking the huge potential of the German market and confirming regional airport partners that can service large metropolitan areas like the Ruhr region or major logistics hubs like the Rostock port.

“In the coming months we’ll further expand our droneports network in Germany and Europe, and to connect more and more communities to our pan-European same-day delivery network for e-commerce, manufacturing, and pharma.”

Airport Weeze managing director Dr Sebastian Papst added: “We see the opportunity with Dronamics to pioneer an entirely new service that can significantly benefit the local economy and tap into the potential of unmanned cargo aviation by hosting one of the first droneports in Germany.”

As part of the agreements, Dronamics will base its standardised droneport equipment, hire and train local staff to operate and handle the unmanned drone flights.

The post Dronamics signs up German airports appeared first on Global Cargo Insight.

Photo source: dronamics.com

The post Dronamics signs up German airports appeared first on Cargo World Today.

RVL Aviation has added a second Saab 340B aircraft to its East Midlands Airport-based fleet, to meet the increasing cargo payload needs of the airline’s national and international logistics customers.

The first Saab joined RVL in January and the second arrived from Sweden in March, following its freighter conversion. Both aircraft have been leased through Miami-based Jetstream Aviation capital, in the USA, which specialises in commercially operated regional turboprop aircraft.

Dave Connor, RVL managing director, said: “Within a day of arriving with us the new aircraft was in service on a cargo flight to Italy, and there is an extensive schedule of operations in the pipeline for it including ad-hoc cargo charters.

“Not only does the new aircraft add vital capacity for us as the UK’s pandemic measures are starting to ease, it also provides a useful back-up capability now that we have two of the same aircraft in the fleet.

“The whole RVL team is enormously excited about the new aircraft and the company’s future prospects now that the new aircraft have started operating. All staff have done a magnificent job to get the Saabs operational, including varying all our operating approvals in a very short time and in the most challenging of circumstances. It’s a huge success story for the business and the team.”

Additional pilots have been recruited to RVL’s flight operations to crew the new aircraft, increasing the airline’s flying staff by some 30 per cent.“All the new pilots come with experience of, and a background in, the operation of the Saab 340, which gives us the confidence and expertise to be able to launch operations quickly and efficiently,” said Head of Flight Operations and Chief Pilot Rich Baker.

“Operationally the Saabs are a big step up for us. They require two crew at all times and, of course, they carry considerably more cargo than we dealt with previously. That we are up-to-speed without a pause or hiccup is a testament to the whole of RVL.” Head of commercial, David Lacy, said: “Our customers have been asking us for larger aircraft and we have delivered. Each of the 340s offers roughly four times the cargo volume and payload of our existing aircraft and we are now able to fly a larger payload much further than our previous fleet allowed us to. The Saab is an ideal aircraft for both our long-term cargo contracts and ad hoc missions. We are confident that they will be key to securing new business as the country recovers from Covid restrictions.”

For ground operations manager Ross Titchiner the upscale in RVL’s cargo capacity has presented exciting new challenges for him and his experienced team.“It takes us to a new level. In operational terms we now have to think a little bit differently as to how we approach things,” said Ross. “A significant payload increase for RVL air cargo, compared to what we have previously been able to offer, is a massive positive.

“We have upgraded and adapted our procedures, for example airfield slot management, and have developed better ways to work with our operational control and flight planning systems. It has been a complete change of mindset for the team to optimise to get the best from the new aircraft and what they can achieve operationally. And every team member has stepped up seamlessly.

“The experience level is growing. It’s exciting to be picking up a whole new skillset and thinking about heavier weight aircraft and what we can do with them as we grow.”

RVL Aviation, founded in 2007, is the holder of a number of regulatory approvals, including a UK AOC, EASA Part TCO, Part 145 maintenance and Part M continuing airworthiness. In addition to the Saab 340 aircraft, RVL operates four Beech King Air, six Reims-Cessna 406s, two Cessna 404s and one Cessna 402 aircraft for passenger and cargo charter, aerial survey and long-term contract operations for third parties.

The post RVL adds Saab 340B to cargo fleet appeared first on Global Cargo Insight.

Image source: https://www.rvl-group.com/

The post RVL adds Saab 340B to cargo fleet appeared first on Cargo World Today.

KLM Cargo has partnered with its long-time Cargo equipment supplier Trip & Co to design a user-friendly, easy-to-install quality product. 

Basing its design on KLM’s considerable Cargo in Cabin experience, Trip & Co has produced the tailor-made Cargo Seat Bag (CSB). The product has been submitted to the Dutch Civil Aviation Authority for approval and authorisation.

The bags not only protect the interior, but also double loading capacity on the seats, reduce physical strain during handling and prevent plastic waste.

KLM received the first set of 172 Cargo Seat Bags (single-seat, double-seat and triple-seat versions) on 8 April and undertook its first operational flight using CSBs on 13 April, carrying about 950 boxes (10 tonnes) of medical relief goods and Covid-19 test kits from Shanghai to Amsterdam.

Ton Veltman, KLM Cargo in cabin project manager, commented: “It remains extremely inspiring for me to be part of the close-knit team working on Cargo in Cabin. We have been active for over a year now, with involvement throughout KLM and including our partner Trip & Co. By doubling CIC capacity on our 777s, we now have capacity similar to what we had on our 747s. I’m proud of the many KLM colleagues who have made this innovation happen and of the smart and exceptional product that we developed and delivered with them and Trip & Co. This is an example of creativity and perseverance that will be key in the years to come.”

The post KLM Cargo introduces cargo seat bags appeared first on Global Cargo Insight.

The post KLM Cargo introduces cargo seat bags appeared first on Cargo World Today.

UPS plans to add electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft to its air fleet. The aircraft will take off and land in a whisper-quiet fashion, reducing time-in-transit, vehicle emissions, and operating cost.

The aircraft will be purchased from Beta technologies (BETA) and used to augment UPS’s air service for select small and mid-size markets. The Beta aircraft’s 1,400-pound cargo capacity is ideally suited to more quickly and sustainably transport time-sensitive deliveries that would otherwise fly on small fixed-wing aircraft.

UPS’s use of the aircraft will benefit healthcare providers, thousands of small and medium-sized businesses, and other companies in smaller communities. With a 250-mile range and cruising speed of up to 170 miles per hour, UPS will be able to plan a series of short routes, or one long route, on a single charge to meet customers’ needs.

“This is all about innovation with a focus on returns for our business, our customers, and the environment,” said UPS chief information and engineering officer Juan Perez. “These new aircraft will create operational efficiencies in our business, open possibilities for new services, and serve as a foundation for future solutions to reduce the emissions profile of our air and ground operation.”

The aviation industry is focusing on small aircraft, which UPS uses to serve many small and medium-sized communities, to develop groundbreaking, sustainable electric-powered aircraft. BETA’s aircraft has four fixed vertical lift propellers and one pusher propeller for forward flight. It can charge in an hour or less, and produces zero operational emissions.

“We’re combining simple, elegant design and advanced technology to create a reliable aircraft with zero operational emissions that will revolutionise how cargo moves,” said BETA founder and chief executive officer Kyle Clark. “By utilising vertical takeoffs and landings, we can turn relatively small spaces at existing UPS facilities into a micro air feeder network without the noise or operating emissions of traditional aircraft.”

UPS has also reserved BETA’s recharging station for a seamless and fully integrated electric aviation system. The BETA charging station helps ensure safe and rapid charging of the aircraft in under one hour, and facilitates a quick turn for the loading and unloading of cargo. The charging station also offers the aircraft’s batteries a second life cycle.

The post UPS adds electric cargo aircraft to fleet appeared first on Global Cargo Insight.

The post UPS adds electric cargo aircraft to fleet appeared first on Cargo World Today.

Dronamics, a developer and operator of large cargo drones, has announced the launch of Dronamics Airlines with companies in Ireland, Australia and Canada that will manage the airfreight operations for same-day delivery services with its proprietary unmanned cargo drone – The Black Swan.

As part of its ramp-up for commercial operations, the company appoints the seasoned aviation executive Sergio Oliveira e Silva as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO), a new senior management team position.

Sergio joins the organisation from his former position of Managing Director, Asia of a Global aviation services public listed company.

The three newly founded subsidiaries are incorporated in the respective countries as they are leaders in drone regulations, but also are the regions of the first customer cases that will be serviced in e-commerce, pharma and spare parts logistics which will be revealed later this year.

Svilen Rangelov, co-founder & ceo at Dronamics said: “This is an important milestone for us, and we are thrilled by the talent we are attracting to our organisation that is embracing our vision to democratise airfreight. We will continue enhancing our experienced management team who will provide additional expertise to deliver our first commercial flight in a near future.”

Sergio Oliveira e Silva, COO at Dronamics, said: “I’m very much looking forward to being part of the team that will bring into the market the next-generation logistics networks for e-commerce, pharma, agriculture shipments, special cargo, and spare parts. I am excited to be again involved in another successful pioneer venture within the aviation logistics industry”.

The post Dronamics launches cargo drone airline appeared first on Global Cargo Insight.

Photo by Jason Blackeye on Unsplash

The post Dronamics launches cargo drone airline appeared first on Cargo World Today.