Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Sharp Technics K (STK) and Incheon International Airport have laid the foundation for a Boeing 777 passenger-to-freighter conversion facility at Incheon Airport in the Republic of Korea. A ceremony on April 18 marked the laying of the cornerstone for the 777-300ER (Big Twin) conversion facility and follows an agreement between IAI, STK and and Incheon International Airport Corporation in April 2023 to establish the facility. IAI previously said it plans to begin conversions at the facility this year. The B777-300ERSF is the first passenger-to-freighter aircra ..read more

DHL has expanded its GoHelp programme to Europe following a rise in the number of catastrophes hitting the continent in recent years. The new GoHelp Europe team is divided into two areas: disaster response (DRT) and disaster preparedness. The European DRT team is holding its first training session between April 19 and 21 at Istanbul Airport. The DRT teams deploy to airports in need when called upon by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The Get Airports Ready for Disaster programme collaborates with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to prepare ..read more

Cathay Pacific has reported increased air cargo demand in March following the Chinese New Year, while e-commerce and express demand helped boost volumes. The airline carried 134,551 tonnes of cargo in March, an increase of 10.5% compared with March 2023. The month’s cargo revenue tonne kilometres (RFTKs) increased 4.1% year on year. In comparison, the cargo load factor decreased by 4.3 percentage points to 62.7% as available cargo tonne kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 11.2% year on year. In the first three months of 2024, tonnage increased by 11.1% to a total of 356,380 tonnes, against a 15.2 ..read more

Swissport has continued to roll out its forwarder handling services, with JAS Worldwide utilising the product in Frankfurt. The handler has been offering forwarder handling at its facilities in Vienna and Graz for a number of years but is now looking to roll the service out globally. Frankfurt is the latest location to offer the service and forwarder JAS Worldwide has decided to sign up for the offering. Forwarder handling sees Swissport add a direct business relationship with forwarders and not solely with airlines. Among the handling solutions for forwarders are build-up/break-down, security ..read more

The CMA CGM Group has initiated the sale of 100% of Bolloré Logistics’ activities in Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Martin, French Guiana, and Polynesia, with Balguerie Group making an offer. This follows the completion of the Group’s takeover of Bolloré Logistics from the Bolloré Group in February. The sale is in line with the commitments made by CMA CGM to the European Commission and the Polynesian Competition Authority in the context of the acquisition of Bolloré Logistics. Accordingly, the CMA CGM Group has received a put option from the Balguerie Group and has signed an exclusivity agreeme ..read more

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has selected Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) to provide cargo handling services at Boston Logan International Airport. The three-year agreement covers the airline’s daily A350 flights between Boston and Copenhagen. WFS said it expects to handle more than 8,000 tonnes per year as part of the contract, including high volumes of perishables. Boston joins Los Angeles, New York JFK, and San Francisco as airports in the US where WFS and SAS have partnered. Timothy Coggswell, vice president cargo – north east region at WFS, said: “Boston is a prime airport gateway for WFS ..read more

DB Schenker has appointed Aaron Scott as chief executive of its UK & Ireland business, replacing Ray Hennessy who is retiring after eight years in the role. Scott joined the company in 2021 and additionally holds the position of executive vice president of contract logistics for region Europe. “He brings a wealth of experience to the UK & Ireland chief executive role having spent more than 28 years in International Logistics and 3PL supply chain operations,” the forwarder said. “Additionally, he has spent time living and working in the Netherlands, the US and Germany and has a strong t ..read more

Qatar Cargo has put into operation another Boeing 777-200 freighter – Boeing’s second 777 cargo aircraft delivery in April after a slow start to the year. The latest freighter (A7-BTB) travelled from Boeing’s production site in Everett on April 14 and began commercial operations on April 16. So far, the aircraft has been utilised on services to India and Europe, with flights to Mumbai, Delhi and Amsterdam under its belt. The airline has been expanding its 777-200F fleet over recent years and now operates 28 of the model, with the latest 777-200F understood to be the last the carrier had on ord ..read more

Cargo operations in Dubai continue to face disruption following flash flooding that closed Dubai International (DXB) airport. The UAE on Tuesday recorded its heaviest rainfall in 75 years as almost 26cm of rain fell, resulting in the temporary closure of DXB cancellation of around 300 flights on Wednesday. Operations are getting back underway but flooding remains in areas of the airport and flights continue to be delayed and cancelled. In its latest operational update, Emirates SkyCargo said: “Due to inclement weather conditions in Dubai on April 16 and 17, Emirates SkyCargo is experiencing op ..read more

Kenya Airways has put into operation its second Boeing 737-800 freighter and is hoping the additional capacity will help the airline meet rising sea-air demand to west Africa. The second aircraft arrived in Kenya at the end of March and began flying for the airline at the beginning of April. The airline took delivery of its first 737-800F at the start of the year and the two aircraft join Kenya Airways existing two 737-300Fs. Kenya Airways head of cargo commercial Peter Musola said the two new aircraft offer a greater range than the 300Fs and will be used to reach the Middle East and India, sp ..read more