ACW Daily news 10th May 23

We’re Back!

The return of transport logistic to Munich was marked at a welcoming ceremony yesterday that kicked off with a saxophone solo, setting the tone for the event. The message from the speakers at the event was clear: “we’re back”.

The event, which incorporates air cargo Europe, was a formal opening for a trade fair last held here in 2019. The intervening event was cancelled because of the global Covid pandemic.

Dr Robert Schonberger, exhibition director of air cargo Europe, opened the event before introducing Stefan Rummel, Messe Munchen’s managaing director, and keynote speaker Dr Volker Wissing, the German federal minister for

digital and transport.

The two men spoke in detail about the importance of logistics to Germany and the world, giving vital statistics from the transport industry.

The ceremony was attended by scores of visitors and stand holders, who came to mark the occasion. The show was summed up with the motif that nothing moves without logistics.

Prior to the opening ceremony, which was staged in Hall B2, thousands of visitors had streamed in from both ends of the exhibition centre. Many were headed towards air cargo Europe, where the packed halls reflect a growing confidence in the sector, as it rebounds from the impact of the pandemic.

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Etihad Cargo partners with rotate to provide state-of-theart digital solutions to boost customer service

Etihad Cargo has partnered with Rotate to codevelop a sales optimisation tool that will identify sales initiatives to enable the carrier’s global commercial teams and sales representatives to add value to customer relationships. The first-of-itskind tool—Sales Cockpit— will analyse data and, using sophisticated custom-built algorithms, will automatically generate recommendations on how Etihad Cargo can strengthen customer relationships, including an overview of current business and future opportunities.

The development of Sales Cockpit is the latest step taken by Etihad Cargo in its digitalisation journey, which aims to optimise the customer experience. The carrier is collaborating with Rotate, a Netherlandsbased data-driven strategy consultancy with proven cargo expertise, to improve customer service through the enhanced use of data and machine learning. Etihad Cargo’s customers will benefit from the carrier’s representatives gaining a more indepth understanding of their products, routes and requirements. Using the tailored sales initiatives Sales Cockpit proactively provides, Etihad Cargo will build stronger relationships with the carrier’s partners and customers, sharing insights and suggestions to help Etihad Cargo’s customers achieve their cargo business objectives.

Sales Cockpit will also make the customer

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journey more efficient and seamless, reducing information overload by using machine learning to provide each representative with customised sales initiatives. The digital solutions will effectively match recommendations to boost sales and strengthen customer relationships with the representative who will find them most useful. Based on the representatives’ responses to the automatically generated suggestions, recorded actions and results, Sales Cockpit’s algorithms will adapt to each individual, enabling it to make more customised and targeted future recommendations.

Etihad Cargo’s commercial teams will also have access to updated data analysis that will provide a real-time snapshot of the carrier’s business on particular routes, with individual customers and by product, so representatives can offer tailored solutions to each customer. The sales initiatives automatically recommended by Sales Cockpit will provide the information and tools required to capture new business and develop existing partnerships. Sales Cockpit users will also have visibility of the carrier’s business with key accounts across Etihad Cargo’s entire network, enabling them to benchmark regional performance against other regions, further helping them to identify additional opportunities on a global scale to help customers achieve their tonnage targets.

“Digitalisation is already revolutionising the air cargo sector. Etihad Cargo will use Sales Cockpit to further improve customer service and strengthen partnerships, enabling more meaningful interactions with customers and a more tailored approach to meeting customer requirements. Sales Cockpit will effectively put all the information Etihad Cargo’s sales representatives would need to develop stronger customer partnerships in the palms of their hands, providing actionable, algorithmgenerated suggestions and initiatives based on customer-focused data. This depth of understanding into the carrier’s customers is critical to achieving Etihad Cargo’s vision of being the air cargo partner of choice,” Martin Drew, Senior Vice President – Global Sales & Cargo, said.

“Partnering with Etihad Cargo to build the Sales Cockpit will give us unique access to an innovative team to validate the solution and maximise adoption. We are working as one team to unlock the full potential of digitalisation and enable Etihad’s sales teams to have more engaging discussions with their customers,” Ryan Keyrouse, Managing Director at Rotate, said.

Digitalisation is already revolutionising the air cargo sector

Budapest and Hamburg Airports present modern air cargo infrastructure

Silk Way West Airlines joins forces with cargo.one to supercharge its digital sales adoption

Silk Way West Airlines and cargo.one have announced a global partnership to bring the airline’s freighter capacity to the air cargo booking marketplace.

For the fourth time now, Hamburg and Budapest Airports have a joint presence at the air cargo Europe trade fair. Linked by a partnership built up over many years, their cooperation is built on the particular characteristics of both airports which differentiate them from classic hubs.

“As a non-hub airport, Hamburg Airport is also an important part of the global distribution network, and has many advantages compared to classic hubs, especially in terms of efficiency. The coronavirus years have very clearly shown that the fastest route is often the key yardstick, especially when it comes to transporting medical products and essential goods. Together with Budapest Airport, we have built up a network extending throughout Europe, and we are ideally positioned for the future of air cargo,” Alexander Müller, Head of Cargo at Hamburg Airport, said.

By joining cargo.one, Silk Way West Airlines will expand its digital footprint and align with the highest standards for digital air cargo booking. The airline also gains the market experience and actionable support of cargo.one teams to accelerate digital sales adoption for its capacities.

Headquartered in Baku, at the heart of the Silk Road, Silk Way West Airlines is the largest cargo airline in the Caspian Sea region. The airline offers over 420,000 tonnes of freighter capacity annually, utilising a fleet of 12 Boeing 747F aircraft with frontloading capabilities.

The strategic location of Baku as a hub helps Silk Way West Airlines to span over 40 key destinations across Europe, the CIS, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Asia as well as the Americas. Silk Way West Airlines is unique in building an attractive digital offering for larger shipments, where the market is currently under-served.

“Our partnership with cargo.one is an important milestone in our ambitious digitalisation journey. By bringing our capacity to cargo.one’s expansive customer base, we will both broaden our reach and enable many more forwarders to benefit from our services. cargo.one and Silk Way teams are collaborating very closely, and we are relying on their proven expertise to enhance our buying journeys and drive up our share of digital air cargo sales,” Wolfgang Meier, president of Silk Way West Airlines, said.

“For the many thousands of agents who are thriving with digital bookings on cargo.one, the addition of Silk Way West Airlines’ capacity is fantastic news. Due

to its keen awareness of the changing market, Silk Way West Airlines is now putting cargo.one, as the best-in-class digital enabler, at the centre of its digital sales growth trajectory,” Moritz Claussen, founder and co-CEO of cargo.one, added.

cargo.one’s more than 40 airline partners profit from its targeted innovations that enable forwarders in dozens of countries to book more easily and often. Silk Way West partners with cargo.one shortly after the launch of its revolutionary cargo.one pro and cargo.one protect solutions for instant and seamless agent-to-agent bookings. A transformed

digital booking experience for all import and export shipments now makes cargo.one the air cargo onestop-shop for many agents worldwide.

From Autumn 2023, freight forwarders can book Silk Way West capacity using cargo.one.

Our partnership with cargo.one is an important milestone in our ambitious digitalisation journey

Transforming the airfreight industry

CargoAi is revolutionising the air cargo industry by providing customers with one-stop airfreight eBooking Solutions. From booking to tracking, it seeks to have everything covered through its digitised solutions.

Under the company’s three solution pillars of eBooking, Sustainability and Payment, CargoAi provides a suite of six products to ensure that it meets the needs of all of its customers: CargoMART; CargoCONNECT; CargoGATE; CargoINTEL; Cargo2ZERO; and CargoWALLET.

CargoMART enables freight forwarders to manage the entire air cargo booking process through a single tool. CargoCONNECT is a suite of APIs for logistics players to transport the company’s flagship CargoMART experience right into a forwarder’s own IT environment. CargoGATE is the white-labelled full CargoMART solution for airlines or freight forwarding networks. CargoINTEL helps customers stay ahead by spotting future capacity and demand trends. Cargo2ZERO is CargoAi’s sustainability solution, comprising embedded carbon reduction tools in the airfreight procurement process. CargoWALLET is a payment solution allowing freight forwarders without an IATA Cass number to make payments for shipments instantaneously on CargoMART.

Powering the digital revolution

Implementing airfreight data connectivity is quickly transforming into a requirement of doing business. With its range of distribution, CargoAi helps airlines realise new revenue streams, reduce costs and capture more of the digital booking market. This also helps to build end-user value by providing their freight forwarder colleagues or clients ease of use, with data which integrates seamlessly into existing workflows.

“We predict the shift to marketplaces and API hub concepts will be instrumental in producing significant top and bottom line impact to the players who quickly adopt APIs as a way of opening up their distribution capabilities, expanding their marketing reach and drastically reducing the cost of acquiring new customers,” Magali Beauregard Ta, CCO, CargoAi, said.

There has been some reluctance in certain sectors of the airfreight industry to embrace technological innovation, presenting a challenge for digital-first companies, such as CargoAi, in convincing them to move into the 21st century.

“I think the industry has moved from innovation being an idea, to being a need. Technology is vital for achieving cost effectiveness and efficiencies,” Matt Petot, CEO, CargoAi, said.

“Honestly I don’t think that there are companies who voluntarily want to be stuck. I think that they want to innovate but fear the walls are too high to climb – it could be a number of factors including cost, change management for their team, or technical know-how,” he

added.

“When we meet with such companies, most important to them is knowing that they can reach out to a real human despite going in a digital direction. Thus, our advantage is our remote team in many different timezones and geographical locations that allow us to be in touch with these customers,” the CargoAi CEO stated.

For CargoAi, to achieve efficiencies, it means staying at the forefront of technology. That’s why the company’s booking product suite CargoMART, CargoGATE and CargoCONNECT have been developed for two-fold results of customisation and fast deployment.

“We’re a tech company in airfreight and our mission is to enable innovation and digitalisation in the industry by importing best practices and technology from other industries,” Beauregard said.

Increased supply chain visibility

It is important to CargoAi clients to have real-time visibility on schedules, availability, pricing and shipment tracking. This supercharges efficiencies as users are always able to have clear view where their shipments are (without needing to retrieve this information manually).

The company also leverages partnerships to provide data via API which transmit information instantaneously, with minimal customisations required. The focus of providing Plug-and-Play solutions allows partners and customers to have a digital solution that is intuitive and easy to use - in a fraction of the time that it would have taken to develop a legacy solution.

“Our solutions for airfreight procurement and management have been based on importing proven technologies outside of airfreight and remodelling them for the purposes of increasing the rapid adoption of digitalisation in air cargo. Complemented with continual feedback and engagement with our users, we ensure that we implement the best and most relevant features to speed up the search, quote, booking and most recently, payment and sustainability add-ons process of airfreight,” Beauregard added.

“I think we can all agree that real-time information has become vital in today’s context, particularly with the ongoing issues in the supply chain,” Petot continued.

In CargoAi’s position as information/data aggregator between airlines (supply) and forwarders (demand), the necessity of having live updates when searches are made is crucial. Particularly for last minute shipments, it only takes seconds between choosing one carrier over the other.

“We see our role as the enabler of the two-way communication channel, with full transparency from both sides. Transparency not only helps build trust and confidence in a great product experience but also facilitates smoother transactions and enhances the overall customer experience,” Petot explained.

Giving a voice to freight forwarders

because they didn’t think about what they were doing,” Fried explained.

AfA works directly with government officials to make them aware of the work that must be done to help the freight forwarding industry achieve its full potential. This was reflected in the association’s recent move to appoint lobbyist Michael Taylor to maintain its pressure on US Congress for urgent investment in air cargo infrastructure at US airports.

As the voice of the freight forwarding industry, at a time when it is attempting to return to normality post-Covid, the Airforwarders Association (AfA) has a key role to play for its members.

The AfA has a unique perspective on the situation across the industry, operating as an alliance of air carriers, cargo airlines and related businesses with US offices across the global freight transportation sector.

With over 3,500 registered freight forwarders in the United States alone, employing more than 100,000 people, it’s critical for someone to step up as an advocate. That is why the AfA doesn’t just seek to help its members but the entire industry and connected companies.

“Over the past decade, one of the primary financial mainstays of the aviation industry has been air cargo: this has never been clearer than in the face of the COVID pandemic,” says Fried.

“Air cargo has sustained not only the aviation sector but entire regional economies as well as the morale of the population, and it is the goal of the AfA and its members to ensure sufficient investment in air cargo infrastructure to enable the industry to continue to thrive in the future.”

Pushing for solutions

Amid a rocky environment for the cargo transportation industry, plagued by international conflicts and growing cost pressures, it’s not enough to just identify problems, AfA has to fight to ensure solutions are implemented by the relevant authorities.

Having witnessed disruption throughout the supply chain in the past few years, AfA believes it is crucial to work within the industry and alongside top decision makers. As an association, the main challenge is simply getting Capitol Hill to understand why it’s important to take the steps AfA is calling for. “We don’t want them holding up cargo just

This move comes after AfA called for a state or federally backed Air Cargo Support Fund to tackle what they described as an infrastructural crisis facing the industry. The recommendations were part of a whitepaper that was produced after a survey of 400 air cargo stakeholders at multiple levels of the sector.

AfA has worked to present clear recommendations, including implementing airport community systems, encouraging better recruitment and retention through improved compensation packages, and a new industry-wide training programme.

These will come at a cost though, with AfA believing it is vital that the USD$25 billion that airports will receive by way of the Infrastructure Act is allocated across all areas of airport development.”

“AfA’s appointment of senior lobbyist Michael Taylor will greatly bolster our efforts to convince members of Congress of the urgent need to strengthen US airport cargo infrastructure to enable airfreight to thrive as the critical link it is in the global supply chain and to protect the many thousands of jobs it creates,” said Fried.

Changing industry

With almost four decades of experience in the industry, Fried is no stranger to how changes and developments can reshape the sector for the better. One such area where the evolution of the airfreight industry has been clearer than ever before is in the introduction of new technology.

Fried sees the spread of automation and digitalisation as one of the “biggest evolutions” in the sector, with digital processes being implemented at all levels of cargo handling to improve efficiency.

The AfA executive director believes that technology is being adopted at rates he’s never seen before. “I think that is positive,” Fried stated, highlighting how the increasingly speedy adoption of technology reflects the creative, responsive, and flexible nature of freight forwarders. “We’re working,” Fried added, citing the introduction of automation in ways that can streamline operations, replacing unnecessary procedures to save time and money.

Air cargo has sustained not only the aviation sector but entire regional economies

Bringing innovation

Fresh from celebrating the one-year anniversary of their partnership, Cargo Flash and Kenya Airways Cargo (KQ Cargo) are working to bring digital innovation to Africa’s air cargo industry. For Cargo Flash, pushing digitalisation in the industry has been an ongoing process for over a decade, trying to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the industry by

embracing emerging technologies.

“It was working in different silos,” Jasraj Chug, Co-Founder & Director of Cargo Flash, said, discussing the process that existed back in 2009. “The accounting team would not know what’s happening with the inventory or what’s happening on the ground. The operations team was disconnected from the customer. The reservation team was disconnected from operations. We thought we need to work on a platform which can be an integrated cargo management system.”

Flash forward to 2022 and the Nairobi-based cargo carrier implemented the technology and business solutions provider’s next generation ‘nGen’ Integrated Cargo Management System (ICMS), replacing their older systems with an up-to-date process and presenting a model for digitalisation throughout Africa.

“When I started in aviation, it was very paper-based. I saw the passenger side of the business changing to e-ticketing,” Dick Murianki, KQ Cargo Director, explained. However, he realised that the “airfreight industry was left behind,” remaining very paper-based and paperdriven. That’s where the partnership with Cargo Flash came from.

“My customers themselves were questioning the status quo and asking ‘how can we do it differently? How can I get information better and faster?’,” Murianki added. “Thanks to companies like Cargo Flash who want to challenge tradition, we can move forward and reform the airfreight industry into the future.”

Through the partnership, KQ Cargo has worked to build an integrated cargo system that will improve their future offering to customers. “We have built the foundation. The next level is to build the walls and take it up to where our customers want.”

Partnerships push digitalisation

Cargo Flash looks to offer one-stop, real-time, new-age technology and business solutions. This is done through what it describes as an “intelligent, intuitive and end-to-end platform that puts efficiency as a key priority for air cargo logistics, globally.” However, it can’t do that alone. In a highly competitive market that is only growing larger, it’s key for the company to work with like-minded companies in the industry who are equally passionate about technology transformation.

“Digitalisation is going to go deeper and wider, so business models will tend to change, Chug said. “You have to get partners of

innovation to Africa

e-commerce, partners of postal mail, partners of forwarders who come together and use the digital interface to be able to do business with the airline.”

“Our entire philosophy has been that, if a customer is looking at enhancing its capacity, we must be part of that change. We must lend them support and encourage them to go for that chance,” he continued. “It’s very important that we encapsulate a digital mindset. What you will see going forward is that the digital data they have

“people who are bold enough to challenge the status quo and can break down walls, change the paradigm and get things much faster, more efficiently and more cost-effectively.”

Natural evolution for Africa

Across Africa, Murianki is clear that he saw the expansion of digital technology throughout the region was an obvious step. “Civilisation started in Africa and the current generation in Africa and the digital space in Africa is competing with the top. We cannot talk of being left behind. I think Africa and the current generation in Africa is at the edge of technology.”

In KQ Cargo’s view, this is what makes Kenya and the rest of Africa perfect for the adoption of digitalisation, such as what’s presented by Cargo Flash. “Technology, smartphones, you get them in the remotest areas,” Murianki added.

Chug agreed with this view that, rather than lacking the infrastructure for technological innovation, Africa actually is a hotbed for companies who embrace digitalisation. “I see a lot of commonalities between African and India. Across all sections of society, they’re using the smartphones and technology as a basis for making progress,” he explained. “Allowing Africa to leap into the future will be far easier than it would be for established countries where they are more anxious to take those risks. Here the risk is much lower and the value return is very, very high.”

been accumulating will help them, not only improve their business intelligence, but also do predictive and prescriptive analysis.”

“I’m a freight person. I’m not a technology person,” Murianki admitted. “What we look for is how we can be more efficient in delivering service to our customers wanting things more and faster nowadays.” With Cargo Flash, KQ Cargo proudly stated that they have found a partner who models their aspiration to create a platform that allows them to respond to the needs of their clients.

“I need the efficiency, I need the agility, I need to be effective and I need to know and anticipate what my customers may be wanting,” the carrier’s director explained. To achieve that, Murianki is clear you need

“I feel the next decade or the next two decades will be good for Africa, the airlines and trade with Africa. We see that trade is changing from Asia and now moving towards Africa. Africa will be producing more, buying more, so we will see a lot of growth for air cargo business in Africa in the years ahead,” he stated.

That growth potential across Africa is why Cargo Flash is keen to promote digitalisation, as Chug highlights how the top 20 largest cargo carriers are embracing technological innovation. If the African continent and companies, like KQ Cargo, are to truly thrive, Cargo Flash sees the willingness to embrace new opportunities as crucial.

“What we need now is to work together for the next few years, so that companies are accessing new opportunities,” Chug said. “Digitalisation is here. The best we can do and the best I can encourage others to do is to embrace it. Learn as much as you need to learn,” Murianki added.

“

The next decade or the next two decades will be good for Africa

Setting the bar in the airfreight industry

Fresh from celebrating its 25th anniversary, Cargo iQ operates across the air cargo industry with the mission of creating and implementing quality standards. Supported by IATA, its members are working worldwide to define the processes behind the transportation of cargo, measuring success and continuously improving the value of airfreight for customers.

Speaking the same language

The airfreight industry is part of an interconnected supply chain that must run smoothly if goods are to efficiently move from A to B.

“I believe standards are very important because if people are not speaking the same language due to lack of standards, you already have a possible misunderstanding,” Lothar Moehle, Cargo iQ’s Executive Director, said.

Moehle isn’t looking for everyone to behave identically. One company can have a slightly different approach to operations from their competitors. It’s not about creating carbon copies but, rather, about finding the most efficient and effective way for the industry as a whole to work together within the existing frameworks adopted by those involved in the cargo handling process.

Providing real-time information

There has been an increased clamouring from customers across the air cargo sector for realtime information to be available in the booking and transit process, so they can have greater knowledge about how their cargo is handled and where it is at all times.

Digitalisation is playing a key role in achieving this through tracking devices, which are placed within shipments prior to their departure. Moehle recognises that this is a “good tool to have” in addition to the traditional planning and monitoring systems.

Speed up the pace

When it comes to the role technology can play in airfreight, the main hurdle is the slow rollout that has occurred across certain companies, delaying the benefits innovation can provide. With realtime end-to-end transparency in planning, execution and evaluation of shipments, a key value for Cargo iQ, this is something that they hope to tackle.

As Moehle puts it, “the million-dollar question” is how can reluctant parts of the industry be convinced to embrace technology at a faster pace. “I’m not that much of an IT expert. I am just an impatient guy who sees the solution and wants to implement it yesterday,” he joked.

“We have many plans already in the pipeline to continue this good work and bring the benefits of data sharing, digitalisation, and collaboration to the global air cargo sector,” Moehle said.

Improving Operational Excellence at Cologne Bonn

IIn 2022, Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) recorded strong growth in its two major pillars: cargo and passenger traffic.

Despite last year’s geopolitical tensions, the airport was able to keep its numbers at a very high level, almost similar to 2021, with 971,000 tonnes of air cargo throughput and around 40,000 freighter movements. On the passenger side, traffic numbers more than doubled with over 8.8 million people travelling through Cologne Bonn Airport.

The airport and its local community expect another significant expansion of its air traffic in 2023. This growth does not come without operational challenges, with the airport implementing numerous measures to cope with its increasing traffic, while enhancing the overall quality level of its entire operations.

A new control centre for airport operations

Right on time, before the start of the summer schedule, a new Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC) began live operations in March 2023. In the new control centre, built in just a few months at a cost of €5 million, all central operational processes at the airport are brought together and controlled on a 24/7 basis. The main task is to centrally plan, control and monitor all processes relating to flight management, passengers and cargo, from arrival to departure.

The 500 sq m control room has 24 work stations for internal and external staff and a 15-metre-wide video wall comprising of 20 screens. Across there, all the information relevant to airport operations, such as weather, special airport apps, news, etc, is shown.

Decision-makers from various departments across the airport are on site around the clock, including staff from traffic management,

the traffic control centre, baggage handling, ground handling.

Partners and service providers responsible for or involved in processes, including the

“

guaranteeing the optimal use of resources and capacities, as well as increasing punctuality and customer satisfaction.

AOCC is the modern centrepiece of the airport

federal police, security service providers, handling companies and cargo operators are also represented in the new AOCC, bringing collaboration closer than ever before.

“The AOCC is the modern centrepiece of the airport. Collating all information and ensuring short decision-making paths guarantee that airport operations and processes are optimised and efficiently controlled – even, for example, during severe weather events,”

Thilo Schmid, Chairman of the Board of Flughafen Köln/Bonn GmbH, said. Further goals of the AOCC include achieving more efficient processes and stability in operations,

Operational excellence for cargo carriers

On the cargo side, the airport has invested in numerous initiatives to enhance the operational processes and ensure safe, reliable and punctual handling of shipments. A dedicated operational excellence team manages all quality measures for cargo carriers and supervises the overall handling performance on site. This includes safeguarding an efficient and spoilagefree process for special cargo, such as pharmaceutical, perishables and dangerous goods.

The

Bonn Airport

It supports airlines, forwarders, brokers, shippers, etc. with 24/7 call-on-duty emergency response, documentation, airport handling, authority approvals, as well as general supervision.

As well-trained animal welfare advisers, the team takes care of all animals being shipped via Cologne Bonn Airport with special care, respect and attention.

CGN’s dedicated cargo operations team also covers the management of heavy and project cargo loads, coordinating handling agents, the airline, various airport departments, heavy-duty transporters and the crane company. As the single point of contact for all requests linked to charter flights, the operations team is ensuring a smooth and reliable on-time operation by accompanying the entire turnaround. Additionally, they organise the approval of crane loading, ensure punctual security checks and determine the ideal route for moving the consignments to the aircraft stands.

Improving flows for passengers

The airport has also implemented various measures to improve the operational stability and journey on the passenger side.

By summer, the central boarding card checks at the start of passenger screening in Terminal One will have been extended. To improve passenger flow and increase capacity, the number of “e-gates” will be increased to four. In doing so, separate access will be created at the boarding pass checks for passengers and for users of the new service “CGNGateWay”, which allows the pre-booking of a fixed time slot for security checks. There are also access routes for people with limited mobility and a fast lane.

In the area in front of security, a digital guidance system will be installed to automatically channel passenger into their respective streams. The airport has also installed eight more automatic bag drop machines allowing passengers of Eurowings to hand in their luggage independently.

As Brussels Airport returns to normality after the Covid pandemic, the European hub finds itself balancing the growth in passenger flights versus the retention of cargo operations that boomed in the last few years.

The airport is one of the most important hubs in Europe, strategically positioned near the heart of the region. With the European and NATO institutions nearby, Brussels Airport ensures connection between Europe’s capital to the rest of world.

Both sides of the airport’s activities are important and, of course, closely linked, as passenger traffic adds availability of belly capacity for cargo. In 2022 the airport welcomed almost 19 million passengers, compared to 26.4 million passengers in 2019. Brussels Airport caters for the specific needs of business travellers and holidaymakers alike, on intra-European as well as long haul flights. In 2023, it connects Belgium directly with 200 destinations worldwide, offered by 70 airlines.

“Our airport also offers a leading cargo platform, specialised in the transport of pharmaceutical products, perishable goods, e-commerce and live animals. Brussels Airport is the preferred pharmaceutical and life sciences hub in Europe with the highest number of CEIV pharma certified companies and largest concentration of dedicated pharma infrastructure,” Geert Aerts, Chief Cargo & Real Estate Officer at Brussels Airport, said.

European gateway

Apart from its location within the heart of Europe, logistic partners and airlines chose Brussels Airport for its connectivity and the expertise

For many years already Brussels Airport has been the European gateway for life sciences and pharmaceuticals

“ Balancing operations beating heart of

operations in the of Europe

it offers within these markets. The hub is leading in the digital transformation within the industry offering its community partners efficiencies, transparency and ease-of-working through its digital platform applications on BRUcloud. Furthermore, its ambitious real estate development roadmap, offering efficient, BREEAM Excellent certified net zero carbon buildings, increases the overall warehouse capacity in support of the growth of its partners alike.

Brussels Airport has seen growth in all segments of its cargo operations, as a result of its specialisation and the quality of cargo handling and continuity it is able to offer with all our partners.

“For many years already Brussels Airport has been the European gateway for life sciences and pharmaceuticals. Specifically in 2022 dedicated flights with pharmaceuticals, mainly Covid-19 vaccines, were flown worldwide to countries such as US, Japan etc. in specific. This follows the increasing growth trend in Pharma and Life sciences of previous years,” Aerts explained

“It is thanks to the internationally recognised expertise of Brussels Airport and in collaboration with its Cargo partners that the many R&D and production sites of pharmaceutical and life science companies choose Brussels Airport as their European gateway, contributing to the lifesaving operations linked to the Convid-19 pandemic,” Aerts continued.

Future focus

Brussels Airport is project leader of Stargate, a programme within the EU Green Deal, working together with a consortium of 21 partners to develop innovations and initiatives for an accelerated transition to a greener aviation by 2026.

This is focused on three main areas: a further decarbonisation, improving the quality of the local environment and promoting a modal shift. With this project, Brussels Airport wants to be a forerunner for a greener aviation and develop good practices to share with other airports.

As well as taking the lead in driving the aviation industry to become greener, the hub launched its new strategy Shift 2027 last year, focussing on further improving its hub performance for both clients and passengers. This involves our connections, operational efficiency, and customer experience with further digitisation of processes as one of the enablers.

“Our focus is to further excel in our specialisations, such as investing in infrastructure in support of the increasing importance of air cargo in new treatment solutions within life sciences. Offering our partners a best-in-class end-to-end efficiency at Brussels Airport leveraging airside innovations, such as automation and several IoT solutions, as well as expanding our leading digital platform solutions with BRUcloud,” Aerts said.

Emirates embraces the

Established in 1985, Emirates SkyCargo is the airfreight division of Emirates and one of the largest international cargo airlines in the world. Through 300+ destinations across 80 countries in 6 continents, it connects the world’s supply chains via its hubs at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Dubai World Central (DWC).

Emirates’ strategic location, alongside major investment in its infrastructure and people, places it in a unique position to facilitate trade in a re-globalised world. By scaling its fleet, network and specialist handling capabilities, the Emirates SkyCargo business will grow significantly over the next decade, as it rolls out new product offerings to meet a wide range of sector needs.

Emirates has been expanding its network operations swiftly in recent months. It has reintroduced services to five cities, launched flights to Tel Aviv as a new destination, and added 251 weekly flights to existing routes.

Global perishables hub

Emirates SkyCargo’s core offering centres around four key verticals; pharmaceuticals; perishables; valuables; and mail and courier. The 202122 financial year saw its annual tonnage cross 2.1 million, an increase of 15%. Pharmaceuticals tonnage in particular grew by 17%, with the carrier finding that perishables are making up a larger proportion of the demand it’s experiencing.

Time-sensitive goods are an area where air cargo has a prime advantage as the most reliable and resilient mode for valuable and valued produce. “With the extensive cool-chain facilities we have in place at our terminals in Dubai, combined with the five-hour transit time we can offer between the arrival of goods and their departure, we expect this cargo type to continue to increase in volume,” Nabil Sultan, Chief Cargo Officer at Emirates, explained.

The carrier’s cargo terminal at DWC, which handles all cargo from our freighter aircraft, has 15,000 m2 of dedicated storage for temperaturesensitive goods such as pharmaceuticals, fresh fruits and vegetables and seafood. Every day Emirates SkyCargo transports an estimated 500600 tons of perishables on its flights across the world, making this a key aspect of operations.

“Perishables remain extremely important to Emirates SkyCargo, as evidenced by the investments we’ve made in infrastructure over the last five years. We were the first airline to bring in cool dollies, for example, to allow for temperature control on-ramp, and also hired specialist expertise to manage these products with integrity end-to-end,” Sultan said.

Evolving industry

The landscape for international trade has become more complex with new markets, routes and customer requirements. Emirates SkyCargo has sought to counter this with forward planning and continued investments, putting it in a strong position to serve customers across many high-value industries that require specialist logistics capabilities and expertise.

The cargo carrier is confident of a continued growth in demand, with one of its priorities being expanding its facilities. “We’re in a new era of re-globalisation, with supply chains being reconfigured to withstand disruptions while meeting the demands of rapidly emerging markets. A mixture of strong e-commerce demand, alongside stabilised cargo rates, has defined the airfreight market so far this year, and the broad trajectory points to strong growth,” Sultan said.

Certain industries have relocated their manufacturing hubs to new countries and regions to spread risk, including Vietnam, China, Cambodia, India, and Bangladesh. Demand from these places has steadily increased, and air cargo demand remains robust despite more challenging macroeconomic conditions, including high inflation.

With Emirates SkyCargo’s central hub located in Dubai, it finds itself in an ideal location geographically to help support customers with these developments. Combined with the significant investment made in its infrastructure, Emirates SkyCargo has a strong ability to shift capacity to where it’s needed and meet ever-changing demand patterns from all industries.

“Our strategic central location in Dubai means we can reach 2.5bn people within four hours and this opens up all manner of possibilities for partnerships in new markets that provide the stability needed for trade,” Sultan explained.

“We also recognise there are carriers and logistics partners out there with their own strengths and networks that are complementary to our own and are pleased to have recently formed partnerships with United Cargo and Air Canada Cargo, significantly expanding our footprint in Northern America. With a shared goal of adding value for our customers, building further alliances in the future is something we’re continuously reviewing,” he continued.

Dubai’s infrastructure, especially its airports, sea ports, and road network, has received significant investments. By blending its entrepreneurial culture with these resources, Emirates SkyCargo has been able to connect Sea Air Cargo using bonded trucks, completing the journey from port to aircraft in less than four hours. This achievement is just another example of Dubai’s longstanding role as a central trading hub.

new era of airfreight

Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) offers a fullservice 24/7 international-grade hub, seeking to provide everything its cargo airline partners need to operate. With over 25 years of experience in the industry, 85 daily flights and over 3 billion pounds of landed weight, RFD has firmly positioned itself as a key hub in North America, connecting carriers across America and beyond.

Over the past eight years, RFD has invested over $200 million in air cargo operations. This investment has helped build the airport into one of the largest economic engines in the Rockford region and Northern Illinois and grown RFD’s ability to handle large scale operations, while remaining efficient and providing its partners with the ability to move goods quicker and saving time and costs.

“RFD is the best positioned cargo airport in North America,” Zachary Oakley, Deputy Director Chicago Rockford International Airport, said.

“RFD, especially located in the busy Midwest, is a pilots dream with landing and takeoff within minutes with runways in very close proximity to the parking bays, which helps low fuel burns,” he added.

e-commerce operations

RFD is home to the second-largest UPS hub in North America, a major base of operations for Amazon Air, and serves numerous international airlines and freight forwarders including DB Schenker, DSV, HAE, Senator International, ABX Air, ATI, National Airlines, and Atlas Air. With the airport’s ongoing cargo expansion, Rockford has become a hub for e-commerce and international freight. The airport has seen annual air cargo throughput triple over the last five years, with a 25% increase in volumes recorded in 2021, bringing the total volume of air cargo to just shy of 500,000 tons.

This was reflected in the recent announcement that RFD was welcoming Menzies Aviation, the world’s largest aviation services provider with operations in 58 countries. Menzies Aviation will occupy the International Cargo Center at RFD and provide cargo and freighter

handling services to chartered and scheduled flights.

With Emery Air, the first cargo handler to operate at RFD, and Menzies Aviation working on the field, RFD expects enhanced growth of its international cargo business.

“When demand returns, RFD will continue to see growth and attract interest from carriers wanting to move away from more congested airports thus helping reducing their operating costs,” Oakley stated. “We are confident that in partnership with RFD Airport the airport will attract scheduled freighters, and more specialised cargo to be handled safely and expeditiously.”

Digitalising cargo

RFD has embraced digitalisation in recent years, as it moves to become as efficient and effective as possible, providing the best solutions available to carriers transiting through the hub. This desire for digitalisation saw RFD partner with Kale Info Solutions, the US subsidiary of Kale Logistics Solutions to implement its Airport Cargo Community System (ACS). The hub is looking to provide its cargo community with the most efficient, transparent cargo IT platform in the marketplace

Kale’s ACS implementation will reduce manual documentation and data entry time for cargo handlers at RFD, increasing efficiency, as well as reducing truck congestion and streamlining cargo flows.

Deployment of the full system will allow cargo handlers to receive real-time updates on estimated cargo arrival times, while advance slot booking capabilities will enable trucking companies and ground handlers to coordinate landside freight movements, eliminating waiting times and enabling efficient resource allocation.

“In partnership with Kale Logistics we will roll out the community system in June 2023. This system is intended to further enhance efficiencies in the whole logistics chain. The first mode of the system will enhance trucking companies and handling companies to coordinate efficient access,” Oakley explained.

Saving time, money and providing a sustainable alternative

Bring ULD management capabilities to the next level

To succeed in the highly competitive ULD market, Jettainer is clear that the key is embracing innovation and keeping an ear open to ensure it meets the needs of its customers.

Bringing decades of experience to the industry, Jettainer strives to be close to its customers, hearing and understanding their needs, whichever region they are based in. By keeping a constant eye on the market, Jettainer prides itself on being able to react swiftly and with ease to any adjustments they might need.

“We drive innovation so that we can continue to offer the best possible solutions (technologydependent & -independent). Thus, we are also constantly developing our existing offer. One example of this is our own IT landscape JettWareNG. With this update, we bring automation of workflows to the next level to make our ULD management even more efficient,” Thorsten Riekert, Chief Sales Officer, Jettainer, said.

Reliable and flexible

With new entries coming into the market in recent years, Jettainer is looking to remain a key player in the sector by capitalising on the growing demand from airlines turning towards outsourcing.

“Our biggest “competitors” are still the “self handled” inhouse ULD management airlines. However the recent crisis and the ever increasing cost consciousness is leading more and more airlines to the outsourcing route,” Riekert explained.

With its four products, Jettainer offers an ideal set-up. With lease&fly, they offer an entry point and provide customers with adhoc units. For customers with up to 2,000 ULDs, plug&fly is the fastest and easiest way to benefit from its highly efficient ULD management service.

“We help customers optimise the ULD fleet by 15% from the start, saving ULD investment and costs on replacements. This model is deliberately

kept seamless to implement and is as lean as possible. The customer remains the owner of the ULDs, and the maintenance and repairs remain their responsibility,” he added.

With ULD Select, Jettainer offers a full-service package with customised modules. As part of this, it makes an in-depth analysis of the airline’s operations and specific ULD needs and puts together the perfect and individual ULD Select package.

Finally, with its cool&fly service, Jettainer provides customers with comprehensive support for the special challenges of managing cool containers.

“With all these offers, we cover a wide range of needs and requirements reliably and flexibly,” Riekert stated. “New customers such as CMA CGM, Avianca or T’way and contract extensions in 2022 prove that we are the global leader in ULD management.”

Avoiding hurdles and embracing opportunities

Moving ULDs around the world in the most efficient way is Jettainer’s core competence, avoiding falling into the pitfall of the global imbalance in the distribution of ULDs. To dodge this challenge, Jettainer’s experts around the world are close to the customers’ operation. Combined with its AI automated decision support system integrated in its IT solution JettWare, they steer ULDs in a way that the imbalances can be mitigated.

In addition, Jettainer’s global network and the total size of more than 100,000 units are key factors in avoiding being hurt be a ULD imbalance. “This gives us the opportunity for cross-utilisation throughout our customers’ networks. Furthermore, with skypooling we offer a free-to-use platform to share ULDs. The platform makes overstocks and understocks transparent between different airlines at the same airports and automatically matches them to share capacities. This way, airlines can resolve imbalances, eliminate empty transports, and return lost or found units – saving time, capacity, and CO2,” Riekert explains.

The past few years have shown how fragile supply chains can be. Be it the supply chain problems caused by the pandemic or caused by staff shortages last summer. This also inevitably affects the ULD business and many airlines very clearly experienced the problems that a shortage of ULDs can cause. Lack or shortage of ULDs is not an option for either cargo or baggage transportation.

“As a global service provider, we have consistently succeeded in giving our customers a 100 percent ULD availability guarantee at all times. We can quickly respond to changes and offer our customers a reliable alternative

when standard solutions reach their limits. To counteract bottlenecks, Jettainer always plans ahead and coordinates very closely with its customers and manufacturers,” Riekert highlighted

Airlines are back on track for growth. Not only in the cargo business, but also in passenger traffic, capacities are growing. “For us, this means that we can once again scale our operations in an optimal way and use our global network even more efficiently. Our ULD management business also continues to grow, as more and more airlines recognize the value of outsourcing this task to an experienced provider. ULD management is our core competence and we can identify exactly where an airline can save costs or operate more sustainably and efficiently,” he continued.

With ULD Select, Jettainer offers a fullservice package with customised modules

Improving airfreight operations on the ground

One of the world’s largest air services providers, dnata offers ground handling, cargo, travel and flight catering services across five continents. In the airfreight space, the company provides a series of services including cargo handling, a cargo web portal, dnata Logistics, GSSA Services and more.

Achieving success at the forefront of the ground handling revolution, dnata knows that excellence means constantly challenging itself to do better. That’s why the company is consistently investing in infrastructure, technologies and products to improve productivity and provide world-class service and safety to its customers.

“We are proud to have earned the trust and loyalty of over 300 airlines globally. We continue to work closely with our airline partners to consistently deliver best-in-class services across our global network,” Stewart Angus, dnata’s Regional CEO for Europe, said.

Innovative approach

Taking pride in its ability to offer premium cargo handling services for passenger bellyhold cargo and freighter cargo, dnata recognises the need to provide the best-in-class facilities and state-of-the-art handling systems. This is achieved through its dedicated staff on the ground but also through its embrace of technological innovation where possible to make operations increasingly efficient for their customers.

This is seen in how dnata is rolling out its OneCargo system globally, among other digital systems across the sites where it operates. OneCargo automates key business and operational functions, including safety and quality monitoring, reporting and ULD management, with an integrated, cloud-based platform.

AI-driven tools and analytics provide enhanced visibility on sales and business performance, allowing customers to match real-time demand with available capacity for maximum profitability. In addition, OneCargo eliminates all redundancies and manual check sheets, substantially improving operational efficiency.

“We will continue to invest in the latest, digital technologies to maximise efficiency and consistently deliver the highest value for our customers globally,” Angus explained.

Cementing its status

In 2022, dnata continued its expansion in the UK with the opening of a new facility at Heathrow Airport. This was part of its agenda over recent years, having significantly invested in advanced infrastructure, equipment and cutting-edge technologies, cementing its position as a leading air cargo services provider in the UK.

Having added seven facilities, including six new builds, to its infrastructure over the past eight years, we now operate 13 cargo centres at six airports in the UK.

“Part of our ‘dnata City East’ complex, our newest, bespoke facility further increased our capacity at LHR, ensuring continued smooth handling of a broad range of goods. The expansion made dnata City East comfortably the largest off-site cargo handling operation at the UK’s largest commercial aviation hub. The new, 10,500 m² facility (‘Phase II’) was designed to operate in conjunction with dnata City East’s existing 22,500 m² facility (‘Phase I’) which opened in September 2019,” Angus added.

Supporting Cologne’s growth

dnata entered the German cargo market through the acquisition of Wisskirchen Handling Services at Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN).

CGN is the third largest airport in Germany in terms of cargo operations with significant capacity for further growth. It operates 24 hours a day and is ideally located in the heart of Northwest Europe with excellent road connections.

“It is therefore the perfect location in which to position a significant logistics hub of central importance, particularly when other airport in the region are suffering from cargo capacity constraints,” Angus explained.

Similar to the moves in the UK, the expansion into Germany is part of dnata’s continued broader investment in cargo infrastructure.

“We are delighted with the improvements to the operations we have made since our acquisition and the cooperation with our customers and the airport authority,” Angus added. “We look forward to further playing our role in the next stage of development of Cologne/Bonn Airport as a major cargo hub.”

Preparing for a sustainable future

Raft, an intelligent freight operating system, is advising forwarders to prepare for new sustainability reporting regulations.

Lionel van der Walt, Chief Growth Officer, Raft, has warned forwarders of the need to focus on finding an emissions reporting method to suit their business and that of their customers as soon as possible.

“The rapidly changing legislation landscape, coupled with growing demands from shippers and consumers across the globe, means that companies of all sizes in the supply chain must focus on sustainability, and it is the responsible thing to do,” said van der Walt.

The European Commission, for example, started the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) initiative on the 21st of April 2021, with companies that fall into scope with the directive having to apply the rules for the first time in the 2024 financial year, for reports published in 2025.

This will be of a significant impact for European shippers who will, in turn, require more detailed carbon emissions data from their forwarders, irrespective of their location across the globe.

The role of tech in emissions reporting

“Raft is focused on serving freight forwarders by way of automating operational pain points, which is why we are addressing emissions reporting for them,” said van der Walt.

“We have developed a digital solution which is scalable and allows freight forwarders to streamline and automate this complex, timeintensive process, making it much easier for users to access the data they need quickly and report on it accurately.”

Raft is an intelligent freight operating system using cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence to automate and optimise freight forwarder operations across the entire lifecycle of a shipment, including areas such as Finance, Customs, Operations, Sales, Visibility, and Emissions Tracking.

Raft’s platform enables forwarders to accurately calculate and track emissions automatically, and in real time, allowing users to view, manage, and share verified carbon emissions data across their shipment portfolio.

Its digital solutions are tailored to the user’s needs, ranging from integrations that enable a basic emissions calculator tool, accounting for factors such as quantity, weight, mode and route, to in-depth integrations across various technologies such as TMS’ and visibility tracking software, enabling detailed calculations and reporting as required by regulators.

A competitive advantage

“With legislative bodies strengthening regulations on emissions reporting, it’s more important than ever for forwarders to ensure they are as accurate and transparent as possible with their calculations,” continues van der Walt.

“Sustainability reporting is not just a matter of compliance but it’s also a competitive advantage for freight forwarders.

Digitalizing the emissions reporting process enables forwarding operators to better track sustainability data, helping to support their customers to meet regulatory requirements, and make more conscious, carbon-efficient supply chain decisions going forward.

In this way, companies that actively and authentically show they are investing in sustainable practices will prove they are environmentally responsible partners and are able to meet their customers’ evolving expectations to comply with regulatory requirements.

Sustainability reporting is not just a matter of compliance but it’s also a competitive advantage for freight forwarders

Driving digitalisation through partnerships

Collaboration is a key pillar of the strategy employed at WebCargo by Freightos, as the company builds a leading platform for live air cargo rate distribution and bookings between hundreds of airlines and 3,500+ forwarders across over 10,000 forwarding offices.

In an effort to make global trade as frictionless as possible, WebCargo embraces the moniker ‘your partners for logistics digitisation’, as they seek to modernise the industry. As the company notes, while international trade is at the core of the global economy, it is powered by a massive global freight market that remains largely offline. This increases costs and reduces supply chain reliability, slowing down the industry and taking away valuable resources from companies

Through its free offering, WebCargo Sky plugs into direct carrier connectivity, providing live air cargo rates and instant eBooking. Save an hour a day or more per team member; WebCargo Air unlocks rateto-quote capability with the industry’s leading rate management and quotation software, with full TMS integration. WebCargo AcceleRate offers live multimodal rate management with customer quoting tools, driving freight sales and business intelligence at top tier logistics providers.

“We bridge the transition to fully digital air cargo by providing rate management and instant door-to-door quoting tools to thousands of forwarders and, when available, provide them with real-time visibility into actual prices, capacity availability and bookings,” Manuel Galindo, CEO of WebCargo, said.

Connecting the industry

WebCargo’s partners include over 35 airlines, including China Southern, American Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Etihad Cargo, Air France KLM, IAG Cargo, SAS, Qatar Airways, El Al, and Emirates SkyCargo.

As a company, WebCargo are strong believers in connecting as many air cargo providers to their thousands of forwarders around the world. This was recently seen in their move to add three Chinese master loaders for air booking on their platform.

“Sinoair is China’s number one master loader and in the top ten worldwide. Together with CIMC Anda Shun and Sinotech, these three master loaders are top-tier local master loaders with strong networks and outstanding coverage. In addition, the three master loaders are also innovators in their space, with the right internal technology stack to support instant pricing, eBooking and payments on our platform,” Galindo explained.

“As a truly global platform, we need to adapt the technology to the

needs of each market. In the Chinese market, master loaders (quite literally) carry a large amount of weight.”

Massive opportunity

The Asia market is, of course, a massive opportunity for those in the airfreight market, as much as those who support it.

In many technology sectors, both in the business and consumer space, Western and Eastern users use very different platforms; for example, Alibaba in Asia vs Google in the West. Due to its international nature, global freight cannot afford that type of separation.

“Here at WebCargo we’ve made strong progress in connecting Asian providers including, most recently, China Southern Airlines, and have other exciting plans in store,” Galindo stated.

WebCargo’s numbers ultimately speak louder than words. The company saw nearly 700 thousand bookings on its platform last year. In some European countries, over 10% of all air cargo bookings are placed through its platform.

“Our differentiation is a result of strong coverage, including some unique carriers, our technology that supports quoting and pricing from hundreds of non-digitised airlines, user-first features like saved quotes, CO2 calculations, strong relationships with other technology companies, and more. We stay ahead by working hard and ensuring that we are guided by our customers - their success is our success,” he added.

Timely transition

WebCargo is moving ahead on every possible front. One of the most interesting directions it is taking is enabling freight forwarder customers to unlock instant pricing and booking directly to their importer and exporter customers. The efficiency from total cross-supply chain pricing and booking is something that Galindo has been thinking about since WebCargo started many years ago.

Carriers benefit from improved sales, lower cost of distribution, and better capacity utilisation. Forwarders save minutes to hours per shipment with faster pricing and booking, while reducing costs and impressing customers with real-time service.

“The air cargo industry typically talks doom and gloom about digitization too frequently. Global freight was an early innovator using tools like EDIs and it remains an innovator today. There are few B2B industries that can boast the rapid growth of adoption of digital bookings like global freight. I’ve seen eager interest from nearly all players, small and large and regardless of location,” the WebCargo CEO said.

Providing the solution to your logistic challenges

Challenge Group’s goal is to be the first choice for companies, wherever they are in the world and whatever logistical or aviation challenge they might have. Actively focused on building tomorrow’s end-to-end air cargo logistics, the company regularly challenges themselves internally, as they strive for operational excellence.

Having started out in Tel Aviv, exporting agricultural products out of Israel, Challenge has grown into a global carrier that moves goods to destinations in America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Complete package

“Innovative, integrated, international and, above all, individualised solutions. Those are our Challenge Group promises to you,” Challenge Group CEO Yossi Shoukroun explained.

That pledge to customers is reflected in the solutions offered by Challenge Group, providing fast, complete and professional solutions from freight to finish. The company lays out its offering under three headlines: From freight to finish; freight fusion; phenomenal freight.

The first is achieved by Challenge Group’s eight specialised subsidiaries that are able to provide tailored, end-to-end air cargo and aviation solutions.

Freight fusion works to ensure Challenge has no limit to the combination of services it can offer. Air cargo solutions are made to measure from air lift or maintenance to ground-air-truck services.

The final service fulfils Challenge Group’s statement that “nonstandard is our standard.” After all, 65 % of shipments Challenge Group handles, fall outside of the norm, and require individual, industry-specific solutions.

“In the post-pandemic era, I believe this is the new value proposition our customers are looking for and represents the best business approach to the supply chain,” Shoukroun explained.

Flying high

Throughout 2022, Challenge Group handled 350,000 tonnes of cargo through the company’s hub in Liege. Within its strong year of operations, Challenge flew more than 5,000 horses, day-old chicks and exotic

animals, as well as organising more than 230 charters.

During the year, Challenge Group marked the start of its newest airline; Challenge Airlines MT. The launch of the Maltese cargo carrier brought the group’s total number of airlines to three, now all flying under the Challenge Airlines brand name.

As part of the corporate rebranding, the Group’s longest serving airline, previously known as CAL Cargo, became Challenge Airlines IL, and significant investments were made in a new headquarter building in Tel Aviv, as well as the addition of two Boeing 767-300BDSF to the fleet.

Together with Challenge Airlines, the group served ten new airport destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Canada, and Asia, in 2022, almost doubling the scope of its scheduled network.

“With additional four B767 converted freighters, we’re doubling our fleet to support our expansion plan towards a more sustainable future,” Shoukroun said.

New routes

With an international network, Challenge Group is always looking to explore new markets that present exciting opportunities. January saw the carrier launch its historic, inaugural flight from Istanbul, Turkey, carrying a mix of the country’s main export products, such as garments, fabrics and automotive parts from key international customers.

The event market the start of the company’s newly scheduled operations out of the global hub, linking Turkey to European nations, as well as to the US and Far East. From the start of this year, Challenge Airlines operates two Boeing 747F flights per week, totalling a capacity uplift of 240 tonnes.

“As the world’s 29th largest exporter with one in two of its exports heading to Europe, Türkiye is a significant contributor to global trade, and Challenge Group, with our established Liège hub at heart of Europe, is a perfect business fit,” Or Zak, Commercial Vice President of Challenge Group said at the time.

“We consider ourselves an enabler to the global trade and agility is one of our corporate values, therefore we continuously adjust and review our schedule in response to the new trade dynamics, customers’ needs and supply chain requirements,” Shoukroun added.