Flyingtypers Cargo Talks!

FlyingTalkers learned that the Annual FIATA Headquarters Sessions in Zurich, scheduled for March 24-28 2020 have been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.   “This decision,” new FIATA Director General Stephane Graber said “is being taken because of recent impact of the COVID-19 contagion in Italy, and now in Switzerland.   “FIATA is mindful as to its duty of care to its membership and has taken this action due to uncertainty, as governments attempt to contain the continued spread of the COVID-19 in Switzerland and Europe.”   FIATA is scheduled to hold its major event the FIATA World Congress this autumn in Busan, Korea October 19-24.   Stay Tuned

In a time of fear and misinformation some folks who are attending Air Cargo India spoke up with candor that we can all appreciate. COVID-19 may have dampened air freight growth across the world, but a sold- out Air Cargo India February 25-27, 2020 being held in Mumbai  offers a networking venue so that all might get a better handle on exactly where air cargo is heading this year.

We hear lots of stories of an effect, since the Wuhan China Coronavirus impacted the world. Looking around air cargo for a sense of the mood, whilst cancellations of flights and services has surely impacted trade shows and events all over Asia, we detect no lack of heart or sympathy for the plight of people in China right now. Just this week Qatar Airways has volunteered free air cargo transportation for medical relief aid organized by Chinese embassies and consulates worldwide to fight the coronavirus emergency. The country’s national carrier has aims to independently donate millions of medical-grade masks and sanitization bottles to areas in China most urgently in need. Medical supplies donated by Chinese communities worldwide will be flown by Qatar Airways Cargo freighters through its global network of 170 destinations to its China cargo gateways in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau. Qatar Airways Cargo delivered the first batch of critical medical relief aid to Shanghai on February 2, 2020. Th

Just when all across USA, everyone was watching The Super Bowl in Miami last Sunday, the U.S. Air forwarders Association held their annual event in Nashville Tenn. As the first event of the long conference agenda for cargo that will continue all over the world almost every month in 2020, AfA gets the gold ring, out of the gate, for tenacity and heart. This is truly the air cargo event "for everybody else." Here is an exclusive first-hand report from Donna Mullins featuring her impressions of the AfA gathering. Last year can be recalled as a time that delivered less than spectacular numbers, with tariffs and trade wars and upheaval in Hong Kong, that turned the most powerful air cargo gateway in the world into silly putty.. So overall, world air cargo chargeable weight dipped by 4.4% in 2019, Air Cargo Data (ACD) reported Thursday January 30. On Sunday February 2, Super Bowl in Miami and The Kansas City Chiefs’ stunning come-from-behind victory was the thing here in USA and elsewhere around the world for sport

Jan Krems, President of United Cargo, is ready for take-off in 2020.      Jan Krems at United Cargo is compelling and simply irresistible.      Right now, despite the challenges and the gloom and doom predicted, United Cargo, while not immune by any means to these economic trends, continues to outperform everyone else in the U.S. air cargo business.      It is almost as if the stars lined up above Willis Tower at the Chicago headquarters for United Cargo.      As 2020 begins with the glimmer of a rebound in business, this native of Oss, Netherlands, is on top of the world.      “We have really great people, we continue to add more, and we’ve made a few simple, yet vital changes in the way we work together,” Jan says, barely concealing his passion and enthusiasm.      “Once United Cargo had people in what I call separate silos. Everyone did their jobs, but their

ATC is new GSSA for Alitalia in Germany effective  last week on January 15,2020. Ingo Zimmer is the immensely appealing, always approachable top flight executive at ATC that has sculpted a worldwide growing organization with a cadre of truly professional air cargo executives, plus an emerging impressive array of young talent. Most people in air cargo transportation know Lionel van der Walt for the time he served as President of Cargo Network Services (CNS). A short term perhaps, but it was Lionel who came to CNS as an agent of change delivering a much-needed shot in the arm that favorably impacted CNS, the pioneering global organization. That a tradition of intellect and decency begun 30 years ago with Jack Lindsey and Tony Calabrese that continues today at CNS with the very capable Mike White. But what you might not know about Lionel, is that Lionel began his transportation career at South African Airways Cargo, and today is back on the leading edge of change in air cargo serving as CEO of PayCargo, th

When FedEx let go of a reported $900 million annual business package with Amazon last year, eyebrows were raised. Now finally admitting what most everybody else already knew, that Amazon is indeed a competitor, Fred Smith is at work rebuilding the overnight service that he invented. “Air Cargo export numbers from USA were a genuine roller coaster ride during 2019,” reports Mike White President of Cargo Network services (CNS). “CNS CASS numbers through November 2019 reflects the U.S. government agreements with some of its key trade partners. “Over all,” Mike said, "we have seen a 6.8% drop in U.S. exports reported through CNS CASS. Mike Webber, the much respected airports air cargo specialist, expert event industry panelist, guest speaker and analyst is also the airport development and planning, go-to executive at Landrum Brown, shares his take on 2020 as January unfolds. “Being a derived demand ensures we’re in the crosshairs of macroeconomic influences seemingly external to our industry,” he declares in one

Here we debut a new Podcast allowing us to leverage our nearly 50 years covering the airline industry. Presented for a more relaxed time of the week, these stories will be shared on Saturdays and be aimed at our abiding interest in the wider experience we all share, working and serving in the transportation industry. Our first Saturday Bulldog  Edition here follows two, pioneering, smart and tough sisters in a place, that despite the passing years remains somewhat remote, while retaining what is left of the American spirit of natural living. Air cargo across Alaska is an absolute way of life, in a place where flying freight harkens back to the early, high adventure aviation days. Our contributing writers here, and, as it turns out, shippers as well, are Miki and Julie Collins who live in Lake Minchumina, Alaska.

Happy New Year! Here we get back to work sharing the views of people that make the global logistics industry go for our 45th consecutive year. Today Flying Typers is the longest continually published industry media source under the same ownership and Publisher/Editor in the history of air cargo. But what will happen in 2020? After a less than memorable 2019 it seems everybody is looking for answers. Will this new decade be the “Roaring 20’s” or as we celebrate Chinese  Lunar New Year later this month, will we step off during 2020 as an industry into “The Year of The Mouse?” Brandon Fried longtime President of the Air Forwarders Association is one air cargo executive in world of change that seems to transcend time. While it has become fashion and even rule to flip and change top executives regularly at other industry associations , there goes “Steady Brandon” out there seemingly unflappable as counterpoint to that action. Let’s face it we have all more or less have  been home surrounded in the sanctuary of f

For the second straight year, United Cargo teamed with nonprofit Wreaths Across America and CEVA Logistics to ship live, Maine-made balsam fir holiday wreaths to Europe. The wreaths traveled from United hubs in IAD, IAH and EWR to AMS for the December 1 event at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten. President Truman said that the only news is history you don’t know. Maybe the best argument for continually paying attention to history, is so that we might learn from what we missed. the story of the Wright Brothers is often told. Here ius something you never heard before. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/geoffrey-arend/support

The year 2019 will be remembered at Turkish Cargo as a year-long transition whilst the brand continued to build through major investments and expansion of destinations, among other factors. Just four months after Cathay Pacific's chief executive resigned, Hong Kong Airlines, the city's third largest carrier, is hanging onto its license by its finger nails due to a financial crisis, and is being allowed to survive now with government help. It’s happening all over the world. As Christmas 2019 approaches, organized air cargo, at gateways here in the USA and abroad, are wrapping hearts and minds around helping others.

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) named Issa Baluch into its Hall of Fame in a ceremony to be held this Wednesday evening in Budapest Hungary. Mr. Baluch’s daughter Sarah will accept the award on behalf of her father. There have been Hall of Fame inductees for the past 21 years at TIACA including many of the greats of air cargo including Bill Boesch, Jacques Ancher, Ram Menen and Robert Arendal. Bob Arendal by the way was the first inductee in the modern era. He went into the Hall in 1997. In a sentence Issa Baluch invented Sea/Air in Dubai and then sold his company,retired and then became a teacher and humanitarian. But the rest of the story is so much more.

It's not rocket science but rather the rest of the story. Here Geoffrey offers some further insight of the people operating out of display stands this week at Logitrans Istanbul. Later we take a closer look into the future mind of Uber in commercial cargo transportation.

Logitrans Istanbul This Week As Logitrans Istanbul opens this week November 13-15, the self-proclaimed “bridge connecting the Eurasian region via logistic solutions,” is greeted by Emre Eldener, President of The Association of International Transport and Logistics Service Producers-UTIKAD, the very important market force for good, talking things over with Geoffrey. Emre’s message to all is straight from the shoulder and right from the heart: “We are here for everyone,” Emre declared.  Virgin Cargo Teams Up “Cargo customers in Australia and Japan will be very pleased to see the launch Virgin Australia Brisbane to Tokyo-Haneda services March 29, 2020. “The daily Airbus A330 flight will offer between 15-20 tons of cargo capacity and will be marketed by Virgin Atlantic Cargo under its longstanding international long-haul sales and marketing agreement with Virgin Australia,” said Dominic Kennedy, Managing Director of Virgin Atlantic Cargo. IATA Operations Big Meeting In Amsterdam Who can explain it, who can t

“While you are reading a book, it is also reading you,” purportedly words once spoken by Hans Christian Anderson have come to mind. Take the case of Richard Elieson, who has served as President of American Airlines Cargo for the past three and a half years. We have spoken often about things, usually at a trade show, or even as we did recently during a short interview/meeting inside American Cargo’s new Penthouse Suite of offices at the gleaming new Skyview 8 headquarters building in Fort Worth, Texas. Usually it’s a battery of questions and answers as the interview goes on. But in this case what you are about to hear addresses only one question. I asked Rick “What are the most important attributes of a leader?” His answer was direct, to the point and voluminous enough to serve as a course outline for advanced air cargo management. Rarely, as a reporter, do we experience this sort of volume and depth and fervor emerge from a business interview. We are moved, and at the same time inspired by these words and tho

EMO Trans Big South Africa Win “The EMO Trans organization proudly announces our new exclusive global co-operation partnership with Bidvest International Logistics (BIL) in South Africa that commences in early 2020,” Jo Frigger, CEO of EMO Trans told FlyingTypers as a blockbuster deal between BIL and EMO was announced Monday November 4. Nic Has The Knack What it is about Nic Danton is, this great cargo professional continues to deliver his specialty—the shipping business to and from Africa as the Doha-based carrier moves into top of the heap in global air cargo airlines. Africa As Issa Baluch Sees It Issa Baluch may know as much about logistics as anybody you will ever meet. Issa possesses the chops and know-how gained over a career that spans 40 years. Babar Badat In Cape Town This year at the just completed FIATA World Congress in Cape Town October 2-5, Babar Badat, President of FIATA hosted, what most folks inside and outside the organization agree, was one of the greatest World Congresses in the 90-plus y

The best feature of this truly remarkable place might be the one experience everyone gets to visit at least a couple times day.      The new American Airlines Headquarters is a classic grand American building in the tradition of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC, and our great transportation structures such as The Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia Airport or Grand Central Station in New York City.      All of these places include a confluent space positioned in the center of all the action, where everyone briefly coalesces on their various journeys—in or out of various chambers of government, or to catch a flight or a train, or here in Texas in this beautiful place, on the way to work.

With the environment increasingly under the microscope, United Airlines stands alone as the only USA flag carrier to utilize biofuel.  Perhaps overlooked in the general rush of things on June 5th was United’s Flight for the Planet, the most eco-friendly commercial flight of its kind in the history of aviation, as World Environment Day was celebrated everywhere. For forwarders and shippers, the key challenge of the coming months will come from the higher costs that implementing new environmental shipping regulations will impose on global supply chains.      From January 1, 2020, new International Maritime Organization regulations will put a 0.5% cap on sulfur content in marine fuels globally, down from a maximum of 3.5% now. With oil prices rising, the exact cost of the new fuels is not yet known for certain, but with low-sulfur fuels significantly more expensive, container line shipping executives have called on supply chain partners to share the burden of rising fuel costs, whi

“We are delighted to welcome Tel Aviv to our network. It is an important cargo route and we have been extremely encouraged by the level of interest and bookings for both our direct services between London and Tel Aviv and the U.S. connections we now offer over our London hub,” . Dominic Kennedy, Managing Director of Virgin Atlantic Cargo announced as Virgin Atlantic’s first flight to Tel Aviv touched down at Ben Gurion International Airport September 25. Here once again the incomparable story teller Marco Sorgetti weaves a tale with an up close and personal visit with FIATA stalwart and all around air cargo professional Ivan Petrov. Marco who served as Director General of FIATA for so many years it could make you cry knows the people and the times of FIATA in 2019 like nobody else. This heartwarming story ,part of our exclusive series on behalf of freight forwarders worldwide, continues in 2019-2020 . "Women in Aviation Workforce Report" just published by the group Women In Aviation International, reveals tha

Linda Faces Future Pays It Forward Linda Eshiwani-Nate, Business Development Manager at Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport (HJIA) put it on the line: : “I am really excited. "For quite a while, US airports have remained far behind their European and Asian counterparts, especially as it relates to the overall airport experience and Cargo handling and operations, as such, I am excited that we (ATL) have arrived here today." The Trump Effect The ambitious Trump economic agenda has already started paying off – the U.S. is seeing record low unemployment, robust GDP growth and, for the first time in over a decade, consistently rising wages. Likewise, his muscular anti-immigrant stance has reduced illegal immigration and his forceful brinksmanship on trade has led to more balanced exchange with Mexico. Bogotá Watching Flowers Proflora 2019 is being held this week as the self proclaimed “best flower show” opens in Bogotá, Colombia on October 2 and runs through October 6. With 500 exhibitors expected at