Air Cargo World articles from May 2006

Air Cargo World archives from May 2006

Changed.(Editor's Note)
May 1, 2006... Keeping up with the dizzying pace of change in Asia's air cargo markets is proving to be daunting for all parts of the air shipping business. That's never been more evident than in recent weeks as air carriers, passenger and cargo alike,...

Expressing expansion in China.(News Updates)
May 1, 2006... Aviation officials in China say they will use air cargo services as the priority for opening the country to foreign competition, but the express cargo carriers appear to be making the country a priority on their own. Within days of each other...

Fueling spikes.(Jet fuel prices)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Jet fuel prices took off on steep ascent last month, following sharply rising oil prices and suggesting of summer is shaping up for airline balance sheets. Prices for jet fuel jumped past an average of $2 gallon in some parts of the world...

Atlas lifts.(News Updates)
May 1, 2006... For Atlas Air, the soaring profit the airline reported for 2005 was just a matter of time. Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, the parent of Atlas Air and Polar Air Cargo showed a $73.9 million net profit in 2005, including $193.3 million in...

Memphis leads.(News Updates)
May 1, 2006... Memphis International Airport was the world's busiest cargo airport in 2005 for the 14th straight year, but whether the title survives another year is an open question. Cargo business at Hong Kong International Airport grew 10.1 percent...

Top airports.(News Updates)
May 1, 2006... Top Airports The world's top 30 cargo airports in 2005, and change from 2004 RANK AIRPORT TRAFFIC % CHANGE 1. Memphis (MEM) 3,598,500 1.2 2. Hong Kong (HKG) 3,437,050 ...

Laboring up.(News Updates)
May 1, 2006... Labor unrest may be settling down at some of the troubled United States passenger airlines but cargo carriers are still in turbulent talks. Delta Air Lines settled what looked to be the airline industry's most serious deadlock with pilots...

Volga grows.(Volga-Dnepr)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Project cargo specialist Volga-Dnepr says its share of the outsized cargo market grew two points to 56 percent in 2005, when its overall profit reached $5.1 million on a 54 percent gain in revenue to $487 million. Volga-Dnepr's revenue...

Export targets.(News Updates)
May 1, 2006... The ranks of air cargo operators caught in a United States government crackdown on the export of restricted goods is growing. Under an agreement with the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security, freighter operator...

Combined growth: the cargo combination under the merged America West and US Airways has an aggressive plan for building on bellies.(NORTH AMERICA)
May 1, 2006... Randy Richards' first venture into the belly of an A330 gave him an eyeful--and a new business plan. After running cargo at decidedly narrowbody America West for four years, Richards went to Philadelphia last September for a firsthand look at...

Radiant glows.(Regional Reports)
May 1, 2006... Newly formed Radiant Logistics says its acquisition of forwarder Airgroup Express is the first step in a strategy of building through buying. The Bellevue, Wash.-based company says it plans to combine "regional best-of-breed" logistics...

Nippon Express will move into a 12,000-square-foot facility owned by the Franklin Community Improvement Corporation site at Ricken-backer International Airport.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Nippon Express will move into a 12,000-square-foot facility owned by the Franklin Community Improvement Corporation site at Ricken-backer International Airport, a key endorsement from a global forwarder of the all-cargo airport.

Regional cargo airline Alpine Air Express had a $622.011 net profit in the three months ending Jan. 31, moving into the black on a 53 percent gain in revenue, to $8 million.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Regional cargo airline Alpine Air Express had a $622.011 net profit in the three months ending Jan. 31, moving into the black on a 53 percent gain in revenue, to $8 million. The Utah-based airline says the improvement was partly from improved...

Target Logistic Services opened a station near Boston's.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Target Logistic Services opened a station near Boston's Logan International Airport.

DHL.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... DHL struck a three-year sponsorship to become the official express delivery and logistics provider to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Adcom Worldwide.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Adcom Worldwide opened stations in Toronto and Santa Ana, Calif., giving the Minneapolis-based forwarder four new offices in recent months.

Estes Express Lines.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Less-than-truckload trucker Estes Express Lines says its recently-started freight forwarding operation is producing some $10 million in annual revenue.

Alpine Air Express.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Regional air cargo carrier Alpine Air Express won a new service contract for freighter flights between Honolulu and Lihue, on the island of Kauai.

Aloha Freight Forwarders.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Aloha Freight Forwarders opened a 40,000-square-foot terminal in Compton, Calif., it says will allow Hawaiian shippers to "extend their warehousing pipeline to the mainland" United States.

Ambitious Athens: Athens International Airport promotes a sea-air link as part of a major cargo push.(EUROPE)
May 1, 2006... Sea-air business is a shipping industry standard, but its long-recognized traffic flow usually involves an extended sea link and a shorter air sector to deliver goods to final destination. But Athens International Airport, which opened in 2001,...

Association of European Airlines.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Cargo traffic for European air carriers grew 3.9 percent in February, according to the Association of European Airlines, the best expansion in several months. The business was up 3 percent in the first two months of the year, with double-digit...

TNT.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... TNT expects to add 100 pilots during 2006 to its expanding European air express network, with 20 already hired in January. The carrier is adding five 737s, two 747-400s and two BAe-146s to its Liege, Belgium-based freighter operation. The...

British Airways is doubling services between London Heathrow Airport and Delhi to 10 times weekly.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... British Airways is doubling services between London Heathrow Airport and Delhi to 10 times weekly. BA's cargo traffic fell 1.1 percent in February and was down 0.8 percent in the airline's April-February reporting period.

Air France-KLM.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Cargo traffic at Air France-KLM jumped 9.8 percent in March after a slow start to the year. The growth outpaced the 5.8 percent increase in capacity over last year and included 11.6 percent gain in Asia.

Emirates.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Emirates announced daily A330-200 service between Dubai and Hamburg, its fourth destination in Germany. Emirates also launched a second daily flight to Zurich.

American Airlines expanded service to Dublin and Shannon to daily flights.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... American Airlines expanded service to Dublin and Shannon to daily flights and says its cargo revenue from Ireland through IAM grew 43 percent in 2005.

Swiss WorldCargo sales staff will sell charters for Lufthansa Cargo Charters.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Swiss WorldCargo sales staff will sell charters for Lufthansa Cargo Charters under an agreement with the freighter charter company.

Vatry International Airport.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... France's Vatry International Airport handled 10,830 tonnes of freight in the first quarter, up 73 percent over last year.

Air Charter Service.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... United Kingdom-based Air Charter Service opened an office in the United Arab Emirates after gaining a license from the Dubai Airport Free Trade Zone Authority.

Air Astana.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Kazakhstan national carrier Air Astana started a fleet modernization program with delivery of the first of four new A320 aircraft it will take this year, part of an order of 30 of the narrowbodies coining by 2014.

Czech Airlines will use the Traxon cargo communication system to connect agents around the world to CSA Cargo.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Czech Airlines will use the Traxon cargo communication system to connect agents around the world to CSA Cargo, including electronic booking.

Virgin Atlantic Airways.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Virgin Atlantic Airways started a pilot project to test the use of RFID technology to track high-value aircraft parts through its London Heathrow base.

Facilities developer Eurinpro completed a 162,000-square-foot distribution center for TNT in Willebroek.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Facilities developer Eurinpro completed a 162,000-square-foot distribution center for TNT in Willebroek, Belgium.

Vietnam rising: exports to the United States are growing, but that may not yield much new airline capacity.(PACIFIC)
May 1, 2006... Vietnam Airlines recently postponed the launch of flights to the United States. Vietnamese exports to the U.S. are going through the roof but the carrier's decision probably does not matter for air cargo shippers. The capacity they need is...

Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Cargo traffic for Asia-Pacific carriers grew 5.3 percent in the first two months of 2006 against a 3.5 percent gain in capacity, according to the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines.

Taiwan and Japan signed an agreement to increase air trade between the nations.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Taiwan and Japan signed an agreement to increase air trade between the nations, including a 50 percent increase in cargo business.

Israel Aircraft Industries will provide passenger-to-freighter conversion kits to Qantas for the airline's.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Israel Aircraft Industries will provide passenger-to-freighter conversion kits to Qantas for the airline's in-house conversion of four 737-300 aircraft.

Security at Kintetsu World Express' Baraki terminal at Tokyo Narita International Airport.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Security at Kintetsu World Express' Baraki terminal at Tokyo Narita International Airport was certified under Technology Asset Protection Association standards.

Japan opened its second new airport of the year, the Kitakyushu Airport in the Southwest part of the country.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Japan opened its second new airport of the year, the Kitakyushu Airport in the Southwest part of the country. Open from 5 a.m. to 2 a.m., the airport has largely domestic service, although China Southern Airlines started with three-times-weekly...

Etihad Airways.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Etihad Airways is starting four-times-weekly A330-200 passenger service between Abu Dhabi and Jakarta.

THAI Cargo.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... THAI Cargo flew a one-and-a-half-year-old, 551-pound male hippo from the Frankfurt Zoo to the Chiang Mai Night Safari in North Thailand.

Swissport opened its first terminal at Singapore Changi Airport, the largest terminal in Swis-sport's global network and one that gives Changi its third cargo handler.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Swissport opened its first terminal at Singapore Changi Airport, the largest terminal in Swis-sport's global network and one that gives Changi its third cargo handler. Swissport says the facility, designed by Advanced Logistics Systems, has...

Etihad Crystal Cargo named P.T. Unique Kargonize to start cargo operations for Etihad Airways in Indonesia.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Etihad Crystal Cargo named P.T. Unique Kargonize to start cargo operations for Etihad Airways in Indonesia, where Etihad started four-times-weekly passenger flights to Jakarta.

Singapore Changi Airport.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Freight traffic at Singapore Changi Airport jumped 9.9 percent in February over a year ago, the airport's best monthly showing in a year.

GAC Logistics.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... GAC Logistics won ISO 9001:2000 quality certification for operations in Shanghai.

Kintetsu World Express.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Forwarder Kintetsu World Express won ISO 4001 certification for environmental quality in Hong Kong.

Korean Air announced passenger service between Seoul Incheon and Japan's.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Korean Air announced passenger service between Seoul Incheon and Japan's Komatsu International Airport.

The Australian unit of British ground handler Menzies Aviation agreed to acquire Australian Air Support.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... The Australian unit of British ground handler Menzies Aviation agreed to acquire Australian Air Support, which operates in Sidney and Brisbane.

Singapore Airport Terminal Services formed a joint venture with the China Aviation Qingdao Liuting Airport.(... Briefly)
May 1, 2006... Singapore Airport Terminal Services formed a joint venture with the China Aviation Qingdao Liuting Airport to operate ground services at the regional Chinese airport.

Emerging markets drive growth: back aviation's 2006 World Air Freight forecast.(Feature Focus: Annual Forecast)
May 1, 2006... The air freight industry saw a slowdown in growth in 2005 as traffic rose only 3.2 percent over 2004. Although it was unlikely the industry could sustain the rapid expansion of 2004 into the next year, several environmental factors contributed...

Economic bright spots: BACK Aviation Solutions looks at the overall global economy, a critical indicator of air freight growth levels.(Feature Focus: Macro Economic Forecasts)
May 1, 2006... Given that global GDP growth is the primary factor driving air freight volume, bright global economic prospects are especially encouraging for the air freight outlook. Growth around the world appears to be more balanced, with less reliance on...

Flying through changes: management changes, Swiss integration and a pricing probe take a toll on profitable Lufthansa.(Region Focus: Europe)
May 1, 2006... It is never an easy ride for Lufthansa Cargo. The German air freight power should be in celebratory mood, having just reported a 2005 operating profit of $130 million, a big jump over $40 million the previous year. The solid financial results...

Gulf Air.(Airlines)
May 1, 2006... Gulf Air: The Bahrain-based airline named freight industry veteran Des Vertannes head of cargo. Vertannes has worked in air cargo for 35 years, starting with British Airways and later with Air Canada and Menzies Aviation in positions in Europe...

CSA.(Airlines)
May 1, 2006... CSA: Czech Airlines named Vladimir Pern cargo manager for the carrier. Pern, 37, had held several management positions in 13 years at forwarder Cechofracht and holds a business master's degree from a joint program of the Czech Management Center...

Aero Group.(Airlines)
May 1, 2006... Aero Group: The cargo charter airline named David S. Quin, a veteran of expedited transport at CNF companies, vice president of sales and marketing for its premium transportation management service. Quin launched the critical shipment Emery...

Kitty Hawk.(Airlines)
May 1, 2006... Kitty Hawk: The Dallas-based cargo airline named technology industry executive Melvin L. Keating to the board of directors. Keating, 59, is president and CEO of Alliance Semiconductor and has worked as a strategy consultant at Warburg Pincus...

bmi.(Airlines)
May 1, 2006... bmi: bmi cargo named Darren Beamer special products sales manager based at London Heathrow. Beamer has worked in the cargo industry for several years and joined the British combination airline in April 2003.

TNT.(Integrators)
May 1, 2006... TNT: The express carrier named Dirk Gerber air hub manager for Dubai. Gerber had been TNT's operations manager in Frankfurt and has a degree from Germany's State Business School for Freight Forwarders.

DHL.(Integrators)
May 1, 2006... DHL: DHL Express named Charles Brewer executive vice president of U.S. air products and services. A 21-year industry veteran, he had been managing country operations in Malaysia and earlier held positions in the Asia Pacific region and the...

DHL Global Mail.(Integrators)
May 1, 2006... DHL Global Mail: The postal services unit of DHL named Joe Phelan, president and chief operating officer for the United States, to the position for the Americas and named him to the group's board. He joined the company in 2004 and helped...

TNT: the company nominated R. King, a leader in the Hong Kong business community, to its supervisory board.(Integrators)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... TNT: The company nominated R. King, a leader in the Hong Kong business community, to its supervisory board. King, a standing committee member of the Chinese People's Consultative Conference of Zhijiang Provincial Committee, is a professor at...

EGL.(Third Parties)
May 1, 2006... EGL: The forwarder named Charles H. Leonard chief financial officer, replacing Elijio Serrano, who left the company last year. Leonard had been senior vice president and chief financial officer of the general partner of TEPPCO Partners, a...

UTi Worldwide.(promotes John Hextall)(Alan C. Draper)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... UTi Worldwide: The logistics company promoted John Hextall to executive president and global leader of client solutions and delivery. The announcement came as UTi said Executive Vice President Alan C. Draper, who is also president of its UTi's...

GeoLogistics.(Third Parties)
May 1, 2006... GeoLogistics: The forwarder named Francesco Motka managing director for Eastern Europe and CIS operations. Motka had been at regional director of Schenker, where he was managing director in India and later set up air and sea operations in...

Lynden International.(Third Parties)
May 1, 2006... Lynden International: The Seattle-based forwarder named Michael Goldsmith a regional business development manager for the trans-Pacific, a position based in Los Angeles. Goldsmith has spent six years in transportation and foodservice, most...

DVB Bank.(Third Parties)
May 1, 2006... DVB Bank: The German financial house specializing in global transport moved Senior Vice President Mark Haines to head a new Singapore-based Asia desk for its mergers-and-acquisitions group. Haines had been with JP Morgan Chase for 20 years in...

Cargo Connection Logistics.(Third Parties)
May 1, 2006... Cargo Connection Logistics: The company named David Quach president of Cargo Connection Logistics-International, a newly-named and restructured division that will be based in San Jose, Calif. The unit, which had been called Mid-Coast...

SITA.(Third Parties)
May 1, 2006... SITA: The airline industry communications provider designated Francesco Violante chief executive officer as it prepares a restructuring. The SITA board is voting in June on a plan to combine the SITA SC airline communications operation with...

Airforwarders Association.(Associations)
May 1, 2006... Airforwarders Association: The American forwarding group named Roy Hecteman, a vice president at Integres Global Logistics, to its board of directors. A 31-year freight industry veteran, Hecteman came to Integres from Circle International,...

AEMCA.(Associations)
May 1, 2006... AEMCA: The Air Expedited Motor Carriers Association, which represents trucking providers to the air freight industry, named Sterling Transportation President Keith Davis to its board of directors. Davis is a past vice president of the Los...

Descartes Systems.(Technology)
May 1, 2006... Descartes Systems: The Canada-based supply chain technology provider named freight industry veteran David Beatson to its board of directors. Beatson, a former president and CEO of Emery Worldwide and Circle International, has been working as a...

Wingspeed.(Technology)
May 1, 2006... Wingspeed: The provider of communications systems for airlines named David Borkowski vice president of worldwide sales. Borkowski had been director of sales and business development for the Americas at Rockwell Collins, and earlier worked for a...

Events.
May 1, 2006... May 22-23 Hamburg, Germany: Cool Chain Association Annual General Meeting, looking at the direction of perishables shipping and the how-to of "Controlling the Weather Inside the Box." For information, call +49 421 2581 943, or visit:...

BACK aviation: aircraft report.
May 1, 2006... The first commercial 747-200 went 1971 and the last production 747-200 rolling off the line in 1991. Today, the 747-200 is used primarily as a freighter configuration aircraft serving Asia Pacific markets. The 747-200 has a structural maximum...

Bundled: sole-source contracts for the military have a singular problem that will harm defense preparedness.(Forwarders Forum)
May 1, 2006... The Department of Defense is planning a major change in the management of its annual $750 million military freight shipping program by using just one logistics provider. This would be the largest bundled transportation contract in U.S. history...