ACW 27th July 2020 by Azura International

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The weekly newspaper for air cargo professionals No. 1,091

27 July 2020

“I just love the smell of kerosene”

PUTTING OUT THE FIRE V

olga-Dnepr Airlines has delivered a pair of Mi-8 helicopters from Almaty, Kazakhstan, to Kuala Lumpur for PT Komala Indonesia. The machines will support Malaysian seasonal wildfire-fighting efforts. The two helicopters, weighing more than 20 tonnes, were delivered together with spare parts, instruments and accessories by one of Volga-Dnepr’s IL-76TD-90VDs. The helicopters were disassembled to meet loading requirements. Through thirty years of operating one of the world’s most diverse fleet of An-124-100s, Il-76TD-90VDs, B747400F/-8Fs, and B737-400SFs/800BCFs, Volga-Dnepr has a reputation for air

charter transportation of helicopters. Whilst there has been a gradual rise in requirements due to changing environmental demands, Volga-Dnepr also has expertise in delivering helicopters for humanitarian, rescue and offshore purposes, now averaging nearly 45 machines carried per year.

Ekaterina Andreeva, commercial director for Volga-Dnepr Airlines, commented: “The number of flights we perform on an annual basis for helicopter transportation demonstrates our recognised name in the industry. We work closely with customers and manufacturers to ensure a smooth

and safe process for loadings which can be highly technical. From specialised load planning to designing essential loading equipment, to working with dedicated cargo attendants, we ensure there is expert handling from the pre-planning stages through to final delivery.” Unique to helicopter transport is the truly global demand in where they are geographically needed by clients and operators. This requires even greater care by Volga-Dnepr in a COVID-19 world when flying such essential cargo. All aircraft are sterilised, and crew are equipped with PPE to maintain safety for all both on board, and at origin and destination.

Emirates SkyCargo: 10,000 flights in 3 months

etween April and June 2020, Emirates SkyCargo has facilitated the movement of essential commodities and other supplies for individual consumers and businesses across the world by operating more than 10,000 cargo flights to destinations across six continents. The flights were a mix of scheduled, ad-hoc and charter operations. Nabil Sultan, Emirates divisional senior vice president, cargo said: “Emirates SkyCargo has adapted our cargo operations and offerings over the last few months in line with rapidly evolving market demand.

“In keeping with our core value as a global facilitator of trade and economies, we have re-grown our network to over 100 destinations with robust flight frequencies to key production and consumer markets. “We continue to be able to offer our customers an unmatched reach and connectivity for their valuable cargo and our flight milestones are a validation of our customers’ trust in our service.” During the months of May and June, Emirates SkyCargo operated on average more than 3,800 flights per month, with the aircraft travelling to over 100

destinations and covering approximately 37 million kilometres. Starting from just over 35 destinations at the end of March 2020, Emirates SkyCargo has expanded its network to over 100 scheduled cargo destinations across the world for the month of July 2020. From transporting urgently needed medical supplies and food to materials required for manufacturing and other industries from origin to destination, Emirates SkyCargo is helping reconnect cities to international trade lanes as manufacturing and other economic activities recommence, says the carrier.

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INSIDE QATAR AIRWAYS STATEMENT

QATAR Airways welcomes the judgement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) affirming that the ICAO Council has the jurisdiction ... PAGE 2

TIM STRAUSS NEW AMERIJET CEO

MIAMI-based Amerijet International has announced that Tim Strauss will join as its CEO effective August 17, 2020, based at the ... PAGE 3 BUSINESS TASTY FOR PML

PML, the global perishable cargo specialist reports the business has successfully risen to the challenges associated with the current COVID-19 ... PAGE 4

COVID-19 WILL TAKE PAX’S CROWN

AS passenger numbers fall in the wake of COVID-19, a new White Paper by world-leading airport consultancy, NACO, makes the case ... PAGE 7

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QATAR AIRWAYS STATEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE JUDGEMENT

“QATAR Airways welcomes the judgement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) affirming that the ICAO Council has the jurisdiction to hear any disagreement relating to the interpretation and implementation of the Chicago Convention 1944 and the International Air Services Transit Agreement. “We look forward to observing the return of the State of Qatar to Montreal to urge the ICAO Council to condemn the illegal airspace blockade of it and take appropriate actions to require the four blockading States to comply with their obligations under international law in order to restore the normalcy of international civil aviation. “In line with the ruling of the ICJ and the legal precedent allowing the State of Qatar to continue its case at ICAO against the blockading States, Qatar Airways will pursue its case for appropriate compensation of the financial injuries inflicted on Qatar Airways as a result of the illegal airspace blockade. “The arbitrary and abusive measures that these four States have taken against us have devastated our carefully planned decades-long programme for investment and growth in those countries; they have arbitrarily prevented us from serving hundreds of thousands of passengers, and transporting tens of thousands of tonnes of cargo to and from each of these countries annually. “Qatar Airways will pursue all available legal remedies to secure full compensation to protect our rights and the rights of our customers.”

TRANSITION TO A NEW NORMAL DHL and logistics expert Prof. Richard Wilding have published a White Paper on post-corona supply chains. Supply chain leaders are moving from an era marked by procurement for cost to an era marked by procurement for resilience. Together with Richard Wilding, professor of Supply Chain Strategy at Cranfield University in the UK, DHL has released a White Paper envisioning possible changes in supply chains following the current pandemic. By analysing the impact of COVID-19 on key supply chain drivers, the paper provides several strategies and actions to set up supply chains of the future. Based on real cases, the paper outlines possible scenarios for how the logistics industry could transition to a new normal from the current pandemic status quo. “With the easing of restrictions and the unfreezing of the economy in many regions of the world, it is time to establish a first retrospective summary on the resilience of global supply chains,” says Katja Busch, chief commercial officer, DHL, and head of DHL customer solutions and innovation. “For us as logistics experts, it is important to analyze the challenges and experiences across industries during this crisis and to envision how resilient supply chains can be in the future so that we may best advise our customers. As a world leader in logistics, we have the insights and the expertise to accurately evaluate the situation.” Looking ahead, industries and supply chains will not be the same post-coronavirus as they were before. While today only the outlines of the exact formation of that new normal

can be seen, industries will not immediately move into a post-corona phase and return to business as usual. With scientists searching diligently for a vaccine against the disease and many businesses still managing the crisis, any iteration of normalcy is still a distant goal. In the meantime, an interim phase – the prenew normal – will bridge the gap between lockdown and the new normal. Obviously, some industries were hit harder by the pandemic than others and thus will recover more slowly. However, the various implications for businesses, supply chains, and supply chain leaders can be subsumed under four categories: resilience issues, demand-related issues, transportation and warehousing-related issues and workplace-related issues.

Stark images “The photographs and TV images were stark. Long before countries went into lockdown, their supermarket shelves were stripped bare. Pasta, toilet paper, rice, painkillers, canned tomatoes, flour – all gone. Factories and distribution have a delayed reaction to extreme fluctuations in demand. In the end, fear of lockdown-induced supply chain disruption was no longer the trigger. People were panic-buying because other people were panic-buying,” explains Prof Wilding, “As in every crisis, the strengths but also the weaknesses of the system become visible. To become better, it is important to learn from such emergency situations. “In the new normal, if your supply chain is the same as the one that you had pre-coro-

navirus, you’re probably doing something wrong.” In a pre-new normal world, supply chains will be re-shaped to make them more resilient. For instance, the fact that both manufacturing and warehouse locations were equally affected by regional lockdowns and varying regulations, will result in more distributed manufacturing, storage, dual sourcing, re-shoring, and near-shoring in the future. Instead of focusing solely on tier 1 suppliers, supply chain leaders will have to take a closer look at tier 2 and tier 3 suppliers as well to check if they are able to keep up with the flow of goods. Furthermore, the demand will be more volatile and consumer tastes may erratically fluctuate, increasing the need for flexible and alternative transportation flows and warehouse networks. While online shopping will be more prevalent and direct-to-consumer sales will increase, other retail channels and industries will be disrupted. Finally, configuring post‑coronavirus workplaces to meet social distancing and sanitation guidelines will also affect the work styles in both warehouses and offices. For remote working, information systems will need to be robust and capable of supporting a distributed workforce by providing access to appropriate data and systems. Warehouse processes need to be adapted to the new standards, such as one-way systems, distributed picking faces, or socially distanced packing areas. Just as procuring for resilience will become an increased focus, remote working will disrupt established processes, providing fresh impetus for digitalisation and automation initiatives.

Air Partner operates hundreds of medical supply flights in fight against COVID-19

The test kits were shipped under AIR Partner, a global aviation services shipments in some of the most challenggroup, has carried out more than 160 ing situations imaginable, and during highly regulated specifications in temdedicated cargo flights globally since times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pan- perature-controlled containers and February to support the urgent demand demic, we’re committed to helping our required hourly temperature checks to ensure they stayed inside the required for personal protective equipment clients every step of the way.” Most recently, Air Partner support- frozen range throughout the flight. (PPE), COVID-19 test kits and other neFurthermore, in February, Air Partner ed US-based freight forwarder Radiant cessities in the fight against COVID-19. In total, Air Partner has delivered Global Logistics in their participation operated a flight from Philadelphia to more than 12,000 tonnes of cargo thus in Project Airbridge, a COVID-19 emer- Rome containing temperature-confar to the US and Europe from China and gency response initiative led by the US trolled pharmaceutical goods, which Southeast Asia on a range of chartered Federal Emergency Management Agen- required similar logistics to ensure the integrity of the products during freighter aircraft such as the Antonov cy (FEMA). Radiant was able to expedite the de- transport. AN-124, Boeing 747-400F, Boeing 777F, Due to the impact that COVID-19 has livery of medical supplies, such as N95 Boeing 767F, and Airbus A330F. “We’ve been working with our cli- masks, surgical gowns, and gloves from had on global supply chains, Air Partents around the clock to ensure critical international manufacturers to points ner’s freight team is now starting to see an uptick in requests for the transportasupplies arrive safely and as quickly across the United States. Additionally, during the height of tion of commodities from new clients. as possible to the places and people that need them most during these the COVID-19 pandemic, Air Partner This includes the movement of high-valchallenging times,” said David Mc- assisted Radiant in the urgent transpor- ue items, as well as delayed goods that Cown, president of Air Partner US. “Our tation of more than 5,000 experimental have been held up as a result of the loss of bellysqcargo operationsand on office passenger COVID-19 test kitsinto from South Korea to 11,000 dedicated freight team has extensive Agility Spain has moved a state-of-the-art, m warehouse experience in arranging time-critical air atWashington. facility ZAL Port (Prat) in the Port of Barcelona.aircraft.

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LATAM Cargo consolidates between South America, Los Angeles and Mexico City

n April, LATAM Cargo announced that Los Angeles and Mexico City would be incorporated in its cargo network to mitigate the impacts of belly capacity restrictions, previously used to serve these markets and maintain its operation in its clients’ relevant markets. After the incorporation, LATAM Cargo has consolidated its service and has become a key player in permanently connecting South America to and from Western North America. Concretely, it is the only airline that offers a stable itinerary and capacity. In addition, LATAM Cargo is the only airline operation that offers direct routes to connect Chile to Los Angeles and Mexico City, and Peru to Mexico City. Likewise, the company offers direct connection from Los Angeles and Mexico to Chile and Peru. Furthermore, LATAM Cargo provides coverage extension opportunities, connecting Western North America to Brazil and Argentina via Santiago, Chile. In terms of Northbound flows, these routes facilitate South American exports, including Chilean salmon, Peruvian perishables and textiles and general cargo from Brazil. The route to Los Angeles becomes especially relevant for perishable exports as this is a connection point towards Asia. In all, the company offers 350 tonnes of capacity each week from South America to Western North America. Moreover, by offering connectivity from

Los Angeles and Mexico City, LATAM Cargo contributes to supplying South America. The transported products mainly include fruits and vegetables, medicines and electronic devices, in addition to airplane, automobile and mining spare parts, among other goods. The company offers a total capacity of 190 tonnes each week from Los Angeles and Mexico City to South America. “The incorporation of Los Angeles and Mexico City to our cargo network is part of our strategy, focused on providing a robust connectivity service within America through a reliable and permanent solution for our clients. “These measures are complemented by the increase in frequencies between South America and North America, which was implemented when the pandemic began. Through this, we have consolidated our position in the region,” stated Kamal Hadad, LATAM Cargo’s alliances and network director.

ASM Sequoia software will help forwarders meet post-brexit Customs procedures

gency Sector Management (ASM) is working with customers to ensure they can comply with newly-announced postBrexit Customs procedures using its Sequoia software. ASM’s online Customs platform is geared up to meet the requirements of the UK Government’s Border Operating Model and details for the first time the actions traders, hauliers, ports and carriers will need to undertake to keep United Kingdom trade moving after Brexit. The Model will be phased in

over six months from January 1 2021, and is set to be fully operational by July 1 2021. ASM chairman Peter MacSwiney warns that the freight industry should still expect disruption when the new systems come into force.

Minimal disruption

“We welcome the new Border Operating Model as it provides some clarity to traders, and it means that at ASM we now know what we have got to do to ensure continued service,” said MacSwiney.

“We are making sure our users can meet the changes for minimal disruption and we are confident they are in a position to be able to comply with the new requirements. “But as an industry we need to bear in mind that there is still potential for delays when the new systems kick in.” ASM’s Sequoia Customs clearance software is used by freight forwarders across the UK supply chain and is a complete freight management platform that has been adapted to smooth out the Brexit process.

Emirates and Etihad resume connections from Munich

EMIRATES is now again flying from Munich to Dubai. A Boeing 777 will be used for these flights, which will depart Munich Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 15:40, and land in Dubai at 23:45. Etihad Airways is also resuming its flights

from Munich and is now flying to Abu Dhabi Thursdays and Saturdays at 15:30 with a Boeing 787. The airline will be offering two further weekly connections to the same destination from August – all flights will then take off at 15:20.

Menzies Aviation and Qatar Airways Cargo announce agreement

enzies Aviation, the global aviation logistics specialist, and Qatar Airways Cargo announce a new longterm agreement to provide cargo handling, freighter aircraft handling and cargo transportation to/from aircraft at London Heathrow Airport. The move is part of a joint approach to develop Qatar Airways Cargo’s global network handling partnership programme. Menzies will be enhancing its delivery and collection process for the forwarding and trucking community as part of the agreement. They also plan to invest in special product handling capabilities with a key focus on pharmaceutical and temperature-controlled commodities. Qatar Airways Cargo will also benefit from a dedicated reception area and opera-

tions office as well a gym and bespoke office accommodation for all employees. Warehouse capacity for the handling of passenger and freighter cargo will exceed 7,000 sq m, the largest dedicated warehouse capacity solution ever provided by Menzies at Heathrow. Qatar Airways Cargo will move into Menzies’ cargo facilities from September 1. Robert Fordree, Menzies Aviation executive vice president, cargo, said: “We are delighted that Qatar Airways Cargo has appointed Menzies as their new handler. “This award is the result of a close working relationship in a number of global locations which has enabled us to develop a deep understanding of the cargo carrier’s requirements. “It shows our renewed focus on our global cargo business and a clear strategy

to partner with global carriers at multiple locations is beginning to deliver results. “With Qatar Airways Cargo moving back to an on-airport facility at London Heathrow, we see longer-term benefits in working closely with the airport to firstly, enhance the Shoreham Road cargo access point and ultimately, to move into their proposed new purpose built, on-airport, cargo infrastructure. Guillaume Halleux, chief officer cargo at Qatar Airways said: “We are glad to appoint Menzies Aviation as our ground handling partner in London Heathrow. “We share the same values of customer-centricity and service excellence and believe this partnership will enable us to offer smooth and seamless handling for all types of cargo, especially pharma and temperature-controlled freight.”

Tim Strauss to become CEO of Amerijet International

MIAMI-based Amerijet International has announced that Tim Strauss will join as its CEO effective August 17, 2020, based at the company’s headquarters in Miami. Strauss is presently responsible for Air Canada’s cargo business. Vic Karjian, Amerijet’s current CEO, will become executive chairman of Amerijet and will focus his efforts on the company’s strategic planning. “Tim brings an enormous amount of expertise and experience to Amerijet and will be a key driver of our future success,” said Karjian. “I am excited to have the opportunity to work with him as we continue the company’s growth as a leading global air cargo provider.” The succession will take effect during a period of profitable growth for Amerijet as the airline continues to evolve from a regional leader in the all‐cargo air logistics business to becoming a global air cargo provider.

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ACW 27 JULY 2020

Schiphol mid-year figures show upsurge in full freighter cargo as belly numbers falter A

msterdam Airport Schiphol’s total cargo volume for the first half of 2020 declined by 14.5% to 655,942 tonnes compared to 2019, as an increase in full freighter cargo did not make up for the decline in belly traffic. Full freighter flights were up 48.1% to 10,274 air transport movements (ATM) from January to June, but the number of belly flights dropped by 51.6% to 105,665 ATMs compared to the first half of the year in 2019. In the first half of 2020, full freighter volumes increased by 12.4% to 463,679 tonnes, while belly cargo volumes dropped 45.9% to 192,264 tonnes. Inbound cargo volumes were down 11.5% to 341,130 tonnes and outbound cargo volumes were down 17.6% to 314,812 tonnes. Although total volume declined over the first six months of

Cargo volume in the first half of 2020 decreased by 14.5 % to 655,942 tonnes compared to the same period in 2019 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

the year, Schiphol rose from fourth to third in the list of the busiest European cargo hubs during the period. “Schiphol’s figures and operations were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, and from early this year, the decline in passenger aircraft led to a decrease in belly volumes,” said Bart Pouwels, head of cargo, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. “ATMs are now showing signs of recovery which is positive. The extra belly capacity on intercontinental routes helps the air cargo market in Amsterdam to better serve its customers.”

Every cargo market saw declines in the first half of the year as all regions were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Inbound cargo to North America was down 17.1% to 46,680 tonnes and outbound by 17.7% to 67,729 tonnes. In Europe, inbound cargo was down slightly by 3% to 46,067 tonnes, but outbound fell by 23.5% to 41,866 tonnes. Schiphol’s biggest market, Asia, saw declines, as inbound was down 8.1% to 121,008 tonnes and outbound declined 17.5% to 107,735 tonnes. Shanghai remained the biggest single market destination from January to June. The Middle East region showed the only growth sector as inbound was up 9.2% to 48,682 tonnes, but outbound decreased 11.7% to 45,914 tonnes. The Latin America market’s inbound volume fell 21.8% to 45,872 tonnes and outbound was down 14.6% to 31,762 tonnes. Inbound to Africa was down 29.5% to 32,821 tonnes and outbound by 22.3% to 19,806 tonnes, driven by a decrease in the import and exports of flowers.

Impact of COVID-19 Schiphol was affected by COVID-19 from early this year and it led to a steep decline in overall ATMs in the first six months of 2020. At the lowest point in April, Schiphol was averaging about 144 ATMs per day every week, a 90% decline in ATMs on 2019. “The COVID-19 pandemic has also led to a shift in cargo flows and some usually high-volume verticals have decreased, such as the import and export of flowers,” said Pouwels. Despite the challenges, Schiphol has played a crucial role in transporting critical cargo in the fight against the virus, such as personal protective equipment (PPE). “The Schiphol air cargo community has worked closely together to ensure that essential cargo was moved through the supply chain,” said Pouwels.

Future outlook The future is uncertain at Schiphol as markets around the globe are at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are seeing passenger flights increasing which means an increase in belly capacity, but it is important we move along with customer needs and make sure all demands are accommodated as well as possible,” said Maaike van der Windt, director aviation marketing, cargo and customer experience, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. “Sustainability remains an important focus for Schiphol, and as air traffic is picking up, it is important restarting regular flight traffic will be executed in a controlled manner, taking Schiphol’s surroundings into consideration.” The health and safety of staff involved in cargo handling is also a focal point and Schiphol is cooperating closely with the cargo community to comply with government guidelines and ensure the correct implementation of protocols. “We hope to continue to welcome increasing demand of our airlines and to see more routes and frequencies added to our network again,” said van der Windt.

Business tasty for PML PML, the global perishable cargo specialist reports the business has successfully risen to the challenges associated with the current COVID-19 outbreak and has to date not made any job cuts. In fact, despite the growing impact of the coronavirus, PML has been able to continue a full service and even picked up some new business including a significant contract working with IPL (International Procurement &

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Logistics) – part of the Asda/ Walmart family. Commenting on the situation, sales director Nick Finbow said: “We are fortunate to have a well-established business. Looking ahead, our recently launched in-house charter airfreight service will play a key role in helping us ride out not only the coronavirus storm but also the anticipated disruptions and new restrictions associated with Brexit.”

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

C.H. Robinson in Microsoft alliance to transform future supply-chain C.H. ROBINSON and Microsoft are joining forces to digitally transform supply chains of the future by combining the power of C.H. Robinson’s Navisphere, Microsoft Azure and Azure IoT to meet the changing demands of evolving global supplychains. Through this alliance, the companies aim to enable real-time visibility for C.H. Robinson customers. “The pace of change we’re seeing in the supply-chain industry today is unparalleled. Being able to quickly scale and adapt our technology is what helps give our customers a competitive advantage,” said Chris O’Brien, chief commercial officer, C.H. Robinson. “As we continue to invest and enhance our technology built by and for supply-chain experts, we look to partner with other best-in-class companies that bring the most value to our customers. Through Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, we gain more scalability, premier data security and increased application speed, which benefit our customers and carriers around the world.” Through this collaboration, Navisphere — C.H. Robinson’s global multimodal transportation management platform — will now leverage Azure IoT Central to integrate IoT device monitoring that measures factors such as temperature, shock, tilt, humidity, light and pressure in shipments to

give customers an even more detailed level of intelligence about goods as they move through the supply-chain. C.H. Robinson and Microsoft will work with many Fortune 250 companies, which means this alliance makes it even easier to scale and develop new solutions to provide the world’s largest shippers with greater supply-chain efficiency, real-time insights and visibility. “We are committed to providing customers with a trusted, easy-to-use platform so they can build seamless, smart and secure solutions regardless of where they are on their IoT journey,” said Sam George, corporate vice president, Azure IoT, Microsoft. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with C.H. Robinson as it transforms the supply-chain industry by leveraging our Microsoft Azure and Azure IoT solutions.” The new collaboration builds on C.H. Robinson and Microsoft’s already rich history of working together. Navisphere is currently used across Microsoft’s global supply-chain, giving the company real-time visibility into inventory, at rest or in motion anywhere in the world. In addition, in collaboration with Microsoft, C.H. Robinson-built Navisphere Vision, a global real-time visibility product that leverages Azure IoT solutions, machine learning and predictive analytics to

assess potential supply-chain disruptions. Through C.H. Robinson’s TMC division and Navisphere Vision, Microsoft is driving innovations in its

own supply-chain to give more predictability and proactive decision-making. “The supply-chain of the future is smarter, less volatile

and can be navigated with a new level of visibility thanks to the power of this relationship. Through this collaboration, our customers receive a greater

competitive edge and industry-leading insights and expertise,” said Jordan Kass, president of managed services at C.H. Robinson.

British electric aircraft project fully charged

A PIONEERING design for a Hybrid Electric Regional Aircraft which will deliver a technical and commercial entry point for sustainable mass air transport has been unveiled. The disruptive design is by the UK-based Electric Aviation Group (EAG). It expects its first

aircraft to be in service by 2028. Kamran Iqbal, founder and CEO of EAG said: “Our design is for an aircraft that will initially offer 800 nautical miles range at launch in 2028. “We will be a first mover in what is a $4.4 trillion market,” he added.

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ACW 27 JULY 2020

CARGO HANDLING

dnata team takes on many new roles amid COVID-19 challenges CARGO handler dnata has taken on new roles to support and create value for airline customers and local communities amid COVID-19 challenges. Co-operating with government authorities, customers and suppliers, the company’s dedicated teams have worked around the clock to make a difference by ensuring smooth and safe turnaround of repatriation flights, handling essential cargo, supporting industries facing a labour shortage, launching innovative new products and services as well as donating meals to organisations and individuals in need. Gary Chapman, dnata president, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented

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disruption to the travel and aviation industries. dnata is not immune. Like our customers and competitors, we are also facing serious challenges and working hard to recalibrate our business and operations for what, right now, is an uncertain future. “Over the past few months, we have adapted our operations and processes to the new normal, enhanced our existing services, and launched new ones to meet changing demand. This has all been achieved thanks to the team of talented colleagues across our businesses, who live and breathe dnata’s promise to deliver quality and safe services for our customers and their customers.”

Although flights have been dramatically reduced globally, dnata’s ground handling teams have continued to help airline partners deliver on special missions across the globe. dnata has also continued to support airlines in maintaining global trade and the flow of essential goods by delivering best-in-class cargo services. dnata’s teams have handled over 67,000 tonnes of PPE, life-saving medical supplies and pharmaceuticals over the past four months. At each of its 46 cargo stations, dnata has been using latest technology, best practices and certified warehouses to ensure that every pharma and vaccine shipment is handled in compliance with the highest international standards. In response to the strong air cargo market demand for the rapid, reliable and efficient transportation of essential commodities, several airlines have introduced additional cargo capacity by using passenger aircraft with seats fully or partially removed from the cabin. To adapt to changing customer needs, dnata has enhanced services, improved processes and trained employees to safely and efficiently handle passenger planes carrying cargo only. In Australia, Pakistan and the UK, dnata’s professionally trained staff achieved remarkable milestones by loading record amounts of up to 71 tonnes of cargo onto airline customers’ passenger aircraft. In addition, dnata has launched innovative new products and services across its global

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operations to help airlines and passengers navigate the new normal. The company has added thermal screening, baggage disinfection and even home COVID-testing services to its offering at various locations around the world. Operating over 60 state-of-the-art facilities, dnata has significant capacity to provide safe, quality catering services to industries in need. Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, dnata’s catering team has adapted its catering products and services in line with demand, and increased its capability to serve health and aged-care industries to support relief efforts alongside local authorities. In several countries, dnata delivers meals for quarantine facilities, looking after those who have to compulsorily isolate. dnata’s skilled workforce has also taken on new roles to support communities. In Singapore and Australia the company has partnered with authorities and companies to temporarily redeploy employees to organisations in industries facing a labour shortage. To date, over 400 dnata employees have been trained and started working in other organisations. dnata has remained committed to giving back to communities globally. The company teamed up with authorities, organisations and partners to provide ingredients, meals and packaged goods to local communities in need. To date, more than 200,000 wholesome meals have been donated to various organisations in Australia, Ireland, Italy and the UK to enable them to support those who need it the most.

NEWS EVENTFINDER

COVID-19 will take Pax’s crown

10-12 November 2020 Miami

s passenger numbers fall in the wake of COVID-19, a new White Paper by world-leading airport consultancy, NACO, makes the case for airport real estate and non-passenger related revenues as key to resilience – and a vision of the future. The paper reports that, with almost 90% of airport revenues being passenger-related, there is a clear need for airports to diversify their revenue streams in order to reduce both revenue volatility and the immediate negative effects of declining passenger traffic on their business. The White Paper is being published NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants), which has over 70 years’ experience working on more than 600 airports in over 100 countries around the world. The paper brings together research and wide-ranging data compiled by NACO, a company of international engineering consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV. Speaking about the reasoning behind the white paper, Pieter van der Horst, airport city development expert at NACO said: “We are approaching what would have been the busiest days of the year for major airports, like Schiphol and others across Europe and the world – which are now close to empty as fleets are grounded, flights cancelled and many nations across the world are still in various stages of lockdown. “Our white paper explores the impact of these closures, and specifically, the data indicating how airport real estate and non-passenger related revenues have been essential in cushioning the impact of the economic downturn.” The paper finds that following the immediate impact of the pandemic, the almost total contraction in passenger-related revenues has led to a near evaporation of earnings for airports. This in turn will make post-crisis levels structurally lower for years to come and change the landscape of the aviation industry. Van der Horst continues: “We see three de-

velopments at play which strengthen the case for diversification in non-passenger related revenues. Firstly, the pre-pandemic trend of decreasing retail revenues per passenger; secondly, major uncertainty around recovery of air travel; and finally, the introduction of green taxes and conditions for government support to airlines which add to the uncertainty.” These developments, according to van der Horst, will inevitably impact passenger-related airport revenues. However, the green initiatives could provide an opportunity for airports to extend their networks with rail services, create multi-modal hubs and become more attractive overall for commercial real estate development.

Airport cities Airport cities comprise the developments and infrastructure that surround airports. The developments and infrastructure are also influenced by the presence of the airport. Airport cities can extend up to 5 km from an airport and incorporate commercial elements such as offices, hotels, conference centres and shops, as well as manufacturing and logistics facilities. The white paper makes the case for airports – including smaller, regional airports – to develop airport cities through long-term lease-contracts and fixed charges that ensure a stable revenue stream from airport real estate. This applies even in times of decreasing passenger numbers or economic downturn. Van der Horst added: “In many ways, COVID19 is a test in the run-up to bigger questions facing the industry such as climate change and potentially declining passenger traffic. “Those who understand this then develop and diversify their airports to address these questions will be better positioned to ride out periods of uncertainty.”

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7 22/07/2020 14:57

Cargo and Other Stories by Lemon Queen

Cargo in the blood

Audrey Serdjebi, founder & CEO, Lemon Queen

The world isn’t managing to emerge from this crisis. More than ever, our industry is under the microscope. Our industry has to demonstrate resilience and optimism to overcome volley after volley of bad news, spikes and threats of a new wave of infection. We live our lives masked, and many of us are still in lockdown or will soon be once again. Keep your spirits up. Keep on believing. Pessimism never led to victory, and so I want smiles and I want positive energy – good vibes. The kind of fresh air that shakes things up and reminds you just how vibrant and exciting your industry is! Flexport is bursting with talent. And this week, I had the opportunity for a virtual trip to the Netherlands for a virtual meeting with an incredible young woman.

European airfreight development with the goal of expanding Flexport Europe’s airfreight products”. Her main role, in partnership with the sales team, is to make sure that Flexport develops its freight activity strategically, with the long-term in mind. “In my day-to-day work, I support both internal and external sales teams with generating and closing airfreight opportunities. I also work on solutions for our customers and define focus markets/segments with our procurement teams.” Anna-Lena talks about her career with a constant smile on her lips and with remarkable ease. I like people who are serious about their work, but who don’t take themselves too se-

nna-Lena Goerke loves life. A Portuguese-German dual national, she’s been living in the Netherlands since 2015. She loves discovering new cultures and she’s willing to take risks to avoid missing opportunities. Flexport quickly understood the benefits of recruiting talented people with a thirst for new cultures and meeting people, and hired her after a 6-month sabbatical in Asia. She is young, talented, and resourceful. Anna-Lena was going to be a lawyer. “It was actually a coincidence that I joined the industry. I always wanted to study law, and when I finished school I had to fill a couple of months before my gap year travelling in AU/NZ. My father convinced me to do an apprenticeship in between, and somehow I ended up at DB Schenker and, at that time, Panalpina. During those few months, I saw how versatile this industry is and fell in love with freight.” And not just freight – “working around the airport, I have to say I just love the smell of kerosene”. And she never left the world of logistics. She sees the industry as a constant challenge: “in this industry, you need to be able to think outside the box along with focusing on customers’ best interests for the utmost efficiency.” The same approach as the lucky forwarder that offered her a job that suited her skills. “Since June 2019, I’ve been responsible for

riously – I find it speaks volumes about their ability to question their actions and thus to constantly improve. Anna-Lena is one of those people. This young airfreight expert loves people and knows that we’re stronger together. When she talks about first becoming a leader, she isn’t short of humour. “I worked for famous forwarders in various roles: mainly sales, pricing, business development and implementation. Before I joined Flexport I was building up a small team. During this time I learned many valuable lessons about leading and motivating people. (And how to not motivate them!),” she laughs. “I can now bring that knowledge of nearly a decade to this growing scale-up, giving particular support to the sales team and product development for airfreight.” And Anna-Lena jumped at the opportunity to do

just that. A company that focuses on ability, risk-taking and group cohesion is exactly the right environment for this talented manager. “Working at Flexport is very different from companies I have worked for in the past. There’s a super inspiring open culture – a company that supports innovation and drives agility. If someone has a good idea you can just pitch it, and if it’s good for the company you’ll be able to simply implement it – no need to wait for an approval process that takes months.” Anna-Lena could talk for hours when it comes to defending her company’s values. And that’s because breaking with tradition and opening yourself to tomorrow’s talent is a sign of the desire to embrace the future. “We have a number of employees who joined from outside the industry, and it’s very refreshing to discuss different ideas that no one in forwarding had thought of before.” And the team that is going through the crisis has quickly become alert and experienced. “In the beginning it was quite hectic, due to the effect the situation had on the airfreight market to and from the EU. But since we work paperlessly using online tools all the time, it was quite easy to make the switch. We quickly established daily ‘F2F’ meetings to still be able to quickly align on certain topics directly.” The crisis won’t get the better of this young woman. She is still just as determined to never give up: “I personally see crisis situations as a chance for new beginnings. It forces us to rethink established business models and amplify our impact. It might have an impact on the way in which we source products globally.” Anna-Lena is curious to find out what our industry might look like in the future. But she already has a few tips I’d like to share with you. “It’s important to work in a diverse environment. Overall, I would love to see more women in leadership roles in this male-dominated industry. “It’s great to see more women in leadership positions in forwarding.” I like that people recognise that this industry is open to all people with talent – men and women alike. Because, as she puts it: “I believe it’s super important to get young professionals (with different educational backgrounds) interested in the forwarding world to ensure we have enough talent for the future.” It’s all about talent.

Lemon Queen is an airfreight industry public relations and communications agency in Paris, France

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