April 2024
The U.S. Postal Service awarded an air cargo services contract to UPS on April 1 that will see the express carrier become the postal service’s primary air cargo provider — a role held by FedEx for more than 20 years.
The postal service’s (USPS) contract with FedEx expires Sept. 29. The contract with UPS was issued today and goes into effect Sept. 30; the contract has a minimum base term of five and a half years, according to a release from USPS.
“UPS’ experience with moving some air volumes on behalf of Amazon probably benefited them in winning the contract,” air cargo and express consultant Cathy Roberson told Air Cargo Next. “UPS figured out how to profitably move Amazon volumes whereas FedEx struggled before finally canceling the Amazon contract several years ago.”?
Air cargo quality standards group Cargo iQ announced two new initiatives for member engagement and a change in leadership at IATA’s World Cargo Symposium in Hong Kong on March 13.?
The first initiative is a tier system by which Cargo iQ members can determine their level of standards implementation.?
“There’s been some discussions over the last year [about] how to mark the level of implementation of the Cargo iQ members because the Cargo iQ master operating plan and the standards that we’ve created over the two decades now that this organization [has existed] are quite elaborate,” Cargo iQ Chair Kerstin Strauss said in a news conference at the symposium.
As e-commerce continues to drive airfreight demand out of Asia, German cargo charter Neo Air Group has operated 60 widebody e-commerce flights from Hong Kong International Airport to Europe, the United States and Latin America in the past two months to avoid Red Sea disruptions.?
Freight shifting to air from sea increased 17.2% between December and March due to conflicts in the Red Sea, according to logistics market research company TI Insights.?Another 9% of freight moved to a combination of sea-air transport during that time, TI Insights data shows.
“Normally these charters are in demand only around the peak-season period [or the fourth quarter] yearly,” Neo Air General Manager Brian Davis told Air Cargo Next. “But the demand has been sustained and it looks like it will continue well into the summer. Scheduled airlines have not been able to cope with the demand, therefore the extra charters.”
领英推荐
Drone technologies in the air cargo industry are increasingly under scrutiny from the regulatory bodies that govern them as drone functions evolve.?The FAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) each have their own standards regarding drone development as it relates to safety and operational functions.?
But as drone technologies advance and secure a space within the air cargo and aviation industry, these agencies need to create more uniform standards to further drone capabilities, panelists at Air Cargo Next’s webinar, “The role of drones in the future of air cargo,” agreed.?
EASA “seems to provide more opportunities for drone operators,” Steve Magirias, chief executive of technology-based drone developer Drone Delivery Canada, said during the webinar. “But I think you’ll see the FAA also start to catch up and ideally [it would] be great if all the bodies follow the same rules and allowed operators to operate in a similar manner across all the geographic areas.”
Air Cargo Next is pleased to announce that the third annual Air Cargo Tech Summit will take place Oct. 21-22 at the JW Marriott Frankfurt in partnership with Frankfurt Airport.?
The summit takes place over two days with immersive panels and presentations, providing attendees with intelligence on the latest technological advancements across the airfreight logistics industry to foster digital transformation and improvements in operational efficiency. ?
The freight sector is undergoing profound technological changes that are altering how shipments are priced, routed, processed and tracked. This digital transformation is just beginning. The Air Cargo Tech Summit will delve into these transformational changes. ?
Attendees can expect panel discussions focused on the newest technologies, the industry’s continued efforts to digitalize and sustainability. The event will also feature demonstrations from startup companies looking to change the future of air cargo.?
Event topics will address: ?
Attendees will benefit from roundtable discussions and networking opportunities built into the event schedule, in addition to learning about new technology trends from experts hailing from a range of air cargo organizations.?
See you in Frankfurt!?