A..

Aviapartner Cargo has recently signed a major contract with Air Transat covering its whole French network for the provision of full cargo handling services.The contract, covers all of Aviapartner Cargo online French stations with full distribution in France.

AerCap Netherland based leasing company signed a firm contract with Airbus Freighter Conversion GmbH (AFC) to convert 30 of AerCap's passenger A320/A321s into freighter aircraft (P2F). “The A320 and A321P2Fs are setting new standards in the feeder freighter market “, says Klaus Heinemann, Chief Executive Officer of AerCap. “This order will strengthen and expand our portfolio with the most and only modern aircraft in the small freighter segment.”

Aeroflot Cargo continues implementing the program aimed to develop the new services under the route expansion program. The company has launched land cargo transportation from the airport of Almaty to the Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan. The transportation is provided by customs transit.

AirBridgeCargo Airlines has appointed Airnautic as the new general sales agent in France. Founded in 1984 Airnautic France is the leader in air logistics with extensive network of sales offices in different parts of France including Mulhouse, Paris and Lyon.

Agility, announced that the company is the first to achieve carboNZero certification in New Zealand. The carboNZero programme enables organisations to measure and offset their carbon emissions, and commit to reducing these emissions in the future and is certified by Landcare Research.

Aeroflot cargo has obtained permission from the aviation authorities of China on hazardous cargo air service. The Russian airline currently provides airfreight service to Beijing and Shanghai on DC-10F three times a week. Besides, the hazardous cargo service to China is provided on passenger flights of the parent company (Moscow-Shanghai-Moscow seven times a week, Moscow-Beijing-Moscow eleven times a week) which has obtained a relevant permission as well.

AeroLogic, the airfreight subsidiary of DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo, has taken another important step in preparing itself for the start of flight operations in the spring of 2009. AeroLogic GmbH is now cooperating with the Austrian Airlines Group on the type ratings required for the new Boeing 777F. The agreement enables AeroLogic to use the licensed training organization of the Austrian carrier. Type rating involves a basic course in theory as well as training on flight simulators. An important advantage for AeroLogic is that Austrian Airlines not only has the flight-simulator capacities, it also has years of experience in operating this specific aircraft. The first aircraft in the AeroLogic fleet will be delivered at the start of 2009.

Airbus has selected Kuehne+Nagel as lead logistics provider and DHL as lead transport provider, becoming Tier 1 partners for Airbus. The decision is a significant step towards the integration of Airbus and will allow a further harmonization and optimization of Airbus' logistics and related transport processes in Europe. The integration will lead to substantial savings in the range of a high double-digit million Euros amount. The process is part of the Power 8 program.

Agility announced its 100 per cent acquisition of the Danish, CF Geologistics A/S. The Copenhagen-based forwarding specialists are known for tailor-made air and ocean freight solutions.

Association of European Airlines expands its horizons, following the decision of the AEA Presidents' Assembly in May to welcome the express cargo carriers TNT and DHL, as AEA's 34th and 35th airline members.The accession of DHL's European airlines (European Air Transport and DHL Air UK) and TNT Airways to AEA membership will bring still one more dimension to the Association.

All Nippon Airways has taken delivery of the first converted passenger-to-freighter Boeing 767-300 aircraft. The plane, already owned by ANA, is the first 767-300 to undergo the Boeing Converted Freighter program which the Chicago-based airplane manufacturer launched in 2005.

Airbus has chosen Kuehne + Nagel to act as Lead Logistics Provider for its entire logistics operation. Kuehne + Nagel will exclusively manage and operate all of the Airbus regional logistics hubs located in France, Germany, Spain, and the UK. The new 6-year contract significantly strengthens the partnership of Kuehne + Nagel with the aircraft manufacturer entered into in 2003.

Air Transport Services Group, Inc. said that its subsidiary ABX Air has received formal notification from DHL on the release of 23 DC-9 aircraft starting June 30, 2008 through December 31, 2008. On May 27, 2008, DHL informed ABX Air that, starting in the third quarter of 2008, it intends, as a part of phase one of its cost-reduction programs, to remove from service over next 12 to 18 months, 39 of 55 DC-9 aircraft that ABX Air has dedicated to DHL's U.S. network.

AirBridgeCargo (ABC) decided in favour of the Fraport subsidiary. Fraport Cargo Services (FCS) will provide the physical and document handling of the flights of the Russian airline within the scope of a long-term handling contract starting August. Ludwig Hamburger, Regional Director Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) of AirBridgeCargo, sets the course for the future handling concept of the airline.

Air France announced that it has entered into a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ") to resolve allegations regarding anticompetitive activities amongst several cargo carriers with respect to air cargo shipments to and from the US between May 2001 and February 2006. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Air France has agreed to pay $ 210 million. This amount corresponds to the provision taken by the Company for the financial year 2007-2008.

Air France Cargo held an audit of the activities of Sheremetyevo-Cargo. The company audited such lines of activities as the quality management, compliance of equipment, machines and software with the modern requirements, document management, aviation safety, as well as information systems regulating cargo handling operations. In the result of the audit, Air France Cargo found no violations in the company work.

B..

Boeing 777 Freighter, the world's most capable twin-engine cargo airplane, successfully took to the sky for the first time and completed an initial series of tests during a flight lasting more than three-and-a-half hours. The airplane performed well.

Blue Dart Express has decided to revise prices in its air and ground services, owing to rising input costs. The decision has come in the wake of the recently revised diesel prices, negatively impacting the cost of operations of the vast network of ground vehicles across the country. A greater impact is also being felt in its air express operations with crude oil prices moving up by more than 30% this year, to touch levels of $130-a barrel. A double-digit spiralling inflation is further adding to the woes, with cost of input services & products rising. The inflation has also led to an increase in the fuel prices, and other factors of the business. Price hike expected in ground is in the region of 10-15%, while on air; it is expected to rise by 15-20%.

BAE Systems Regional Aircraft announced that Amerer Air, Austria's all-cargo carrier, is planned to become the first customer for the re-launched BAe 146 QT (Quiet Trader) freighter programme. Amerer Air is a private company, founded in 1995 by Captain Heinz Peter Amerer who is joint owner and Chief Executive Officer. Captain Amerer is also an airline pilot and engineer and has built up Amerer Air with his wife Susanne Amerer and their versatile team to achieve a high quality cargo business.

BAE Systems Regional Aircraft announced that the first re-launched BAe 146QT (Quiet Trader) freighter has been completed at Aerostars Bacau facility in Romania and the Series 200 aircraft (msn E2099) made a successful first flight. Since the Large Freight Door (LFD) was offered up to the fuselage in April considerable work has been undertaken to finalise the aircraft. This has focussed on the installation of the LFD hydraulic/electrical control systems and alignment/rigging of the eight locking latches and spools.

British Airways World Cargo has announced an increase to its fuel surcharge. The surcharge will be GBP0.81 / USD1.25 / EUR1.25. The fuel surcharge increase follows the fuel index has been above the level 25 threshold.

Boeing Company partnered with Shenzhen Airlines and the Washington-Sichuan Friendship Association to load 5,872 pounds of vented cone masks and coveralls into the airline's new Boeing 737-800. The newly purchased materials, which will help earthquake relief workers in their recovery efforts, were then flown over the weekend to the Chengdu Shuang Liu Airport to benefit the earthquake-damaged area of Sichuan Province in China. This effort marks the second "Flight of Hope" humanitarian relief initiative in response to the China earthquake.

British Airways' US-EU subsidiary airline OpenSkies will begin flying daily from New York to Paris, with British Airways World Cargo selling cargo capacity on the flights. The Boeing 757 will operate out of JFK and Orly airports, and the airline has plans for a second aircraft to be added to the fleet later this year, flying to Brussels. The long term plan is to operate six Boeing 757s by the end of 2009, all of which will be sourced from the current British Airways' fleet. The aircraft will have winglets retro-fitted to improve fuel efficiency, reduce CO2 emissions and increase the aircraft's operating range.

Boeing, Singapore Technologies Aerospace Ltd (ST Aerospace) and ANA (All Nippon Airways) celebrated the completion and certification of the first 767-300 Boeing Converted Freighter at a redelivery ceremony held in Singapore passenger-to-freighter conversion program in 2005 with three firm orders and four options from ANA. Since then, ANA has exercised all the options and now has ordered seven passenger-to-freighter conversions in all.

C..

CEVA Logistics, announced a major undertaking to site facilities at the Bahrain Logistics Zone. The agreement sees CEVA signing a Letter of Intent (LOI) for space at the Gulf's first boutique value-added logistics area.CEVA and the Bahrain Logistics Zone signed the agreement at the first annual Logistics Networking Luncheon, held at the Grosvenor House hotel in Dubai.

Crane Worldwide Logistics, will be launched by Mr Jim Crane and expects to expand the operation into a $1 billion business within seven years. Crane is starting the business in Houston with six former forwarding executives a year after he lost control of EGL to CEVA Logistics. He signaled Crane Worldwide will compete directly with CEVA for international business, noting everyone on his core management team lives or has worked outside the United States.

Cargo 2000 has awarded quality certification to Cargologic for the company's freight handling centres in Switzerland, The Netherlands, Germany and Slovakia.Cargologic joined Cargo 2000 four years ago. It is part of the Rethmann Group that employs 15,000 staff at 230 locations worldwide.

Cargolux Airlines has been nominated as the leading carrier for the IATA e-freight project at Luxembourg, thereby further enhancing Luxembourg's position as a leading hub for air cargo. This endorsement was ratified at the Annual General Meeting of the International Air Transport Association which took place recently in Istanbul, Turkey. This appointment is part of the second phase of the IATA e-freight project; the first pilot phase was successfully implemented in November 2007 across six global locations. The aim of the IATA e-freight project is to reduce the use of physical documents from the air cargo supply chain and replacing it with electronic messaging.

CH2M Hill Brisbane has awarded Agility Project Logistics a global Project Logistics contract for the new 630 megawatt Darling Downs Power Station Project to be located in Darling Downs Region of Queensland, Australia. CH2M Hill Atlanta and Brisbane offices will undertake the engineering, procurement, and construction activities on the US$ 750 million gas fired power station for Origin Energy. GE will supply three Frame 9E gas turbines, boilers and steam turbine and CH2M Hill will supply balance of the equipment.

Cargologic is expanding its network in Europe by taking over responsibility for the 3,500 sqm warehouse currently operated by its sister company Airport Cargo Handling B.V. The cargo warehouse at Schiphol-South, Amsterdam has been renovated over the last two months to prepare it for new and existing customers.

Cargolux Airlines International S.A. announced a weekly service from Asia directly into Vienna/Austria. This new service was initiated upon clients' request, based on increased traffic volumes directly into Vienna, offering time and cost efficient connections with Austria and the Eastern European region. It complements the company's existing Asia - Budapest service, with six flights per week (four out of Hong Kong and two from Taipei/Bangkok).

D..

Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) has awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to supply the baggage handling system for the upcoming Terminal 3 at I.G.I. Airport, New Delhi. The system will have a throughput of more than 11,300 pieces of baggage per hour. A baggage X-ray system for full inspection will also be integrated. The total value of the contract amounts to 36 million euros. Completion of the project is scheduled for March 31, 2010. The In-line baggage system will help passengers save time, as they will not have to queue up for pre check in luggage x-ray process. The system creates a seamless transition of baggage from passenger to plane without the need for passengers to queue in a separate line for x-ray screening before check-in. It includes a combination of conveyor belts, bar code readers and in-line baggage sorters, which in comparison to the existing practice, allows passengers to precede straight to the check-in counter and receive their boarding pass while the baggage gets checked and assigned automatically. The new in-line process is therefore designed to speed up the passengers' pre-departure processes without compromising security. This step is part of DIAL's efforts to improve the facilities.

Delta Airlines Cargo has re-appointed ATC, Italy's largest GSSA, as its general sales and service agent. ATC was Delta's GSSA from 1984 to 1998, but was replaced by Delta's Skyteam partners during a period of shared sales representation.Delta has the largest US carrier presence in Italy, with a total of over 50 flights per week operating to New York, Atlanta and Cincinnati from Milan, Venice, Pisa and Rome. Most services utilize B767-300ER/400ER series aircraft.Says ATC Managing Director Sauro Martinelli: “It is a huge pleasure and privilege to work with Delta once again. Our two organisations grew side by side throughout the 80s and 90s, and we are delighted to be working with them again.

Delhi International Airport (P) Limited (DIAL) has commissioned the in-line baggage handling system for two of eight rows at the International Terminal (T2) of Indira Gandhi International Airport. The same will be gradually extended to the remaining rows as well. The in-line baggage handling system was commissioned post more than 6 weeks of parallel trial runs with the existing x-ray screening systems. The trial period provides an opportunity for any further improvements to be identified and glitches removed before the system is fully introduced. The system creates a seamless transition of baggage from passenger to plane without the need for passengers to queue in a separate line for x-ray screening before check-in. It includes a combination of conveyor belts, bar code readers and in-line baggage sorters, which in comparison to the existing practice, allows passengers to proceed straight to the check-in counter and receive their boarding pass while the baggage gets checked and assigned automatically. The new in-line process is therefore designed to speed up the passengers pre-departure processes without compromising security. This step is part of DIAL's efforts to improve the facilities at Terminals for passenger convenience.

DHL inked a five year deal to become the lead transportation provider for Europe's Airbus. DHL will implement its transportation system, optimization program and fourth-party logistics provider (4PL) "Control Tower" to streamline the flow of materials to Airbus manufacturing plants. DHL's "Control Tower" will manage a significant portion of Airbus's inbound air, ocean and road ransportation, as well as customs and value added services. Implementation will begin Sept. 1, DHL said.

DHL is planning to delist Indian express giant Blue Dart from the Mumbai Stock Exchange with an offer to Blue Dart shareholders. DHL, which already owns an 81% stake in India's biggest courier company, wants more direct control over the company, as it attempts to build on growth in the Indian market. Blue Dart's revenue grew 88% in the 1st quarter of this year.

DHL notified ABX Air it will cut its use of the carrier's DC-9 freighters by 23 aircraft, starting the DHL restructuring in the United States that will move the express operator's volume over to UPS. The cutback will reduce ABX revenue by approximately $3 million, the airline said.

E..

Emirates SkyCargo and Brazilian airline company GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes signed a partnership to transport each other's cargo to all destinations operated by the two companies. GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes is the parent company of Brazilian airlines GOL Transportes Aereos and VRG Linhas Aereas. Its cargo transportation unit Gollog will use GTA and VRG aircraft to transport cargo originating in any of the 59 destinations in Brazil and South America served by either airline and deliver it to Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo. Upon arrival at Guarulhos, the cargo will be transferred to an Emirates aircraft for shipment to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Ethiopian Airlines operates 6 to 10 flights weekly, essentially in the daytime, and mainly carries flowers intended for the major flower auctions. “The lower operating costs at Liege Airport make their operations more profitable”, explains Eric Gysen, Liege Airport's Cargo Sales Manager. The transfer of their cargo operations from Brussels to Liège went extremely smoothly thanks to the operational flexibility of Liege Airport, Aviapartner Liège, their handling agent, and LHS, their warehouse manager.

Emirates SkyCargo's reputation for unsurpassed customer service was recognised once again when it was awarded two prestigious awards in London and Shanghai respectively. The Dubai-based international airline beat off strong competition from British Airways, Saudi Arabian, KLM and Virgin Atlantic to claim that top prize of Air Cargo Carrier of the Year Award for the fourth time at the International Freighting Weekly (IFW) awards in London.

F..

FedEx Corp. announced its support of Express Your Vote, an initiative of the Overseas Vote Foundation (OVF), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to ensuring an estimated six million overseas Americans have the ability to effectively participate in the federal electoral process. With FedEx supporting this initiative, Americans abroad in 89 countries will be able to access express delivery of their absentee ballots between September 15 October 29 of the 2008 election year.

FedEx Trade Networks opened two new gateways to support the FedEx Trade Networks’ Ocean-Ground Distribution service. "There's a tremendous movement of the lower value added traffic off of the traditional freighter airplanes onto the water, onto the sea," Frederick W. Smith, FedEx chairman, president and chief executive officer, told Wall Street analysts during a quarterly earnings conference call.

FMG, the Munich Airport operating company, and Lufthansa Cargo AG have signed a memorandum of understanding in which both parties reaffirm their resolve to “work together to take Munich Airport to the top of the rankings among its competitors in the European cargo segments.” Core elements of this partnership for strategic growth are joint development, design and utilization as well as expansion of the freight facilities at Munich Airport. A key element in the cooperation is the regular integration of Munich into the cargo flight network of Lufthansa or its partner companies.

FedEx after reporting quarterly and fiscal year drops thanks to rising fuel prices and a sour U.S. economy, says it's keeping financially firm by renegotiating longer contract deals with shippers, parking aircraft on a rotating basis, looking sharply at capital expenditures and taking other measures. "We have a number of levers we can pull," said Frederick W. Smith, FedEx chairman, president and CEO. None of those levers, though, can turn up U.S. economic numbers or lower fuel prices, the main drags on the FedEx operations. And the company expects both to cut into its financial base through the rest of this year, hoping for turnaround in fiscal year 2010.

FedEx Corp. reported a fourth-quarter loss of $241 million, or 78 cents a share, citing higher fuel costs and a writedown at its Kinko's unit. The loss compared with a profit of $610 million, or $1.96 a share, in last year's fourth quarter. It reported an operating loss of $163 million, down from income of $1.01 billion a year ago. Excluding the charges, and a 6-cent charge in last year's fourth-quarter, its earnings were $1.45 per share, compared with $1.90 a year ago, for the fiscal quarter ended May 31.For its full fiscal year, FedEx earned $1.13 billion, or $3.60 per share, down from $2.02 billion, or $6.48 per share, a year ago. Revenue rose 8% to $38 billion.

H..

Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) announced its tonnage throughput for June, the second quarter and the first half of year 2008. A total of 219,502 tonnes were handled in June, representing a year-on-year growth of 2.5%. Tonnage throughput for the second quarter and for the first half of the year was 663,858 tonnes and 1,278,391 tonnes, representing a year-on-year growth of 5.4% and 5.9% respectively. Export volume was 118,321 tonnes for June and 363,372 tonnes for the second quarter, registering a year-on-year growth of 0.1% and 3.2 % respectively. Volume exported to the U.S. and Europe registered a slight growth of 2.2% and 3.3% in the second quarter respectively, underlying a continuous slower growth trend for exports to both markets. Export volume growth to Mainland China remains fairly stable, registering a growth of 7.3% in the second quarter. Cumulative export tonnage for the first half of the year was 694,062 tonnes, up 4.1% against the same period last year.

I..

International Air Transport Association (IATA) released international traffic data for May that showed a significant drop in cargo growth to 1.3% while passenger traffic grew 6.0%. At 1.3%, cargo demand is considerably down from the 4.3% recorded for the full year 2007. For the first five months of 2008, air freight volumes were up 2.8%. The biggest cause of the slow growth came from a 0.5% contraction in Asian carrier traffic. This resulted from the impact of the earthquake in China and weakness in the Japanese economy. Asian carriers also saw weakness in transpacific markets with increased competition from US carriers taking advantage of the weak US dollar.

Incheon airport New satellite terminal opened. Baggage handling system from Siemens ensures safe transport of baggage.The new satellite terminal A at Incheon International Airport (IIA) was opened on June 20, 2008 in the presence of the South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak. The Siemens Mobility Division has installed a complex baggage handling system for the satellite building. As a result of the expansion Incheon International Airport can now handle up to 45 million passengers per year. The main terminal is connected to the satellite building by a 1 km-long tunnel, which necessitated the installation of a high-speed tray system. Each individual piece of luggage is transported in its own tray at a speed of up to 25 km/h. Another technological challenge was to combine the transport of out-of-gauge (OOG) baggage with normal bags on one conveyer line.

IBS Software Services, a leading provider of new-generation IT solutions to the global Travel, Transportation and Logistics (TTL) industry, has signed an agreement with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to provide AvientCrew, its crew management solution. The KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is national airline of the Netherlands and the oldest airline in the world. The airline will utilise AvientCrew, to gradually replace their existing mainframe system, INCRA, which has been handling the carrier's crew operations since the 1970's Indian Parliament will be weighing proposed legislation that would ban private courier services from carrying packages less than 500 grams (17 ounces). The country's communications ministry has placed an amendment to the India Postal Act before the parliament in a bid to shore up the sagging fortunes of India's state-run postal service.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) has appointment Lufthansa Cargo has been appointed leading cargo carrier for the "e-freight" project in Germany. IATA simultaneously named Germany, Europe's biggest air cargo market, as e-freight market. Lufthansa Cargo's CEO Carsten Spohr: "Lufthansa Cargo will press ahead firmly with the e-freight project and expressly further paperless cargo transport." With the help of this initiative, we intend to accelerate processes for the benefit of our customers, create cost-efficient structures and generally advance the cause of the airfreight industry." In cooperation with customers, Lufthansa Cargo will now make preparations for the first paperless shipment and put in place the required processes. The aim is to facilitate the first paperless transport from Germany at the end of the year.

IATA e-freight project team has now completed Detailed Level Assessments (DLAs) for all locations that passed the High Level Assessments (HLAs). This marks a major step forward towards the project target of eight additional e-freight locations by the end of this year.

K..

Kuehne + Nagel has taken up operations at its new state-of-the-art warehouse at Casorate Primo (PV). The new multi-user facility is dedicated to the storage and distribution of frozen foods and will initially serve the 800 points of sale of Italian retailers Eurospin, PAM and Billa across northern Italy.
Kent International handled 864 tonnes of freight in June, up 15% on the performance in June 2007. June is a very weak month for the produce imports which remain the mainstay of the Kent business. EgyptAir and Cargolux both improved on their prior year total, however the MK Airlines volume was zero. MK has resumed flying after securing new investment, however is flying into mainland European airports over the summer months in line with their activity during 2007.The year-to-date freight volume of 5,231 tonnes is 7% behind the equivalent period in 2007 due to the poor May result.

Kuehne + Nagel won a six year contract with a unit of European aircraft consortium Airbus that will extend the logistics provider's presence into the French and United Kingdom aviation logistics markets. Kuehne + Nagel will manage Airbus's logistics operations in the UK, France, Spain and Germany under undisclosed terms of the financial deal.

Kuehne + Nagel Russia wins “Leader in Transport and Forwarding” award .At the Golden Car Awards recently held in Moscow, Kuehne + Nagel was named “Leader in Transport & Forwarding Industry in Russia”. The prestigious award underpins the company's successes in the booming Russian market. The Golden Car Award, which was founded by the Russian State Duma and the Ministry of Transport, annually honours companies in a range of categories related to the transport and shipping business; more than 700 firms applied this year. A 30-strong jury of experts from government, industry associations, academia and the media elected Kuehne + Nagel as the winner in the “Leader in Transport & Forwarding Industry in Russia” category, which distinguishes companies for their achievements in the field of logistics.

Kuehne + Nagel and AIRDEX International Inc., developer and manufacturer of the patented light-weight AIRpalletTM, announce the formation of a strategic alliance to investigate and find solutions for joint customers who are interested in reducing the costs and environmental impacts of airfreight transportation.

L..

Lufthansa Cargo is increasing its freight capacities ex Frankfurt to the Brazilian metropolis of Curitiba (CWB). It will be operated with a Boeing 747-400 freighter by World Airways. “We are delighted to be offering customers in cooperation with Lufthansa Cargo Charter a regular service to Curitiba and, simultaneously, further expanding our strong position in South America“, said Dr. Andreas Otto, Lufthansa Cargo Board Member Product and Sales.

Lan Cargo S.A, cargo subsidiary of LAN Airlines announced that the creation of a new cargo affiliate airline in Colombia was authorized by local aviation authorities. The endorsement of LAN CARGO's project by the Colombian authorities enables the new affiliate to initiate the operational and technical certification process. LAN CARGO estimates this process could take approximately six months to complete, which means the new Colombian carrier should be able to launch operations during the first quarter 2009.

LAN, Chile's dominant airline, said Colombia had given it the go-ahead to set up a cargo affiliate airline, which could start operating there in early 2009.Colombia is the largest air cargo market in Latin America in terms of exports to the United States, with estimated volume of 200,000 tons annually, LAN said in a statement. The airline now must begin an operational and technical certification process in Colombia that will likely take up to six months. "Once launched, the affiliate company in Colombia will significantly contribute to the development of this important market, providing connectivity to the United States and Latin America with a modern fleet of Boeing 767-300F freighter aircraft," the company said.

Lufthansa Cargo plans to raise fuel surcharges imposed on customers to 1.30 euros per kilo from 1.25 euros.

Lufthansa Cargo laid the foundation stone for a new freight center in CargoCity South at Frankfurt Airport. The new "Lufthansa Cargo Service Center", with warehouse capacity of about 20,000 square metres and more than 8,000 square metres of office space, ideally augments the "Lufthansa Cargo Center" in CargoCity North.The new handling facility will principally handle mail shipments from medium-sized forwarders and partner airlines. Simultaneously, the Service Center will accommodate the German and the European sales organisations of Lufthansa Cargo, which were previously housed in Kelsterbach. The new facility is scheduled to commence operations in autumn 2009.

M..

MNG Airlines, the biggest air cargo transportation company of Turkey, has added the Airbus A300-600F cargo plane, puchase from Air Atalanta from Iceland, which belongs to Avinco company, to its fleet of 8 Airbus A300-200F and 5 Fokker F27 cargo planes.MNG Airlines owns the newest cargo plane in Turkey, by adding A300-600F cargo plane to its fleet, which is manufactured at 1999. The difference of the A300-600F to the A300-200F is the-take off capacity of 170 tons with a freight capacity of 49 tons, the 20 percent less maintenance costs and the environment friendly, silent motors.

MNG Airlines has performed in 2007 a performance of 100% by the UPS flights, which is a giant in logistics.MNG Airlines, which is the leading air cargo transportation company, is continuing the scheduled cargo service since year 2001. MNG Airlines, which has automatically an additional extension of 2 years, has performed a perfect performance in the UPS flights by standing to the schedules by 100%.

Maximus Air Cargo, the Abu-Dhabi based freight carrier, said it more than tripled its turnover during the first four months of this year compared with the corresponding period in 2007. It said aircraft hours sold to customers increased from 471 to 3,062. Turnover for January-April 2008 was Dh122.77 million compared with Dh37.80 million for the same period last year.

P..

Pan-Nordic cargo GSSA, has been appointed GSA for Lithuanian Airlines in Sweden, Norway and Finland.Lithuanian commenced 3 x weekly services from Stockholm to Vilnius in June, and Airline Services GSA will focus its initial efforts on cargo from the Swedish market. Later in the year, the company plans to introduce express road feeders to transfer cargo onto these flights from Norway and Finland. Cargo capacity is currently constrained by the airline's use of Saab2000 aircraft, but it plans to phase in its larger B737 aircraft as soon as the route is established.

S..

Swissport International, has been awarded a licence to provide such services at ten airports in South Africa. The licence, which will enter into effect on September 1 and will be valid for five years (with the option of a subsequent five-year renewal), will enable Swissport to further expand its present ground handling activities. The new licence will enable Swissport to offer its services to other international and domestic airlines in addition to prime customer South African Airways. Swissport South Africa currently has a workforce of some 1 800 personnel and handles over 200 arrivals and departures a day.

Swissport informed about the acquisition of the US-based security company NASS. This cooperation will enable Swissport to offer further security solutions at airports alongside its present airline and cargo security services.Singapore: CEO Marc-Antoine Chariatte will leave Swissport at the end of August and will be replaced by Serge Tripet, his deputy, who is currently responsible for the Cargo Business.Algiers: On August 1st, Fernand Stauffer will become the new CEO, replacing Claude Badan who has successfully completed the start-up phase.

STL, one of the CIS and Central Asia's fastest growing freight forwarding and logistics service companies, has unveiled plans to build bonded warehouses and an intermodal container terminal at the Kazakhstan town of Khorgos, on the China border. STL's intermodal hub is due for completion by 2010 and complements the Kazakhstan government's US$500 million investment to upgrade rail and road infrastructure throughout the country in order to meet demand for booming cargo volumes from China to Central Asia, CIS and Russia.

SWISS has successfully launched a non-stop flight between Zurich and Shanghai; the new daily A-340 connection has increased Swiss WorldCargo's capacity to and from China by 36 tonnes per day. The eighth largest city in the world, Shanghai is widely regarded as the metropolis of China's modern economy. Being the centre of finance and trade, Shanghai has also a strong base in manufacturing and technology. In terms of container traffic, it's the third busiest port in the world, with machinery, high-tech products, chemicals and textiles as major commodities.

T..

Traxon Europe's Cargo 2000 Data Management Platform (CDMP) has been certified by Cargo 2000 for its ability to measure and manage the quality of air cargo processes between freight forwarders and airlines. Traxon Europe has been actively involved in Cargo 2000's quality program since its launch, providing the CDMP used by many of the group's members. Today, the company's Traxon Cargo Management and Traxon CDMP solutions operate for Air France, Lufthansa Cargo, Korean Air and Nippon Cargo Airlines as well as Schenker, SDV Group, Yusen Air & Sea and Agility.

Target Logistic Services (originally Target Air Freight) officially changes its name to Mainfreight, reflecting the title of its new global parent. The Carson, CA-based freight forwarder & logistics provider was acquired by Mainfreight in Nov. of last year and increasingly is being integrated into the New Zealand company's worldwide logistics operation. Target is a US$200M company with facilities in 38 U.S. cities and a network of subsidiaries & agents in 80 nations. Mainfreight is one of the largest transportation companies in New Zealand with offices throughout Asia & the South Pacific.

Time:matters opens branch office in Singapore. The special service provider for courier, sameday and emergency logistics is continuing its internationalization strategy with the establishment of its first Asian branch As the Asian headquarters, the new time:matters Asia Pacific Ltd. in Singapore is responsible for on-site customer service in East and Southeast Asia as well as in the Pacific area.

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UAC name, which has featured in the USA airfreight scene for 20 years, is set to disappear soon, as the trade-only airfreight wholesaler, acquired by Air Menzies International (AMI) in April 2007, adopts its new parent's identity in the final phase of its integration.The newly-named company, now based in Los Angeles, has been managed by well-known industry figure Peter Burn since he joined AMI in early 2008, taking over from former UAC President Peter Whitfield.

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737-300SF freighter to provide additional cargo capacity between Kiev and Vienna. The 16 tons and 127 cubic metres capacity aircraft entered commercial service in July and will be marketed on UIA's behalf by its exclusive worldwide GSA partner, Globe Air Cargo, part of the European Cargo Services (ECS) group.

UPS Inc. lowered guidance on its second-quarter earnings by about 15%, less than one week after FedEx Corp. posted its first quarterly loss since 1997, demonstrating that even the two largest corporations in North American freight transportation, with the most far-reaching global footprints, are ultimately not immune to the continuing struggles of the all-but-stagnant U.S economy.

UPS cut its profit projection for the second quarter up to 20 percent, saying a sagging U.S. economy that has been hurting domestic demand is now hitting international shipping. The world's largest package delivery company said it expects earnings within a range of $0.83-to-$0.88 per share compared to the previous projection of $0.97-to $1.04 per share.

UPS is acquiring the interest of its partner in an express joint venture in Korea. Terms of the deal with The Korea Express Co. were not disclosed. The transformation of the joint venture to a wholly-owned subsidiary will allow UPS to expand its business in Korea, the company said. "UPS and KEC have had a successful partnership in Korea for more than 10 years, but UPS has arrived at a point where we need greater flexibility to match our commitment to this important market," said Derek Woodward, president of UPS's Asia-Pacific Region.