Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has been acquired by Cerberus Equities.
Triangle Equities
Announced the $25.4 million acquisition of a development site located near John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York. The project site is to be developed as a state-of-the-art, approximately 300,000-square-foot, multi-level industrial building. The facility will be the first multi-level, multi-tenant air cargo and distribution facility in New York City
Nippon Cargo
Japanese specialist air cargo carrier Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) has been forced to ground its fleet of 11 B747 freighters after government inspectors uncovered incorrect maintenance records, writes Nigel Tomkins.
The Tokyo (Narita)-based cargo airline is also facing possible future disciplinary measures for violating international safety standards. The subsidiary of marine shipping company Nippon Yusen grounded its fleet of 11 aircraft – three B747-400Fs and eight B747-8 freighters – while it checks for further discrepancies in the company’s logs.
UPS Wage contract
UPS has agreed a settlement in principle with negotiators for the Teamsters union, presenting ground staff and delivery drivers at the US parcels and logistics giant.
The new contract provides hourly wage increases totaling $4.15 spread out over five years and raises the starting wage for part-time workers to $13 an hour as of August 1.
A Teamsters union statement said: “The National Negotiating Committee has agreed to a settlement in principle on the National Master Agreement (NMA), subject to the resolution of supplemental agreements and approval by UPS local unions.
Bitcoin payment
Bitcoin. FreightHub is now allowing its air cargo and logistics customers to make payments with Bitcoin, claims the popular crypto-currency is advantageous for processing shipments around the world because payments are not only very fast but are also “easy to verify due to blockchain technology”.
The current way of transferring payments has significant historical disadvantages, such as overcoming national borders, or idle waiting times at weekends for example – none of which are affected by Bitcoin payments, the asset-free forwarder points out.
“Currently, a lot of time is wasted in international business transactions since all orders can only be fulfilled after the successful verification of payments,” reveals Erik Muttersbach, founder and chief technology officer (CTO) of FreightHub,
Pharma facility
MNX Global Logistics has opened a pharma logistics facility in New York, located next to JFK International Airport.
This healthcare and life sciences supply chain facility will serve as the operations and warehousing hub for the forwarder’s pharma and medical device customers throughout the northeast US region.
“The demand for our services particularly in biologics, cold-chain and medical device logistics in the Northeast has seen tremendous growth in the past 12 months,” said Paul Martins, MNX chief executive and president.
Security screening set
After nearly eight years of starts, stops and delays, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has finally implemented its much-debated Air Cargo Advanced Screening (ACAS) program, requiring all carriers of commercial cargo to report electronic airfreight data to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) before the cargo is loaded onto aircraft bound for the United States.
According to CBP, the ACAS program is intended “to address ongoing aviation security threats,” and has been tested in a long-running pilot project, in which certain carriers participated voluntarily in submitting air cargo data, such as the air waybill number, the shipper’s name and address, the consignee’s name and address, and a short description of the cargo, including its quantity and weight.
Going Google
Google has invested $550 million in Beijing-based JD.com, giving the Silicon Valley giant greater access to services for global markets, including Southeast Asia, the United States, and Europe. The partnership is illustrative of both a growing focus on cross-border e-commerce, and the tendency of dominant e-tailers in various regions to increasingly look beyond their home markets for growth.
Alibaba hubs
Alibaba’s logistics-affiliate, Cainiao, announced plans to open five global hubs in Asia, Europe and the Middle East “to meet the surging cross-border e-commerce needs”. Today, Hangzhou-based Cainiao unveiled a separate $1.5 billion investment in a joint-venture logistics center at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA),
Cargolux trophy ban
Luxembourg-based all-cargo carrier Cargolux has banned the transportation of wild game, otherwise known as “hunting trophies,” to take effect immediately.
“This practice does not align with the company’s ethical engagements and policies,” said Richard Forson, CEO of Cargolux, stating that the carrier is “committed to building a sustainable business model,” including environment preservation.
This decision comes after a wave of airlines renounced their participation in the trade of hunting trophies in 2015, following the controversial hunting of Cecil the Lion, a beloved pillar of the community and tourist attraction in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Dozens of carriers, including Delta, United and American Airlines, changed their policies to prohibit transporting the controversial cargo.
Alaska hot
Alaska Air Cargo is expecting cargo capacity to increase by 40 per cent in the US following its merger with Virgin America.
Starting tomorrow (19 June), the belly space in 71 Airbus aircraft will be utilised to provide customers with new shipping destinations and increased frequencies throughout the Alaska Airlines network.
Before the merger Virgin America did not provide a cargo service but now customers will be able to ship products including fresh seafood, e-commerce and other time-sensitive materials.
New Amerijet director
Amerijet Miami-headquartered all-cargo airline Amerijet has named Glen Gates director of charter sales, responsible for overseeing the growth and diversification of that side of the carrier’s business.
The appointment is intended to “fortify the entire Amerijet senior management team and help take the company to the next level of charter sales”, said Derry Huff, Amerijet’s vice president of strategic initiatives.
Delta director
Delta Air Lines Cargo has appointed Lindsey Jalil as managing director – commercial. She replaces Kristin Colvile, who was recently promoted to chief executive officer and managing director, SkyTeam.
Joining Delta in 2005, for the past eight years, Jalil has been part of the operations analysis and performance team where, as managing director since 2015, she implemented data management systems and supported Delta’s operating divisions.
Cyber secure
Cyber Chief.US-based freighter lessor Atlas Air Worldwide (AAWW) has announced the election of cybersecurity expert Jane Lute and experienced business leader Sheila Stamps to the company’s board of directors.
Lute, president and chief executive of corporate security advisors SICPA North America, is “a recognized leader in the area of cybersecurity” said AAWW in a statement.
