Topic: Air Freight

As we discussed last week, air cargo shippers are increasingly concerned about the ongoing recovery of service in the Asia Pacific trade lanes.

While the International Air Transport Association further downgraded its 2011 airline industry profit forecast to $4 billion, Asia-Pacific carriers are expected to earn $2.1 billion—the most profitable of all regions.

The company is replacing a Boeing 757 narrow-body aircraft with a new and larger B-767 wide-body freighter, which increases cargo capacity by 50 percent on UPS’s 19 weekly flights into Central and South America.

Last month the Department of Homeland Security’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) released an air cargo security update which is likely to have an impact on air cargo moving from non-U.S. locations inbound to the U.S.

FedEx Express launched a new dedicated 777F route connecting FedEx World Hub in Memphis, Tennessee to South Korea with four nonstop flights a week. And UPS launched four direct flights from Hong Kong to Europe this week, which, it said, enables the company to offer the widest next-day delivery package for packages and heavy freight to Europe from Hong Kong.

With the closing of three Japanese ports — Sendai, Hitachinaka and Kashima — some U.S. manufacturers and retailers may be opting for air cargo alternatives to meet shipping and sourcing deadlines.

As widely anticipated, the International Air Transport Association announced a cut in its forecast for airline industry profits

Today, fuel and capacity issues continue to loom large for air cargo carriers, while shippers are being told that tactical adjustments, especially in the growing Intra-Asia trade, will need to be made at a moment’s notice as carriers re-adjust their networks.

The International Air Transport Association announced international scheduled traffic results for January showing a 9.1 percent growth in air freight compared to January 2010

When the 36th Annual Federal Aviation Administration’s Forecast Conference convenes in Washington next week, shippers should expect to hear that profitability for U.S. carriers will hinge a stable environment for fuel prices.

Despite the encouraging news from The International Air Transport Association on improving freight volumes, there are still two key issues that may have a negative impact on a full recovery: the weather and fuel prices.

The International Air Transport Association reported full-year 2010 demand statistics for international scheduled air traffic that showed a 20.6 percent increase in freight

In light of attempts last October by terrorists to send explosives originating from Yemen to the United States on cargo and passenger planes, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said late last month it is looking to accelerate the deadline for screening United States-bound air cargo to December 31, 2011.

A slight surge in air cargo demand has some industry analysts predicting a prolonged rebound.

Four organizations have signed a letter of intent committing to work towards the formation of an industry advisory group to ensure the air cargo industry has a strong, unified voice in its dealings with worldwide regulatory authorities and other bodies.

Prior to this week’s G20 Summit in Seoul, Korea, the Washington, D.C.-based Airforwarders Association (AfA) sent a letter to President Barack Obama replete with suggestions on how the Administration could best work on making improvements and changes to air cargo security processes in light of the October attempts by terrorists to send explosives originating from Yemen to the United States on cargo and passenger planes.

In a move that was widely anticipated, the European Commission imposed heavy fines on eleven air cargo carriers today for price fixing

In light of the October attempt by terrorists to send explosives originating from Yemen to the United States on cargo and passenger planes, the White House and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) yesterday issued a number of steps to augment security and tighten existing measures pertaining to U.S.-bound cargo.

In an effort to involve more air cargo players in the “security dialogue,” the National Industrial Transportation League has invited some key players to participate in its annual conference next week.

U.S. retailers and manufacturers continue to increase their reliance on air cargo from Asia, said a leading supply chain authority.