Top 10 Air Cargo World stories of 2021

In the second year of COVID-19’s impact on global logistics, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) opportunities, safety and security, and new e-commerce opportunities emerged as major themes affecting the industry. We at Air Cargo World have selected 10 of our top stories to provide a view of how far the industry has come in 2021. Read on for the year’s major stories: ACI: Memphis Airport surpasses Hong Kong in 2020 cargo throughput Memphis (MEM) dethroning long-time reigning champ Hong Kong (HKG) as the world’s busiest cargo airport for 2020 may seem unsurprising in hindsight but made a splash when preliminary figures were revealed in March. Tough quarantine rules in Hong Kong combined with rising e-commerce volumes during the pandemic helped push the FedEx hub into the No. 1 spot during the year. [caption id="attachment_95986" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo courtesy of Air Canada Cargo[/caption] Air Canada Cargo launches Rivo platform for e-commerce service Air Canada has made major investments in cargo during 2021, including with the rollout of its new Rivo e-commerce delivery platform during Q1. The program, enabling integration of online merchants’ shipping processes with Air Canada Cargo’s network, marked Air Canada’s entry into the surging door-to-door e-commerce delivery market. [caption id="attachment_95700" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo courtesy of Pittsburgh Airport[/caption] PIT plans further airport expansion with new cargo processing facility Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) committed to its goal of developing into an international logistics center with plans to build a 75,000-square-foot cargo processing center. The airport was supported by a grant of more than $18 million and aims to bolster its infrastructure to continue growing its expanding slate of international flights. TSA to implement new cargo screening under ICAO standards The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began working toward implementing new cargo security standards from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) with closed industry meetings in January. The new standards went into effect mid-year and have since exacerbated slowdowns in the airfreight supply chain. TSA is seeking ways to improve existing processes, according to the recently released Roadmap . Eastern Airlines plans freighter ops with 777Fs Pennsylvania-based Eastern Airlines was among the many carriers to announce plans to add freighters to its fleet. The pandemic’s impact on airfreight made freighter capacity that much more tempting as, at times, the only game in town for air cargo. Consultant Insight: FedEx nears closure of 5-year TNT integration After years of work, FedEx clarified earlier this year that its integration of TNT into the company was nearly complete. The announcement also included news that FedEx Express would pursue a dual-hub approach in Europe, with Charles de Gaulle (CDG) serving as its primary hub and Liege (LGG) serving as its secondary hub. HKG battery fire leads to Hong Kong Airlines embargo on Vivo phones The industry has taken a harder look at improving cargo safety following the lithium battery fire on the tarmac at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) in April. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is facing the challenge head-on, most recently with the launch of CEIV Lithium Battery announced at October’s World Cargo Symposium in Dublin. DSV Panalpina acquiring Agility’s logistics business in $4.2 billion deal Just over two years after announcing the acquisition of Panalpina, DSV said it would acquire the Global Integrated Logistics unit of Kuwait-based Agility. The acquisition, one of many announced this year, was targeted to benefit DSV’s airfreight capacity, ocean freight, warehousing in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions, and its road network in Europe and the Middle East. [caption id="attachment_94917" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo courtesy of FedEx.[/caption] FedEx pilots union objects to Hong Kong ops over quarantine concerns Hong Kong’s quarantine requirements impacted much more than HKG’s cargo airport ranking. The union representing FedEx pilots expressed concerns over quarantine and called for the suspension of any operations that forced pilots into quarantine. Consultant Insight: DB Schenker may not be for sale, but other freight forwarders may be The ramp-up in acquisitions during the pandemic led to speculation about which company might be the next target. Air Cargo World contributor Cathy Roberson dove in to consider potential deals in the hot M&A market.

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