Three low cost airlines are reportedly in the running to buy Asiana Airlines’ cargo business as part of conditions for Korean Air to acquire Asiana Airlines. Eastar Jet, Air Premia and Air Incheon, all based in the Republic of Korea, have submitted bids in the second round of bidding to acquire the cargo business, according to Reuters’ sources. Jeju Air said it did not participate in the second round of the acquisition process, despite taking part in the first round of bids. Sale adviser UBS accepted the second round of bids to buy Asiana Airlines’ cargo business, encompassing Asiana’s 11 frei ..read more

Luxembourg-headquartered cargo airline Cargolux boosted its 2023 results with demand for dedicated freighter capacity, despite lower demand and rates in 2023. The Cargolux Group generated revenues of $2,975bn and profit after tax of $286m. However, the company’s operational KPIs were all down on the previous year. Source: Cargolux Reflecting on its 2023 results the company said: “The first half of 2023 saw the cyclical nature of the industry return with levels well below pre-Covid times and significant pressure on rates due to lower demand levels compounded by increasing levels of available ..read more

Qatar Airways Cargo has opened a new animal facility at its Doha hub to meet the rising volumes of animals being transported through its home hub. The new facility measures 5,260 sq m compared with 4,000 sq m at the previous animal operation. It offers 140 dog kennels, 40 cat kennels, 24 horse stables in four separate zones and special areas for day-old chicks, birds, fish, reptiles and exotic animals. The facility also has a large area to handle cattle with pens for vets to examine sheep if required. The cattle area is air conditioned so cattle charters can be transported during the day, rath ..read more

DSV’s airfreight volumes benefited from strong demand out of Asia, although revenue and profit fell as rates dropped in the market. DSV’s airfreight volumes increased 2.3% in the first quarter of 2024 to 335,213 tonnes. This is compared to 327,712 tonnes in the same period last year. The company attributed this growth to strong Asia Pacific export volumes. “The air freight market is impacted by continued high growth in e-commerce volumes from China, driving both market volumes and rates up.” DSV noted that the airfreight market is dealing with overcapacity, but reflected that it expects that r ..read more

Aircraft refuelling handlers working for AFS at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) will initiate industrial action for 72 hours beginning on May 4. 50 staff that are part of the Unite trade union are due to strike for 72 hours. The industrial action could potentially affect large numbers of services into and out of the gateway, including significant numbers of passenger flights with bellyhold cargo capacity, if aircraft are not refuelled as normal. Unite has said the industrial action is in response to the refuellers’ employer imposing “drastic cuts to the terms and conditions of new staff recruite ..read more

Food logistics firm PML Seafrigo has hired Paddie Allen as airfreight director to head up the company’s UK airfreight operations. The role of airfreight director sees Allen based at Heathrow Airport, with responsibility for 22 staff. Allen has spent the last 16 years in the logistics business and has gained expertise across airfreight, warehousing and ocean operations. Allen’s foray into logistics began with a seven-year stint at a rival global logistics provider based at Heathrow, where he advanced from gateway coordinator to department manager. His next move to another transport, logistics ..read more

dnata has appointed Clive Sauvé-Hopkins as divisional senior vice president (DSVP), airport operations to oversee the company’s global ground handling and cargo business at 97 airports in 16 countries. Effective immediately, Sauvé-Hopkins will manage a team of over 37,000 customer-centric aviation professionals, with responsibility for ensuring consistent high quality and safe services for more than 330 airline customers. With extensive international experience in commercial strategy and business transformation, Sauvé-Hopkins has held several senior leadership positions with Swissport, Servisa ..read more

Ground services provider Menzies Aviation has extended its deal with Kuala Lumpur-based Malaysia Airlines covering cargo, passenger and ramp handling for the carrier in the Australia/New Zealand region. The deal has been extended for a further five years and covers the Menzies stations at Sydney Airport (SYD), Melbourne Airport (MEL), Adelaide Airport (ADL), Perth Airport (PER) and Auckland Airport (AKL). London, UK-headquartered Menzies has supported Malaysia Airlines with a range of services at these locations since 2016. The handler has said that it expects to handle a total of 3,200 flight ..read more

China Southern Airlines has launched a four flights a week connection between Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) in China and Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Doha, Qatar. The carrier is operating the connection, which launched on April 22, with Boeing B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. This new China Southern link complements Qatar Airways’ flights to seven locations in China – Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing and Xiamen as well as Guangzhou. China Southern has become only the second Chinese carrier to serve DOH – the other is Xiamen Airlines. It is the fourth airline to ..read more

Express services giant UPS recorded consolidated revenue of $21.7bn in the first three months of this year, a 5.3% fall on its performance in the first quarter of 2023. Consolidated operating profit was down further, by 36.5% year on year to $1.6bn (and down 31.5% on an adjusted basis). The company’s Supply Chain Solutions division experienced a 5.3% decline in revenue, attributed primarily to ‘market rate declines in forwarding’. Operating profit in the Supply Chain Solutions segment was also down year on year, although a profit of $132m was made. The operating margin in the division was 4.1 ..read more