Voice of Indian Air Cargo Industry
Vo l 8 - I ssue 1 | JAN - MAR 2017
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“Air CArgo Community SyStem to StreAmline Air logiStiCS”
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“FoStering ChAnge”Angela Gittens, Airports Council International
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Air LogisticsResurgence of
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special reportAir CArgo Community SyStem to StreAmline Air logiStiCSOne of the key initiatives set by National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 was creation of an Air Cargo Community System to ensure global competitiveness and sustainable growth of Indian air cargo industry. A committee was subsequently formed and recently submitted a report on National Air Cargo Community System
interviewleverAging Airport inveStment to drive growth
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OFAir CArgo AgentS ASSoCiAtion oF inDiA
(ACAAi)
ACAAI OFFICE BEARERS
PRESIDENTHemant Bhatia
VICE PRESIDENTT A Varghese
SECRETARy GENERAlSunil Arora
TREASURERM Afzal Malbarwala
EDITORReji John
ASSISTANT EDITORSSurya Kannoth
Rashmi Pradhan [email protected]
CORRESPONDENTSTwinkle Sahita
Shreya Bhattacharya [email protected]
MARKETINGVikas Khadtale
[email protected] Mobile: +91 9820397514
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERPrasad Mohite
GRAPHIC DESIGNERRajesh Mhapralkar
DISCLAIMERViews expressed in the magazine
are not of ACAAI
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ContentsVOL 8 - ISSUE 1 • JAN - MAR 2017
interviewFoStering ChAngeACI’s Director General, Angela Gittens talks about ACI’s mission, the challenges that the industry faces, thegrowing cooperation between governmentsand the industry
The recently concluded second annual Airport Council International’s ‘Investing in Airports’ conference witnessed several high-profile speakers from the aviation sector deliberate at length on economic regulation, privatisation of the airport industry, and lessons learnt from other regulated industries
FrAport ConneCtS CArgo StAkeholderS At Auto SCm Summit 2016 in indiAThe maiden AUTO SCM Summit played a perfect platform to bring together stakeholder from across the globe to network and discuss business
event 16
CollAborAte to improve eFFiCienCieSoF Flower trAnSportAt the first edition of Flower Logistics Africa 2016, the key takeaway was to collaborate with every stakeholder in the flower supply value chain to reduce cost and improve efficiencies of flower transport.
event 18
reSurgenCe oF Air logiStiCS in indiAThe 43rd annual convention held at Athens was attended by over 150 delegates. The convention was a great platform for knowledge sharing, interacting and networking for ACAAI members. ACAAI News presents the highlights of the convention
cover story
23 indiA SignS open SkieS Agreement with Six CountrieS
news
Countdown beginS For ACA 2017The global air cargo community will come together at Air Cargo Africa 2017 in Johannesburg to discuss ideas that will help the industry deal with current challenges.
preview 12
From the President's desk
The 43rd annual Convention of The Air Cargo
Agents Association of India (ACAAI) which
was held at Hilton Hotel, Athens, Greece
from November 16-19, 2016 was the first ever
ACAAI Convention to be held in Europe, and
thus became a landmark Convention. The theme was
“Resurgence of Air Logistics in India”. The Ambassador of
India to Greece M Manimekalai was the Chief Guest and
inaugurated the Convention on November 16.
An ‘Open Skies Agreement’ has been signed recently
between India and Greece, whereby the air traffic rights
between the two countries has been enhanced. This
development has the potential to boost bilateral trade,
which is currently miniscule. The Ambassador and her
team at the Embassy of India at Athens are focusing in
a major way on promoting Indo-Greek trade and
commerce relations.
Dr Rakesh Singh, Chairman, Institute of Supply Chain &
Management gave the Keynote Address. His address
dealt with strategy, its elements and importance, mission,
values, vision, the global dynamics and the world
economy, strategic imperatives, planning, etc. His talk
was greatly appreciated by all the delegates, and it set
the tone of the proceedings at the subsequent business
sessions of the Convention.
Hemant Bhatia President
Air Cargo Agents Association of India
(ACAAI)
GST to bring radical change in business
The business sessions focused on stimulating topics
pertaining to the revitalisation of air cargo in the context
of global recession, its impact on Indian exports and
adapting to change for prosperity. There were a number
of panel discussions in which the deliberations pertained
to the rules, regulations, processes, reforms, etc. which
are essential for securing the air cargo supply chain, the
importance of synergy between the airlines and the
forwarders, the critical role of technology driven processes,
the challenges and the vision required of managements
vis-a-vis the service quality and the involved costs. These
sessions essentially delved upon the current economic
scenario globally and in India, and their impact on the
freight forwarding industry.
The choice of Athens as the venue of this Convention was
quite timely and appropriate in the context of the possible
expansion of air services between India and Greece. The
city of Athens still retains many of its ancient monuments
and rich heritage and culture of the great Greek civilisation
of the past. Over and above the business aspects, the
Convention delegates also had an opportunity to see
and experience its unique legacy, as well as to take in the
natural beauty of the famous islands of Greece.
In the global context, connectivity by air is now possible
to virtually every nook and corner of the world. The global
markets of the new century are highly dynamic and their
requirements should be fulfilled almost instantaneously.
In this context, the air freight industry alone can meet the
need for speed in the transportation of goods expeditiously
from any country to any part of the globe as per the specific
requirements of each and every market.
In India, Goods and Services Tax (GST) is currently being
regularly deliberated in the GST Council for finalisation of
all the details. Once this legislation is implemented in 2017,
the dynamics of business in India will be altered radically
through the creation of a single market pan India. This
pathbreaking legislation will have a positive impact on the
economy of India. Despite the anticipated slowdown of the
Indian economy during the next one or two quarters due
to the recent currency demonetisation, a growth rate of
around seven per cent during the current fiscal will still be
the highest globally.
The year 2017 is likely to herald more changes in India and
globally. We hope that the New Year will be a year of growth
and prosperity for our industry and our country.
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sPecial rePort | air cargo
Air Cargo Community System to
streamline air logisticsOne of the key initiatives set by National Civil Aviation Policy 2016 was creation of an Air Cargo Community System to ensure global competitiveness and sustainable growth of Indian air cargo industry. Air Cargo Community System is a single window platform to facilitate seamless movement. A committee was subsequently formed and recently submitted a report on National Air Cargo Community System. ACAAI News presents key findings and highlights of the report
JAN - MAR 2017| www.acaainews.com 5
JAN - MAR 2017 | www.acaainews.com6
India is one of the fastest
growing economies of the
world and Indian air cargo
sector is poised to undergo
significant growth in the coming
years. Air cargo logistics plays a
paramount role in the economic
development of a country.
Countries with one per cent
better air cargo connectivity
engage in six per cent more
trade. According to World
Bank’s Logistics Performance
Index (LPI) 2016, India jumped
19 places and ranked 35 in 2016
as against 54 in 2014. The LPI
is an interactive benchmarking
tool created to help countries
identify the challenges and
opportunities they face in their
performance on trade logistics
and what they can do to
improve their performance. It
is a matter of great importance
to India as better performance
in logistics not only boosts
initiatives like Make in India, by
enabling India to become part
of the global supply chain but
also helps to increase trade.
This situation could be further
improved by enhancing the
processing of EXIM trade by air
at the gateway airports of the
country.
The air cargo logistics
industry has several
stakeholders viz. exporters,
importers, freight forwarders,
customs brokers, customs,
security agencies, airlines,
airports, ground handling
agents, bonded truckers,
transporters, ramp agents,
courier and express operators,
chambers of commerce
etc. Currently, there is lack
of efficiency, transparency
and consistency across the
supply chain, which results in
several pain areas for different
stakeholders. The information
exchange is many-to-many
resulting in complex/duplicate
processes. Further, there is a
lack of uniformity for message
interface, a lack of data
harmonisation, and a lack of
end to end tracking.
Understanding the need for
having a single window for
air cargo community which
will interface with Indian
customs single window and
facilitate seamless movement
of goods and information,
Ministry of Civil Aviation
(MoCA) constituted an Air
Cargo Community System
(ACS) committee drawing
representation from all
stakeholder groups. The
committee was constituted
under the chairmanship
of Dr Renu Singh Parmar,
Senior Advisor, Ministry of
Civil Aviation to examine the
desirability and feasibility
of ACS, to deliberate on
the ownership of ACS and
management thereof, to
estimate the funds required, as
far as possible.
eliminating duplicate data
entry, reducing unnecessary
paperwork by giving authorised
access to data to the relevant
supply chain stakeholder
and bringing in supply chain
visibility thereby reducing
inventory and other transaction
costs related to air cargo
movement.
The Committee recommends
that Single Automated System
for Collection and Dissemination
of Information via interfaces with
existing systems be used for ACS.
In this model, there is a single
system that collects, converts
and disseminates digital data
about shipments and the
data has to be submitted only
once by trade which gets
"This electronic platform can allow the reusability of data thereby eliminating duplicate data entry, reducing unnecessary paperwork by giving authorised access to data to the relevant supply chain stakeholder and bringing in supply chain visibility thereby reducing inventory and other transaction costs related to air cargo movement"
Dr renu Singh Parmar ministry of Civil Aviation
ACS is a single window
electronic platform of all
stakeholders of air cargo
value chain to interact with
each other digitally thereby
eliminating unnecessary
documentation, delays,
opaqueness of supply chain
and improving ease of doing
business for the air cargo sector.
Recently, the ACS committee
has compiled a report based on
consultations with these groups
across several meetings.
In order to facilitate ‘ease of
doing business’, it is recognised
that an electronic platform
be put in place to digitise key
stakeholder interactions. This
electronic platform can allow
the reusability of data thereby
sPecial rePort | air cargo
JAN - MAR 2017| www.acaainews.com 7
disseminated. The existing
systems can be interfaced in this
model and new requirements
would be built-in/integrated
directly in ACS.
The platform should be web
based. The platform needs
to have features to allow the
forwarders and customs brokers
do their process automation
and do the digitisation of
shipment data. The report also
mentioned that the platform
must support industry standard
messaging like IATA CARIMP,
UN EDIFACT, WCO, ICEGATE.
To minimise the change for
most of the stakeholders, the
platform needs to have standard
interfacing with stakeholders’
systems. Cargo terminal
operations system should also
be an optional module of the
ACS for the new Cargo Terminal
operators, if required.
OwNersHIP ANd mANAgemeNtThe Committee recommends
Public Private Partnership
(PPP) model for ownership
and management of ACS. It
will be owned by a Special
Purpose Vehicle (SPV) formed
with 51 per cent stake with the
Government. Ministry of Civil
Aviation, Ministry of Commerce
and Ministry of Finance may
jointly hold this ownership. The
remaining 49 per cent stakes
may be distributed amongst
airport operators (AAI/MIAL/
areas of interaction with other
partners in the supply chain.
ACS addresses the key issues
of higher logistics costs due to
lack of shipment visibility for
the shippers. For example, an
importer importing raw material
for manufacturing needs
visibility of import shipment.
If the shipment doesn’t reach
in time then a stoppage of
assembly line could result in
losses of millions of rupees
per hour to the importer.
To avoid this, the importer
may resort to stocking more
inventory which also results
in higher inventory costs.
Better visibility of shipments/
supply chain leading to lower
inventory costs. Proactive
alerts on shipment milestones
resulting in avoidance of
penalties and demurrages.
Better cash flow management
for duty payments due to
better visibility. Efficient
digital communication with
forwarders/customs house
agents reducing papers, faxes,
phone calls. Better audit trail of
interactions with agents.
wAy fOrwArdThe Committee recommended
to first select a competent
consultant. This consultant will
work along with the core
Committee to select the system
operator. It is proposed that ways
and means of leveraging the
existing cargo community
systems with extensive features
as a framework for creating the
national single window are
explored. It may be noted that a
lot of work has been carried out
with a number of user groups
across the air cargo value chain
in terms of understanding their
needs as well as enabling early
adoption. It would be ideal to
take this forward so as to
maximise adoption and usage in
the air cargo Industry. After
successful implementation of
International Air Cargo
Community System; the platform
can be extended to domestic
and courier operations.
DIAL/BIAL/HIAL etc.) and other
stakeholders like associations
etc. The SPV shall appoint a
competent service provider to
setup the system/infrastructure
and operational management
of the system. Stakes in the SPV
can be given in lieu of upfront
investments by each party with
an agreed cap on shareholding
on individual entity in order to
have balance in the structure.
System selection, operation,
pricing shall be governed by core
committee with representation
from Ministry, airport operators,
trade associations (ownership
agencies). System shall be
maintained and operated by
competent agency appointed
by core committee/governing
council with long term
commitment. The present ACS
Committee shall continue to
work till the roll out of the ACS
and be treated as the Core
Committee.
fuNdINg The ACS will be a very critical
system for the future of air
cargo growth in India. The
implementation of the same
shall be well planned and shall
be done in phases. The system
shall be made self-sustaining
and the mechanism/modalities
for the same may be decided by
the Core Committee/Governing
Council. A reputed consultant
with requisite experience of
Indian/global air cargo industry
may be hired to prepare a
Detailed Project Report (DPR)
and based on the agreed
scope of services, the funds
requirements shall be identified.
BeNefItsHighlighting the benefits of
ACS, the report suggested
that ACS shall be designed
with participation of pilot
forwarders, carriers, custodians
and with inputs from other key
elements in the supply chain
such as Indian customs. The
system is targeted towards
helping the supply chain
participant overcome the pain
JAN - MAR 2017 | www.acaainews.com8
event | aci investing in airports
Leveraging airport investmentThe recently concluded second annual Airport Council International’s ‘Investing in Airports’ conference witnessed several high-profile speakers from the aviation sector deliberate at length on economic regulation, privatisation of the airport industry, and lessons learnt from other regulated industries
suryA KANNOtH
Angela Gittens, ACI World; Arun Mishra, ICAO; Stephen Perkins, ITF at the OECD; AK Pathak, Airports Authority of India at the opening ceremony
Girish Shirodkar, Strategy&; Rajani Khetan, ClSA; Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad bin Abdul Majid, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad; Suzanne Tong, ACI Asia- Pacific discuss capacity challenges at major Asian airports
Stefano Baronci, ACI World makes the closing remarks
The case for investing in airports still remains
a strong one. While financing airport
infrastructure has been challenging for many
countries, the involvement of private players
has grown significantly over the years.
The recently concluded second annual Airport
Council International’s ‘Investing in Airports’ held
at the plush Planet Hollywood Beach Resort in Goa
from December 6-8, 2016 featured sessions and
panel discussions where high-profile speakers from
the global airport fraternity deliberated at length
on economic regulation, the investment horizon
and the state of the airport industry, privatisation
of airports in India, lessons from other regulated
industries among others.
At the conference organised by ACI in
cooperation with International Civil Aviation
Organisation (ICAO) and the International Transport
Forum (ITF), Angela Gittens, director general, ACI
World, in her opening remarks, made the case for
“fostering the right environment for investment
in airports and ensuring that regulation evolves in
step with the industry for a sustainable future with
to drive growth
JAN - MAR 2017| www.acaainews.com 9
the ability to accommodate
growth in the demand for air
service.”
“While growth is expected
to remain solid in mature
markets over the medium
term - most notably in North
America and Europe - most
of the growth is forecast
to come from emerging
economies. For the aviation
community to overcome this
challenge, investment in airport
infrastructure and ground
access will be necessary,”
she said.
“The underlying question
is who will bear the cost?”
asked Gittens. “Despite good
intentions on the part of
national regulators, there are
regulatory frameworks that
create disincentives for private
investment and the sustainable
development of airport
infrastructure.”
Highlighting India’s
national civil aviation policy,
Gittens said that India is a fast
growing country and that other
countries are keenly watching
India’s expertise in managing its
aviation policies and regulatory
framework. She further stressed
upon the fact that investment
in airport infrastructure is of
paramount importance.
In his keynote address,
Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez,
general director, SENEAM
and Lifetime Goodwill
Ambassador of ICAO pointed
out that the growth in the
APAC region places increasing
pressure on the existing
aviation infrastructure. “The
growth in aviation traffic
requires better use of existing
infrastructure and inevitably
the development of new
infrastructure. There could be
constraints on the availability
of space to meet future
demands. Bringing private
investments, business reforms,
private financial initiatives,
public-private partnership will
facilitate more sophisticated
range of revenue streams for
fosters the sustained finance
of infrastructure and capital
investments.
A special presentation
was made by Sidharath
Kapur, president (finance
and business development),
airport sector, GMR Group,
which emerged the highest
bidder for Mopa Airport for the
development and operation
of Mopa Greenfield Airport
in North Goa. “Going forward
we expect a steep ramp-up in
traffic till FY26, as airlines move
from Dabolim to new Mopa
Airport,” he said. The airport
will be operational by FY2021.
Arun Mishra, regional
director of the Asia Pacific
region of ICAO; Stephen
Perkins, Head of Research and
Policy Analysis of ITF, Dr Harry
Bush, independent advisor
and former group director
economic regulation of the
UK Civil Aviation Authority
also highlighted some key
economic characteristics
of the airport industry.
Delegates also witnessed
technical presentations on
the importance of sustainably
accommodating growth in the
demand for air service.
The conference ended with
closing remarks by Stefano
Baronci, director of economics,
ACI World, who stressed upon
the need for optimisation
of existing infrastructure
at airports with equal
involvement of airport co-
ordinators, airlines, airports and
States. “There is no one-size-
fits-all formula, and in general,
it is important to contextualise
regulations in a specific market
while ensuring a level playing
field,” he said.
Baronci further added that
intervention on the part of the
regulator should be minimal
which will help airports and
airlines to engage in more
commercial interactions.
“Economic regulations should
better reflect and anticipate
market dynamics. In particular,
airport competition has been
increasingly involving both in
terms of scope and intensity.
This may imply moving
towards less economic
regulation whenever supported
by airport market power. Thus,
the regulator should intervene
only when necessary and
intervention should be
proportionate to the problems
identified. This would
incentivise airports and airlines
to engage in more commercial
interactions allowing to work
out the best solutions to the
challenges that ultimately they
hope to face together,”
he concluded.
Amber Dubey, KPMG; PS Nair, GMR Group; S. Machendranathan, AERA and Rajeev Jain, GVK discuss the current process of privatisation in India
investors and stakeholders. More
importantly, value creation of the
improvement of the quality of
services are cornerstone for many
of these initiatives,” he said.
Gonzalez spoke about the
rich experience that India has
in building infrastructure on
the PPP model. In his view,
it is important for private
investors to have flexibility to
allow them to operate in the
competitive environment with
an expectation of reasonable
return for the risk they are
taking. “One also needs to take
a close look at the modern
authority or regulator should
play to ensure prosperity in a
viable way and to benefit the
end user. Inorder to get a win-
win situation, we need to work
together,” he affirmed.
The two-day conference
held a session on the current
process of privatisation in
India. The session, moderated
by Amber Dubey, partner
and head for aerospace and
defense, KPMG India with an
eminent panel of speakers
including PS Nair, CEO-
Corporate, Airports Sector,
GMR Group; Rajeev Jain, CEO,
GVK and S Machendranathan,
chairman, AERA opened up
an interactive discussion
with delegates on whether
India’s economic regulation
JAN - MAR 2017 | www.acaainews.com10
FosteringchangeAirports Council International (ACI) was formed in 1991. Its mission is to promote the collective interests of the world’s airports and the communities they serve, and promote professional excellence in airport operations and management.
As of January 2017, ACI serves 623 members operating 1,940 airports in 176 countries. ACI consists of a World office in Montreal and five Regions: Africa; Asia-Pacific, which includes the Middle East; Europe; Latin America-Caribbean; and North America.
ACI’s Director General, Angela gittens, has been a harbinger of change. Gittens, who began her tenure in 2008, has served on numerous aviation industry boards and committees including the FAA Management Advisory Committee, the FAA Research, Engineering and Development Committee, the National Civil Aviation Review Commission among others.
During the ACI Investing in Airports conference held in Goa in December, Gittens spoke to surya Kannoth on ACI’s mission, the challenges that the industry faces, the growing cooperation between governments and the industry and more...
interview | angela gittens
JAN - MAR 2017| www.acaainews.com 11
Looking back at the 25
glorious years of ACI and
your long standing career,
how has ACI evolved and
have its missions been
accomplished?
The biggest change over
the last 25 years is that
airports have become busi-
nesses in their own right.
Originally, they were public
infrastructures which pro-
vided a place for other busi-
nesses to do business.
Now it is up to the airport
to make sure that air services
are provided to their commu-
nities. Airports not only have
to plan the facility but also
the operation. They also have
to care about the passenger
journey on the ground. But
the customer wants the same
treatment that the customer al-
ways wanted. So, someone has
to step in to provide that level
of customer service again.
For ACI, what that has
meant is that we have to
serve our members. Today
our members are interested
in data and benchmarking
their airport service quality.
ACI provides these kind of
products and services to serve
our members.
Our voices also had to get
louder because of grow-
ing pressures, particularly
economic ones. This is one
of the reasons that ACI World
moved to Montreal so we
could engage more with the
International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO).
Issues of safety have be-
come more important as pas-
senger traffic has grown, and
in the emerging economies
where most of the growth is
taking place, more attention
is paid to the areas of safety
and security. ACI has instituted
programmes to directly assist
airports in a range of dimen-
sions with safety being the
most important.
With the growth of the
industry, who is going to
manage and operate these
airports? The fact is that we
have more airports now and
bigger ones at that. Also, the
generation that was doing
management and operation
are starting to retire. We need
more people because the
industry is growing. Hence,
training has become more
desirable and more critical.
Therefore in 2006, we started
the Global Airport Manage-
ment Professional Accredita-
tion Programme (AMPAP) with
ICAO and that has certainly
grown, as well as training in
every discipline within the air-
port business. As the industry
evolves, ACI evolves.
what are some of the
biggest challenges that the
industry is facing in terms
of airport security?
The threat is always evolving.
Unlike safety where there is risk
and the challenge is to mitigate
that risk to avoid danger, with
security, the risk is constantly
changing. All threats don't go
away and new threats come
along so you have to con-
stantly adjust and adapt, and
we in the airport sector are
almost completely dependent
on governance.
The other big challenge for
governance is the ability and
willingness to share informa-
tion with each other. Aviation it
is all about connections. Right
now, we have certainly seen
evidence of the evolution in
threat, which is not specific
to aviation, but obviously you
have to be part of it.
Have governments become
more co-operative with the
industry over the years?
The level of co-operation is def-
initely improving. It is a tricky
situation because governments
have a bigger agenda than
just security in terms of their
relations with each other. But
I do see more sharing and
trying to work more with the
industry. A lot of governments
do recognise that they have
to work with the industry in
order to actually mitigate the
threat because it has been so
dispersed. It is different from
say a war between one country
and another. These are indi-
viduals who sometimes don't
seem connected, they may be
influenced but not necessar-
ily controlled by other bodies.
So, it is a lot more difficult
to discern, recognise and do
something about it.
Are you satisfied with
the current level of
engagement between ACI
and the regulators?
In terms of safety, yes. I think
the industry has done an
excellent job in its history with
respect to safety. Working
together, sharing data and
having a spirit of collaboration.
We need to get to that in other
arenas. It has worked in certain
arenas such as safety, but we
are not there yet. You still have
silos, you still have one party
trying to gain advantage over
the others, however, you don't
have that in safety. In safety,
the concept is we all win or we
all lose. And we need to start
maintaining that mentality in
the other areas, for instance,
on the economic side. That's
why we are having this confer-
ence (ACI World’s Investing
in Airports). It is not just how
regulations should be done
but what regulation is even
about.
what, according to you,
needs to be done to
improve the value chain of
air cargo?
We are still in the infancy stage
of sharing data and collaborat-
ing. We have security issues,
customs issues, plain logistics,
and economics. And I think
air cargo is still a siloed area.
I don't think airports work
enough with the air cargo side;
some airports do but it is such
a back of the house operations
in many places. At the airports
where you have significant
amount of cargo, you see
much more interaction. But
when it is belly cargo, it is
very difficult for the airport to
play a positive role. I think the
overall industry needs to get
its act together.
what are some of the
bottlenecks plaguing
airport infrastructure?
Money and community rela-
tions are the major hurdles for
improving airport infrastructure.
Also, noise is still the biggest
impediment to airport develop-
ment. Airports, airlines, aircraft
manufacturers and govern-
ments are spending billions
of dollars to reduce the noise
footprint. I think that we need
to deal with noise, not just from
the physical or engineering
standpoint, but beyond that.
How is ACI and airports
synergizing to achieve
green sustainable aviation?
We, as an industry, have devel-
oped targets for ourselves for
reducing our carbon footprint
proportionately as we grow.
We are very happy that
ICAO at the global level has
approved a methodology for
helping us get to that target. I
think we are definitely on our
way - there is a difference
however in having a target
and actually achieving it. A lot
of things have to be done
from the airport side - there is
the Airport Carbon Accredita-
tion programme, which help
the airports measure and
reduce its carbon footprint; we
have a tool called ACERT,
which provides reports to
airports that may not have an
environment to measure its
carbon footprint, greenhouse
gases etc. We now have
participating airports covering
over a third of the passenger
population and that grows
every year. We have sustain-
able development in our DNA
now and we are completely
focused on planning, design,
and operations.
JAN - MAR 2017 | www.acaainews.com12
Preview | aca 2017
The fourth edition
of exhibition cum
conference ‘AIR
CARGO AFRICA’,
themed ‘Airfreight in Africa
- Building tomorrow’s
market today’ will witness
participation from the global
air cargo community at
large to explore and tap the
enormous potential within the
emerging markets of African
continent.
The event, organised by
the STAT Media Group, will be
held from February 21-23 in
Johannesburg, South Africa.
South African Airways Cargo
is contributing to the event as a
key sponsor for the third time.
“We are excited once again
to enter into a partnership
with STAT Trade Times after
the success of the previous
conferences and exhibitions.
We look forward to making a
contribution to a discussion
focussing on Africa’s economic
growth prospects,” said Tleli
Makhetha, general manager,
South African Airways Cargo.
“The event plays an
important role in the
development of airfreight in
Africa. The interaction between
the various role players helps
to highlight opportunities that
are available and how each
one can make a contribution to
Countdown begins forAir Cargo Africa 2017The global air cargo community will come together at the most awaited trade event ‘Air Cargo Africa 2017’ in Johannesburg, South Africa to discuss ideas that will help the industry to deal with current challenges such as low yields and over capacity. The conference sessions will also bring to the fore variety of much discussed subjects such as e-commerce, technological innovations that will potentially transform the future of the industry. Alongside this, representatives from high yield shippers/exporters are also set to take centre stage at four exclusive air shippers' forums.
twINKLe sAHItA
Glyn Hughes of IATA
Soomi Ro of UN
JAN - MAR 2017| www.acaainews.com 13
the growth of the industry. As a
major role player in the region
we are duty bound to make
sure that we make a significant
contribution,” adds Makhetha.
The global air cargo industry is
currently facing challenges such
as low yields and over capacity.
The conference sessions will be
based on variety of these subjects
currently concerning the industry
and also provide insights into the
future of air cargo. The sessions
will also will demonstrate how
factors such as technological
day of the event and provide
an ocean of opportunities
for logistics providers to
enter the refrigerated
transportation market
in Africa given that the
continent needs better
perishable supply
chain services.
The conference
programme has attracted
industry stalwarts as speakers
including Glyn Hughes,
Global Head of Cargo, IATA;
Michael Steen, Executive VP
and Chief Commercial Officer,
Atlas Air Worldwide; Nils Pries
Knudsen, Head of Global
Cargo, Swissport International;
Rainer Muller, Vice President-
Commercial, Saudia Cargo;
Sanjeev Gadhia, Founder & CEO,
Astral Aviation; Conrad Archer,
Country Manager Director,
Panalpina Airflow, Kenya;
Ulrich Ogiermann, Chief Officer
Cargo, Qatar Airways; Peter
Musola, AG, General Manager
Cargo, Kenya Airways; Joscha
Kremers, Officer-in- charge,
United Nations; Meshack
Kipturgo, Managing Director,
Siginon Aviation; Bongiwe Pityi,
General Manager, OR Tambo
International Airport among
others.
Worldwide Flight Services
(WFS) and Africa Flight Services
(AFS) will be hosting ‘Welcome
Reception’ on February 20 for
the air cargo community.
One of the integral parts of
every AIR CARGO AFRICA edition
is the STAT Times International
Award for Excellence in Air
Cargo which is organised on
the evening of the second day.
Air Cargo Africa 2015
gathered a record number of 80
International Exhibiting
Companies, 527 global industry
decision makers as registered
delegates and brought in an
impressive number of 2915 trade
visitors from across 29 African
countries and 32 countries from
other continents to explore
business prospects.
innovations mainly Data
Analytics, the Internet Of Things
(IoT), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
(UAVs) popularly known as
drones and e-commerce boom
will prove to a be a game
changer for the industry.
Following the success
of round table discussions
that saw participation in huge
numbers from the shippers and
the logistics service providers,
the event this year will feature
four air shippers’ forums. The
objective is to give a platform
for the shippers to meet with
other links in the supply chain
and address the challenges
faced by them.
The Pharma Air Shippers
Forum, hosted by Brussels Airport
on the first day of the event, will
be attended by logistics and
supply chain heads of major
pharmaceutical companies.
Frankfurt Airport is
sponsoring the Air Shippers
Forum on automotive cargo.
The session will be held on
second day of the three day
event and will be one of the
four commodity specific
logistics conferences that the
fourth edition of Air Cargo
Africa is rolling out this year.
Another highly talked about
topic humanitarian aid will be
discussed at the Humanitarian
Aid Air Shippers Forum on
day two of the event and is
sponsored by Liege Airport.
The Perishables Air Shippers
Forum will be held on the first
JuStin BowmanCEO, Air Charter Serviceat Air Cargo Africa 2015 in Johannesburg
I think Africa is going to be a land
of tremendous opportunity for the next 10, probably 20
years.
The interaction between the various role players helps to
highlight opportunities that are available and
how each one can make a contribution to the growth of the
industry.
tleli makhethaGeneral Manager South African Airways Cargo
Venue:
Organised by
J O H A N N E S B U R GS O U T H A F R I C A
Book Now !Limited space- unlimited opportunity!
diamond SPONSOR
platinum SPONSORS gold SPONSOR
other SPONSORsSILVER SPONSOR
RAINER MULLERSaudia Cargo
CONRAD ARCHERPanalpina Airflo Ltd, Kenya
TLELI MAKHETHASouth African Airways
Cargo
RISHI RAMRAKHAInternational Federation
of Red Cross and Red Cresecent Socities, Nairobi
TEWOLDE GEBREMARIAM TESFAY
Ethiopian Airlines
VINEET MALHOTRAKale Logistics Solutions
SLAVEY DJAHOVPanalpina World Transport
(Dubai) DWC LLC
TOM CRABTREEBoeing Commercial
Airplanes
MUSA ZWANESouth African
Airways
HALIT ANLATANTurkish Airlines
SHAHE OUZOUNIANChapman Freeborn
Airchartering
JACOB MATTHEWNational Air Cargo
GEORGES BIWERAirBridgeCargo
MARCEL FUJIKEGlobal Air Logistics
Kuehne+Nagel
JOSCHA KREMERSUnited Nations
(Procurement Division)
OLIVER EVANSMatternet
ULRICH OGIERMANNQatar Airways
MESHACK KIPTURGOSiginon Aviation
GLYN HUGHESIATA
MICHAEL T. STEENAtlas Air Worldwide
Titan Aviation Holdings, Inc.
NILS PRIES KNUDSENSwissport International Ltd
SANJEEV S GADHIAAstral Aviation Ltd
PETER MUSOLAKenya Airways
BONGIWE PITYIO.R. Tambo International
Airport
For Booking, Contact : [email protected] [email protected] stattimes.com/ACA2017 @AirCargoAfrica
…expect more
SpeakerS include luminarieS of the induStry
PRINCIPAL MEDIA SPONSORS
SUPPORTED BYair shippers forum SPONSORS
PHARMA humanitarian aid
Automotive PERISHABLE
MEDIA SPONSORS
Venue:
Organised by
J O H A N N E S B U R GS O U T H A F R I C A
Book Now !Limited space- unlimited opportunity!
diamond SPONSOR
platinum SPONSORS gold SPONSOR
other SPONSORsSILVER SPONSOR
RAINER MULLERSaudia Cargo
CONRAD ARCHERPanalpina Airflo Ltd, Kenya
TLELI MAKHETHASouth African Airways
Cargo
RISHI RAMRAKHAInternational Federation
of Red Cross and Red Cresecent Socities, Nairobi
TEWOLDE GEBREMARIAM TESFAY
Ethiopian Airlines
VINEET MALHOTRAKale Logistics Solutions
SLAVEY DJAHOVPanalpina World Transport
(Dubai) DWC LLC
TOM CRABTREEBoeing Commercial
Airplanes
MUSA ZWANESouth African
Airways
HALIT ANLATANTurkish Airlines
SHAHE OUZOUNIANChapman Freeborn
Airchartering
JACOB MATTHEWNational Air Cargo
GEORGES BIWERAirBridgeCargo
MARCEL FUJIKEGlobal Air Logistics
Kuehne+Nagel
JOSCHA KREMERSUnited Nations
(Procurement Division)
OLIVER EVANSMatternet
ULRICH OGIERMANNQatar Airways
MESHACK KIPTURGOSiginon Aviation
GLYN HUGHESIATA
MICHAEL T. STEENAtlas Air Worldwide
Titan Aviation Holdings, Inc.
NILS PRIES KNUDSENSwissport International Ltd
SANJEEV S GADHIAAstral Aviation Ltd
PETER MUSOLAKenya Airways
BONGIWE PITYIO.R. Tambo International
Airport
For Booking, Contact : [email protected] [email protected] stattimes.com/ACA2017 @AirCargoAfrica
…expect more
SpeakerS include luminarieS of the induStry
PRINCIPAL MEDIA SPONSORS
SUPPORTED BYair shippers forum SPONSORS
PHARMA humanitarian aid
Automotive PERISHABLE
MEDIA SPONSORS
Fraport connects cargo stakeholders at
AUTO SCM Summit 2016 in IndiaThe Indian automotive industry is experiencing an interesting evolutionary phase, the AUTO SCM Summit played a perfect platform to bring together stakeholder from across the globe to network and discuss business. The maiden automotive supply chain summit with its vibrant panel discussions were much appreciated and delegates sensed the need for more such informative conferences for better networking and knowledge sharing.
rAsHmI PrAdHAN & twINKLe sAHItA
event | auto scm summit
l-R: Shailendra Goswami, Roland Weil, Dirk Schusdziara, Rahul Nangare
l-R: Suhail Kazi, Dirk Schusdziara, Pankaj Narang, Reji John
Fraport AG partnered with Indian
Transport & Logistics News
(ITLN) to host the first AUTO
SCM Summit at Chakan in Pune,
India. The conference brought together
numerous supply chain managers of
automotive manufacturers and logistics
service providers, as well as customs
officials to discuss ideas and share best
practices to mutually benefit each other.
The first edition of AUTO SCM
Summit by Indian Transport & Logistics
News (ITLN) held from December 6-7,
2016 at Courtyard Marriott Chakan,
Pune received an overwhelming
response from industry stakeholders.
The event was supported by Frankfurt
Airport and IndoSpace. The theme of
the maiden Summit was ‘Transforming
the future of India’s automotive
supply chain’. The two-day long event
witnessed around 100 delegates
including supply chain managers of
automotive manufacturers and logistics
service providers sharing their views
and experiences about the industry.
The long-term growth story is strong,
but short-term volatility is creating an
environment of uncertainty. India is
the sixth largest automotive producer
in the world (with an average annual
production of 24 million vehicles in
2016, of which 3.6 million exported).
India is the second largest two-wheeler
manufacturer, the largest motorcycle
manufacturer. The automotive industry
accounts for 45 per cent of the country’s
manufacturing gross domestic product
(GDP), 7.1 per cent of the country’s GDP
and employs about 19 million people
both directly and indirectly. By 2026,
India is expected to be the third largest
automotive market by volume in the
world.
The opening address was made
by Rahul Nangare, IRS, Additional
Commissioner of Customs, Jawaharlal
Nehru Custom House, Nhava Sheva.
Nangare mentioned that customs
should not be perceived as a problem.
It is not a road block. He further
said, “We are working as facilitators.
We want shippers to come forward,
interact with us and make the best use
of our recent initiatives. We have also
introduced Direct Port Delivery (DPD),
which will make a big difference.
Customs Department has also
become pro industry like the current
JAN - MAR 2017| www.acaainews.com 17
government. Prior bill of entry is what is
going to make a change in terms of
time savings.”
Making an opening remark, Dirk
Schusdziara, Senior Vice President Cargo,
Fraport AG, said, “Efficient supply chain
management is increasingly becoming
a survival factor for the industry. We are
proud to support the first gathering of
this kind. Cooperation between all the
partners in the supply chain is crucial to
remain competitive. Moreover, it helps us
to identify the demands of the industry to
support them wherever we can.”
Germany is India’s biggest trading
partner in Europe. Consequently, India is
also a very important market for Frankfurt
Airport. More than 70 passenger flights
and around 20 freighter services are
operated weekly between FRA and several
destinations within India. In the year to
October 2016, cargo volumes on routes to
and from India increased by more than 20
per cent year-on-year.
The first day deliberated on
transforming the future of India’s
automotive supply chain, future of
India’s automotive export scenario
and challenges ahead; enhancing auto
components supply chain and finished
vehicles logistics. The panelist agreed
that collaboration and digitisation is
the way forward. Goods & Services Tax
(GST) and Single Window Interface for
Facilitating Trade (SWIFT) will be a game
changer. Although infrastructure is a
challenge in India however, investments
in infrastructure in road, rail, sea and air
transport will help to boost the business.
The first session on ‘Transforming
the Future of India’s Automotive Supply
Chain’ witnessed panelist including Rahul
Nangare, IRS, Additional Commissioner
of Customs, Jawaharlal Nehru Custom
House, Nhava Sheva; Dirk Schusdziara,
Senior Vice President, Cargo, Fraport
AG; Shailendra Goswami, Chairman and
Managing Director, Pushkaraj Group. The
session was moderated by Roland Weil,
Vice President, Sales, Cargo, Fraport AG.
Talking about the challenges in
logistics, Goswami said that taxation
and skilled manpower gap are the
main challenges faced by Indian
automotive sector. Another big
challenge is inadequate infrastructure
in India. Investment in road, rail and air
infrastructure is necessary which will
enable ease of movement of goods.
Digitisation of documents will be a big
changer. Echoing the same sentiments,
Schusdziara, said, “Collaboration and
digitisation in air cargo sector will be a
big development.”
The session on ‘Automotive Export
Scenario and Challenges Ahead’ was
moderated by Reji John, Editor, ITLN.
Among the panelist were Rahul Nangare,
IRS, Additional Commissioner of Customs,
Jawaharlal Nehru Custom House, Nhava
Sheva; Amit Borkar, General Manager, SCM,
ARaymond Fasteners; V Athmaraman, Head
of Development and Strategy, Delex Cargo.
The panelists deliberated on the
impact of GST on automotive industry.
In addition, the panel discussed the
impact of government initiative of SWIFT
on India’s automotive sector. SWIFT will
enable ease of doing business, Nangare
informed. Borkar said, “We are investing
in the infrastructure for manufacturing
and supply chain. Right infrastructure
and right process will help to work as
a transparent ecosystem and make
differences. In addition, digitisation
will bring transparency and effective
communication in the system. I see
Industry 4.0 really to be a reality. It is not
just about smart manufacturing, it is also
digital supply chain.” Athmaraman said,
“Infrastructure in India cannot be compared
with other countries including Japan. We
will take time but we are evolving despite
of constraints.”
Panelist for the session ‘Enhancing
Auto Components Supply Chain’ were
Santosh Bhanu, Manager, Supply Chain,
Ford India; Nikhil Khairnar, Sr. Manager,
Logistics and Sourcing, Supply Chain
Management Division, Tata Autocomp
Systems; Pramod Kumar, Head of EDC
Maharashtra & Goa, Gati KWE and
moderated by Muralidhar Wadappi, Head
of Supply Chain Management, Benteler
Automotive India.
The session discussed on how
competitive and prepared are Indian
auto component manufacturers and
their logistics partners to create a more
visible, agile global supply chain. Bhanu
mentioned that two important factor for
development of supply chain is technical
team and timely delivery. Avoiding
ambiguity will ensure smooth flow in the
supply chain. Consolidation is the way
forward but not at the cost of service.
Continuous innovation and improvement
is the key to move forward. Kumar
agreed, “Enhancing the supply chain is
important. Vendor Managed Inventory is
a traditional concept and Vendor Owned
Inventory (VOI) will be the next age
concept. Maintaining service level at the
same time in a cost-effective manner is
the key.”
The final session of the summit
‘Transforming the Future of Supply Chains
Through Disruptive Innovation’ was
moderated by Reji John, Editor, Indian
Transport & Logistics News and among the
panelist were Suhail Kazi, IRS, Deputy
Commission Customs, Pune; Pankaj Narang,
General Manager, Central Purchase, Supply
Chain Management Division, Tata
Autocomp Systems and Dirk Schusdziara,
Senior Vice President, Cargo, Fraport AG.
The session discussed on the new
concepts like Internet of Things, advanced
robotics and driverless electric automobile
and impact of 3D printing on the auto
supply value chain.
JAN - MAR 2017 | www.acaainews.com18
event | Flower logistics aFrica
Collaborate to improve efficiencies
At the first edition of ‘Flower Logistics Africa 2016’ held in Nairobi, Kenya, the key takeaway was to collaborate with every stakeholder in the flower supply value chain to reduce cost, improve efficiencies of flower transport and make Kenya a global flower power that sets global benchmarks in production, transportation and distribution.of flower
transporttwINKLe sAHItA
The inaugural edition of Flower
Logistics Africa 2016 (FLA 2016)
held on November 8 and 9, in
Nairobi, Kenya, got to a good
start with Jane Ngige, the chief executive
officer of Kenya Flower Council (KFC)
officially inaugurating the event and
delivering the keynote address calling
industry stakeholders to work towards
making Kenyan flower industry the world
leader in flower export.
The main theme of the event was
“From farm to vase: Building sustainable
cut flower supply chain”. The objective
was to give a platform for the flower
growers and exporters to meet with other
stakeholders in the supply chain and
address the challenges faced by them.
The two-day event, organised by
Logistics Update Africa, a key Africa
focused transport and logistics publication
from STAT Media Group, saw participation
of 95 delegates representing exporters,
service providers, industry organisations
and government.
Ngige said that the Kenya flower
industry need to ensure the ‘A’ quality
flower leaving farms reach consumers in
all destinations as the same ‘A’ quality.
According to Ngige, flowers from Kenya
are going to over 60 different destinations
worldwide. “500 tonnes of flower are
airlifted daily from Kenya,” she added.
Conference participants acknowledged
that there was the stereotype in Europe
about the African flower not being the
best quality. This, according to many
participants, hinders African flower
Chris McLean, Panalpina Airflo; Parit Shah, Silpack Industries; Christo van der Meer, Royal Flora Holland; Joseach Rotich, Chief Trade Development Officer, Govt. of Kenya and Bimal Kantaria, Elgon Kenya.
Jane Ngige
JAN - MAR 2017| www.acaainews.com 19
Sanjeev Gadhia John Mungai and J M Mandelbaum
exporters from getting the best
prices at auctions.
The inaugural session
witnessed an objective and
no holds barred discussion
on how to build a sustainable
cut flower supply chain. Ivan
Mbowa, co-founder & CEO,
Umati Capital, moderated the
session. The esteemed panelists
for the session included: Jane
Ngige, CEO, KFC; Sanjeev
Gadhia, Founder & CEO, Astral
Aviation; Jack Mwaura, Group
head of commercial, Siginon
Aviation and Bimal Kantaria,
Director, Elgon Kenya.
“Lack of direct flights to
new markets like America
and transportation of flowers
within Kenya are the other
key challenges,” pointed out
Mwaura. Gadhia also pointed
out major challenges such as
infrastructure, number of stops
before airport, more capacity
than demand while speaking
during the event.
“Many African growers
are at a disadvantage as
compared to their counterparts
across the globe due to poor
infrastructure support here in
Kenya,” said Kantaria.
The second session on the
inaugural day moderated by J
M Mandelbaum, CEO, Steward
Ventures, with panelist John
Mungai, Agronomist, SGS
(Kenya) Food and Life, majorly
discussed how prudential care
make breakthroughs feasible
for individual firms and for value
chain allies.
The discussions came to a
conclusion that breakthrough
can be achieved in delivering
a subsidy from downstream to
upstream, efficient payments,
full value change de-risking.
Kenya has moved to the
branding of Quality Assured
Cementing this idea can be
done by enlisting the buyer to
love the grower.
John Kihia, technical
manager, Oasis Floralife Africa;
Khilan Patel, managing director,
Ever Flora; Matthea van der
Mollen, general manager, East
Africa, Royal Flora Holland and
Jeroen van der Hulst, director/
owner, FlowerWatch were the
panelists for the session on
“Open marketplace vs. auction
houses and its implications on
the supply chain. The session
was moderated by Reji John,
Editor, Logistics Update Africa.
In the last session of the first
day, innovative solutions to
improve the value chain were
discussed. The session was
moderated by Bimal Kantaria,
Elgon Kenya with panelists:
Chris McLean, Customer
Relations and Projects manager,
Panalpina Airflo; Parit Shah,
director, Silpack Industries
and Christo van der Meer,
Sr. consultant, Supply Chain
Innovation, Royal Flora Holland
and Joseah Rotich, Chief Trade
Development Officer (CTDO),
Government of Kenya. “A lot of
growers need to move towards
vacuum cooling which does
wonders for the end product,”
said McLean of Panalpina Airflo.
Joseah Rotich said that
the Kenyan government is
supporting Kenya Flower
Council in trade agreements
with Europe. Kenya will
continue enjoying duty-free
and quota-free access for its
goods to the European Union
(EU) even if neighbouring
countries fail to approve
the Economic Partnership
Agreements (EPAs). While
speaking during the session, he
said that Kenya will, however,
not enjoy other benefits that
come with the EPA until all
East African Community (EAC)
partners ratify the deal.
The second days’ first
session concentrated on
an important topic, “Trade
trade agreements for market
access: the pros and cons for
the flower industry in Africa”.
The panelists part of the
discussion were Jerome Heeve,
director, Aver Flora and Sarah
Wangui, managing director,
Network Airline Services. The
session was moderated by
John Mathenge, executive
director of Federation of East
African Freight Forwarders
Associations (FEAFFA).
“Let us level the playground
and do business together,
we all have a role in ensuring
quality delivery,” said
Mathenge.
The last session of the
two-day event was on “Better
Logistics leads to better
profitability” moderated
by Logistics Update Africa
editor Reji John. The session
featured Ken Mbogo, regional
director for Africa, Saudia
Cargo; Peter Musola, Cargo
commercial manager, Kenya
Airlines; John Kihia, Technical
manager, Oasis Floralife Africa
and Jane Ngige of Kenya
Flower Council.
Flower Logistics Africa
2016 was sponsored by Astral
Aviation, Network Aviation
Group, Saudia Cargo and
AirFrance-KLM-Martinair
Cargo. The event had Kenya
Flower Council (KFC) as its
official partners and Africa
Logistics Network as its
supporting partner.
Commenting on the two-
day event, Ngige said, “We
have planted the seed and
have realized that we all have
a stake in this conversation.
We are looking forward
to future talks. Much work
still needs to be done and
it all relies on collaboration
between all suppliers and
operators in the industry.
We hope that next time this
conference happens again, we
will be looking at milestones
based on discussions we had.”
Ken Mbogo of Saudia Cargo,
said, “We got more than what
we expected.” For Chris
McLean, Panalpina Airflo, the
event “provided a great variety
of panel speakers, well curated
session subjects and a well
managed and close knit
interactive sessions.”
JAN - MAR 2017 | www.acaainews.com20
cover story | acaai convention
Resurgence of Air Logistics in IndiaThe 43rd annual convention held at Athens was attended by over 150 delegates. The convention was a great platform for knowledge sharing, interacting and networking for ACAAI members. ACAAI News presents the highlights of the convention
The air cargo industry presents a
wide variety of service providers
coming together to move goods
both domestically and internationally
with a single-minded purpose of faster and
efficient delivery. The air cargo logistics plays
a vital role in the economic development of a
country. Airlines, air cargo terminal operators,
ground handling service providers, integrated
express service providers, forwarders,
domestic cargo transport service providers
and custom house agents are the key players
in the entire air cargo supply chain. The first
ever ACAAI Convention to be held in Europe,
took place from November 16-19, 2016 at
Hilton Hotel in Athens, Greece. The theme
of the convention was ‘Resurgence of Air
Logistics in India’.
The demand for air cargo transportation
has increased significantly over the last
few years, because product life cycles have
shortened and demand for rapid delivery has
increased. The business entities in air cargo
Hemant Bhatia
JAN - MAR 2017 | www.acaainews.com20
JAN - MAR 2017| www.acaainews.com 21
logistics industry in turn interact with a
number of cross-border regulatory agencies
the principal among them is the customs
establishment. Speedier services in the air
cargo supply chain facilitate large number
of business entities to become more
competitive. Globally, more than one-third
of the value of goods traded internationally
is transported by air and therefore air cargo
industry is considered as a barometer of
Global Economic Health. From the point of
view of airline industry, air cargo services
contribute near about 20 per cent of their
revenue. India’s international air trade to
GDP ratio has doubled from 4 per cent to 8
per cent in the last 20 years.
The 43rd annual convention of ACAAI
delved upon the issues and challenges
faced by the air cargo sector and the way
forward. The convention was inaugurated
by the Ambassador of India to Greece M
Manimekalai. Among the dignitaries present
Sl Sharma and Ramesh Mamidala
M Manimekalai releasing ACAAI Souvenir
l-R: Tushar Jani, Zarksis Munshi, Afzal Malbarwala, Ravinder Katyal, Nikhil Sachdev
Sunil Arora
JAN - MAR 2017 | www.acaainews.com22
at the convention were Hemant Bhatia, President, ACAAI;
TA Varghese, Vice President, ACAAI; Sunil Arora, Chairman,
Convention and Secretary General, ACAAI and M Afzal
Malbarwala, Treasurer, ACAAI.
Presenting the keynote address, Dr Rakesh Singh,
Chairman, Institute of Supply Chain & Management
talked about strategy, its elements and importance,
mission, values, vision, the global dynamics and the
world economy, strategic imperatives, planning, etc. His
speech was greatly appreciated by all the delegates,
and it set the tone of the proceedings at the subsequent
business sessions of the convention.
The business session on Revitalizing Air Cargo: Global
Recession was chaired by Hemant Bhatia. Presentations
were made by Dr. Rakesh Singh, Chairman, Institute
of Supply Chain & Management on ‘Impact on Indian
Exports’, Rajesh Nagarajan of Sapthaang Services
made a presentation on ‘Establishing New Equations:
Challenges and Opportunities’. Presentation on ‘Air
Cargo: A Cost Effective& Equitable Product’ was made
by Tulsi Mirchandaney of Blue Dart Aviation and Raajeev
Bhatnagar of Amarjyoti India made a presentation on
‘Adapt to Change for prosperity’.
The business session ‘Securing the Air Cargo
Supply Chain’ was chaired by SL Sharma and among
the panelist were Ramesh Mamidala of Celebi, Samir
Mankad of GSEC, Manoj Singh of MIAL, T Szymczak of
Lodz, Airport and R Bolangdy of Hyderabad Menzies.
The session focussed on infrastructure, processes,
benchmarking - Global Best Practice; rules, regulations,
restrictions and, reforms: AFS/Air Cargo Hub, Temp
Control Supply.
The business session on ‘Airline: Forwarder Synergy’
was chaired by Anand Didwania and among the panelist
were Abhay Pathak by Air India, Satish Lakkaraju by
Agility Logistics, Aditya Vazirani of Robinsons Cargo,
Vipul Bhalla of Oman Air and Vasileios Barmpagiannis of
IFFAG&L. The panelist discussed on how to keep pace
with Indian logistics, role of carriers trade facilitation and
matching supply change, changing face of competition,
utility of customer.
The business session on ‘Technology Driven Process’
was chaired by TA Varghese and among the panelist
were Pradeep Panicker from DIAL, Amar More from
Kale Logistics, Shankar Iyer from Swiss WorldCargo and
Cyrus Katgara of Jeena & Co. The panel discussed the
manual practices to system processes, single window
facilitations, standardised procedures and integrated
industry platform.
The session on ‘The Quality and Cost: The
Management Challenge & Future Vision’ was
moderated by Tushar Jani, Cargo Service Centre India
and among the panelists were Zarksis Munshi of
Dascher India, Loknath Rai, ACAAI, Ravinder Katyal of
DSV Air & Sea, Afzal Malbarwala of Galaxy Freight and
Nikhil Sachdev of Pelican Air.
The three-day convention touched upon all aspects
affecting air cargo logistics and delegates had an
enriching and informative experience at the end of the
convention.
cover story | acaai convention
l-R: Pradeep Panicker, Amar More, Shankar Iyer, Cyrus Katgara
Shankar Iyer TA Varghese
JAN - MAR 2017| www.acaainews.com 23
NEWSCOMPAT directs IATA to submit fresh report to CCIAIr CArgO AgeNts
AssOCIAtION Of INdIA
(ACAAI) had filed a complaint
before Competition Commission
of India (CCI) in December 2012
against the anti-competitive
activities and abuse of dominant
position by International Air
Transport Association (IATA) and
its Indian affiliate, IATA India.
CCI had later ruled that IATA
had not contravened any of the
provisions of the Competition
Act. ACAAI therefore filed an
appeal before Competition
Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) in
August 2015 against the Order
of CCI.
Senior Advocate Jimmy F
Pochkhanawalla, instructed
by Vaish Associates, strongly
argued before COMPAT that
CCI’s order is seriously flawed
and should therefore be set
aside as the Director General
(DG), CCI, had not discharged
his statutory obligation to
conduct a proper enquiry into
all aspects of the complaint.
Further, instead of recognising
this, CCI simply accepted the
report of the DG verbatim. It
was argued that IATA comprise
around 260 international airlines
operating globally, and controls
the market in a manner adverse
to competition by virtue of its
dominant position. IATA has
appropriated to itself the right
to accredit air cargo agents in
India as well as in other countries.
Without such accreditation, air
cargo agents are unable to carry
out their business with airlines,
as most airlines globally are
members of IATA.
It was demonstrated that,
contrary to similar rules prevailing
elsewhere, the CASS Rules as
prescribed by IATA airlines are
anti-competitive, being unilateral
and one-sided, and agents have
no say in the same. IATA also
unilaterally prescribes the criteria
for accreditation of air cargo
agents, including the imposition
of many financial terms and
conditions and untenable
penalties. This clearly indicates
abuse of dominant position by
IATA. IATA has also abrogated
to itself the status of a Self-
Regulated Organisation (SRO) in
India without sanction by any
Indian authority.
The two-member COMPAT
Bench, vide its Order dated
November 15, 2016, found
considerable force in ACAAI’s
contention that neither the DG nor
the CCI have applied their mind on
the aspect of abuse of dominant
position by IATA as described in
detail in the said Order. Further,
there is no finding on this
important contention, though it
was raised on several occasions
throughout the proceedings.
COMPAT has set aside the findings
of CCI and has ordered a fresh
investigation by DG of CCI and has
directed the Authority to consider
all contentions raised by ACAAI,
and to submit a fresh report to
CCI within a period of 60 days
from the date of receipt of the
COMPAT order.
India signs Open Skies Agreement with six countriesINdIA has signed Open Skies
Agreement with six countries:
Jamaica, Guyana, Czech Republic,
Finland, Spain and Sri Lanka,
during the International Civil
Aviation Negotiations (ICAN)
2016 conference held in Nassau,
Bahamas from December 5-9.
RN Choubey, Secretary, Civil
Aviation said that the Conference
was attended by 106 countries
out of ICAO membership of 191
countries. India held negotiations
with 17 countries and MoU was
signed with 12 countries. The
major issues resolved at these
negotiations as per the directions
in National Civil Aviation Policy
(NCAP 2016) are:
1. Increase in traffic rights:-
India renegotiated traffic rights
with Oman increasing the
entitlements with 6,258 seats
effective from Summer 2017 as
the existing entitlements were
nearly exhausted. The points of
call remained unchanged.
India agreed with Saudi
Arabia to increase the capacity
arrangement will encourage
connectivity and passenger
travel between India and these
countries.
3. New Air Service Agreements
were signed with Jamaica and
Guyana.
4. Codeshare agreement:- In the
present scenario codeshares
provide seamless connectivity
to the travelling passengers
and make possible connectivity
between far off destinations
not served by direct flights. As
per NCAP 2016 codeshares are
to be encouraged and keeping
this in view, negotiations were
completed with nine countries
to enable the legal framework
between the governments
of these countries to make
possible codeshares between
the airlines of two sides. The
negotiations have enabled
domestic codeshares with
Czech Republic, Portugal
and Malaysia, domestic and
international codeshares
including third country
airlines with Guyana, removal
of restriction of counting of
capacity in case of codeshare
with third country carriers
and domestic codeshare
to additional two points to
Mauritius, codeshare with
third country carriers and four
additional domestic codeshare
points with Saudi Arabia and
Spain and code share with third
country carriers with Sri Lanka.
5. Resolution of other
issues relating to Air Services
Agreement was also completed
with Ghana, Israel, Japan,
Malaysia, Portugal, Hong Kong,
Ethiopia and Bangladesh.
by 8,000 seats per week from
IATA season when Indian
carrier’s utilisation reaches 80
per cent. India also agreed with
Ghana to increase the present
allocation of two frequencies to
seven frequencies per week to
encourage connectivity between
the two countries.
2. Open Skies Agreement
as per NCAP 2016 :- Allows
unlimited number of flights to
six metro airports: Delhi, Mumbai,
Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru
and Chennai, was signed with
six countries: Jamaica, Guyana,
Czech Republic, Finland,
Spain and Sri Lanka. The new
JAN - MAR 2017 | www.acaainews.com24
NEWS
SpiceJet inks $22 billion deal with Boeing
Demonetisation pulls down air cargo traffic by 12% in Nov: ICRA
demONetIsAtION drive has
not only affected air cargo
segment leading to a 12 per
cent points slump on a month-
on-month basis but has also
slowed down the passenger
traffic growth in November
from 22 per cent to 19 per cent
in the rest of the year.
Air passenger traffic stood at
22.6 million, exhibiting a growth
of over 19 per cent in November
on a month-on-month basis,
cargo traffic witnessed a
decline of 12 per cent in the
month, while air traffic as a
whole declined 2 per cent.
Even passenger traffic growth
sPICeJet and Boeing signed a
deal for the purchase of up to 205
airplanes. SpiceJet enhanced its
existing order of 55 aircraft with
additional 100 firm B737-8 MAX
and 50 purchase rights for B737-8
MAX and wide-body aircraft. With
this, the total order of 205 aircraft
is valued at $22 billion (Rs 150,000
crores) at list prices.
This order, the biggest in
SpiceJet’s history, ends the era
of turnaround and marks the
beginning of a growth story
for the next decade. This fleet
acquisition provides SpiceJet the
ability to capitalise on the robust
demand forecast in the world’s
fastest growing aviation market.
SpiceJet placed its first
order with Boeing in 2005 for
Next-Generation B737s and
currently operates 32 Next-
Generation B737s in its fleet and
17 Bombardier Q400s.
“Our turnaround story has
been one which has very few
parallels in the world today and
we are proud of it. SpiceJet has
achieved seven consecutive
quarters of profit, highest on-
time performance and lowest
cancellation rates; a record load
factor of over 90 per cent every
month for 20 months in a row - a
feat that has no parallel in aviation
history,” said Ajay Singh, Chairman
and Managing Director, SpiceJet.
“We are honoured to build
upon more than a decade of
partnership with SpiceJet with
their commitment of up to 205
airplanes,” said Ray Conner, Vice
Chairman, The Boeing Company.
“The economics of the 737 MAXs
will allow SpiceJet to profitably
open new markets, expand
connectively within India and
beyond, and offer their customers
a superior passenger experience.”
“We are now in a very good
position to expand our network
and operations which includes
both domestic and international
routes and destinations,” Singh
said.
“The Boeing 737 class of aircraft
has been the backbone of our
fleet since SpiceJet began, with
its high reliability, low operation
economies and comfort. With
the next generation of B737 and
the B737 MAX we are sure that
we can be competitive and grow
profitably,” Singh added.
The B737 MAX incorporates
the latest technology CFM
International LEAP-1B engines,
advanced technology winglets
and other improvements to
deliver the highest efficiency,
reliability and passenger
comfort in the single-aisle
market.
The new airplane will deliver
20 per cent lower fuel use than
the first Next-Generation B737s
and the lowest operating costs in
its class - 8 per cent per seat less
than its nearest competitor.
on a month-on-month basis
tempered to 19 per cent from
over 22 per cent in the previous
month, stated ICRA report.
In contrast to the robust y-o-y
growth in passenger and aircraft
traffic, the year-on-year growth
in air cargo traffic halved to 7 per
cent in November as against 14
per cent in October, the report
added.
During the first eight months
of the current financial year,
passenger traffic has grown 19 per
cent, aircraft traffic has grown by
15 per cent and cargo traffic has
grown by 9 per cent, according to
media reports.
Both domestic and
international cargo traffic
reported a decline on month-
on-month basis in falling by
20 per cent and 6 per cent,
respectively. Moreover, 18 out
of the top 20 airports reported
month-on-month decline in
cargo traffic in the month
under review.
Further, air cargo traffic
reported month-on-month
decline of 12 per cent in
November as against a
9 per cent month-on-month
growth in October.
AJAy SINgH AND RAy CONNER
JAN - MAR 2017| www.acaainews.com 25
NEWS
Etihad Aviation, Lufthansa strike codeshare dealetIHAd AIrwAys and
Lufthansa German Airlines, part
of Europe’s largest airline group
has announced the conclusion
of a codeshare agreement. The
wet-lease agreement between
Lufthansa Group and airberlin
in which Etihad Aviation Group
indirectly holds a 29 per cent
stake was also announced.
Lufthansa’s point-to-point carrier
Eurowings and Austrian Airlines,
a Lufthansa Group airline, have
signed an agreement to wet
lease 38 aircraft from airberlin.
33 of these aircraft are to be
operated for the Eurowings
Group, an additional five aircraft
are to be flown for Austrian
Airlines. The agreement has a
term of six years and becomes
effective from February 2017
subject to any regulatory
requirements. The leases have
been agreed at competitive rates.
Under the codeshare
agreement, the German airline
will place its ‘LH’ code on Etihad
Airways’ twice daily non-stop flights
between its home base of Abu
Dhabi and Frankfurt and its twice
daily non-stop services between
Abu Dhabi and Munich, the biggest
city in southern Germany.
The UAE’s national airline
will, in turn, put its ‘EY’ code on
Lufthansa’s long-haul, non-
stop intercontinental services
between its home base of
Frankfurt, the business and
commercial capital of Germany,
and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as well
as Bogota, Colombia.
James Hogan, President and
CEO, Etihad Aviation Group, said,
“We have long seen Germany
as a key strategic market for
Etihad Aviation Group and this
new relationship with Lufthansa
marks the next step in our
commitment to the leading
European aviation group.
Lufthansa is highly respected
globally and I’m very pleased
that we will work together in
the future for the benefit of
our customers. Additionally,
we are, in our role as a minority
shareholder in airberlin, fully
supportive of the separate
agreement reached today with
the Lufthansa Group to wet
lease 38 airberlin aircraft. It is
very clear to us at Etihad Airways
that Lufthansa is a like-minded,
forward thinking organisation
with which we can do strong,
meaningful and mutually
beneficial business.”
Carsten Spohr, Chairman of
the Board and CEO, Lufthansa
Group, said, “We are looking
forward to partnering with
the Etihad Aviation Group.
The wet-lease contract with
airberlin fosters the growth
of our Eurowings Group. The
codeshare agreement of
Lufthansa and Etihad will offer
our customers more benefits
and complement both airlines’
networks. We will consider
extending our cooperation in
other areas.”
Government to spend $10bn on airport infrastructurer N CHOuBey, Civil Aviation
Secretary said that $10 billion
would be spent in the next
five years on development
of airport infrastructure,
addressing a day-long
India Aviation Summit in
Vijaywada. This will enable
the country to become the
world’s third largest aviation
market in next seven years. As
many as 400 unused airstrips
across the country that
had become cattle grazing
grounds, would be brought
back to life.
Choubey said the Civil
Aviation Ministry was
determined to maintain the
“historic” 23 per cent growth
rate achieved in the aviation
sector in the country. “$10
billion would be spent in next
AIr CHArter servICe (ACs),
specialist in aircraft charter has
promoted Dan Morgan-Evans from
London Cargo Director to Global
Cargo Director with immediate
effect.
Speaking on the appointment,
Group CEO, Justin Bowman,
commented, “Dan joined ACS just
over 14 years ago, after working
in the charter industry for an
airline. He quickly worked his way
through several levels of seniority,
before becoming Director of London Cargo in 2011. He has been
intrinsic in developing and refining our methods and has led by
example in his training and mentoring of new staff. Many of our
most accomplished and senior members of the ACS team, both
in our London HQ and internationally, have trained under Dan’s
guidance.
“He has consistently delivered as one of our most successful,
dedicated and busiest brokers and, after six years as Director
of London Cargo, Dan’s new role will see him help to grow our
cargo division globally."
ACS promotes Dan Morgan-Evans to global cargo director
five years to develop airport
infrastructure. Our aim is to
become the third largest aviation
market in the next seven years.
We are determined to stay
ahead of the growth curve,”
Choubey added.
Progressive and proactive
industry-friendly policies played
a significant part in Indian
aviation’s growth story and
not just the fall in fuel prices,
Choubey remarked.
JAN - MAR 2017 | www.acaainews.com26
NEWSGaruda Indonesia starts direct services between Mumbai and Jakarta
gArudA INdONesIA, national carrier of
Indonesia, strengthens its global presence
by launching first direct link between
Indonesia and India by operating a new
route from Jakarta to Mumbai. Mumbai
serves as the airline’s first gateway in the
region. The new service will be served
through Bangkok three times a week by the
airline's Boeing 737-800 aircraft. With two-
class cabin configuration, the aircraft can
carry 156 passengers (12 Business Class seats
and 144 Economy Class seats).
President and CEO of Garuda Indonesia,
M Arif Wibowo, commented, “We are very
pleased to be able to add Mumbai to our
extensive global network. There are strong
economic partnerships as well as numerous
social, cultural, and tourism relations
between Indonesia and India, and we
believe this new service will further boost
those activities amongst the two countries,
whilst offering easier access for travelers
between India and Indonesia.”
He continued, “Today, India remains a
partner in growth as well as an important
market for Indonesia, and Garuda
Indonesia’s fights on the Jakarta-Mumbai
route will establish an important direct link
between the two countries in friendship.
We place great belief that the opening
of our service to Mumbai will forge an
even more solid bridge in enhancing the
future partnership between India and
Indonesia, which are now two of Asia’s
new economic powerhouses.”
The opening of Garuda Indonesia’s
flight to Mumbai is part of its international
network development program, especially
in the South Asia region, as well as the
manifestation of the airline’s strong
commitment to continuously support
the Indonesian government’s program
to double the number of international
tourists visiting the country by 2019.
Indonesia is currently one of the largest
markets to India with 350,000 people
currently travelling to the region on both
business and leisure. This new direct
route will not only boost the economic
activities between the two countries, but
also help towards meeting the Indonesian
government's target to increase inbound
tourism to Indonesia from India.
With Mumbai, Garuda Indonesia adds
the Indian subcontinent to its network.
Garuda Indonesia will serve the Jakarta-
Mumbai route via Bangkok route on
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
GVK MIAL wins ‘Air Cargo Terminal’ award at Logistics Asia Awards
gvK mIAL won the ‘Air Cargo Terminal’
award for the year 2015-16 at the 2nd edition
of the Logistics Asia Awards held recently
at The Gujarat University Convention and
Exhibition Centre, GMDC, Ahmedabad. The
prestigious award was bestowed upon MIAL
in recognition of its outstanding performance
in handling and processing of air cargo
volumes at CSIA airport.
This is for the second consecutive year
that MIAL won the ‘Air Cargo Terminal’
award, an honour given to companies for
exceptional performance in the logistics
and supply chain industry. The award was
conferred upon GVK MIAL at the Logistics
Asia Expo 2016, a three-day exhibition that
witnessed participation from Chambers
of Commerce & Industrial bodies from
leading manufacturing states, besides
corporates from India and abroad from
the various sectors.
A preferred destination for air cargo
exports in the western region, MIAL,
recently announced the launch of its
first-of-a-kind cargo terminal in India for
bonded and heavy export cargo. This
new facility is expected to enhance MIAL’s
export handling capacity by adding
300,000 tonnes of cargo per annum.
Currently the air cargo throughput handled
at the airport is to the tune of over 0.7
million metric tons per annum.
M ARIF WIBOWO
GoAir reaffirms its trust in RamcorAmCO systems has been
mandated by GoAir to upgrade
its Ramco Aviation Suite V5.5
to Ramco Aviation M&E/MRO
Solution V5.8. This upgrade will
further automate and enhance
its maintenance functions. The
upgrade will cover modules
for Engineering & Continuing
Airworthiness Management
Organisation (CAMO), Materials
Management, Quality and
Maintenance.
GoAir has been functioning
on Ramco Aviation offering since
2013, when the company went
live on the application in a record
time of 200 days, across 21 base
stations, for its 15 fleet. The
upgrade will additionally help
in simplifying and streamlining
GoAir’s Purchase Operations,
Inventory Operations, Aircraft
Maintenance Execution and
Technical Records keeping.
Designed to be accessible
on cloud and mobile, Ramco
Aviation Software continues to
add technological innovations
with ‘Anywhere Apps’, redefining
the power of Mobility, to
significantly reduce transaction
time both during AOG conditions
and critical aircraft turnarounds.
JAN - MAR 2017| www.acaainews.com 27
Air India enhances free check-in baggage on B747 Delhi-Mumbai route
Air India commences direct flights to Pune and Mumbai from Chandigarh
AIr INdIA has now added on
customer delight by allowing
up to 40 kilogram and 50
kilogram of free check-in
baggage for economy and
business class passengers
respectively on Delhi-Mumbai
route. This decision was taken
after deploying Boeing 747
on Delhi-Mumbai route in
December 2013.
Presently, Air India allows
25 kilogram in economy class
and 35 kilogram in business
class of free check-in baggage
on its flights as compared to
15 kilogram offered by other
airlines. Passengers flying on
Delhi-Mumbai route will have
an opportunity to experience
flying the airlines’ legendary
‘Queen of the Skies’.
Two flights that operate on
Mumbai-Delhi route by B747
depart from Mumbai (AI 806
NEWS
mumBAI INterNAtIONAL
AIrPOrt has announced the
launch of its first-of-a-kind
cargo terminal in India for
bonded and heavy export
cargo. The new export facility,
will enhance MIAL’s export
handling capacity by adding
3, 00,000 tonnes of cargo
per annum.
Spread over 7500 square
meters, the state-of-the-art
MIAL unveils new Export Heavy and Bonded Cargo Terminal
facility provides exclusive
handling for Heavy, Odd Size
and bonded cargo. The facility
provides a one stop solution for
bonded cargo handling with
dedicated channel for cargo
admittance, X-ray screening
and palletization. The new
process management deployed,
along with incremental export
capacity, will reduce the dwell
time to a considerable extent.
While the export light
consignments will continue to
be handled at the existing export
terminal, commissioning this
facility will enhance the terminal’s
infrastructure, stimulating further
growth in export volumes at MIAL.
The new facility will
complement the existing
Export Unitization Zone by
increasing efficiency through
faster admittance of cargo, swift
turnaround of vehicles and overall
reduction in handling dwell time
with new process management.
With this additional facility,
Chatrapati Shivaji International
Airport (CSIA) will now have 50
truck docks to serve export cargo.
AIr INdIA has launched
two new direct flights from
Chandigarh to Pune and
Mumbai to boost regional
connectivity. The first ever
flight from Chandigarh to Pune
would connect both emerging
IT hubs and will be a big boon
to industry and passengers
travelling between the cities.
The inaugural flights, full to
their capacity, received good
and AI 888) at 0800 hours in
the morning and 1900 hours
in the evening and arrive in
Delhi 1015 hours and 2105
hours respectively. Two flights
operating on Delhi-Mumbai
route depart Delhi (AI665 and
AI805) at 0800 hours in the
morning and 2000 in the
evening and arrive in Mumbai
at 1005 hours and 2225 hours
respectively.
response from commuters.
Both the flights will run five
days a week that is Monday to
Friday on an A320 aircraft. The
flight, AI 813 will take off from
Chandigarh at 1050 hours and
arrive in Pune at 1320 hrs. The
return flight AI 814 from Pune
will depart at 1400 hours and
land in Chandigarh at 1630
hrs. The flight, AI 642 will take
off from Chandigarh at 1745
hours and arrive in Mumbai at
2010 hours. The return flight AI
641 from Mumbai will depart
at 0720 hours and land in
Chandigarh at 1000 hours.
Last year, Air India placed
Chandigarh on the International
map by commencing the
first International flight from
Chandigarh to Sharjah. Air India
is launching the new flights
under the ‘Connect India’
programme.
JAN - MAR 2017 | www.acaainews.com28
NEWS
Jet Airways begins direct daily services: Bengaluru-Colombo and Mangaluru-Delhi
Jet AIrwAys has launched
a daily direct flight from
Bengaluru to Colombo. The
new daily connection will
provide travellers a convenient
link between the Indian IT
hub and Sri Lankan capital.
With the introduction of this
new connection, Bengaluru
will be the second Indian city
after Mumbai to be linked to
Colombo and Jet Airways’ third
daily service to the Sri Lankan
capital.
In addition Jet Airways has
started a new daily service
between Mangaluru and
New Delhi, offering business
travellers from the South Indian
port city and commercial hub,
seamless connectivity with the
national capital.
Jet Airways flight 9W
278 will depart Bengaluru’s
Kempegowda International
Airport at 0040 hrs and arrive
in Colombo at 0210 hrs (Local
Time). The flight 9W 277 will
leave Colombo at 0310 hrs (LT)
to arrive in Bengaluru at 0435
hrs (LT). The airline will deploy a
state-of-the-art Boeing 737-800
Next Generation (NG) aircraft on
this route.
The outbound leg of the new
service, flight 9W 763 will depart
Mangaluru at 0820 hrs and land
at Delhi at 1110 hrs. On its return
leg, flight 9W 764, will depart
Delhi at 1500 hrs and arrive in
Mangaluru at 1750 hrs. The flight
will also facilitate daily cargo
movement between Mangaluru
and Delhi of nearly five tonnes.
Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief
Commercial Officer, Jet Airways,
said, “Jet Airways is delighted to
launch a direct service between
Bengaluru and Colombo. With
increasing economic activity
between India and Sri Lanka, Jet
Airways realised the gap in the
connectivity and plugged it with
this direct connection.”
Shanmugam, said, “Jet
Airways is delighted to introduce
the new service between
Mangaluru and Delhi. While we
already have one of the most
extensive domestic networks
in the industry connecting 46
cities, we’re constantly striving
to enhance it further for greater
convenience of our guests. Jet
Airways has already established
itself as a prestigious brand
in the competitive domestic
sector and I’m confident the
introduction of the new service
will further cement our place
as the airline of choice in the
Indian skies.”
SpiceJet takes off with AMOS
swIss-As has announced a new
business relationship with low
cost carrier, SpiceJet regarding
the Swiss Aircraft Maintenance
& Engineering System AMOS.
AMOS will be rolled out and
used by over 600 employees in
the technical department of the
airline. Some members of the
SpiceJet technical department
staff are already familiar with
AMOS, which helped the airline
not only during the evaluation
phase, but will also be beneficial
in the future implementation
process.
“India has become a
strategic market for us and,
with SpiceJet on board, we are
proud to continue this Indian
story of success,” stated Ronald
Schaeuffele, CEO, Swiss-AS.
SpiceJet’s Head of
Engineering, Arun Kashyap,
said, “We look forward to
this association with Swiss
AviationSoftware. We believe
that this is the right time for us to
introduce AMOS into our system
as we move towards stabilising
our fleet and are also looking
forward to fleet expansion. AMOS
will not only help us in providing
information for maximising
resource utilisation but also
increase efficiencies in managing
aircraft and its components.”
AMOS will support the
SpiceJet growth strategy.
SpiceJet is excited to start the
AMOS project and the airline
foresees a short implementation
period to benefit from best
practice processes with the
introduction of this software. The
underlying strategy to introduce
AMOS aligns perfectly with the
expected fleet growth at SpiceJet
to support efficiency gains and
improved cost control measures.
SpiceJet will double the
current fleet with the 55 B737
MAX aircraft on order. For the
carrier, implementing a new MRO
software during this challenging
phase will bring efficiency benefits
and allow the existing and new
aircraft to be directly monitored
and maintained in AMOS.
Experience has proven, via the
numerous low cost carriers already
members of the AMOS customer
community, that expansive
fleet growth projects have been
successfully and economically
managed using optimised fleet
management processes.
[email protected] [email protected]/ACI2018
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