The world’s leading logistics and postal company Deutsche Post (DHL) has signed an agreement to acquire up to 100% of the German logistics specialist JF Hillebrand Group and its subsidiaries for 1.5 billion euros ($ 1.8 billion). This will allow DHL to strengthen its position in the shipping market.
“Given the strengths of our freight forwarding business, the acquisition of Hillebrand is an excellent addition to our existing portfolio. In line with our corporate strategy, we are strengthening our core logistics business and delivering long-term profitable growth, ”said Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL Group.
Hillebrand is a global service provider specializing in the shipping, transport and logistics of beverages, safe bulk cargo and other products that require extreme care in transport. The company employs over 2,700 people worldwide. Hillebrand has generated sales of around 1.4 billion euros over the past twelve months.
Deutsche Post competes with Sinotrans from China for the second place in the sea freight market after Switzerland’s Kuehne + Nagel International.
Source: Logistik Heute
DP World has completed testing of the BOXBAY high bay storage concept at the first full-size facility constructed at Jebel Ali port in Dubai, proving that the innovative technology works in the real world.
More than 63,000 container moves have been completed since the facility, which can hold 792 containers at a time, was commissioned beginning this year. The test exceeded expectations with BOXBAY faster and more energy efficient than anticipated.
BOXBAY is a Joint Venture between DP World and German industrial engineering specialist SMS group.
BOXBAY features
The system stores containers in slots in a steel rack up to eleven high.
It delivers three times the capacity of a conventional yard in which containers are stacked directly on top of each other, meaning the footprint of terminals can be reduced by 70 percent.
Containers are moved in, out and between slots by fully electrified and automated cranes built into the structure. Individual containers can be accessed without moving any others. The whole system is designed to be fully powered by solar panels on the roof.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, said: “This test proves that BOXBAY can revolutionise how ports and terminals operate. The technology we have developed with our joint venture partner SMS group dramatically expands capacity, increases efficiency, and makes the handling of containers more sustainable. BOXBAY is part of DP World’s vision to apply innovation to enable global trade and be a provider of smart logistics solutions.”
Source: DP World
Skytrax, British consulting company, presented the winners of The World’s Best Airports in 2021 rating. This year, Boryspil International Airport reached the fifth place among the best airports of Eastern Europe.
Budapest keeps the lead in the rating, followed by Bucharest, eventually Tallinn filling the third leading place. Top ten also included the airports of Riga, Tbilisi, Belgrade, Bratislava, Zagreb. In the ranking of best European Airports 2021, Munich heads the list.
The World`s best airport
In the general ranking, Hamad Airport is considered the World`s best airport in 2021.
Let us remind you, according to the Airport Council International Europe report, as per the number of serviced passengers in 2021, Boryspil Airport hit the top 15 of the largest European airports, overcoming the airports of Rome, Lisbon, Athens, Munich, Barcelona, Brussel, Vienna, Zurich, Milan and Warsaw.
Earlier the AirlineRatings agency announced the rating of the best airlines in the world.
Heavy-lift freighter operator Antonov Airlines has carried 40 tonnes of mining equipment from France to Argentina via Brazil on an AN-124-100 chartered by Dynami Aviation.
Antonov Airlines said the aircraft type was selected for the operation because it can accommodate more than 700 cubic metres of oversized cargo.
Additionally, it responded quickly to ensure the flight met a “strict deadline”, allowing operations at the mine to continue as normal.
Olha Danylova, commercial executive at Antonov Airlines, commented: “The four pieces of cargo will be used in the creation of new tunnels at a mine near to Comodoro Rivadavia. We thank our esteemed partner Dynami Aviation for its professionalism and dedicated team which always contribute to a successful transportation.”
Dynami Aviation
Jérémy Sigaul, operations manager at Dynami Aviation, added: “Airfreight was the only way to safely transport this mining equipment and remain within the customer’s timeframe to limit any impacts on mining operations.”
Antonov Airlines said it has seen an increase in demand for charters for mining projects in 2021.
This year, it has completed three flights carrying mining equipment:
- weighing 370 tonnes — from Australia to Latin America in March,
- as well as two flights — carrying a sum of 216 tonnes — from Turkey to Burkina Faso and Liberia in April.
Thus, the total amount of mining equipment transported by Antonov Airlines this year exceeded 620 tons.
Source: Air Cargo News
Qatar Airways, which operates flights to Ukraine, was named the best air carrier in the world in 2021 by the Australian Agency for Aviation Safety and Product Quality AirlineRatings. The annual ranking is based based on criteria including age of fleet, passenger reviews and product offerings. This year, the team of global editors threw airlines’ Covid-19 responses into the mix too.
One of the key factors that allowed Qatar Airways to take first place on the list, the compilers of the rating called “the airline’s commitment to keeping its route network largely open” and its commitment to making the pandemic flying experience as safe as possible. Qatar Airways also received the Best Business Class and Best Catering awards.
In second place was Air New Zealand, which topped the ranking a year earlier. In addition, the carrier received the titles “Best Airline in the Pacific Region”, “Best Premium Airline” and “Best Economy Class”.
In third place is Singapore Airlines. The airline also won the prestigious First Class award for the six cabin suites in the forward upper deck of the airline’s flagship Airbus A380 aircraft designed to be the equivalent of small hotel rooms.
Australian airline Qantas was ranked fourth and won the Best Domestic Service and Best Lounges awards.
Emirates took the fifth position in the rating. The UAE airline also won the award for the best in-flight entertainment.
The next fifteen positions in the top twenty are as follows:
- Cathay Pacific,
- Virgin Atlantic,
- United Airlines,
- EVA Air,
- British Airways,
- Lufthansa,
- ANA,
- Finnair,
- Japan Air Lines,
- KLM,
- Hawaiian Airlines,
- Alaska Airlines,
- Virgin Australia,
- Delta Air Lines,
- Etihad Airways.
Source: CTS
Antonov Airlines has safely transported three Rosenbauer Panther 6×6 fire trucks on a single AN-124-100M-150 flight from the Middle East to Central Asia at short notice.
Antonov Airlines team managed to find a solution within a week to get the trucks to Central Asia after a change in circumstances meant short-notice airfreight was the only way to deliver the cargo safely and on time.
Fast cost-effective solution
“Rosenbauer came back to us and described the developments that affected the movement of its fire trucks. Antonov Airlines was able to connect this cargo with flight schedules already operating in the region to provide a cost-effective and time-sensitive solution that met Rosenbauer’s demands,” said Ivan Bozhko, Commercial Executive at Antonov Airlines.
After arriving at the destination, the fire trucks were unloaded, and cargo for a separate project was loaded, optimising the routing and cargo capacity of the aircraft.
The fire trucks weigh 21 tonnes each for a total payload of 63 tonnes and the length is 12 m each, totalling 36 m for a full Ruslan.
“Once again we had the pleasure of working hand in hand with Antonov Airlines to airlift our fire trucks to an otherwise difficult to reach final destination,” said Philip Karl, Key Account Manager, Rosenbauer International AG.
Recently, Antonov Airlines transported five Black Hawk helicopters from Poland to the Philippines on one of its seven AN-124-100.
Boryspil International Airport outperformed the airports of Vienna, Rome, Lisbon, Athens, Munich, Geneva, Zurich, Milan, Barcelona, Brussels, Stockholm, Warsaw and more than 300 other largest European airports reaching the 14 rank.
As pointed by the Chairman of the Boryspil Airport Supervisory Board Volodymyr Zhmak, with the reference to the ACI Europe report (Airport Council International), according to the Airport Press Center.
As a response to the challenges of the pandemic, in 2020, we developed the Anti–crisis Program for the restoration of Airport performance. And the recent results confirm that the pass we have chosen is the right one. According to the ACI Europe Report, which includes 341 largest European airports, we outran a number of high-capacity airfields. In particular, those are the airports of Vienna, Rome, Lisbon, Athens, Munich, Barcelona, Brussels, Stockholm, Zurich, Milan and Warsaw.
Passenger flow
The report published in June includes the data regarding the passenger flow. During the 4 months of 2021, Boryspil Airport ranked up to the 14th place in Europe and first time ever reaches top 15. Such results were achieved by virtue of the coordinated work of all the Airport departments on the development of the aviation network and passenger flow restoration, explained Volodymyr Zhmak.
He also noted that as of the May 2021, Boryspil Airport has already restored 60% of flights comparing to the results of 2019. In addition, as of the May 2021, Eurocontrol member countries restored their performance by only 39% comparing to the results of 2019. Therefore, Boryspil Airport restoration rate is by 1,5 times faster. Currently we are waiting for the full scale restoration of air connection with EU countries, providing even more active growth in passenger flow, noted Mr. Zhmak.
Antonov Airlines has safely transported five S-70i Black Hawk helicopters on a single AN-124-100 flight from Rzeszów, Poland, to Angeles, the Philippines.
The cargo weighed 35 tonnes in total, including loading equipment. Second consignment of five S-70i Black Hawk helicopters under a government-to-government agreement meets deadline.
“Although the total payload in terms of weight was considerably light for our aircraft – loading 5 Helicopters safely and transporting them without damage takes considerable collaboration. We have been working closely with both Sikorsky as well as their Logistics Supplier Helicopter International Shipping Services (HISS) for the past several months to insure that all current and future Program requirements are met.” said Amnon Ehrlich Director North America – Aerospace, Government and Defence Programs.
The first transport under the agreement was completed in November 2020 and was also for five S-70i Black Hawk helicopters, which were delivered to Clark Air Base, north of the Philippine capital, Manila.
Antonov Airlines operates:
- seven AN-124-100 including two AN-124-100M-150 with up to 150 tonnes payload,
- the largest turboprop-powered aircraft AN-22 (60-tonne payload),
- as well as the 250-tonne payload AN-225 “Mriya”, the largest cargo aircraft in the world.
Port operators at the sea ports of Ukraine handled 66.1 million tons of cargo during January-June 2021. It is 13.2 million tons or 16.7% less than in the same period last year.
Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority noted that the negative dynamics (the rate of decline compared to the same period in 2020) of cargo transshipment in seaports is gradually and monthly decreasing: from 1/4 in January to 1/6 in the first half of the year.
It is also reported that most of all the ports handled ore and grain cargo – 18.8 million tons (-16.3%) and 16.9 million tons (-27.6%), respectively.
Transshipment of oil products for 6 months of this year increased by 33.4% and amounted to 789.9 thousand tons.
At the end of the first half of the year, the transshipment of:
- export cargo amounted to 50.4 million tons (-16.4% compared to the same period in 2020),
- import – 11.1 million tons (-10.3%),
- transit – 3.9 million tons (-28 , 9%),
- coastal – 630.4 thousand tons (-42.7%).
Also, 506 186 TEU containers were handled in 6 months, which is 2.8% less than in the same period in 2020.
Following the results of 6 months, only two ports exceeded the transshipment volumes of last year – Mariupol port with a volume of 3.3 million tons (+ 3.9%) and Izmail port – 1.7 million tons (+ 1.2%).
The worst indicators in comparison with the transshipment volumes of 2020 is at
- Belgorod-Dnestrovsky port – 2.35 thousand tons (-93.5%),
- Berdyansk port – 571 thousand tons (-36.7%)
- and Reni port – 350 thousand tons (- 34.6%).