NetherlandsReport Fall in traffic ‘more limited’


Air France-KLM & Martinair saw its cargo traffic fall again last month (June). The joint carrier reported a drop in its freight activity of 2.8


percent as traffic fell to 894 million revenue tonne-km (RTK). Capacity was cut by 1.4 percent to 1.4 million available


tonne-km and consequently the load factor suffered only a slight dip of 0.9 percentage points, down from 64.8 percent in June 2011 to 63.9 percent last month. AF-KL Cargo revealed that unit revenue per available


tonne-km was also down year-on-year, but pointed out that the decline in cargo traffic in June was “more limited than in previous months”. Looking at the regional breakdown, Europe was – perhaps


unsurprisingly – the hardest hit, AF-KL Cargo’s traffic in that area diving by 20.6 percent year-on-year. In fact, the joint carrier failed to achieve growth in any of


the regions in June, although Asia Pacific showed the small- est decline: at 372 million RTK, traffic there was down by just 1.7 percent year-on-year.


Dutch cargo trucker sees the positives


According to Sebastiaan Scholte, CEO of Netherlands-based trucking giant Jan de Rijk: “We should see the current crisis as an opportunity to improve, change and co-operate more.” Among the challenges facing road feeder service (RFS)


providers such as Jan de Rijk, Scholte lists uneven import/export ratios and the seasonality of demand, which are both difficult to accommodate for an asset-heavy company. He also noted that while there are contracts between RFS


providers and airlines, and between handlers and airlines, there are no such contracts between handlers and RFS companies. “This means there is not enough co-operation between RFS


and handlers,” Scholte stated. “For RFS and airlines, the biggest issues are asset utilisation and the load factor; for RFS and han- dlers, manpower is the biggest cost. RFS providers often have long waiting times while handlers tend to have relatively unplanned peaks.” These obstacles could be better overcome if there were more


co-ordination and sharing of information throughout the supply chain, Scholte feels. In terms of handling and trucking prices: “The lemon has


already been squeezed – but we can still gain more efficiencies. Asset-heavy companies in Europe are being kept alive artificially


by the banks; but can the banks cater for their losses?” he asked. Scholte concluded: “We in this industry tend to wait until we


are forced to change, but we should actively change before it’s too late. We need to talk less and act more – complacency is the


enemy within.” n Fifty percent of Jan de Rijk’s business is based on RFS. It owns 650 trucks as well as subcontracting another 30 percent to enable it to respond flexibly to demand.


GSSA innovates in tough times


“The overall business in Hol- land has dropped compared with last year,” observes Dirk- Jan van Dijk, co-owner of GSSA Skyline Cargo. He pointed out: “The eco-


nomic situation is hurting exports and imports. Compa- nies are suffering. “Back in 2008 they could


survive on the money they earned in the year before that. But now that money is not there anymore and that will have consequences for not only the smaller companies, but also the gateway operators,” van Dijk believes. With Skyline’s former client carrier British Airways having


van Dijk: “companies are suffering”


started its own IAG sales operation in Amsterdam, van Dijk remarked that there appears to be a trend currently of airlines doing just that; whether this is for cost reasons or to establish their own identity more firmly in the local market is not clear. Still, he said the company is “willing to expand into the


Benelux”. It has developed a new, unique way of representing air- lines that allows for greater efficiency, he hinted, noting that “in these economic bad times, you have to be an entrepreneur”. Skyline has also developed a new lightweight pallet that enables airlines to reduce their CO2


emissions, he concluded. BRIEFS • BRIEFS • BRIEFS


FORWARDER IJS GLOBAL has been granted TAPA A certification for its world headquarters facility in Amsterdam. Netherlands country manager Edwin Koopman said this was evidence of IJS Global’s “commitment and dedication to creating a seamless, safe, secure and transparent supply chain”.


PETER KALES, CEO and founder of GSA Kales Airline Services, says: “Despite the fact that markets are slow and we can feel it seri- ously, we at Kales are happy to see stabilising flows and with our current portfolio we are able to keep our figures up. With our new appointment in Belgium for Centurion Cargo and the recent increase of cargo flights in Hungary by Turkish Airlines, we are comfortable about our developments.”


16 July 2012 Page 7


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