NEWS\\\


Issue 1 2015 - Freight Business Journal


7


It’s less bother if you hover


Roll up, roll up – BIFA welcomes Emirates simpler pricing plan


The British International Freight Association (BIFA) has given a “cautious welcome” to Emirates SkyCargo’s plans to roll up air freight, fuel and security surcharges into a single, all-in rate. It will apply to shipments to and from Europe from 1 February and globally from 1 March. Last year, BIFA director general Robert


DHL Express has launched a scheduled helicopter link between Heathrow and London’s two main financial centres. The daily flight, operated by a Bell 206 Jet Ranger with space for up to 300 kilos, flies from DHL’s Heathrow Hub to Canary Wharf and the City of


London, saving up to an hour over the road journey and guaranteeing next day delivery from New York, Boston and Chicago. A courier will meet the helicopter to deliver direct to businesses. Similar services already operate in New York and Los Angeles.


Skills for Logistics to go into administration


The Board of Skills for Logistics (SfL), the main UK training body for the industry, has decided to close the business and put it into administration. It blamed pressure from the trustees of the pension scheme, which has run up a major deficit since SfL joined it in 2003. Skills for Logistics added that


it has worked hard to stay in existence and be effective over the last 2-3 years in the face of substantially


reduced public


funding for skills initiatives. As it is now required to become 100% funded through employer projects, it has struggled to replace revenue streams.


Keen called for the shipping industry to follow suit. He said the Emirates SkyCargo move


was “a step in the right direction, provided it leads to the transparency that freight forwarders require”. Forwarders have for some time been calling for simpler and more transparent cost structures. “Perhaps


Emirates Skycargo is responding to


previous comments that freight forwarders stop accepting at face value opaque and unjustified surcharges,” he added. However, the fact that a leading air freight


carrier has chosen to incorporate fuels surcharges into overall cargo rates, just at a point when fuel prices are, at last, going down, will doubtless


spark widespread


cynicism among shippers. At a press conference on 26 January,


secretary general of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) Doug Brittin also welcomed any move towards transparency in air freight charges, while acknowledging that surcharges were “a key element in


operators’ earnings.” That said, any moves to make airfreight rates more transparent could only be a good thing, he added. Meanwhile, a spokesman for Luſthansa


Cargo said that it was likely that customers would be enjoying some reduction in fuel surcharges and hence freight costs. However, this would be partly counteracted by the weakness of the Euro against the US Dollar– like most airlines, Luſthansa pays for its fuel in US dollars. He added that the price of jet fuel had, for various reasons, fallen less sharply than the crude oil price. Nevertheless, it was likely that customers would have seen a reduction in airfreight costs.


their Security timetable will be tight, warns TIACA


The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) is reminding its members that recently released updates to Security Programs for all- cargo aircraſt in the US must be implemented by 16 February. The updated Security Programs, issued by the US Transport Security Administration (TSA) on 29 December 2014, affect all US and non US-based freighter aircraſt operators within, into and out of the country. TIACA secretary general Doug


Brittin


admitted that the timing of the announcement over the holiday season, and the short


implementation period were “not ideal”. Also: “While the updates incorporate some


ideas which the industry has worked on with the TSA, they do not address the risk-based approach, which we have discussed and fully supported.” The programs incorporate structural


changes and previous Emergency Amendments and Security Directives, but also require some changes in compliance procedures. Forwarders, regulated agents, and passenger


carriers who tender cargo to freighter operators may also be affected and should be notified by the operator where necessary, according to TIACA. All-cargo/ freighter operators may notify


their appropriate TSA Representatives regarding any elements of the program changes which they cannot implement by the effective date, and seek amendments. However,


given the short implementation


timeline, this also poses a challenge for industry.


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