10


Issue 1 2019 - Freight Business Journal


Virgin and Delta have sights set on hi-tech Heathrow future


Virgin Atlantic Cargo and Delta Cargo will move to a new purpose-built


facility at dnata


City East, in the second half of 2019. The new site will double their cargo footprint at Heathrow, to 335,000 sq ſt and will offer more automation and faster truck and cargo handling times. Staff will use handheld


devices to efficiently manage the flow of cargo, while a double- train system will increase storage to 245 positions for pallets and containers. Customer trucks arriving at the facility will benefit from a new door management system, which enables drivers to complete paperwork at the gatehouse on arrival without leaving their vehicles and to then be immediately assigned to one of 18 cargo doors.


There is also a dedicated perishables zone and an enlarged AVI centre for live animals. Director of cargo operations at


Virgin Atlantic, Tania Boyes, said: “Moving into dnata City East will be a game changer for us and our joint venture with Delta Cargo. It will not only double our capacity at Heathrow and provide space to grow, it also reinforces our commitment to be easier to


SEKO opens up in Ireland


do business with, to use new technologies and automation to simplify and improve our customer experience, and to leverage our partnerships. At a time when Virgin Atlantic is achieving record volumes, this gives us a platform for


long-


term growth. We also wish to acknowledge dnata’s foresight in working with us to make this possible.” Delta Cargo’s managing


director – operations and customer experience, Rafael Figueroa added: “This state- of-the art facility will put the customer at the forefront with improved facilities and innovative technology solutions, as well as positioning Delta Cargo and Virgin Atlantic Cargo for future growth in this key market.” Gary Morgan, dnata’s chief


executive in the UK, stated: “dnata’s relationship with Virgin Atlantic Cargo spans more than 30 years and has, most recently, been enhanced by Virgin’s joint venture with Delta Cargo. dnata


City East gives us the


opportunity to design a facility which is tailored to Virgin and Delta’s long-term ambitions within the expanding Heathrow environment.”


Ligentia buys UK’s Air & Cargo


Ligentia Group has bought the business and assets of UK- based forwarder Air & Cargo Services. It said the move would substantially increase its footprint in the country and strengthen its freight forwarding proposition, expanding its global network to over 70 offices, 450 employees and generating annual revenues of £160m in 2019. Ligentia also has offices in


SEKO Logistics has opened its own operation in Ireland at Harristown, near Dublin Airport, driven by the growing number of multinational companies operating in Ireland as well as increased consumer spending. SEKO previously operated in Ireland through an agency partnership. Managing director of SEKO Logistics in Ireland, Michael


Daly, said: “The amount of


trade in and out of Ireland – accelerated by the strength of the Irish economy and the level of inward investment – makes


Ireland the next


logical step in SEKO’s strategic investment development plan. Ireland is especially important to UK, European and US brands and that’s why we are investing in our own facility and staff.”


Poland, China, Vietnam, Thailand, South Africa and Madagascar. Chief customer officer and managing director for Europe, Dan


has


Ireland’s MedTech sector become one


of the


leading clusters for medical device products globally and exports of medical devices and diagnostic products now represent 8% of Ireland’s total merchandise exports.


Gill, our said: ‘We are delighted to be able to provide a home to both the people and the customers previously associated with Air & Cargo Services. We believe our teams are stronger together and the integration is enabling us to fast-track the launch of a new and unbeatable proposition called ‘Ligentia Plus’ to the freight forwarding market.’ A note on Air & Cargo’s website


stated that Grant Thornton had been appointed joint administrators the Company on 13 December and that, immediately following their appointment, the business and assets of the Company were sold to Ligentia UK. It added that any debts outstanding relating to services prior to 13 December would rank as an unsecured claim and details should be submitted to the administrators.


AIT gets a Heathrow ConneXion


US-based AIT Worldwide has acquired Heathrow- headquartered forwarder ConneXion World Cargo. ConneXion also has offices in Halifax, Canada; Hong Kong, China and Paris, France as well as UK operational centres in


Exeter and Manchester. AIT


president and chief


executive Vaughn Moore said the move would cement his


company’s position in


the UK, adding: “AIT has many customers in the UK with consistently high cargo


volume and the company’s aspiration to expand there has intensified in recent years. This acquisition also reinforces AIT customers’ supply chains in the UK with robust local expertise, particularly when it comes to licensing


and customs connections. Adding the ConneXion group to our global team will help mitigate any uncertainty our customers with business


in


the UK may have with respect to the forthcoming Brexit milestones.”


News Roundup


Virgin Atlantic Cargo has appointed Sumith Rathor as regional sales manager – UK. He joined the airline in 2013 as a customer service agent aſter 11 years with Uneek Freight Services in the UK, moving in 2014 to Virgin Atlantic Cargo as account manager - UK. He succeeds Ray Wood, who has leſt the airline to become head of cargo at Doncaster Sheffield Airport.


///NEWS Air


Davies Turner Air Cargo has moved to a new site at the Hillington Park business estate, doubling the size of its Glasgow branch. The airfreight subsidiary of the freight forwarder, which has had a base on the estate since 2004, now has a 10,000 sq ſt, fully refurbished CAA-accredited facility with a team of 19 staff. Director Andrew Christie said: “Our newly designed unit is perfect for both customers and staff, and meets our current and projected requirements.”


UPS is offering Saturday pick-up and processing of US export shipments to 57 main markets, including the UK. Shipments picked up on Saturday will be delivered as soon as Monday, saving a day over existing transit times. one day faster than previous UPS time-in-transit. On-line retailers are expected to be among the major users of the service.


Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced in late November that the UK had reached new air services arrangements with the US and Canada that will allow transatlantic flights to continue aſter Brexit. The deals will replace the existing EU aviation agreement.


American Airlines is to launch a seasonal flight between Dublin and Dallas Fort Worth between 7 June and 28 September, the first direct service in the carrier’s history. It will be operated by Boeing 787-9 aircraſt. The airline also offers flights from Dublin to Charlotte, Chicago O’Hare and Philadelphia, as well as a seasonal service from Shannon to Philadelphia.


IAG Cargo will start a new direct service from the UK to Islamabad, Pakistan, from June 2019. It will run year-round, three times a week from London Heathrow offering up to 15 tonnes of liſt per flight. It also marks the carrier’s return to Pakistan aſter a number of years and will be operated by a Boeing 787-8 which has a temperature-controlled hold ideal for pharmaceutical shipments.


Ethiopian Airlines made its inaugural flight from Manchester to Addis Ababa on 11 December. The service is operated by a B-787 Dreamliner on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and offers connections in Addis across Africa including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania.


DHL Express is building a DKK 1 billion (€134 million), 26,172sq m hub at the eastern freight area of Copenhagen airport. When it opens in 2023 it will be able to handle 37,000 packages per hour, five times as many as the existing facility. Packages to and from Denmark usually travel via the DHL hubs in Leipzig, Germany, or East Midlands, UK. However, once the new hub at Copenhagen Airport is built, planes will reach their destinations without additional stops. Earlier, DHL Express broke ground on a new terminal in the central city of Fredericia which is due to open in early 2020.


Bedfordshire-based Hybrid Air Vehicles (HAV) says it is ready to go into commercial production of its novel airship design, following the completion of testing of its Airlander 10 prototype. The craſt can regulate its own buoyancy, avoiding the need for mooring masts and allowing it to take off and land from any suitable space, say the builders. Although the first commercial versions are expected to carry passengers from the early 2020s, the Airlander has potential as a cargo carrier, especially in regions lacking airport infrastructure.


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