- Cargo traffic and capacity for LATAM Airlines Group decreased by 11.5 percent in April compared to the same month in 2013. As a consequence, the cargo load factor remained flat at 61.1 percent. The decrease in cargo capacity and traffic is a result of a reduced freighter operation driven by weaker seasonal products from Latin America, according to the company.
- Damco has had a 21 percent improvement in carbon efficiency since 2009, according to the Damco Sustainability Progress Report 2013. The target is 30 percent reduction in CO2 emissions for Damco’s operations by the end of 2014.
- AMI, a global trade-only freight wholesaler, started weekend working, and added an additional spot rate specialist to its team. AMI’s Imports department now operates on Sundays, preparing import Customs entries for submission on Mondays. This means inbound airfreight shipments can be released earlier to the importer’s agent at London Heathrow.
- Brazil is Florida’s largest export trading partner, with US$20.5 billion (14.8 billion euros) valued in trade in 2013 – the largest amount of trade ever between Florida and a foreign country, the Florida Chamber of Commerce announced.
- Airport Frankfurt-Hahn and Zhengzhou Airport in China signed a contract, partnering to strengthen the development of air traffic between the two airports.
- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a US$63,000 (45,652 euro) civil penalty against Skinfix, Inc., of Halifax, Nova Scotia, for allegedly violating U.S. Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Regulations. The FAA alleges that on July 10, 2013, Skinfix shipped a quart of ethyl alcohol on a UPS aircraft from Bedford, Nova Scotia, to Chatsworth, Calif. Workers at the UPS package sorting facility in Louisville, Ky., discovered that some of the alcohol had leaked through the shipping box. The FAA is also proposing a US$91,000 (65,942 euro) civil penalty against VT Milcom, Inc., of Virginia Beach, Va., for allegedly violating U.S. DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations. The FAA alleges that on July 17, 2013, VT Milcom shipped two, one-gallon metal containers of paint on a FedEx aircraft from Virginia Beach to Jacksonville, N.C. Workers at FedEx’s sorting facility in New Bern, N.C, discovered that leaking paint had soaked through the shipping boxes.
- Airbus successfully performed certification testing to demonstrate the A350 XWB’s ability to operate on wet runways. This test validates how the aircraft would behave on a rain-soaked runway, and verifies that neither the water under the aircraft nor the spray generated by the nose landing gear will enter the engines or APU.
- Air Transport Services Group, Inc. signed a new agreement with Cargojet to lease two 767-200ER freighters. Cargojet dry-leases two Boeing 767-200 freighters from ATSG’s subsidiary Cargo Aircraft Management Inc. under long-term agreements. Cargojet has signed agreements to dry-lease an additional two Boeing 767-200 freighters from CAM, for up to three years. The first aircraft is expected to be delivered by the end of the second quarter, with the second aircraft delivering early in the third quarter.
- Air Charter Service will open a new office in Houston, Texas, on June 2.
- DHL is ranked for the first time on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s list of the National Top 100 users of green electric power. Ranking No. 27, DHL is using green power to cover all of the electricity the company expects to use in the U.S this year.
- Emirates Group Security has secured RA3 certification for dnata. RA3 is short for Third Country EU Aviation Security Validated Regulated Agents – a supply chain security initiative of the European Union. dnata is the first air service provider in the region to receive the RA3 certification.