The rst and only PAN-Regional Magazine Years Middle East - Africa - Asia and beyond 2001-2018 el C ebr ati ng Vol. 8 Issue 3, No. 61, April 2018 Lufthansa Cargo Rebounds with renewed strength Peter Gerber CEO & Chairman Lufthansa Cargo AG The Lounge Saudia Cargo turns Silk Way West Airlines sight to more relaunches service to eLearning course innovative products 14 Budapest, Hungary 32 36 for truck drivers and solutions Ali Al Hamdany CEO, Fly Baghdad www.aircargoupdate.com EDITORIAL Editor’s Note Monthly: Vol 08 | Issue 03 | No. 61 Middle East, Africa, Asia & beyond Catching up with time The air cargo industry may be flying high value goods at high speed but its system and means of doing business remain antiquated with some experts saying its technology is probably 30 years behind what is commonly used now in the digital age. With e-Commerce making a significant impact on the global trade landscape, the need for the airfreight industry to catch up with the digital world is increasing. Even the most sophisticated cargo carriers in Europe agree something must be done to speed up the system in the industry. But the challenges are great. Going digital means money and investments in technology, more staff training, system upgrades, new infrastructure and more. Add to their woes is the difficulty in synching emerging markets in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, to Chief Editor embrace digitalization which are all important links in a Gemma Q. Casas gemmadimensionsmedia.com healthy airfreight industry. Contributors Nirmala Rao In this edition, we'll bring you insights on how big players in Ayesha Rashid ayeshaaircargoupdate.com the industry are dipping deeper into technology to shore Sales Marketing up growth. How logistics and freight are also doing the Israr Ahmad same to bring about efficiency, cut costs and speed up the isrardimensionsmedia.com Tousif Ahmed process in transporting goods between borders. tousifdimensionsmedia.com Head Operations We'll also discuss what industry experts are doing to curb Jamal Ahmad the perennial problem on cargo theft and other crimes jamaldimensionsmedia.com linked to transportation. We'll also bring you the latest Photo Journalist Wasim Ahmed financial reports from different cargo and related wasimdimensionsmedia.com companies which described 2017 as one of their best years Cr eative Head Mohammed Imran ever, profit and productivity wise. imrandimensionsmedia.com And as always, we'll bring the latest news and features in the air cargo industry, airlines, airports, aviation and starting this issue, emphasis on the freight and logistics sector. Gemma Q. Casas Editor-in-Chief t CONTENT n e t April 2018 n Cover Story Lufthansa Cargo o 36 Rebounds with renewed strength The Global Lounge 09 News 08 Cargolux adds new weekly C ight to Tokyo's Narita airport Japanese martial arts, travel & learning shore up spirit Turksh Cargo carres 1.5M of Iraqi CEO lve fish to Oman from Izmr 40-eLearning course News for truck drivers vs cargo Feature thefts, human trafficking 30 and illegal migration Airport Show 2018 Smart security, technology, digitalization & innovation 44- Aviation Airlines & Airports join forces in creating route development 46- Airlines 10 Emirates aircraft now circle the 34-Saudia Cargo turns globe with HH Sheikh Zayed livery sight to more innovative products and solutions Ethiopian launches new ight to Nosy-Be Madagascar ACS invests £1m more to take 52-Dubai seeks to turn waste into 54- Photo Gallery: lead in Europe's aviation industry energy & green byproducts Wings India 2018 50- Executive Moments Skycell appoints Groeneveld as CCO Volga-Dnepr Group names new commercial director for charter business 58- Upcoming Events The L UNGE Fly Baghdad Ali Al Hamdany CEO is an Aikido CEO, Fly Baghdad expert In 2003, the US-led invasion of Iraq under the false aviation industry, Fly Baghdad successfully began its new assumption the country was keeping weapons of mass journey flying domestic at Erbil International Airport and at destruction began. That same year, the oil-rich Middle East Sulaymaniyah International Airport. Internationally, the airline welcomed the birth of the first low cost carrier (LCC) in the flies out of its hub at Baghdad International Airport to region, the Sharjah-based Air Arabia in the United Arab Amman in Jordan, Lebanon's Beirut and the Turkish cities of Emirates. Istanbul and Ankara. With more than 143 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, Iraq, “Iraq is no longer considered a war zone. Although it's not in one of the founding members of the powerful Organization the best situation, it's not as bad as the media portrays. Before of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), ranks third globally 2003, LCC was unheard of in the region. It's not possible after Venezuela and Saudia Arabia, as the richest in terms of because everything is controlled by the government,” said Al oil resources. Hamdany who has a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical But 15 years after the US-led war and more than a decade Engineering from the University of Baghdad before taking up after the death of its former dictator Saddam Hussein in 2006, his two Masters Degrees in IT and Engineering in the UK. Iraq is still in ruins, grieving over countless lives lost and “With security stabilizing, investments are starting to come millions of innocent civilians displaced. in,” he added. Though peace and stability remain elusive in this once Through mainly online bookings and the social media, Fly prosperous country, Iraq is slowly rebuilding itself and Baghdad is able to sustain its operations. investments have started pouring in. Among those taking a “We are heavy on the social media,” said Al Hamdany chance is Fly Baghdad, a privately financed LCC re-launched explaining that in Iraq, the digital world connects everyone to in February 2017. the outside world without compromising security or anything Ali Al Hamdany, CEO of Fly Baghdad, who began his aviation else. career with Air Arabia even before its launch in 2003, said it's This year, Al Hamdany hopes to expand the airline's routes to an enormous task to rebuild the country and an equally Dubai, New Delhi, Sweden and Germany where a large challenging environment for investors, but Iraqis like him are population of Iraqis who fled during the war are located. up for the challenge. With so much at stake and the burden of running an airline “There is a point in time when you need to make a decision at upon him, Al Hamdany finds solace in his passion for learning a different level,” Al Hamdany told Air Cargo Update in an new things, traveling and honing his skills in the Japanese interview noting that he felt the need to return to his martial arts known as Aikido. homeland despite having a lucrative aviation career at Air “Aviation has its own challenges wherever you are. My dream Arabia which he described as an “excellent university” in the is to make this first LCC in Iraq a success in line with industry. international standards,” said the CEO who is an Aikido With Al Hamdany's vast experience and connections in the Blackbelter. GLOBAL NEWS Cargolux adds new weekly flight to Tokyo's Narita airport During the ceremony, additional market opportunities for Richard Forson, Chief both airlines on the Europe-Narita Executive Officer of sector while at the same time Cargolux, emphasized promoting competition between the the impor tance of partner airlines. Japan in the cargo More than 2 million tons of air cargo c a r r i e r 's n e t w o r k , volume is handled at Narita Airport saying: “Japan has long each year, which accounts for more played an important than 50 percent of international air role in Cargolux's Far cargo in Japan. LUXEMBOURG: Cargolux has began a East network and we are new weekly flight from Luxembourg looking forward to supporting Japan's The major import items are prestige Airport to Narita International Airport trade lanes to and from Europe.” cars, communications equipment, in Japan under a cooperation pharmaceuticals and semiconductors agreement with Nippon Cargo Airlines The Cargolux weekly flight to Narita and electronic components. Major (NCA) for code-share cargo flights leaves Luxembourg every Tuesday export items include automobile between Luxembourg and Tokyo. e v e n i n g , a r r i v i n g i n N RT o n parts, semiconductors, electronic Wednesday afternoon at 16:25. Return Cargolux's Boeing 747-8 freighter, components and other manufacturing flight is routed via Incheon and registered LX-VCM, was warmly devices, as well as scientific optical Novosibirsk. welcomed with the traditional water equipment. cannon salute upon arrival on March As the Cargolux and NCA flights are Cargolux started operating flights to 28, followed by celebration events at operated on different days of the Japan in 1985, & has been serving Narita airport. week , this arrangement gives Japanese exporters & importers since. GLOBAL NEWS Turkish Cargo carries 1.5M live fish to Oman from Izmir ISTANBUL: Transporting cargo to handling officers,” Turhan Ozen, The air freight company said it takes 121 different countries around the Chief Cargo Officer at Turkish p r i d e i n i t s ro l e of b r i d g i n g world as a sub-brand of Turkish Airlines, shared. economies across the world. Airlines, Turkish Cargo added “They were carried to Oman from S e r k a n I l g a z , E x e c u t i v e V i c e another successful operation to its Izmir in 3 hours, so, we were able to President of Production at Kilic proven track of records by carrying carry them within 24 hours in total.