b'14American Journal of Transportation ajot.comAIR C ARGOAIR CARGONEWSNEWSAmazon Air launches daily cargo serviceVolga-Dnepr operates three at Pittsburgh International Airport charters to India to help meet Amazon Air has added Pittsburgh to its expand- County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. This develop- the current oxygen crisising U.S. cargo network. Amazon Air packages willment, along with the Finnair announcement, really arrive once daily into Pittsburgh via a Boeing 737- underscores the fact that PIT is becoming a signifi- Volga-DneprAirlines,thestartedgettingcharterrequests 800F freighter.cant cargo and distribution hub. leaderinoutsizeandsuper- for transportation of ISO tanks. It is the latest, and biggest, cargo win for theCargo service carries huge economic benefitsheavy air freight transportations,Together with a team of experts airport. for regions like Western Pennsylvania because ofhas operated three charter flightsfromvariousdepartmentsand Weareexcitedthat Amazoniscontinuingthe downstream economic impact, including han- toIndiafromChina,Irelandpowered by competence in dan-its investment in the region with the addition ofdling companies and often trucking. andGermanycarryingoutangerousgoodstransportationswe Amazon Air operations at our airport, said Pitts- Cargo has become a bigger part of PITs busi- aid & relief mission to help thewere able to advise our custom-burgh International Airport CEO Christina Casso- ness plan as officials look to build the airport intonation in its battle against severeersonloading,packaging,and tis. We welcome Amazon Air and look forward toan international logistics center, capitalizing on itsCOVID-19 resurgence. conditionsoftanks.Workingin building our partnership. This announcement is aabundant space and ideal geographic location. TheOver 200 tons of vital medi- tandemwithourlong-standing major milestone in positioning PIT as an interna- arrival of Amazon Air comes as PIT continues tocal equipment containing oxygenand reliable customers, Chapman tional logistics center. see an increase in demand for air freight amid thestoringcontainers,concentratorsFreeborn, Maersk Special Project AmazonAirhasgrownquicklytoincreasepandemic. andcryogeniccontainerswereLogistic team and Air Charter Ser-speed and selection for customers around the coun- In March, the most recent month available, thedeliveredonboardAn-124-100vice India Pvt Ltd, we organized try, now flying to more than 40 U.S. airports. Its newairport saw a 29 percent increase in cargo comparedandIl-76TD-90VDtovariouscharter flights within the shortest operation at PIT will allow the company to serve ato 2020. Air freight rose by 27 percent while mailparts of India, which is experienc- timeframes in line with biosafety growing logistics network in Western Pennsylvania. increased37percent. Thespikeinairfreightising a shortage in oxygen equip- requirementsandcompleted Growing the network of sites where Amazonattributed to cargo carriers utilizing larger aircraftment amid the emerging numberanother humanitarian mission.Air flies is essential to supporting fast, free ship- and increasing the number of operations at PIT. of new COVID-19 cases. UponTheairlinewhichoperates pingforourcustomers,saidChrisPreston,Last month, PIT welcomed international cargoarrival at the airports, the vitalthefleetoframpfreightersis Director, AmazonGatewayOperations.Today,carrier Finnair, which operated short-term nonstopmedical supplies were transportedcapableoftransportingupto with Pittsburgh International Airport as part of ourcargo flights from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Fin- to the final destinations to be tested12x20feetISOtanksaboard Amazon Air network, we are closer to our custom- land. The carrier was transporting automotive partsand checked for further use. An-124-100/150 and 3 x 20feet ers and can support fast shipping for the items theyfrom Asia to North America. EkaterinaAndreeva,Com- ISOtanksaboardIl076TD-rely on. We are proud of the investments AmazonSupply chain challenges during the pandemicmercial Director of Volga-Dnepr90VD,withbothplanesbeing has made in the Pittsburgh region and look for- have prompted airlines like Finnair to look beyondAirlines, highlights: With the sit- self-sufficient in terms of load-ward to continued growth. theirtraditionalnetworks.Airlineofficialscom- uation in India worsening we haveing and offloading procedures. Through a partner lease agreement, AmazonparedPITtotheirHelsinkihub,sayingsmaller Air will use 50,000 square feet of space at PIT. Theairports can be faster, agile and flexible.In Decem-facility will include an onsite area to sort packagesber, Qatar Airways resumed its cargo operations at bound for their next destination and will be man- PIT and continues its weekly flight on a converted aged by an Amazon logistics partner, Trego-Dun- Boeing777-300ER. Additionally,CathayPacific can Aviation.usedasimilaraircraftforcargoflightsbetween Pittsburgh and Hong Kong that ran twice weekly L oCaLL eaDersa PPLauDeD thea rrivaL from September to November of last year.We are delighted to welcome Amazon Air toFedEx and UPS also have upped their opera-PIT. To have a major logistics company like AmazontionsatPIT,withthecarriersincreasingyear-locate here reflects confidence in our region andover-yearflightsby46percentand83percent, theopportunitiesattheairport,said Alleghenyrespectively, in March.U.K. flying-taxi hub aims to develop blueprint for aerial roadsTrialoperationsofflyingAngelChiefBusinessOfficerdemonstrations of arrival, depar-taxis and cargo drones will beginRichard Ellis said in a statement. ture,retailandentertainmentVital medical equipment being delivered onboard a An-124-100.in Coventry, England, before theFederalAviationAdminis- facilities.end of the year as part of a plantration head Steve Dickson toldSafeguardVertiportswillLatam expands its cargo fleet todevelopaerialroadsfora House appropriations subcom- meanwhiledevelopacertifica-unmanned flights in urban areas. mitteehearingthatheexpectstionprogramthatmeetsU.K.to 21 Boeing 767s in 2023The project, backed by 1.2advancedurbanaircrafttobeCivil Aviation Authority regula-million pounds ($1.7 million) ofapprovedintheU.S.by2023,tionsforsafeoperationalturn- TheGroupinformedthatconversionoftwoadditional government funds, involves con- with the first flights taking placearounds. The project will run fortwoadditionalaircraftwereBoeing 767-300ERs. structionofacentrallylocatedthe next year. threeorfourmonthsbuttalksadded to the conversion plan ofThis means that the freighter hubthatwillhostdemonstra- TheCoventryprojectwillunder way to extend it by a yeareight aircraft informed in March.fleet will be comprised of up to tionflightsacrossthecityofseedronesfromMalloy Aero- to allow a wider range of demon- This will bring the cargo fleet up21 aircraft by the end of 2023. almost 400,000 people, accord- nauticsandSkyFarerplyastration flights. to 21 767-300 Boeing by 2023.Upon completion of the plan the ing to Ricky Sandhu, founder ofnumber of routes to demonstrateThe hub, known as Air-One,Oncecompleted,theGroupsGroup will have almost doubled Urban-Air Port, which will oper- the viability of carrying cargoeswill also function as a rechargingfreightercapacitywillhaveits freighter capacity as well as ate the ground infrastructure. suchasrefrigeratedmedicalcenter for ground-based electricalmost doubled in size while thereducedtheaveragefleetage While plans for flying taxissupplies,whileSouthKoreastransportincludingcars,bicy- average age of the fleet will havefrom 17 to 14 years.andlogisticsdronesaregath- Hyundai Motor Co. will exhibitclesandscooters.Sandhusaiddropped from 17 to 14 years. The decision to expand our eringpacearoundtheworld,a flying taxi its seeking to com- other U.K. cities have requestedLATAM Group (LATAM)fleetisbasedontheattractive most will initially avoid heavilymercializeby2028alongsidesimilar projects. announcedtheexpansionofgrowthopportunitiesavailable, urbanizedareas,suchasVolo- its freighter fleet growth underrecentefficiencyimprovements coptersbidtoprovidecoastalwhichitnowplanstoadd10andflexibilitythattheBoeing flightsaroundSingaporeandSwiss WorldCargo resumesBoeing767-300BoeingCon- 767Ffreighteroffers.Thanks Liliums push to serve 10 bou- verted Freighters over the nexttotheseelementswebelieve tiquehubsacrossFlorida.Theflights to Boston three years. This will bring thewewillgrowprofitably,even U.K. plan will tap an air-traffic- fleet size to up to 21 freightersiffacingconditionssimilarto management system devised byBeginning May 21st, Swiss WorldCargo will serve Boston Loganby 2023.thosethatwefacedbeforethe Altitude Angel to allow opera- International Airporttwice-weekly,resumingitsdirectconnectionThe Groups freighter fleetpandemic.Thisexpansionwill tors to safely transit cities. between Switzerland and New England. growthplaninitiallyincludedallow LATAMs cargo subsidiar-The technology will allowSwiss WorldCargo will fly to Boston with an Airbus A330-300four firm conversion orders withies to continue responding to our all users of the sky, from air-taxison days 5 and 7. Beginning in June, they plan to further increase theBoeingandanotherfourcon- customers needs and supporting anddroneoperatorstogeneralfrequency to three times weekly. versionoptions.Twomonthstheregionseconomicgrowth aviationandemergencyserviceExact timings can be found below: aftertheinitialannouncement,through increased and improved helicopters, to share the airspaceLX 52, ZRH- BOS: 17:3019: 55 LATAM has exercised the fourconnectivity, said Andrs Bian-safelyandsecurely,AltitudeLX 53, BOS- ZRH: 21:5011:05 (+1) options,eightplanes,andthechi, LATAM Cargo CEO.'