It flies! History's biggest plane takes to the skies 
On 13 April 2019, Stratolaunch Systems Corporation successfully completed the first flight of the world’s largest all-composite aircraft, the “Stratolaunch”. With a dual fuselage design and a wingspan greater than the length of a football field (117 m), the aircraft took off... more
New Skyteam Cargo member gains Gacar 151 certificate
Saudi Arabia’s general authority of civil aviation (Gaca) confirms that Saudi Airlines Cargo fulfils all technical and operational standards and achieves high levels of compliance with the global rules and regulations of aviation security and safety: Gaca awarded the company the... more
Is Hong Kong's cargo growth sustainable?
In March, cargo throughput at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), the world’s largest hub in that aviation traffic category, recorded year-on-year growth of 0.2% to 432,000 t. Exports saw an 11% increase, making the biggest contribution to cargo growth. Amongst key... more
Linked more to time than place 
Finnair Cargo’s ‘Cool Nordic Cargo Hub’ is one of the most modern airfreight terminals worldwide. It was inaugurated in 2017 (see page 13 of ITJ 1-4 / 2018) – one of the years with the fastest growth in the firm’s history. Fredrik Wildtgrube described the extent to which the... more
Aeroterm to deepen Fedex footprint in Miami
Miami-Dade County in Florida has agreed that Aeroterm, one of the three main divisions of the US real estate operator Realterm, can expand its air cargo facility at Miami international airport (MIA). Aeroterm holds a ground lease at MIA and leases the facility to Fedex Express.... more
Huge drone delivery perspectives in North America
Analysts predict a big future for unmanned delivery systems as the US Federal Aviation Administration is about to award its first drone operator's licence - probably to the Alphabet (Google) subsidiary Wing Aviation. The latter recently received approval to make commercial drone... more
Airbus boosts Beluga transporter programme
Airbus has decided to "future proof" the company's internal transport network by adding a sixth next-generation BelugaXL airlifter to the fleet. This expansion should ensure the capacity provided by BelugaXLs – highly modified A330 jetliners tailored to carry large... more
Investigation into Transaero bankruptcy
The Russian Foundation for Anticorruption Investigations has launched an investigation focused on uncovering corrupt or fraudulent schemes possibly involved in the bankruptcy of OJSC Transaero Airlines. The country's first private company approved for commercial flights... more
Sifax Sahcol handling Virgin's daily Lagos flights
Serving Lagos daily with 20 t of belly capacity (A340-600), UK-based Virgin Atlantic Cargo has awarded a five-year handling contract to Sifax Sahcol to improve its service offering for customers in Nigeria, and to provide growth capacity following a 19% boost in export... more
Isago premiere in Pakistan
Gerry’s Dnata has obtained the Iata safety audit for ground operations (Isago) registration in Pakistan, and the Isago station accreditation at Karachi international airport (KHI), following the successful completion of audits. The joint venture of Gerry's Group and Dnata,... more