The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for March 2023 on global air cargo markets showing a continued decline against the previous year’s demand performance. This trend began in March 2022. Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs*), fell 7.7% compared to March 2022 (-8.1% for international operations). This was a slight improvement over the previous February’s performance (-9.4%) and half the annual decline rate in January and December (-16.8% and -15.6%, respectively). It is unclear if this is a potentially modest start of an improvement trend or the upside of market volatility. Irrespective of this, March’s performance slipped…
Author: Vibha Mehta
Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, has announced the launch of FURSA, a comprehensive online platform developed by EGA’s Youth Council that offers a range of learning and development opportunities for youth at the company. FURSA, a collaborative effort with EGA’s Learning & Development team, provides easy access to curated programmes and experiences, focusing on enhancing leadership, sustainability, science, technology, research and development skills and more. Young EGA employees are encouraged to participate in the platform’s training, workshops and events. FURSA features complete courses from prestigious universities, including Harvard, Oxford…
Meydan Free Zone, the world’s go-to partner for 360-degree business setup services in Dubai, has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with noon.com, the region’s leading online shopping destination. The MoU is an exceptional feat. It marks noon’s first-of-its-kind partnership with a free zone, underscoring both organizations’ shared commitment to supporting SMEs to Grow from Dubai and further strengthening a sustainable economy. noon, the local digital marketplace, will offer its seller onboarding services through Meydan Marketplace, an innovative e-commerce platform of Meydan Free Zone that connects buyers and sellers in the region. The marketplace features a range of services, including…
As part of its ongoing commitment to providing customers with unparalleled levels of safety standards, DC Aviation Al-Futtaim, a leading business aviation services provider, has announced that it has received the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) Stage 3 certification for its Fixed Base Operations (FBO) located at Dubai South. DCAF received its Stage 1 certification in May 2019 and Stage 2 in January 2021. With the Stage 3 certification, DCAF is one of only two FBOs in the Middle East and among 27 organisations globally to attain this highest level of safety standard established by IS-BAH, verifying that…
Dubai Maritime Authority (DMA), at the Ports, Customs, and Free Zone Corporation, the government authority responsible for regulating, coordinating, and supervising all aspects of Dubai’s maritime sector, has introduced Directive No. 1 of 2023 on Transparency of Local Sea Container Charges in Dubai. The Directive requires all Service Providers to declare their local sea container charges to the DMA through the secure Dubai Trade Single Window Portal. In line with Law No. 3 of 2023 on Dubai Maritime Authority, issued by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of…
Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Etihad Airways, has added a fourth gateway destination to its Chinese network by introducing weekly flights to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in the Hubei province of China. The inaugural flight arrived in the Hubei Province on 29 April. The airline currently offers weekly five-passenger flights to Shanghai, Beijing Daxing and Guangzhou. With the commencement of two weekly freighter services between Abu Dhabi and Wuhan, Etihad Cargo will operate ten freighter services to China, offering an additional 100 tonnes of cargo capacity into the Hubei Province each week. This brings the carrier’s total…
On the 12th of April 2023, Al Sharqi Shipping, a leading logistics company in the UAE, was awarded ‘Maersk Most Valuable Partner in 2022’ at the Iftar feast celebration. The exclusive invite-only event took place at Sheraton Grand Hotel, Dubai, UAE, and was attended by the senior leadership team of Maersk line and a selected few freight forwarders from the region. The prestigious award was handed over by Christopher Cook, Managing Director Maersk Line (UAE, Oman, & Qatar), to Asif Rafiq, Chief Operating Officer (COO), who was representing Al Sharqi Shipping at the event. Upon receiving the award, Asif Rafiq…
Tradeling, the largest business-to-business (B2B) marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), has witnessed a strong surge in the region’s e-commerce sector as multiple reports have cited an expected consistent growth for the industry in both Dubai and the MENA region. According to a recent interview with Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers, Dubai has witnessed a recent surge in the e-commerce market due to several factors, including a 97% year-on-year growth for the number of international visitors, which reached 14.36 million in 2022 in comparison with the previous year (2021). This is mainly…
Trukkin, a Middle Eastern-based techno-logistics company, announced the exclusive shipping partnership with P&E Auctions, a division of Plant & Equipment, to facilitate all onshore movements of heavy equipment and machinery sold online auction platform of PlantAndEquipment.com. PlantAndEquipment.com has established itself as a trusted platform that connects buyers and sellers of heavy machinery, trucks, and equipment, with over 100,000 listings and a wide selection of top brands of new and used equipment. The platform is now expanding into live online auctions to cater for the demand from the Middle East region. “We are excited to partner with Plant & Equipment to…
Qatar Airways Cargo and its ground handler Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd (Hactl), have teamed up to provide an extra layer of security for the airline’s ex-Hong Kong flights, using technical detection dogs to sniff out hidden lithium batteries in air cargo. The detection service is provided by leading specialist MSA Security®, An Allied Universal® Company (MSA), which now operates a team of security experts and sniffer dogs within a dedicated area of Hactl’s SuperTerminal 1 facility. The dogs are specially trained to detect specific odours, resulting in their ability to see lithium batteries, whether they are in loose,…