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Shippers join Cargo iQ performance measurement framework

Cargo iQ has expanded its pre-existing methodology to measure airfreight shipping performance by collaborating with the European Shippers' Council (ESC) to include shippers for the first time. Focusing on service responsibilities, visibility, and performance measurement, the framework sets out door-to-door business scenarios, delineating service scopes and responsibilities, including milestones for handing over cargo, documents, and data to support planning, exception management, and performance measurement. The collaboration will help shippers and freight forwarders use performance data to identify problems and take action to improve the transport process, Cargo iQ - an IATA interest group dedicated to creating and implementing performance management standards for the global air cargo industry - noted. The new framework came to fruition following a series of joint workshops held by Cargo iQ and ESC, a non-profit organisation representing cargo owners/shippers throughout Europe, that have been held since September last year. Moreover, the framework will be reviewed with a larger audience in the coming months and integrated into Cargo iQ's Master Operating Plan (MOP), an IATA-supported blueprint for the standardisation of air cargo processes. Incorporating shippers in the Cargo iQ framework broadens the well-established collaboration between freight forwarders, airlines, and ground handlers to take in cargo owners, ensuring that service performance measures reflect the needs of the airfreight supply chain's ultimate customer. Marie Seco-Köppen, executive director of Cargo iQ, commented: "Involving shippers more closely in Cargo iQ was long overdue. "It is essential to align on expectations and agree on common principles to ensure our performance standard evolves to become valuable for a broader audience." Godfried Smit, secretary general of the ESC, said that the initiative "marks an important step towards strengthening collaboration across the air cargo ecosystem, bringing together carriers, freight forwarders, ground handlers, and shippers. "In today's highly dynamic airfreight market, ensuring that goods reach their destinations efficiently and cost-effectively is essential. Supply chain visibility is a critical enabler of that ambition. "The Cargo iQ initiative plays a key role in establishing a strong benchmark for transparency, efficiency, and seamless collaboration across the industry."

Transport businesses call for help as diesel price hits record high

Nearly six out of 10 UK transport and storage businesses are now "very concerned" as record diesel prices intensify the pressure on them, prompting calls for government support. Diesel prices hit a record average of £2.01 per litre on 2 October, up 40.5% from the 142.38p at the end of February, according to the RAC. The UK Road Haulage Association (RHA) estimates operators are paying around £350 more on fuel for each truck every week, compared with pre-Middle East confict. For a 50-vehicle fleet, that equates to almost a £1m a year extra, if the increase persists, leaving businesses with little room to absorb further costs. New Office for National Statistics (ONS) data analysed by Parcelhero reveals that 59.8% of transport and storage businesses were "very concerned" about fuel prices, revealed in a survey conducted between 21 September and 4 October. This compares with 43% in August and 38.2% across all UK businesses. And shippers are also feeling the pressure, the proportion of businesses also 'very concerned' more than doubling, from 23% in August to 48.4%, in the latest survey. David Jinks, head of consumer research at Parcelhero, warned that the effects of rising fuel costs could ripple throughout the supply chain, from factories and warehouses to consumers. "Retailers are less exposed on paper, but they are the businesses that ultimately feel hauliers' and couriers' fuel costs through delivery rates and surcharges," he said. The RHA is urging the government to introduce an 'Essential User Rebate' of at least 15p per litre for haulage, coach, and van operators for six months. MD Richard Smith explained: "It would help protect margins, ease cash flow, and reduce pressure to pass further costs to customers. Ultimately, it would support the deliveries and passenger services our economy and communities rely on." Meanwhile, a survey on business confidence found that 82% of respondents identified a fuel duty cut as a measure that would give businesses greater confidence to invest and grow. A further 61% supported an Essential User Rebate for commercial operators. Mr Smith also called for maintaining the existing fuel duty freeze and 5p cut, cancelling planned increases, and removing the automatic Retail Price Index link. For operators, the immediate challenge is managing costs without compromising the services that keep goods moving. SNAP, which connects fleets with truck parking and other transport services, warned that rising diesel prices were compounding existing pressures from maintenance, insurance, and administrative costs. Nick Long, SNAP's head of commercial for the UK and Ireland, said: "When diesel reaches £2 per litre and businesses are potentially spending hundreds of pounds more per vehicle every week, the impact on a fleet can be enormous." He added that improving route planning, reducing unnecessary administration, and gaining greater visibility over spending could help operators navigate the pressure. With haulage profit margins typically around just 2%, according to the RHA, sustained increases could force businesses to reconsider investment and pricing, with consequences extending across the wider economy.

Volga-Dnepr carrier Atran restores operations with 737 freighter

Russian outsize freight specialist Volga-Dnepr Group's cargo airline Atran has returned to operations with a flight on the Moscow-Mirny route. Atran, which had been subject to international sanctions, had voluntarily requested suspension of its air operator's certificate in 2025. It had turned to using Antonov An-12s in 2023, after uncertainty emerged over its leased 737 fleet. But it stated that a Boeing 737-400 freighter (RA-73854) underwent a maintenance C-check and carried out a test flight in late August after being retrieved from storage. Federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia reinstated Atran's certificate in September, the carrier stated. Atran added that it resumed commercial operations between Moscow Vnukovo and Mirny, flying via Novosibirsk, on 16 October. "Resumption of Atran commercial flights expands the capabilities of the Volga-Dnepr Group in the domestic cargo air transportation segment," it said. Atran added that the 737-400 has a payload capacity of 18 tonnes, and that Mirny is an industrial centre supplying businesses with "essential materials and equipment".