Hong Kong Freight Forwarding Services
Air & Sea Freight Between Hong Kong and the UK

Hendrik Falk joins Network Aviation Group to lead Americas business

Network Aviation Group has appointed Hendrik Falk as vice president of the Americas, ahead of Paul Umpleby's retirement at the end of the year. Mr Falk's appointment took effect in September. Based at the group's Atlanta office, he will succeed Mr Umpleby following his retirement. He brings more than three decades of international air cargo experience across Europe, Asia and the Americas, with previous roles at Lufthansa Cargo, Polar Air Cargo, World Airways, AirBridgeCargo, Swiss WorldCargo and Chapman Freeborn. Since 2023, Mr Falk has run Atlanta-based consultancy Altovolo Air Cargo Services, specialising in interim and project management, business development and strategic planning for scheduled services, charter and aircraft leasing operations. He previously served as Chapman Freeborn's senior vice president of cargo for the Americas, overseeing its North American cargo division and expanding its regional sales presence. Before that, he led Swiss WorldCargo's activities across the western and southern US and Latin America. Earlier appointments included vice president for North and South America at AirBridgeCargo and vice president of cargo sales at World Airways. Network Aviation Group CEO Jonathan Clark said: "With his comprehensive expertise across airlines, ACMI providers and charter brokerage, Hendrik's leadership will be a tremendous asset to Network Aviation Group as we continue to expand our business across the Americas."

Navi Mumbai highlights cargo achievements following operational challenges

Recently opened Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) has highlighted its cargo achievements since it welcomed its first flight, while it also tackles operational issues facing its freight operations. The Indian airport said that between January and September, it has handled 11,853 tonnes of cargo, while it has processed 24 scheduled and chartered international freighters since all-cargo operations started in August. International airfreight accounts for 54.6% of total cargo throughput, while domestic volumes have a 45.4% share. "NMIA's modern airside infrastructure has facilitated immediate adoption by top-tier international and domestic freighter operators," the airport said in a press release. "The facility has proven its handling readiness for wide-body and heavy-lift aircraft, including regular operations by the Boeing 777F, Boeing 747-8F, and specialised charters with the Antonov An-124." The airport said that Cathay Cargo is operating daily flights; Silk Way West has established Boeing 777 freighter flights to Baku and Hong Kong Air Cargo has also added flights "linking NMIA with critical manufacturing and e-commerce distribution centres across East Asia". Navi Mumbai also said that it had managed to handle eight dedicated cargo freighters in a single operating day on 9 October, including Cathay Cargo, Challenge Air, Qatar Airways, Aerologic, AFCOM, MNG Airlines, ASL Airlines, and Atlas Air. "In addition to scheduled international carriers, the airport's regular cargo traffic comprises a growing consortium of international and domestic cargo operators, including DHL Aviation, IndiGo, Qatar Airways Cargo, Air India Express, Turkish Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Jiangsu Jingdong Cargo, and SF Airlines," the airport added. Operational challenges While the airport was keen to highlight its successes since opening, there have also been challenges. Customs brokers have said the airport's cargo operations have faced operational challenges, while freighter operator Challenge Group announced that it would suspend freighter flights at the airport due to a lack of reliability. The airline announced it would suspend operations to the airport on 1 October, although one of its Boeing 767 freighters did conduct a flight on 8 October. Local reports suggest that the airport has responded by adding extra manpower and improving communications with freight forwarders. The airport also temporarily waived demurrage charges as a gesture of goodwill. Air Cargo News has contacted airport operator Adani for an update on the airport's cargo operations. NMIA opened its doors back in December, but freighter operations did not get underway until 1 August, when an IndiGo freighter took off from the airport. Freighter operators have been asked to temporarily move their flights from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) to NMIA while work is carried out on cargo infrastructure at CSMIA. The work is expected to take 10 months and was due to start in August. The airport features temperature-controlled zones catering to GDP-compliant active and passive pharmaceutical storage and agricultural perishables and segregated staging facilities designed for valuable goods, vulnerable electronics, and heavy/oversized industrial cargo. The airport operator also pointed out that the hub is situated around 14 km from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), meaning it can also be used for sea-air operations.

AI shippers still looking for capacity risk sharp airfreight peak squeeze

AI infrastructure shippers, still seeking peak-season capacity, could push air freight rates sharply higher, as demand for servers, chips, and data centre equipment adds pressure to an already firm market. According to TAC Index, sources have reported that ecommerce customers and other major shippers with product launches had secured peak-capacity, while some AI hyperscalers had yet to book their space. The warning comes despite a Golden Week dip in TAC's global Baltic Air Freight Index, which fell 2.1% in the seven days to 12 October, leaving it 24.3% above a year earlier. China's holiday ended on 7 October. While overall rates from China to Europe and the US softened over the week, nearly all TAC's spot rates out of Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Korea rose, with increases particularly evident in recent days. New analysis of US imports underlines the scale of technology-related demand. Supply chain professor Jason Miller's seasonal adjustment of Census Bureau trade data showed August air freight imports by weight reaching another record, up 20% year on year, and 42% above the 2023 average. Computer parts, including GPUs, contributed an additional 12,932 tonnes, compared with August last year, while prepared unrecorded media, including memory, added 11,111 tonnes. Electrical power equipment and insulated wire and cables were also among the leading contributors. Mr Miller said these categories pointed to the "disproportionate role" of investment in the physical infrastructure supporting AI computing in generating freight demand. His findings concern US air imports, but forwarder Forto also identified a broad shift towards technology in its third-quarter market analysis. Semiconductors, AI hardware, servers, and data centre infrastructure were the principal growth drivers, it said, while ecommerce had declined in relative importance. And the changing demand picture is also influencing how forwarders secure capacity. Speaking at an industry event in Liège last month, DSV's global head of airfreight, Stefan Krikken, said forwarders needed to balance firm capacity commitments with more flexible airline bookings and their own flying programmes, taking account of hyperscaler demand and constraints at cargo gateways. Hyperscaler demand was among the factors shaping those decisions, alongside the ability of gateways to accommodate the cargo. Morrison Express has also identified growing hyperscaler production in South-east Asia, and exceptionally high Taiwanese volumes as factors prompting a reassessment of its gateways. However, stronger demand and higher rates may offer carriers less financial relief than the headline figures suggest. TAC reported that jet fuel prices rose a further 3.1% in the week to 9 October, citing IATA's Jet Fuel Price Monitor, taking the year-on-year increase to 111.2%. And in his latest JTD Advisory briefing, founder David Kerr warned that fuel costs were rising faster than freight rates, putting pressure on operating margins. He expects fuel surcharge resets in the second half of October, and identified four-engine freighters as the aircraft most likely to face pressure to reprice, or be parked. Published surcharges already illustrate the pressure on shipping costs. Cathay Cargo's Hong Kong-origin long-haul fuel surcharge rose almost 26%, from HK$11.20 to HK$14.10 (US$1.42-$1.79) per kg, for the first half of October. DHL Air UK's equivalent charge increased 4.1% week on week, to HK$12.80 per kg for 12-18 October, although it remained below its late-September level. Japan Airlines will raise its fuel surcharge on domestic exports bound for the Americas and Europe from ¥185 ($1.16) to ¥192 per kg on 16 October, an increase of 3.8%. Its medium-haul and short-haul Asian surcharges will rise by around 4%. The impact on individual operators will depend on their fuel exposure and ability to recover costs, but the combination adds another pricing risk for shippers seeking remaining peak-season space. For those AI customers still to secure capacity, the question is how much room remains, and what it will cost.