Air Cargo /

“By bringing our global expertise in specialised cargo handling to one of Asia’s most important air freight hubs, we are creating new efficiencies that strengthen the regional supply chain.”

The partnership comes as Pudong Airport continues to expand its role as a global air cargo hub, handling around 4 million tonnes annually with projected growth of up to 10 percent per year. The facility will create seamless two-way trade connections, enabling faster export flows from China and smoother imports into its vast domestic market.

Located in the West Cargo Area of Pudong Airport, the new state-of-the-art terminal covers 222,000 sq m, including a 150,000 sq m core operational zone. Representing a 1.56 billion yuan (US$215 million) investment, the facility will handle between 600,000 and 1.2 million tonnes of international cargo annually once operational in late 2025.

Equipped with AI-driven warehouse management achieving 99.5 percent scheduling accuracy and 94 autonomous vehicles, the terminal promises faster, error-free processing. It also features 15,000 sq m of temperature-controlled space and a 200 sq m ultra-deep freeze chamber, capable of storing 1,500 tonnes of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and biomedical shipments.

Swissport’s global e-commerce network—including hubs in New York, Liège, Brussels, Basel, and Milan—gives Chinese exporters a competitive advantage. The Shanghai terminal’s automated sorting systems will process 3,500 parcels per hour, enabling up to 40 percent faster delivery to global markets.

Following the Pudong launch, Swissport plans to explore additional cargo opportunities across China’s major commercial centres. As the Digital & Intelligent International Cargo Terminal nears completion, Swissport, AVINEX, and China Eastern will collaborate to deliver one of the world’s most advanced air cargo operations—linking China’s booming export economy with the global marketplace.

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Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm of Etihad Airways, has officially launched SmartTrack, its premium shipment visibility service that enables customers to monitor their cargo in real time.

Unveiled earlier this year at Air Cargo Europe 2025 in Munich, SmartTrack is now available to customers worldwide through the Etihad Cargo website, making it the first air cargo carrier to bring such advanced smart tracking technology to market.

A New Benchmark

SmartTrack provides customers with unprecedented shipment visibility, delivering live location updates and condition monitoring across the supply chain. Using cellular, GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity, the solution offers instant alerts on temperature, humidity, shock, tilt and light events, ensuring greater reliability and proactive risk management.

To further support customers, Etihad Cargo has introduced a dedicated 24/7 SmartTrack Control Centre, providing live case tracking, severity-based alert prioritisation, and actionable workflows for real-time intervention, repair and resolution.

Alongside the control centre, Etihad Cargo has launched a new customer dashboard, offering a single, intuitive interface for shipment monitoring. Accessible via secure single sign-on across mobile and web platforms, the dashboard enables users to:

· Track shipments in real time by AWB, origin, destination or product type

· Monitor live sensor data and receive proactive SLA notifications

· Access custody chain insights covering pre- and post-Etihad Cargo handling

· Receive instant alerts on milestone delays, geofence violations and temperature excursions

Innovation in Action

The launch of SmartTrack was underpinned by extensive technical development in partnership with Tag-N-Trac. This included synchronisation of booking data, sensor event integration and geofence alerting to create a seamless customer experience.

Stanislas Brun, Chief Cargo Officer at Etihad Airways, said: “SmartTrack marks a major step forward in the way we support our customers. By integrating simplicity, intelligence and automation, we are providing greater confidence and control over shipments while setting a new benchmark for transparency in the industry. This innovation reflects Etihad Cargo’s broader vision: to harness digital transformation in order to deliver smarter, more resilient, and more customer-centric logistics solutions.”

SmartTrack is the latest milestone in Etihad Cargo’s digital roadmap, which focuses on innovation, operational excellence and exceeding customer expectations. By combining real-time tracking technology, round-the-clock monitoring and customer-first design, Etihad Cargo continues to reinforce its position as a leader in global air freight innovation.

Atlas Air Worldwide and DHL have announced they will be closing their joint venture, Polar Air Cargo, after 17 years of operations.

The decision comes as both companies shift their strategic priorities, although an exact date for the closure has yet to be confirmed.

A spokesperson for Atlas Air Worldwide stated that the joint venture no longer aligns with the strategic direction of either shareholder company.

Despite Polar Air Cargo’s closure, Atlas will continue to operate some of its freighters for DHL Express, while the remaining aircraft will be redeployed within Atlas’s global operations.

Polar currently operates a fleet of four Boeing 747-8 freighters and two Boeing 777 freighters, down from four 777Fs last year.

Atlas confirmed that it would retain Polar’s operating certificate while continuing to support DHL Express under an extended outsourced agreement for two 777Fs.

Meanwhile, the four 747-8Fs previously operated for DHL will now be redeployed with other Atlas customers under long-term agreements.

Atlas Air also highlighted that the closure of Polar Air Cargo aligns with its ‘One Atlas Strategy’, a business model focused on diversifying its customer base.

This strategy includes working with direct shippers, e-commerce platforms, express carriers, airlines, freight forwarders, and ocean shipping companies.

“With an unmatched global footprint, scalable network, and the best team in the industry, Atlas is strengthening its position as the world leader in outsourced aviation logistics,” the company said.

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AIR CARGO FACES SLOW START TO 2025 BUT FEARS OVER TRADE WAR IMPACT ‘PREMATURE’ – XENETA

February 5, 2025

Global air cargo demand came lower than expected in January, posting a growth of only 2% year-on-year, according to a new Xeneta analysis, but brewing fears over recent tariff announcements affecting volumes and growth forecasts for the year may be premature.

The drop in demand for January was a “surprise,” said Niall van de Wouw, chief airfreight officer at Xeneta, amid double-digit monthly growth throughout 2024. However, he pointed out that January’s data was impacted by the earlier Lunar New Year reducing volumes out of China.

However, van de Wouw sees “no immediate reason” to change Xeneta’s 4-6% growth forecast for global air cargo in 2025 despite the market’s nervousness over new tariffs introduced by the United States – particularly on China -and their subsequent retaliation.

“The lower growth in air cargo demand in January was not down to President Trump, nor, entirely, the earlier Lunar New Year. It also compares to an unusually high comparison in January 2024,” van de Wouw said.

“Nonetheless, the air cargo market in entering a period of uncertainty, which makes planning extremely challenging.”

van de Wouw noted that the implementation of tariffs by the U.S. — announced earlier this month — and the responses of China, Canada, and Mexico are just the start of a negotiation.

“It’s all transactional. We could end up in a global trade war, but in the case of President Trump, we have someone who’s ready to negotiate everything, and the rest of the world can influence the outcome, as we have already seen. The consistency here is he’s looking for a deal,” he added.

“We don’t know what will happen, but we do understand that uncertainty is not good for trade confidence, and it doesn’t help investment. People like to see some kind of stability before they put their money down,” he added.

van de Wouw then cautioned shippers from “rushing to make too many plans or take any drastic measures.”

“I’d have my team ready to do things differently, but I’d wait to see what actually happens because, right now, there’s a lot of sabre rattling and noise but little clarity,” he said.

Source: asiacargonews.com

Read full article at: https://asiacargonews.com/en/news/detail?id=10503