The airfreight operations of Emirates Airlines is on track for its move to Dubai World Central (DWC) with the first phase of the building being finished.

Construction on the South Batinah Logistics Hub, a strategic initiative of the Omani government to kick-start the growth of a logistics-based economic sector in the Sultanate, will be launched this year. Covering 9,000 hectares, the hub will incorporate Oman’s first ever inland port as well as dedicated zones earmarked for multimodal connectivity, light industries, value-adding activities, commercial services, warehousing and logistics, urban and residential developments, hotels and convention centres, and leisure areas.

Top U.S. airports are engaged in a fight for a larger share of the challenged U.S. air cargo market, according to JLL's annual Airport Outlook Report. With world trade growing faster than demand for air cargo, both airports and air carriers face a significant challenge – how can they attract airfreight and fend off competition from other cheaper modes of transport such as intermodal and trucks?

While retailers are facing challenges in delivering the reporting functionality that business users need to enable data-driven decision-making, they are optimistic about Big Data's ability to provide breakthroughs in analysis capabilities across a number of retail processes, says a study by 1010data Inc. In fact, almost all surveyed executives (96 percent) agreed that Big Data initiatives are important in helping retailers stay competitive. They said Big Data insights are most beneficial for merchandising (53 percent) and marketing (48 percent), followed by store operations (42 percent), e-commerce (42 percent), supply chain (27 percent), finance (23 percent), and loss prevention (21 percent).