Sometimes all it takes is a shift in strategy from a single carrier to make an impact on airport freight traffic. Qatar Airways Cargo, for instance, has been ramping up its airfreight routes for the last couple of years, seeking more high-value cargo, such as pharmaceuticals, and forming joint ventures with other airlines, such as IAG. Qatar achieved such growth via "fleet and network expansion, innovation in our technology, creative interline agreements and by deploying capacity on expanding or untapped markets," said Ulrich Ogiermann, the carrier's chief cargo officer.

Cathay Pacific Airways has launched a twice-weekly freighter service to Portland International Airport (PDX) - the Hong Kong-based airline's 18th cargo station in the Americas. The service runs every Thursday and Saturday, Cathay Pacific says, using its newest and biggest freighter, the Boeing 747-8F.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes has issued a 20-year outlook for global air-cargo traffic, calling for a consolidated annual growth rate of 4.2 percent in volume (evaluated in metric tonnage), and saying this increase will result in significant demand for new and converted cargo jets needed to meet market demand by 2035.

The great and the good of world aviation gathered in Montreal last month to do something that seemed impossible even a couple of years ago. They agreed to cap greenhouse gas emissions from international flights. The pact - the first climate change agreement to apply worldwide to a specific sector, one that produces the equivalent annual carbon dioxide output as that of Germany - was greeted with almost universal support.

Citing a rising demand for logistics across the Southeast Asia region, Dachser USA Air & Sea Logistics has announced new offices in Vietnam, Hong Kong and India. Dachser USA, a U.S.-based subsidiary of Germany's Dachser SE, said the new locations have been set up in Hanoi, the New Territories of Hong Kong and Mumbai.

The Stifel Logistics Confidence Index - which measure logistics industry outlook - remained below the neutral mark in October at 49.4, but once more noted a slight improvement against the previous month, according to global logistics researcher Transport Intelligence. In a sign that the bankruptcy of Hanjin Shipping has had little overall effect upon the container shipping industry, the October Sea Freight Confidence Index remained unchanged from September, at 49.0 points.

Just when the industry thought the sun might be setting on Boeing's workhorse jet, the aviation giant announced a firm order for fourteen 747-8Fs, plus options for up to 14 more, from express giant UPS. The announcement is being seen as a possible game-changer for the jumbo freighter, which, until last week, had only had enough orders in the pipeline to continue production through 2019, according to estimates.

Logistics company Jettainer and IT specialists at Lufthansa Industry Solutions are working to develop a digital container that can "measure temperature changes, shocks and other external factors independently and provide information about its state," according to the Lufthansa Group. Jettainer is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Cargo AG.

Of the three major American carriers to publish third-quarter results so far, only Alaska Airlines Cargo saw its cargo revenues increase, up 3 percent, year-over-year, to $31m - a fraction of its growing passenger revenue, according to earnings reports. Meanwhile, United registered a 4.7 percent decline in revenues, y-o-y, to $224m and, as previously reported, Delta continued its losing streak into the quarter, with revenues falling 15 percent, y-o-y, to $167m.