TNT Express has been awarded a contract for the provision of international and domestic delivery services to Germany's leading engine manufacturer, MTU Aero Engines.

Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services has awarded TNT Express the transportation contact to ship mission-critical aviation parts within Germany. As part of the deal, TNT Express collects the parts from Bombardier's warehouse in Groß-Gerau between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. and delivers them to LBAS aircraft maintenance engineers and mechanics in Berlin Schoenefeld Airport the next morning before 6 a.m.

While Airbus and other aircraft manufacturers have been taking a leading role in deploying radio frequency identification for the management of airplane parts, one aviation company has leveraged Airbus' knowledge to create its own solution. Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) - a third-party provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul services - has deployed an RFID system at its facility to manage work-in-progress for the parts it services for its customers, which include Airbus and other aircraft manufacturers. The system has helped ADAT reduce turnaround times, and has provided information that the firm can employ to further improve efficiency.

Over the past several decades, processes to design and build cars, airplanes and products used in various other industries have typically followed a linear, sequential path. This process typically started with product research, ideation and concept development, followed by design and development, prototype and validation, leading to production, launch, operation and, eventually, product retirement.

There's a custom in Washington that U.S. defense contractors don't talk trash about their competitors, at least not in public. After fiercely competing for multibillion-dollar Pentagon contracts, the winner often placates the loser with a piece of the action. When Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract to build the F-22 fighter jet, it hired Northrop Grumman to build the plane's radar. Boeing won the contract to build the Air Force's KC-46 tanker plane and asked Northrop and Raytheon to contribute key components. Everyone ends up happy. It's how it’s always been done.

Airfreight markets in March were up 5.9 percent compared to a year ago and capacity grew 3.4 percent, according to the International Air Transport Association. While this marks a significant improvement in volumes compared to March 2013, much of the growth took place in the final quarter of 2013 (over and above the usual year-end volume growth). Since the beginning of the year, air cargo volumes have been basically flat. This plateau in volumes is consistent with the recent pause in improvements to business confidence and world trade.