To some in the airfreight business, 3D printing threatens disruptive changes for the logistics status quo. Others are not sure of its impact. There is no question that changes will occur - what is difficult to predict is the scale of the disruption, the forms it will take, and the timeline for the full impact to be felt.
Isn't modal shift toward the ocean, using "hibernation technology" inside sea containers, supposed to be the scourge of the perishable air cargo industry?
Now that the first quarter of fiscal 2016 is in the past, results are in from IATA's most recent airline business confidence survey, and gauging from the responses of airline CFOs and cargo heads surveyed - their outlook is bullish for the remainder of the year, despite a perceived weak first quarter.
Do "self-learning machines" and "bionic enhancements" fill you with wonder about the future of logistics or just cause anxiety headaches? Fortunately, we'll all have several more years to decide how we feel about these technologies and others listed in DHL's third annual "Logistics Trend Radar" report.
There is no doubt that lithium-ion batteries, when packed together without the proper packaging and handling precautions, can certainly be dangerous. In 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration applied heat to a container packed with 5,000 lithium-ion batteries that resulted in a thermal runaway and subsequent explosion of flammable gases emitted within the container. Even a favorite fire suppressant, when used, was ineffective in extinguishing the fire. The danger appears to be inherent in all aircraft configurations, passenger or all-cargo.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration posted a bright outlook in its annual market review and forecast, noting that it expects total air cargo traffic, measured in revenue tonne kilometers, to grow by 4.5 percent in 2016, followed by stable growth averaging 3.5 percent over the next 20 years.
For the first time in more than 50 years, the skies over Cuba are opening up to scheduled service from the United States. The two countries signed a deal, officially allowing flights between their borders.
Ireland-based ASL Aviation Group has agreed to purchase airline operations currently owned by TNT Express and is expected to will continue to operate them on behalf of the merged FedEx-TNT entity.
