AirBridgeCargo is continuing to hone its special air cargo products as it prepares for the next phase of expansion.

According to Sergey Lazarev, general director of AirBridgeCargo Airlines, 2018 has been a good year for the airline, with volumes growing on most routes and an overall tonnage increase of 6% for the first nine months.

“Ex-US to Europe was around 20% ahead of last year, whereas for ex-Europe to US and ex-Asia to US we have accomplished a 30% and 8% upsurge respectively,” he says. “With the focus on development and quality improvement of our dedicated services for special cargo, we achieved a twofold increase in volumes of pharmaceutical products, an increase of more than 40% in dangerous goods, and a growth of around 35% for oversize and heavy cargo throughout our global network.”

As part of ABC’s expansion plans, parent company Volga-Dnepr Group and CargoLogicHolding, the UK-based holding company for strategic partner CargoLogicAir, signed a package of freighter agreements with Boeing at the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2018.

The deals include a letter of intent to acquire 29 777Fs and confirmation of an order for five 747-8Fs that are part of an earlier commitment to acquire 20 747-8Fs, the terms of which were finalized at the Farnborough event in 2016.

The package of agreements also includes a the purchase of a crew-pairing solution and a commitment for both companies to explore other freighter solutions, such as new production 767 Freighters or converted cargo aircraft like the 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter.

“The Volga-Dnepr freighter order forms the basis of ABC’s fleet development,” says Lazarev. “That goes in line with our strategic growth plans to meet the demands of our customers, including for the transportation of special cargo, as well as with market sentiments.”

ABC aims to continue its network expansion based on customer demand. Lazarev says that he and his team are in constant dialogue with the customers to ensure that ABC can meet, and even exceed, their expectations, with proactivity at the forefront.

“One of our key focuses will remain bringing the level of quality performance to a higher level and keeping our 48-hour cargo delivery option for the whole network,” he says. “We want to be able to do this even as we undergo the further expansion of our network. We’re also optimizing our costs and developing IT infrastructure to make the process of air freight delivery as transparent and easy as possible.”

At the same time, the carrier is further advancing the development of its specialized products, particularly abc pharma, abc DG, abc XL and abc e-com, all of which are in high demand among its customers.

“The pharmaceutical logistics sector is developing at a fast pace, trying to align its processes and procedures with the requirements of shippers,” Lazarev says. “For the first seven months of 2018, the industry witnessed around a 10% increase in pharma volumes being shipped by air, as more end users need the latest medicines, vaccines and other healthcare products. With medicine products becoming more sophisticated, manufacturers set a high level of demands for their transportation, such as temperature control throughout the whole journey and real-time information to monitor the status of the shipment as a confirmation of the medicine integrity and consistency.”

Of course, logistics providers have also been upgrading their services in line with that, offering dedicated lift for pharma shipments and implementing new IT solutions capable of delivering transparency and 24/7 visibility. Lazarev says that these initiatives have helped to boost the air cargo sector’s attractiveness and suitability for the transportation of pharma products.

“AirBridgeCargo has achieved a twofold increase of its pharmaceutical shipments, which we can  attribute to the development of our dedicated product abc pharma, the realignment of internal procedures, working with trustworthy and reliable partners, the introduction of dedicated pharma stations with the right set of facilities and premises, using special equipment and up-to-date technologies, the support of IT solutions for customers’ convenience and the provision of 24/7 monitoring of shipment status,” he says. “In 2019 and beyond, we are set to further enhance our services, both in the air and on the ground, as well as following the trajectory of digital pharma solutions for the convenience of our customers worldwide.”

With 13 online destinations, Asia is the backbone of ABC’s operations and represents a major component of its business. The airline added Ho Chi Minh City to its network in July 2018 and strengthened its team in the region, resulting in a volume increase of more than 35% from Asia to Russia and about 10% from Asia to the US.

“Segment-wise from Asia, we have gained momentum for dangerous goods, which are more than 40% up, oversize and heavy shipments, which have grown over 20%, and pharmaceutical products, which are around 40% up,” says Lazarev. “This, together with high demand for commerce shipments, tells us that we are on the right path of development in the region.”

By Jeffrey Lee

Asia Cargo News | Hong Kong