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Korean Air confirms order for eight Boeing 777-8 freighters

Korean Air has finalised an order for eight Boeing 777-8 freighters that it first committed to last year. The Seoul-based airline has also confirmed orders for 20 777-9, 25 787-10, and 50 737-10 aircraft. The procurement plan for 103 aircraft was initially announced in Washington DC in August last year and the signing ceremony took place in Seoul on 15 September. A Korean Air spokesperson stated: "We will leverage this fleet modernisation to strengthen our competitive edge and continue driving economic exchange between Korea and the United States." The airline said that the investment would support capacity growth following the integration of Asiana Airlines, in which it acquired a majority stake in December 2024. Korean Air is pursuing a merger as the final step toward integrating both companies and this merger agreement was signed in May. "This investment secures a predictable long-term fleet introduction schedule to support capacity growth following the Asiana Airlines integration," said Korean Air. "The transition to next-generation models will also improve overall fleet fuel efficiency and support the airline's carbon reduction goals." According to Planespotters.net, Korean Air's current all-Boeing freighter fleet is made up of four 747-400Fs, six 747-8Fs and 12 777Fs. But the 777-8F is not the only new generation freighter that Korean Air has invested in. In October last year, Airbus announced that the carrier had converted seven of an existing order for A350 passenger aircraft to the freighter model. This makes Korean Air one of the only carriers that has invested in both the 777-8F and the A350F. Silk Way West Airlines has also ordered both freighter types. Silk Way West ordered two A350Fs in June 2022, and later increased its A350F order to four. The Azerbaijan-based airline also ordered two 777-8Fs in November 2022, with two additional purchase options that it has now converted to orders. Earlier this month, Indian air cargo solutions company Afcom Holdings Limited signed a letter of intent (LOI) for up to four Boeing 777-8 freighters.

India's exporters struggling with shortage of empty boxes at JNPA

Indian container trade stakeholders at JNPA (Nhava Sheva Port) are reporting a growing shortage of empty boxes for exports, as widespread vessel schedule disruption weighs on equipment shipping cycles. The shortage of empties is especially acute for French liner CMA CGM, according to market updates, but is affecting most carriers. Container depots in and around JNPA have told customers they are unable to offer pick-ups of empties for CMA CGM. Freight station service provider Seabird said: "Despite vehicles being sent to the yards and waiting in long queues, containers are still not being released due to the ongoing shortage. This situation is beyond our control and may result in delays or failure to complete the pick-up within the required timeline." According to sources, 40ft boxes are scarcer than other types of equipment. One source told The Loadstar: "We have had difficulty securing empty boxes for bookings with Hapag-Lloyd at several ICDs [inland container depots] in northern India." India is, historically, a deficit region for ocean containers, so repositioning and boxes imported from the Far East remain the major inventory replenishment sources for container lines. Industry, in large part, attributes the equipment crunch to two factors: equipment inventory cycles being hobbled by service reliability pressures; and stronger demand for Indian exports in recent months. Major Indian ports saw a stronger-than-anticipated rush of export shipments last month, particularly bookings to the US, for which 40ft boxes are mostly used. Indeed, JNPA enjoyed record container throughput in August - handling some 832,000 teu, up 12% month on month and 20% year on year, according to official data. Even more significantly, the port handled more export containers than imported boxes, a rare trade pattern at Indian gateways. India's overall goods export trade by value has expanded at a strong pace over the past two months, government data shows. "The 26.12% growth in August is a very encouraging performance, and yet again reflects the resilience, competitiveness, and adaptability of Indian exporters," said SC Ralhan, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations. "Equally significant is the broadening of India's export markets, which indicates that our exporters are increasingly leveraging new and emerging opportunities while strengthening their presence in traditional markets," he added. Meanwhile, other supply chain hurdles are testing the pace of cargo volumes moving in and out of Indian docks. Indian importers and customs brokers have voiced frustration over cargo data filing hiccups, due to glitches on the national electronic platform. Widespread system errors and manifest filing failures have been reported on the ICEGATE -- Indian Customs' integrated gateway portal, leaving importers and customs brokers struggling to clear goods and facing major penalty consequences. Indeed, the Brihanmumbai Custom Brokers' Association said: "Clearance of cargo covered by the affected manifests has come to a complete standstill."

Air Canada Cargo welcomes return of Tel Aviv flights

Air Canada's cargo division has welcomed the news that the airline will resume flights to Tel Aviv earlier than it had planned. The four-times-a-week service from Toronto will resume on 30 November using Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Departures from Toronto are on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and from Tel Aviv on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. The flights were suspended as a result of the conflict in the Middle East and were previously planned to return in mid-January. Air Canada Cargo said the flights would provide customers with cargo capacity, flexibility and connectivity between Israel, Canada and destinations across Air Canada's global network. "The earlier return of Air Canada's Tel Aviv service provides our customers with predictable capacity, network connectivity and flexibility for shipments moving between Israel, Canada and destinations across our global network," said Matthieu Casey, managing director - commercial at Air Canada Cargo. "This route supports important trade flows and gives shippers reliable access to a broad range of markets through our Toronto hub." The cargo division added that the service would likely prove popular with customers moving time-sensitive, high-value, healthcare, technology and e-commerce. The decision was made after "a thorough review of the security environment in the Middle East", the airline said. While the airline has decided to advance the return of its flights to Tel Aviv, its operations to Dubai will remain suspended until mid-January. Air Canada joins a growing list of airlines in announcing plans to resume flights to the Middle East following a widespread withdrawal from the region in the wake of the US and Israel's attacks on Iran in late February. Dutch carrier KLM plans to reinstate flights to Dubai, Dammam and Riyadh at the start of the winter season, after suspending the routes earlier this year due to the Middle East conflict. Elsewhere in Europe, Wizz Air said earlier this month that it would progressively restore 12 routes to the Middle East this winter.