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WFS and American Airlines Cargo extend handling partnership in Europe

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has secured a new five-year cargo handling agreement with American Airlines Cargo (AAC) than spans eight European countries. The handling agreement extends the longstanding partnership between the two companies and will support American Airlines Cargo's operations at its stations in Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK. "Our longstanding partnership with WFS has played an important role in supporting our operations across Europe," said Greg Schwendinger, president at American Airlines Cargo. "Together, we're continuing to provide the reliable service and global connectivity our customers expect from American Airlines Cargo." As part of the agreement, WFS will continue to provide cargo and mail handling, security screening, customs and documentation support and specialised handling for shipments including pharmaceuticals, live animals, dangerous goods and e-commerce. American Airlines Cargo and its customers will also continue to benefit from WFS' European road feeder services network, providing additional connectivity between key gateways and greater flexibility across the region. "Our relationship with American Airlines Cargo spans more than 40 years and continues to grow in strength," said Dan Parker, senior vice president commercial EMEA at WFS. "This long-term renewal reflects the trust we have built together and the strength of WFS' European network in supporting American Airlines Cargo's operations. "By combining our network and cargo handling expertise with American's global connectivity, we can continue delivering reliable service for customers across Europe and beyond. We are proud to continue this longstanding partnership." Beyond Europe, WFS also supports American Airlines Cargo across a number of key international cargo gateways in North America and Asia.

Cainiao launches AI and tech airfreight service

Chinese e-commerce logistics company Cainiao has become the latest company to launch a supply chain service targeting AI computing and robotics shipments. The company's "Global Tech in Three Days" service will cover the full tech development cycle from prototype testing and product validation to scaled delivery and overseas operations. The new service is built around three levels: Global Express; Global Air Freight and Global Warehouse Network. Global Express is designed for high-urgency scenarios such as R and D testing, customer demonstrations, product fulfilment, and small-batch replenishment. "It supports flexible multimodal transportation options to meet the needs of both trial shipments and scaled delivery," Cainiao said. Global Air Freight is for large, high-value and overweight shipments such as AI computing equipment, control systems and core modules. "The service provides customised door-to-door delivery and white-glove handling, including scheduled delivery, indoor placement and unpacking handover, ensuring precise and secure delivery for sensitive technology products," the company explained. Global Warehouse Network supports regional stocking, multi-country inventory allocation and local delivery across Cainiao's warehouse network. "As AI becomes a new engine of productivity, logistics must evolve to support faster innovation and global scale," said William Xiong, chief executive of Cainiao Global. "Over the past decade, Cainiao has built an open, efficient and sustainable smart logistics network. As AI and embodied intelligence move from the lab into real industry, we want to leverage our global network to help partners accelerate value creation." Other companies have also been looking to capitalise on the growth in AI volumes over the last couple of years. Earlier this month, Emirates SkyCargo launched a dedicated product designed to help customers move critical and sensitive AI infrastructure safely and on time. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways Cargo launched its semiconductor product in 2025. The company is also investing in its own AI and robotics capabilities and pointed out the technology has improved speed, efficiency and cost across merchant interactions, exception handling, security inspection, warehouse allocation, customs classification and global operations. Looking ahead, the company is investing in Cainiao AI tech covering core operations such as warehouse picking, intelligent navigation and delivery, high-altitude inspection, security operations, aviation logistics and auto parts management. "Cainiao has already scaled pilot deployments across express delivery, e-commerce, FMCG and auto parts scenarios, covering three major task types: basic tasks such as parcel feeding and labelling, mid-level precision tasks such as small-item sorting, and advanced long-horizon tasks such as palletising and complex depalletising. "These deployments are helping robots evolve from single-point operations to more sophisticated real-world applications."

Ocean the star performer as Maersk reports a Q3 bump in revenue

Maersk experienced a 27% year-on-year bump in its third-quarter revenues, hitting $18.1bn, buoyed by a sharp rise in container freight rates that more than offset a slight dip in volumes, prompting it to join ONE in revising its full-year outlook. While the Danish shipping and logistics group said revenue growth had been driven by all its divisions, Ocean Services accounted for the largest contribution, some $12.6bn, an increase of 37% on the same period last year. Group CEO Vincent Clerc said: "We delivered a strong quarter across our businesses. Despite continued geopolitical uncertainty and disruptions, global trade has remained remarkably resilient." Average loaded freight rates increased 46% year on year, to $3,287 per 40ft, with Mr Clerc singling out investment in electrification, energy, and AI infrastructure as one of the core drivers of growth. The rate increase offset moderate volume declines, added the company, down 0.8% over the three-month period to 3.37m feu, which Maersk attributed to the severe weather in Asia and the Strait of Hormuz, although volumes were, nevertheless, 0.3% up on the second quarter. The carrier noted that global container demand had grown between 2% and 4%, year on year, during the quarter, with resilient trade flows supported by consumer spending and investment. Double-digit revenue growth was also forthcoming for Logistics & Services, which recorded a 13% upturn in turnover, to $4.5bn, from $4bn a year earlier, while Forwarding saw solid growth in airfreight and project logistics. Pulling in 2.6% more volume, Terminals generated revenue of $1.5bn, up 4.9% from $1.4bn a year earlier - with Africa and Europe faring well - which the company said was driven by improved rates, higher storage revenue, and a favourable cargo mix. Across the group, EBITDA increased 75%, to $4.7bn, from $2.7bn, with EBIT up from $1.3bn a year earlier to $3.3bn, with Ocean again leading this, reporting a massive EBIT spike, from $567m in 2025 to $2.6bn this year. This strong quarterly performance, as well as expecting an overall 4% volume rise for the year, Maersk upped its full-year earnings guidance for the third time, for EBITDA from $10.5bn-$12.5bn to $14bn-$14.5bn, and raised EBIT expectation from $4.5bn-$6.5bn to $8bn-$8.5bn.