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TAP Air Portugal eyes cargo demand for Orlando flight

TAP Air Portugal and sales agent America Cargo GSA are hoping that the airline's new direct flight to Orlando will prove valuable for their cargo customers. The service is due to launch on 29 October and is the only direct connection between Lisbon and Orlando. The service will operate three times per week using an Airbus A330 aircraft. Flights will depart on Monday, Thursday and Sunday and the service will offer between 45 and 60 tons of capacity each week. One of the main selling points of the service is the two-hour time saving it offers comapred with non-direct flights. "TAP Air Portugal is making history this winter by becoming the first airline ever to offer a direct connection between Orlando, home to leading American aerospace, tech and industrial manufacturers, and Lisbon, a well-situated, less crowded gateway into Europe and an excellent bridge to South America," said Jean Ceccaldi, chief executive of ECS Group. "TAP's new service shaves hours off existing two-leg connections and is therefore a highly attractive alternative, particularly for shippers of high-value, time-sensitive goods such as aerospace parts, electronics, medical technology and industrial machinery, alongside other specialised exports such as seafood and vegetables. "America Cargo GSA is working in close collaboration with major forwarders and reports keen interest in TAP Air Portugal's latest routing." Rúben da Silva Jorge, head of sales North America at TAP Air Cargo, added: "Market feedback has been extremely encouraging. Customers have responded positively to the new non-stop service, and we are optimistic about developing Orlando as both a strong local market and an important gateway within our network. "Together with our GSSA partner, America Cargo GSA, we look forward to serving our freight forwarding customers." The new service launch comes shortly after the Portuguese government selected Lufthansa's bid for a stake in TAP Air Portugal ahead of the Air France-KLM Group. The deal will allow Lufthansa Cargo to expand its offering between Europe and South America - in particular Brazil - and Africa from TAP's Lisbon and Porto hubs. Meanwhile, TAP will gain access to Lufthansa's strong network heading east and its fleet of freighters, allowing it to expand the types of cargo it can carry.

Carriers opt for more blanked sailings to bolster freight rates

Container spot freight rates on all three of the largest east-west trades - Asia-Europe, transpacific, and transatlantic - were on the rise this week. After three months of post-peak season declines, the Asia-Europe trades experienced a second week of spot freight rate increases, according to Drewry's World Container Index (WCI). The WCI's Shanghai-Rotterdam leg was up 3% week on week, to end at to $3,632 per 40ft, while its Shanghai-Genoa route saw pricing increase 5%, to $4,152 per 40ft. As is often the case, this week's WCI Asia-Europe spot rate levels were indicated by last week's Shanghai Containerised Freight Index (SCFI) figures, which showed Shanghai-North Europe at $3,547 per 40ft, and Shanghai-Mediterranean at $4,097 per 40ft, while analysts at Linerlytica noted that "actual spot rates remain weak with current carrier rates at below the SCFI's assessment", which chimes with some of the unsolicited spot market offers The Loadstar received from Chinese forwarders this week. In an effort to stave off a downturn in pricing as the market moves into November, carriers are increasing the number of blanked sailings - according to Drewry's Container Capacity Insight, eight blank sailings have been announced for next week, up from two this week, "indicating tight capacity", as well as introducing new freight all kinds (FAK) prices on Asia-Europe. This week MSC announced it would apply an FAK of $4,500 per 40ft on Asia-North Europe, $5,000 on Asia-west Mediterranean, and $5,100 on Asia-east Mediterranean on 1 November, while CMA CGM is aiming for $4,900 on Asia-west Mediterranean and $5,200 on Asia-east Mediterranean ports for the same date. However, Linerlytica predicts the new November pricing will likely fail, although it is worth noting that in MSC's case, the FAK rate to North Europe is the same level as that introduced in mid-October and only $500 per 40ft up in terms of Mediterranean destinations. European forwarders reported receiving discounted offers on FAK levels throughout the first half of this month and suggested this will be repeated in November. Meanwhile, transpacific spot rates grew more modestly in a week which US west coast forwarder Freight Right described as "a market stabilising". The WCI's Shanghai-Los Angeles leg rose 2% week on week, to finish at $8,007 per 40ft, while the Shanghai-New route was York up 1%, to $10,166 per 40ft, with Drewry recording two blank sailings scheduled for next week, "down from six this week, indicating more effective capacity". "Since strong US import demand continues to support freight rates, Drewry expects rates to remain stable next week," the consultancy added. However, North American demand levels remain open to question, with Freight Right reporting that a much-anticipated seasonal slowdown was beginning with the peak shipping season "officially wrapping up, and volume is beginning a natural seasonal decline", combining with a modest injection of capacity and some carriers offering discounts to gain market share. "While baseline market rates remain flat through month-end, additional capacity is opening up," it said. "Aggressive pricing anomalies exist among niche carriers, such as Ocean Network Express (ONE), offering rates significantly below general market averages, though space on these lower-cost options is fully booked through October," it added. It further added that a spot rate of around $8,000 per 40ft was now common on the Asia-US east coast trade. "Space conditions have eased in tandem with the west coast, ending the extreme tightness observed earlier in the season," it said. Meanwhile, rates on the transatlantic westbound head-haul grew again this week, with the WCI's Rotterdam-New York showing 3% week-on-week increases, to end at $3,181 per 40ft, maintaining a a months-long run that has seen the spot rate persistently above $3,000 - it is currently 85% up year on year.

Korean Air launches "smart" cargo terminal at Incheon Airport

Korean Air has announced that it has completed the modernisation of its cargo terminal at Seoul's Incheon International Airport, declaring it a "fully integrated 'Smart Terminal'. The modernisation programme, which ran from June 2025 to last month, included the introduction of automated technologies across a range of terminal handling operations. "Top-tier cargo handling quality" was nevertheless maintained throughout the process, the airline said. At the heart of the upgrade of the terminal has been the deployment of both Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) and new Elevating Transfer Vehicles (ETVs). By moving from a single line to dual automated transfer lines integrated with the new ETVs, the terminal has increased its ULD processing capacity from 18 to 30 units an hour. Moreover, the terminal's total cargo handling capacity is expected to increase by more than 25%, while Korean Air is also expanding specialised facilities that handle high-yield, special cargo. Korean Air Cargo already operates its Cool Cargo Center at Incheon, a specialised facility capable of storing and processing over 150 tons of fresh cargo at any one time. According to a statement from the carrier, the automation of heavy equipment has minimised the number of manual handling touchpoints, while infrastructure upgrades have also improved the overall working environment. "This renovation is an essential step to proactively respond to the rapidly changing global logistics environment by upgrading equipment and integrating smart technologies," Korean Air said. As well as its state-of-the-art cargo terminal at its primary hub at Incheon, Korean Air has dedicated cargo terminals in New York, Los Angeles, Narita and Osaka. And, complementing the Incheon facility upgrade, the Seoul-headquartered carrier is also modernising its cargo terminal at JFK International Airport in New York, with completion of the process scheduled for next year. Furthermore, in confirmation of a fleet upgrade, Korean Air said last month that it had finalised an order for eight Boeing 777-8 freighters that it first committed to last year. And, earlier this year, in June, Korean Air Cargo capacity began to be placed on the Freightos booking platform. As a result, customers could access Korean Air's real-time air cargo rates and capacity on key lanes from North America and Europe to Asia, and make bookings via the platform. Meanwhile, at Incheon, last month it was confirmed that supply chain giant DSV had continued the expansion of its Air ThermoDirect service with the addition of a new facility at the Seoul airfreight gateway.