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Cargo airline AirRajasthan plans market launch

An Indian cargo airline currently in development aims to connect India, the UAE/GCC, Africa and international markets. AirRajasthan has not announced a specific launch date, according to its LinkedIn profile. "Introducing AirRajasthan - the upcoming First Air Cargo Airline of Rajasthan, bringing a new vision of air cargo connectivity, international trade and logistics excellence," said the airline in a post on the professional networking platform. The airline said on its profile that it will establish hubs in Jaipur and Rajasthan in India, plus Fujairah in the UAE "With Jaipur, Rajasthan, and Fujairah, UAE, as our strategic hubs, we aim to develop an integrated aviation and logistics network that brings together air cargo, charter operations, freight management, ground transportation and end-to-end cargo solutions under one commercial platform," added AirRajasthan. Air Cargo News has requested more information about AirRajasthan's planned launch date, network and fleet. India's air cargo market is expanding, supported by growth in e-commerce, express logistics, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and international trade. According to provisional figures from India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), scheduled airlines carried approximately 3.11m tonnes of cargo in financial year 2025/26, comprising 978,000 tonnes of domestic freight, up 24% year on year, and 2.13m tonnes of international cargo, an increase of 20.6%. Bengaluru-based Quikjet Cargo Airlines operates domestic and international flights and recently launched flights to Dubai, as well as a Delhi-Guwahati-Hanoi route on behalf of Amazon. Fellow India-based express carrier Blue Dart Aviation offers scheduled domestic freighter flights.

Natilus cargo aircraft wings build project gets underway

US aerospace manufacturer Natilus has commissioned Composites Universal Group to build wings for the full-scale prototype of its 3.8-ton Kona optionally autonomous feeder cargo aircraft. Composites Universal Group has established a streamlined tooling process to reduce costs and expedite the build timeline, with delivery anticipated in spring 2027, said Natilus. KONA's wing relies on a conventional layout with spars and ribs. Rather than aluminium wings, Composites Universal Group will use carbon fibre, which offers several benefits such as reduced corrosion rates and fatigue resistance over time. Additionally, it requires fewer parts and fasteners to join the wing, minimising the need for individual riveted panels and thousands of drilled holes. The construction of the wings will be based on the production of traditional tube-and-wing builds of the Beechcraft King Air series of aircraft at Textron Aviation alongside other certified aircraft within the cargo market. The wing will incorporate FAA-standard aerospace materials and will use a cable and pulley system for flight controls. The wings will be 'dry' meaning they won't contain fuel tanks that would introduce additional complexity. "Natilus is pushing the envelope by designing an aircraft that offers impressive reductions in fuel consumption and operational costs, but our disciplined approach and vast expertise in building next-gen aircraft - from eVTOLs to unmanned systems - makes us a strong partner for this endeavour," said Steve Ruege, co-founder, president and chief executive of Composites Universal Group. Once on site at Natilus's San Diego hangar, the wings will undergo coupon and bond joint testing and then limit load testing to validate the physics and ensure durability ahead of the full-scale demonstration flight. "KONA's blended wing may look different than any plane on the market today, but we are utilizing off-the-shelf technology for the wing build," said Aleksey Matyushev, chief executive of Natilus. "At Natilus, we are committed to building an aircraft that delivers on the quality standards that our freighter customers and the U.S. Air Force expect and require." As well as securing a wings manufacturer, Natilus has accrued substantial funding this year. Last month, Natilus secured $3.5m in research and development funding to accelerate the development of KONA toward full-scale flight testing. In February, Natilus also announced it had secured $28m in funding. Initial flight testing for the Kona subscale prototype began in 2023. In July last year, Natilus was awarded a US patent for its diamond-shaped cargo bay design to be incorporated in the Kona. In addition to the Kona UAV, Natilus is also developing Horizon, a 200-seat passenger plane that rivals Boeing's 737. Previously, Natilus had also planned to develop Alisio - a 60-ton payload medium/long range cargo aircraft, and Nordes - a 100-ton payload long-range cargo aircraft. Natilus now has more than 570 aircraft pre-orders valued at $24bn.

DHL Global Forwarding appoints new Asia Pacific CEO

DHL Global Forwarding has appointed a new chief executive to head its business in Asia Pacific starting next year. Casper Ellerbaek will swap roles with Niki Frank to become the new head of Asia Pacific, while Frank will lead the forwarder's ocean business. Ellerbaek will take up the new role in August and will be based in Singapore. Both will continue to report directly to chief executive of DHL Global Forwarding, Oscar de Bok. "Niki and Casper bring strong international leadership experience and complementary perspectives to their new responsibilities," said de Bok. "Casper combines deep ocean freight expertise with extensive experience in Asia Pacific." Ellerbaek first joined DHL Global Forwarding in 2010 as vice president, Asia Pacific Trade. After holding senior leadership roles across Asia Pacific, he returned to DHL Global Forwarding in 2023 as executive vice president global ocean freight. "He brings extensive international forwarding expertise and senior leadership experience across regional and global roles," DHL said. "Under his leadership, the [ocean] organisation has sharpened accountability and execution, advanced its digital agenda and reinforced engagement with customers and partners."