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Kuehne + Nagel - Apex chip smuggling investigation hits the wires

"The US government is investigating [Kuehne + Nagel's] Apex Logistics for its suspected role in smuggling Nvidia Corp. AI chips to China" - Bloomberg, 27 August 2026. (Timing sucks?) If you recall, Lawrence Lim wrote for Premium about Kuehne + Nagel's (K+N) 'deliberate path' to an Apex listing last month. When asked about Premium's exclusive (followed by Bloomberg coverage two days later), during the Q&A session of the call with management on Q2 26 numbers, CFO Markus Blanka-Graff replied to Barclays analyst Marco ...

Hong Kong Air Cargo adds Brisbane to charter network

Hong Kong Air Cargo plans to start round-trip charter flights between Hong Kong and Brisbane, Australia this month. The cargo carrier will begin flights on 29 August and operate the once a week service on Saturdays. "By expanding footprint at Queensland's premier aviation gateway, the route strengthens our regional network and opens lucrative trade lanes between East Asia and Oceania," said Hong Kong Air Cargo. "Looking ahead, Hong Kong Air Cargo will continue to explore expansion opportunities, including growth in key markets and long-haul development." Earlier this month Hong Kong Air Cargo launched a dedicated freighter service between Hong Kong and Mumbai. As well as Australia and India, the carrier has steadily expanded into Europe, in part to meet e-commerce demand in the region, although e-commerce volumes have recently been affected by the European Union's (EU) introduction of a charge for low-cost packages. The airline started operations in the region in October 2023 with a service to Milan Malpensa. In February 2024, Hong Kong Air Cargo began operating a new route to Liege in Belgium, then in September 2024, it expanded its network to Oslo in Norway. The UK in particular has been a major focal point for the airline's European operations. In February 2024, it started operating to London Stansted (STN), then in October 2024, it launched a route to Birmingham (BHX). In February 2025, the airline began flying to Glasgow Prestwick (PIK) and in November 2025 it began operations at East Midlands Airport (EMA). In February this year, the airline also launched scheduled services to Larnaca International in Cyprus.

Aerospace shipments face growing supply chain capacity crunch

Aerospace shipments are facing a growing capacity squeeze, and the bottleneck is no longer just in the air. Marcelo Riso, VP and global product manager aerospace at Kuehne+Nagel, said the internationalisation of aircraft maintenance was making transportation increasingly critical. He told The Loadstar: "Even routine shipments are now carrying service expectations above standard airfreight levels, because the cost of transport is relatively small compared with the consequences of a parts shortage or operational disruption." The capacity challenge, however, varies considerably depending on what is being moved. Engines are particularly exposed because they depend on widebody main-deck freighter capacity, which is inherently more limited. Aircraft-on-ground (AOG) shipments and other components are more commonly moved in the lower-deck belly holds of passenger aircraft. Mr Riso reckons belly capacity can be more dependable for time-critical aerospace shipments because passenger demand supports frequent and predictable schedules. Freighter operations, by contrast, are more exposed to changes in demand and network deployment. The problem is that aerospace is no longer competing only with traditional airfreight markets. Mr Riso pointed to the e-commerce boom as an earlier source of pressure on freighter capacity, while demand associated with AI infrastructure was now creating another significant competitor, as well as perishables and pharmaceuticals. Large, specialised equipment also competes directly with engines for limited capacity, while semiconductor shippers can command premium allocations, a situation that could become more complicated as the composition of passenger fleets changes. Mr Riso noted the growth of ultra-long-range narrowbodies, such as the B737MAX and A321XLR, which are beginning to take market share from widebodies. The impact on belly capacity is currently marginal, because the aircraft are largely operating alongside widebodies. But if narrowbodies begin replacing widebody services on more routes, the amount of cargo space available could fall. The vulnerability of aerospace supply chains has also been exposed by geopolitical disruption. Mr Riso said a large proportion of widebody freighter capacity was provided by Middle Eastern carriers, meaning disruption to their operations can have effects far beyond the region. When airspace closures forced carriers to suspend or reduce operations, markets including India and Asia-Pacific experienced disruption to routing and capacity availability. Engines and other critical aerospace components were particularly exposed. But the bigger issue, Mr Riso argues, is that the definition of logistics capacity is changing. He said: "Capacity is no longer just an airline issue; it's an end-to-end infrastructure issue." Indeed, in some markets aircraft capacity may no longer be the principal constraint. Ground handling resources, specialist trucking, customs processes, and airport infrastructure can all restrict the movement of high-value aerospace shipments. Manpower is another vulnerability. Driver shortages across Europe and North America can compound delays at loading and unloading points, while limited visibility remains a problem when tracking systems depend on delayed manual updates. For aerospace operators and MRO providers, the timing of these disruptions is particularly important because shipments can already be late before they even enter the transportation phase. Mr Riso said: "Aerospace supply chains and parts availability are already under significant pressure, so by the time a shipment reaches the transportation phase, it's often already running late." A further transport delay can quickly affect aircraft availability and maintenance schedules. The response, therefore, is less about relying on a single source of capacity and more about building flexibility into the logistics network. He advises aerospace supply chains should limit reliance on any single carrier, route, or station, with alternative processes and routing options planned in advance. "Proximity is not always the best solution; access to reliable airfreight capacity can be more important," he added.