Newsletter – January 7, 2019

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Full opening of Istanbul’s new airport pushed back to March 3

aircargonews.net
This week’s full opening of the new Istanbul Airport for passenger flights has been delayed for the second time, until March 3, according to press reports. Read more here. 

Drones: How the world’s airspace will change in 2019

aircargonews.net
In the past five years, the drone industry has seen impressive growth around the globe.
Both the public and private sectors have leveraged unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in countless ways, whether to improve public safety surveillance in law enforcement, inspect power lines by utility companies, and even save lives in disaster recovery efforts. Read more here. 

Troubled Hong Kong Airlines threatens to sue anyone starting ‘untrue and groundless’ rumours about its financial health

scmp.com
Hong Kong Airlines issued a statement on Saturday slamming suggestions that the carrier would stop flying and be liquidated. The legal threats came despite concerns about the health of the business which prompted the authorities to question the company. Read more here. 

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Container fire still burning on Yantian Express

lloydsloadinglist.com
The container fire on the Hapag-Lloyd vessel Yantian Express that started on 3 January has not yet been contained and “has significantly increased in intensity at times”, leading to the evacuation of its crew. Read more here. 

Shipping demand from South East Asia set to soar

lloydsloadinglist.com
More manufacturers will start to shift production out of China due to the threat of US tariffs during 2019, according to leading logistics executives and analysts. Read more here.

Customer trust restored, claims HMM chief – now we need to work better together

theloadstar.co.uk
In his traditional new year message to staff, HMM president and chief executive Chang Keun Yoo has called on employees to help “put an end to this difficult period” by improving communication between department. Read more here. 

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS – GOVERNMENT UPDATES

As the US shutdown drags on, the threat to supply chains grows

theloadstar.co.uk
Initial repercussions for logistics from the US government shutdown have been slight so far, but the prospect of lingering paralysis is raising fears of severe supply chain disruption that may take a long time to mend. Read more here.