Newsletter – January 9, 2024

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

Runway Reopens At Haneda Airport Following Japan Airlines Airbus A350 Incident
simpleflying.com
One week after a fiery and fatal collision involving a Japan Airlines (JAL) Airbus A350-900 and a Coast Guard Dash 8 at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND), runway 16L/34R has reopened. The runway, where the crash occurred, is one of four at the busy international airport.
The reopening comes as the bodies of the victims were reportedly returned to their families. The Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) is continuing with its investigation while local police are looking into the possibility of negligence. Read more here.

Air cargo eyes a year of uncertainty and opportunity
aircargonews.net
Geopolitical uncertainty and unpredictability could fuel demand for air cargo as shippers move to benefit from the stability of services.
Figures from data provider Xeneta show that air cargo demand increased by 9% year on year in December – although this is partly a reflection of a weak end to 2022 – while spot rates reached their highest level in nine months of $2.60 per kg and the dynamic load factor increased by 3% to reach 59%. Read more here.

United Airlines finds loose bolts on multiple 737 Max 9 aircraft
aircargoweek.com
United Airlines has found bolts in need of “additional tightening” during inspections of Boeing 737 Max 9s.
It comes after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft following an incident on an Alaska Airlines flight Friday evening, where a section of the fuselage flew off mid-flight. Read more here.

The future of air cargo: How heavy equipment is transforming air transport
aircargoweek.com
Every day, heavy equipment that consists of construction, mining, forestry, and industrial machinery is transported all around the globe.
With a weight between 20 to at times, 1000 tons, it’s an incredible feat that these machines are capable of being transported at all, let alone by air cargo. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

Indian shippers face cost shocks as carriers bring in crisis price hikes
theloadstar.com
Indian cargo owners are facing multiple shipping cost shocks, even as they work through sailing disruptions and the associated challenges stemming from the Red Sea/Suez Canal crisis. According to local forwarder sources, major carriers calling at Indian ports have implemented hikes in their local tariffs, especially terminal handling charges (THCs) this month and, in some cases, again in February. Read more here (login required).

Carriers Accused of Using ‘Sledgehammer Tactics’ to Hike Backhaul Rates
theloadstar.com
European exporters to Asia are being hit with a double-whammy of transit disruption surcharges for containers already shipped, and huge rate increases for new bookings.
Moreover, ocean carriers are invoicing customers extra fees for shipments as far back as November, when most vessels were still being routed via the Suez Canal.
Meanwhile, on the transpacific, U.S. maritime regulator the Federal Maritime Commission has agreed to requests from a number of Asia-U.S. carriers to exempt them from the required 30-day notice before they are allowed to impose diversion surcharges, due to the “extraordinary circumstances” of the Red Sea crisis. Read more here (login required).

Malaysia upholds ban so Zim re-routes services to omit Port Klang
theloadstar.com
Following the December announcement by Malaysian prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim that the country’s ports would no longer service calls by Zim ships, the Israeli carrier has cancelled all calls to the main hub of Port Klang.
In addition, there is now no mention of Malaysia on the carrier’s website, and it is absent from a drop-down list of shippers’ destinations. Read more here (login required).