CHINA SOUTHERN AIRLINES PARTNERS WITH IAG CARGO
China Southern Airlines has become the latest airline to join IAG Cargo’s Partner Plus program. Six carriers—Qatar Airways, Japan Airlines, the Avianca group, American Airlines, Finnair and now China Southern—form the Partner Plus program. Since August, IAG Cargo customers have benefitted from confirmed space booked on China Southern Airlines to a range of new destinations including Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Urumqi.

“Our Partner Plus program has allowed us to grow our network reach in an asset-light way,” says Steve Gunning, CEO of IAG Cargo. “Today’s deal will provide our customers with new destinations in some of Asia’s most important trading hubs.”

“IAG Cargo has a strong global network reach and will prove an important partner in helping us to connect our customers with markets in Europe, the Americas and elsewhere,” says Zhao Fengsheng, senior vice president for Cargo at China Southern. “We look forward to working with them on what we believe will prove a highly effective and beneficial partnership.”

BROWARD COLLEGE ANNOUNCES NEW SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Broward College in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has announced it is offering flexible and accelerated weekend options at its Miramar West Center as part of its new Supply Chain Management Degree Program. Designed for busy working adults interested in pursuing a Bachelor of Applied Science in Supply Chain Management, the program will allow students to complete their degrees in just more than two years.

The program is primarily designed for students with little or no previous college experience. Classes are scheduled year-round on Friday nights and Saturday mornings and afternoons. Students will first graduate with an Associate of Science in Supply Chain Management Operations in December 2016 and then a Bachelor of Applied Science in Supply Chain Management in December 2017.

“We are very excited to announce this new option, especially since South Florida has a major geographic advantage for the global trade and logistics industry,” says Russell McCaffery, Broward College dean of Transportation Programs. “With job growth expected in this sector, we look forward to providing the necessary skills training to our students to meet the demands of the local workforce.”

APL LOGISTICS OPENS NEW CONTAINER FREIGHT STATION IN VIETNAM
APL Logistics announces the opening of its latest consolidation center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the largest single-roof container freight station within the company’s Southeast Asia network. The facility will add further scale to the company’s consolidation and value-added services network for customers with growing global and regional sourcing needs.

The container freight station is strategically located near major seaports and airports around Ho Chi Minh City. It includes more than 500,000 square feet of bonded/CFS warehouse space, 80,000 square feet of secured parking spaces easily accommodating 200 forty-foot trucks, and 170 loading and receiving bays, translating to approximately 170 trucks at one time.

Transport time to international seaports and airports will be equal to or better than existing facilities around the city, according to the company statement. The facility is also compliant with international standards for security and safety with state-of-the-art environmentally friendly features.

FEDEX LAUNCHES BID TO ACQUIRE TNT EXPRESS NV
Global express delivery giant Federal Express (FedEx) has formally launched its $4.8 billion offer for TNT Express NV and has said that it’s “optimistic the deal will get the necessary regulatory approval.”
FedEx announced its intention to acquire TNT in April, but in August the Tennessee-based company faced a major hurdle after the European Commission (EC) in Brussels opened an in-depth investigation into the transaction. The EC has voiced concerns that the combined entity would dominate the delivery of international small packages in some European markets. FedEx, however, said the process of obtaining regulatory approval remains on track.

In separate statements, the two companies said they would “work to address the Commission’s concerns,” with David Binks, FedEx’s president for Europe, stating that both FedEx and TNT “are confident that the combination of both companies will increase competition and create benefits for customers.” The deal, he added, “presents a pro-competitive proposition for the provision of small package delivery services within and outside Europe.”

KALITTA CHARTERS ACQUIRES AIRNET
AirNet and Michigan-based Kalitta Charters, LLC announced last week that Kalitta has acquired operational assets of the Columbus, Ohio-based company.

“We are thrilled about the unique opportunities this relationship will create for our industry,” says Doug Kalitta, president, Kalitta Charters. “AirNet’s expertise and reputation are tremendous complements to Kalitta’s relentless commitment to quality and innovation.”

AirNet operates scheduled and on-demand cargo charter services and offers avionic installations and aircraft maintenance. The company has a fleet of Beechcraft Barons and Bombardier Learjets with team members based primarily in Columbus, and St. Louis, Missouri. It also offers specialized services for transporting radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear medicines, and provides aircraft maintenance on all major manufacturers.

Kalitta Charters offers executive charter, air ambulance, and air cargo services as well as aircraft maintenance, servicing, and overhauling. The company operates a fleet of more than 35 aircraft, ranging from Learjets to Boeing 737s. In most cases the company can respond to charter requests in as little as 45 minutes, according to a company statement.

AirNet is one of a few carriers granted special permits from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Transport Canada to provide the highest level of radiopharmaceutical cargo charter service.

EPA ENTERS AGREEMENT WITH PANYNJ AND TERMINAL OPERATORS TO CUT POLLUTION
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced agreements last month with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and regional port terminal operators that will reduce air pollution in the port area. Under the agreements, the Port Authority, APM Terminals North America, Maher Terminals and Port Newark Container Terminals will reduce truck idling at the port of Newark and take other actions to reduce harmful air pollution from diesel exhaust.

The Port Authority’s actions will include providing funding for truck owner-operators to replace their old trucks serving the port with newer, less-polluting trucks, and placing anti-idling signs on port roadways. The Port Authority will provide funding up to $1.5 million for terminal operators who connect their cargo handling equipment to alternative sources of power such as electricity. The Port Authority will also assist the truck operators to create a system to manage truck traffic to further reduce air pollution.

“It is imperative that trucks, especially in heavily congested port areas, reduce idling,” says Judith Enck, EPA’s regional administrator. “The children of Newark suffer from asthma at a rate three-times higher than the state average. These agreements should help relieve the burden.”

The terminal operators will provide anti-idling instructions at gate entrances, install anti-idling signs, and undertake a variety of additional driver education efforts to reduce idling. The three major terminal operators also will provide a total of $600,000 to the City of Newark to pay for green projects such as vegetative barriers, plantings and landscaping in areas that are most impacted by air pollution from port operations.