Tired of waiting to get passenger service off the ground during the pandemic, startup low-cost carrier flypop has decided to switch gears and debut as a cargo airline.
The U.K.-based airline said last week that it has redeployed its first Airbus A330 for dedicated cargo operations as a passenger freighter with its seats removed. The cargo-only flights are being operated for flypop by air charter specialist Hi Fly.
Flypop intends to deploy the passenger aircraft as an auxiliary freighter for...
Rail service at the Port of Vancouver could resume next week as CN and Canadian Pacific crews worked to repair sections of their networks hit by the devastating floods and landslides in British Columbia while impacts continued to strain the supply chain.
CP (NYSE:CP) said it expects to resume service during the middle of next week. CN (NYSE:CNI) didn’t provide an estimate for restoring service, but said repairs would “continue at least into next week.”
CN and CP’s rail lines serving the port...
FedEx Express is abandoning its pilot base in Hong Kong because of restrictive COVID health and travel rules that make it difficult for the parcel carrier’s airline to operate efficiently.
In late January, FedEx (NYSE: FDX) relocated at significant expense about 180 of its Hong Kong-domiciled pilots and their families to San Francisco so they wouldn’t be subject to lengthy quarantines required by Hong Kong authorities after returning from trips. The express delivery company said at the time that...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fedex-shutters-hong-kong-pilot-base-over-covid-restrictions
Amid all the headlines on consumer demand, imports to America’s primary container gateway — the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach — have sunk back to pre-COVID levels, not only due to congestion stranding massive amounts of cargo offshore, but also due to a pullback in ship arrivals that’s being obscured by the congestion story.
LA-LB imports normalizing
The Port of Los Angeles held its monthly press briefing on Tuesday, featuring Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, but the port didn’t...
The California Department of Transportation said Wednesday it will begin issuing temporary permits allowing trucks carrying heavier loads of up to 88,000 pounds for import loads on the state highway system, but the change is unlikely to produce intended reductions in huge container backlogs at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The increased truck weight limit will apply to the entire state highway system, including interstate routes, for moves between ports and distribution centers in...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/california-truck-weight-exemption-unlikely-to-ease-ports-logjam
Federal lawmakers from California are pressuring Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency and suspend or eliminate regulations to deal with a supply chain crisis they say has no letup in sight.
In a letter sent Wednesday to Newsom, a Democrat, eight U.S. representatives — all Republican — said that while President Joe Biden’s recent call for 24/7 operations at California ports is a “step in the right direction,” more than 100 ships are still anchored off the ports of Los Angeles and...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/california-lawmakers-seek-supply-chain-state-of-emergency
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings on Wednesday said it has merged the operations of subsidiary Southern Air under a single operating certificate held by sister cargo airline Atlas Air.
Atlas Air is the world’s largest operator of Boeing 747 freighter aircraft and also flies two dozen 767 medium widebody cargo jets. With the addition of Southern Air on the same operating certificate, Atlas adds about nine large 777s and eight 737-800 narrowbody jets used on shorter, regional routes. The move provides...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/atlas-air-finalizes-integration-of-southern-to-boost-efficiency
Ocean carrier Zim, by far the largest U.S.-listed shipping company by market cap, just blew away the profit forecasts. Again. But it’s not all smooth sailing.
The Israel-based shipping line (NYSE: ZIM) is particularly exposed to the trans-Pacific trade lane, where port congestion is now having an extremely negative effect on volumes. Ship scheduling data confirms significant and growing fallout to Zim’s trans-Pacific services in the fourth quarter.
On Wednesday, the company reported net income...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-to-make-a-billion-when-your-ships-are-stuck-at-anchor
Emirates signed a sales agreement Monday making it the second customer for Israel Aerospace Industries’ Boeing 777 large-freighter conversion program currently under development, just as fledgling U.S. rival Mammoth Freighters announced its first order. IAI also struck a deal with a leasing company to structurally modify 10 standard-size Boeing 737-800s for dedicated cargo transport.
The flurry of contracts are a reflection of the booming air cargo market, the need for more dedicated freighters...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/emirates-invests-in-converted-and-new-777-freighters
Flooding and landslides in British Columbia have cut off the Port of Vancouver from all rail services as officials warned on Tuesday of forthcoming vessel delays and disruptions to terminal operations.
Significant portions of CN (NYSE:CNI) and Canadian Pacific (NYSE:CP) rail lines serving the port — Canada’s largest — were shut down after heavy rain pounded the province and the Pacific Northwest. The consequences likely will be felt throughout the Canadian supply chain, adding delays for...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/flooding-cuts-off-port-of-vancouver-rail-service