US-based global express integrator UPS saw its second-quarter revenue rise by 8.1 percent year-on-year, to US$13.2 billion.

“As everyone knows, the economy both in the US and globally is struggling,” states Michael Cox, president of New York-based cargo general sales agent (GSA) Aviacargo.

Despite the air freight market in the US and Canada showing a continuing softness, the general mood is buoyant and future growth is expected. Boeing presses on to meet the capacity need with the production of the new B747-8F and DB?Schenker moves to realign its US services to a non-asset-based model

Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) launched its first Kiev - Moscow - Kiev flight last month (July). Flying into Moscow’s Domodedovo International airport, taking into account its codeshare agreement with S7 Airlines UIA can offer three flights a day into the Russian capital.

Some smaller Russian carriers are facing a significant threat to their existence, should plans recently unveiled by the Russian Federal Transport Agency (Rostaviatsia) come to fruition.

Moscow Domodedovo International airport processed 16,018 tons of cargo in June, up by 28.8 percent on the same month of 2010.

Meridian Airways, a Ukraine-based all-cargo carrier, has shipped a consignment of competitive endurance horses to the South-East UK’s Cambridge airport.

Moscow-headquartered Transaero Airlines, Russia’s second-largest air carrier, continues to expand. The carrier says that over the first six months of this year, it moved a total of 21,135 tons of mail and cargo, 34.9 percent more than during the first six months of last year.

Coyne Airways, which provides cargo capacity to the Caspian Sea region, is looking to add freight space on its operations into Tbilisi, Georgia.

According to a spokeswoman for one of the two big air gateways in the Russian capital: “Moscow Sheremetyevo International airport (SVO) remains the leader in the Moscow air freight market with a majority share of cargo volumes, but there is no time to take a break.”

Russia’s big cargo carriers and its major freight gateways all seem to be seeing growth but the very existence of the country’s smaller airlines is under threat

“We are a gateway for oil and gas, which in Brazil is really booming right now,” says Luiz Guilherme, commercial director at Cabo Frio International airport.

Ivo Mafra, managing director of Itajai-headquartered forwarder DC Logistics, says: “In general, our company is focusing on the Brazilian market until 2017 with no intention to go abroad – we will remain local,” in terms of its own network.

According to Carlos Amodeo, director of TAM Cargo (the freight-carrying arm of the Brazilian flag-carrier): “Brazil has managed to position itself in a leading role in a global financial and economic context.

 

A B747-400 freighter operated by Asiana Airlines crashed into coastal waters off South Korea on 28 July after reporting a fire in its cargo compartments, government aviation officials in Seoul have reported.

Freight throughput across the 67 gateways run by Brazilian airport operator Infraero totalled 567,031 tonnes in the first five months of this year. International volumes accounted for just over half of the total, at 284,250 tonnes.

Robbie Neilson, director at São Paulo-based forwarder BRL Worldwide Logistics, says the Brazilian air freight market has bounced back after the global financial crisis and is “pretty robust”.

With its booming economy driven by activity in the oil and gas sector, Brazil is developing rapidly – and the country’s air freight community is riding that wave. But there is still a long way to go, with challenges arising from shortcomings in its infrastructure, continuing bureaucracy and a strong exchange rate

"On a global level and in general terms we see the risks of running unbalanced capacity between the import and export trade lanes," remarks spokesperson and communications manager at freight forwarder Dachser Greater China.