NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 21, 2022

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

China Will Open Its Westernmost Airport On Friday

simpleflying.com
Tashikuergan Hongqilafu Airport (HQL), China’s westernmost airport and Xinjiang’s first high plateau airport, will officially enter into commercial operations on Friday, December 23rd, according to the Xinjiang branch of China Southern Airlines. Read more here.

There Will Now Be No More Boeing 747 1st Flights

simpleflying.com
The last aircraft of one of the longest-running projects in global aviation history is one flight closer to being delivered to the airline customer. After leaving the production line on December 6th, the last Boeing 747 left grounds for the first time for its flight testing phase on December 18th.

CMA CGM Air Cargo leases out freighters

aircargonews.net
CMA CGM Air Cargo is leasing out four of its freighter aircraft to Qatar Cargo and DHL’s express airline, European Transport Leipzig (EAT), writes Oliver Link of Air Cargo News sister title DVZ.
On paper, CMA CGM Air Cargo owns a fleet of six freighters; it consists of two widebody aircraft of the type B777F and four A330-200s designed for medium and long-haul routes. Read more here.

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

US east coast ports catch a chill in the downturn

theloadstar.com
The coastal shift of cargo from America’s west coast to the east and Gulf Coast ports could not mitigate a 10% slump in container import volumes in November at the eastern terminals.
According to the McCown Report analysis of the top ten US container ports, the east and Gulf Coast gateways saw a 9.7% decline in imports last month, compared with November 2021, to 939,766 teu. Read more here (login required).

GROUND AND RAIL FREIGHT UPDATES

CP Update: Snow in Vancouver Causes Gate Restriction at Centerm

ciffa.com
CP issued the following statement on Monday:

The Vancouver area has been experiencing inclement weather, including snow, and with CP already having a very strong volume for Centerm, the below gate restriction is being issued:
•    Effective – from 00:01, Tuesday, 20 December, 2022.
•    Traffic type – all export loads and pregate billed empties to Centerm will not be permitted to ingate.
As and when the situation improves, we will issue a new broadcast with timelines for reopening. If you have any questions, please reach out to your respective ocean carrier for instructions.

Trucking conditions crashed to pandemic lows this fall
freightwaves.com
Troy Hawkins, a longtime trucking owner-operator, enjoyed a take-home pay of around $70,000 in 2021. But, this year, he estimates his income has sunk to about $45,000 or $50,000.
It’s not because the Baltimore-based truck driver worked less. The cost of diesel has soared and his per-mile rate just hasn’t kept up.  Read more here.

INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT UPDATES

Retail diesel keeps dropping, chasing earlier declines in futures, wholesale prices

freightwaves.com
Retail diesel prices are slowly catching up with earlier big declines in the futures and wholesale prices of the fuel, though both of those markets have climbed off recent lows.
The Department of Energy/Energy Information Administration’s weekly average retail diesel price fell 15.8 cents to $4.596 per gallon on M Read more here.