NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 23, 2022

AIR FREIGHT UPDATES

WestJet Cargo Delays Commencement Of Operations

simpleflying.com
WestJet has four 737-800s aircraft recently converted to freighters by Boeing. The 737s are on the apron at Calgary International Airport, WestJet’s central hub. Boeing and WestJet are waiting for government approval to use the recently converted passenger to freighter 737s.
Last spring, WestJet leadership expressed the expectation that two of the P2F 737s would enter service in July 2021 or sooner, but that date has now been delayed to March 26, 2023. Read more here.  

Thanksgiving Travel Advisories: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

simpleflying.com
The United States’ Thanksgiving holiday is just two days away, and passenger numbers are increasing significantly. Airlines and airports are releasing travel advisories in hopes that passengers will follow the information and alleviate headaches. Read more here.

Worker frustration over conditions at air cargo facilities remains on the boil

theloadstar.com
Working conditions and remuneration continue to spur labour protest in the air cargo sector as well as in the aviation industry overall.
Yesterday, warehouse staff from Swissport’s cargo facility at Chicago O’Hare drew attention to their grievances with a public formal complaint at a press conference. Read more here (login required).

OCEAN FREIGHT UPDATES

The numbers behind MSC’s extraordinary fleet growth

splash247.com
Much has been written about the fleet expansion at Gianluigi Aponte’s Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) during container shipping’s boom era. Since August 2020 the Geneva-headquartered liner has bought more than 250 secondhand ships, as well as building a 1.7m teu orderbook, a period of expansion on a scale never seen before in any commercial shipping sector. This period of expansion also saw MSC surpass alliance partner Maersk at the top of the liner rankings at the start of the year. Read more here.

Maersk ‘test case’ could shift balance of power in container shipping

theloadstar.com
Since the pandemic began, complaints of carrier misdeeds have circulated across the industry and around the globe.
In the US, President Biden’s administration decided to try and protect US importers and exporters with the introduction of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act 2022 (OSRA22). Read more here (login required).

GROUND AND RAIL FREIGHT UPDATES

S Korea warns of supply disruption and economic damage if truckers strike

theloadstar.com
South Korean truckers are set to strike again – an eight-day stoppage in June cost more than $1.2bn in lost output and unmet deliveries. The truckers’ union said it would begin the next nationwide strike tomorrow, which the prime minister claims would “cause irreparable damage to the national economy beyond logistics paralysis”. The truckers, who include those driving to major oil refineries, want the government to extend a minimum wage guarantee implemented during Covid. Reuters reports. Read more here (login required).