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A.P. Moller – Maersk strengthens global air freight offering

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A.P. Moller - Maersk strengthens global air freight offering. Image: Maersk
A.P. Moller - Maersk strengthens global air freight offering. Image: Maersk
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A.P. Moller – Maersk announced the intended acquisition of Senator International, a well-renowned global freight forwarding company with a strong air freight offering. Furthermore, to expand its own controlled air network, Maersk is adding aircraft to its operations: three leased cargo planes to be operational from 2022 and two newbuilding Boeing aircraft to be deployed by 2024.

Air freight is a crucial enabler of flexibility and agility in global supply chains as it allows companies to tackle time-critical supply chain challenges and provides transport mode options for high value cargo. To better cater to customers´ needs, Maersk aims to increase its presence in the global air cargo industry.

To accelerate its product offering which integrates Logistics, Ocean, Rail and Air and expand its global air network, Maersk intends to acquire Senator International, a company with a renowned operational air freight platform of own controlled capacity and operations across Europe, Asia, South Africa, and America. In addition, Maersk is purchasing two new B777F and leasing three B767-300 cargo planes. To operate and manage this added capacity, the cargo airline Star Air – the internal air cargo operation of Maersk established in 1987 – will become a key vehicle supporting Maersk’s logistics offering.

“As a global provider of integrated logistics, Maersk is improving the ability to provide a one-stop-shop and end-to-end logistics capabilities to our customers. We have strengthened our integrated logistics offering through E-commerce logistics acquisitions, tech investments, expanding our warehouse footprint and, as a natural next step, we are now ramping up our air freight capacity significantly and creating a broader network to cater even better for the needs of customers.”, said Vincent Clerc, Executive Vice President and CEO of Ocean & Logistics, A.P. Moller – Maersk.

Joining forces with Senator to create a strong air platform

Senator has built a renowned airfreight operation centered around own controlled capacity using nineteen weekly flights across its network. Senator operates a significant part of their business through a dedicated air bridge with own controlled capacity and ensuring a high service level for its customers. This focus on own controlled capacity is highly aligned with Maersk´s air freight strategy.

“Founded by my father Uwe Kirschbaum in 1984, Senator has grown to a sizable global freight forwarder. Our employees have always delivered first-class services to our valued customers. Senator’s own controlled air product started in 2016 and has proven to be a success story. Our customers honor our reliability – particularly in challenging times during the pandemic. By joining Maersk, we strongly believe that we will be able to deliver an even broader portfolio with own controlled air capacity as well as also in other modes of transportation. Senator´s customers and team will love it.”, commented Tim-Oliver Kirschbaum, CEO and shareholder at Senator.

The German company brings a technology advantage with its Cargo Wise One core operating platform, a cutting-edge yet easy-to-use single system which will accelerate the integration with Maersk’s Air and LCL (Less than Container Load) products.

The enterprise value of the transaction on a post IFRS 16 basis is approximately USD 644m which based on pro-forma adjusted 2021 EBITDA corresponds to a multiple of 8.0x. The transaction is subject to closing conditions including regulatory approvals and is expected to close in H1 2022.

Maersk’s ambition is to have approximately one third of its annual air tonnage carried within its own controlled freight network. This will be achieved through a combination of owned and leased aircraft, replicating the structure that the company has within its ocean fleet. The remaining capacity will be provided by strategic commercial carriers and charter flight operators.

Star Air, Maersk´s air operator

As an in-house aircraft operator, Star Air will operate and maintain owned and leased aircraft for Maersk while continuing to operate air cargo for its current customers. As an integral part of building the own controlled air capacity, Star Air has purchased two new B777 Freighters to be delivered by Boeing in 2024 and leased three B767-300 Freighters which will be operational next year through Cargo Aircraft Management, the leasing arm of ATSG.

“We are delighted to welcome Star Air to the Boeing family of 777 operators and we look forward to many years of partnership as they continue to grow their air cargo division. The market leading efficiency and incredible range of the 777 Freighter will provide Maersk the flexibility to profitably operate the airplane across its large air freight network while helping to deliver on its sustainability objectives.”, said Ihssane Mounir, Boeing’s senior vice president of Commercial Sales and Marketing.

Achieving carbon neutrality is a strategic imperative for Maersk. On Air, Maersk will have similar ambitions as on Ocean, including forwarding business where the company is involved with carriers that offer SAF-based (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) solutions as well as own fleet, where Maersk is committed to explore carbon neutral fuels for the Star Air operated fleet of aircraft in line with IATA guidance.

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Air Freight

MSC acquires the majority stake of AlisCargo Airlines

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MSC acquires the majority stake of AlisCargo Airlines. Image: Unsplash
MSC acquires the majority stake of AlisCargo Airlines. Image: Unsplash
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MSC has acquired the majority stake of AlisCargo Airlines, a Milan-based air freight carrier; the parties confirmed that the transaction is a first step towards the acquisition of 100% of AlisCargo Airlines by MSC, expected to happen at the beginning of 2024, once AlisCargo Airlines will restart operations with the delivery of a Boeing 777F. This transaction is yet another step to further developing MSC Air Cargo operations and creates a European gateway and transit point for MSC’s air cargo solutions. Furthermore, the deal complements MSC Air Cargo’s aim to expand its existing trade lane network with better coverage and increased flexibility.

MSC Air Cargo Senior Vice President Jannie Davel stated: “The acquisition of a majority share in AlisCargo Airlines is a step towards expanding MSC’s Air Cargo solution capabilities, and ultimately providing our customers with a quality and consistent offering. I am equally proud that we have found a partner that shares a common vision with us and has built a strong foundation for which we hope to further develop.”

The majority selling party is represented by the Leali Group, led by Mr. Domenico Alcide Leali who, after the success with Air Dolomiti started AlisCargo Airlines in 2019.

Mr. Giacomo Manzon, General Manager of AlisCargo Airlines briefly commented: “I am proud to see a group like MSC entering as a major shareholder of AlisCargo Airlines and developing further the project that Leali Group has initiated. I am thankful for MSC’s trust in us, and we will work hard together to make it a success story.”

MSC Air Cargo has been building up its air cargo offering through numerous strategic partnerships with sales agents and software providers. MSC Air Cargo provides a complementary solution to MSC’s core shipping services and operates two aircraft managed by Atlas Air Worldwide between Europe, Central America and Asia and will add two more in the next 6 months. Following the completion of the operation, MSC Air Cargo will have a new operating license and a fleet of 5 wide-body aircraft within the next 12 months.

Banca Finint acted as financial advisor to Leali Group. Gianni & Origoni acted as legal advisor to MSC and Leali Group, with two separate teams of lawyers from its Milan and Padua offices, respectively.

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Air Freight

cargo.one announced a landmark partnership with Eastern Air Logistics

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cargo.one announced a landmark partnership with Eastern Air Logistics. Image: cargo.one
cargo.one announced a landmark partnership with Eastern Air Logistics. Image: cargo.one
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Eastern Air Logistics and cargo.one announced a landmark partnership to bring extensive capacity from both China Eastern Airlines and China Cargo Airlines to the real-time digital booking platform. The air logistics group will utilize cargo.one’s award-winning seamless digital booking experience, and gain access to its global footprint of many thousands of freight forwarders. cargo.one is already collaborating intensively to help guide and maximize the airline’s sales digitalization journey. On the heels of cargo.one’s recent launch of cargo.one pro, the deal reflects a strategic focus by Eastern Air Logistics to utilize the most modern and globally relevant partners for its digital transformation.

Eastern Air Logistics harnesses the scale of China Cargo Airlines’ dedicated Boeing 777 and 747 freighter fleet as well as belly capacity in nearly 800 China Eastern Airlines passenger aircraft. The carrier offers 184 countries and regions and benefits from state-of-the-art air cargo depot facilities at major Chinese hub airports such as Shanghai, Beijing, Kunming, Xi’an and Wuhan, as well as a nationwide transportation network.

The addition of Eastern Air Logistics capacities into the cargo.one platform means freight forwarders in close to 5000 forwarding offices worldwide will gain the most user-centric instant access to its valuable capacity into China and across Asia Pacific. The connectivity cargo.one delivers as a 24/7 booking platform will help Eastern Air Logistics to grow its international bookings and remain front of mind with freight forwarders in all relevant markets. cargo.one guarantees an unbeatable digital buying journey to every booking customer.

Jonathan Xu, General Manager of Logistics Solutions Business Dept. at Eastern Air Logistics, comments, “Our close collaboration with the cargo.one team over the past months stands out and forcefully boosts our trajectory to become the most innovative integrated logistics service provider. A clear benefit of partnering with cargo.one is the strength of its insights, proactive partnership support and the valuable best practices for digital that we are gaining for our first steps into digital distribution.”

“It is vital that every freight forwarder globally has rapid and seamless access to the best capacity options for China. cargo.one and Eastern Air Logistics compliment each other perfectly in offering end to end agility and a great experience that forwarders can depend upon”, says Moritz Claussen, Founder & Co-CEO of cargo.one. “It is a real pleasure to work alongside Eastern Air Logistics as they leverage our substantial market force, and benefit from the only next generation multilateral marketplace, and one loved by forwarders”.

Both companies enjoy a proven track record of innovation-leading to drive growth in global freight forwarding markets. For example, cargo.one pro now empowers agents to conduct seamless digital agent-to-agent bookings globally in seconds. cargo.one will position Eastern Air Logistics to profit from the surge in digital forwarding in all markets.

Over the past year, cargo.one has rapidly expanded its participation in the Asia Pacific market. Partnering with national carriers and top three airlines in countries including China, Japan and Singapore, cargo.one is the clear partner of choice for airlines in the region to go digital. cargo.one comprises an essential component of an airline’s efficient multichannel sales setup, as well as supporting revenue and capacity management endeavors.

From Summer 2023, freight forwarders can soon book Eastern Air Logistics capacity using the cargo.one marketplace. Customers will enjoy access to important trade lanes between China and hubs including within Europe – Frankfurt, London, Budapest, Amsterdam, in North America – New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, and in Asia Pacific – Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh.

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Air Freight

Silk Way West Airlines joins forces with cargo.one

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Silk Way West Airlines joins forces with cargo.one. Image: cargo.one
Silk Way West Airlines joins forces with cargo.one. Image: cargo.one
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Silk Way West Airlines and cargo.one announced a global partnership to bring the airline’s freighter capacity to the air cargo booking marketplace. By joining customer experience advocate cargo.one, favored by forwarders in all important markets globally, Silk Way West Airlines will expand its digital footprint and align with the highest standards for digital air cargo booking. The airline also gains the market experience and actionable support of cargo.one teams to accelerate digital sales adoption for its capacities.

Headquartered in Baku, at the heart of the Silk Road, Silk Way West Airlines is the largest cargo airline in the Caspian Sea region. The airline carries over 420,000 tonnes of freighter capacity annually, utilizing a fleet of 12 Boeing 747F aircraft with front-loading capabilities. Silk Way West Airlines is progressing an impressive strategy of expansion, in which maximizing its digital distribution to every relevant market plays a vital role.

The strategic location of Baku as a hub helps Silk Way West Airlines to span over 40 key destinations across Europe, the CIS, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Asia, and the Americas. Silk Way West Airlines is unique in building an attractive digital offering for larger shipments, where the market is currently under-served. Freight forwarders have long been attracted to the airline’s connectivity, which cargo.one will now deliver to agents with digital speeds and greater convenience than ever before.

President of Silk Way West Airlines, Wolfgang Meier, comments, “Our partnership with cargo.one is an important milestone in our ambitious digitalization journey. By bringing our capacity to cargo.one’s expansive customer base, we will both broaden our reach and enable many more forwarders to benefit from our services. cargo.one and Silk Way teams are collaborating very closely, and we are relying on their proven expertise to enhance our buying journeys and drive up our share of digital air cargo sales.”

Moritz Claussen, Founder & Co-CEO of cargo.one, adds, “For the many thousands of agents who are thriving with digital bookings on cargo.one, the addition of Silk Way West Airlines’ capacity is fantastic news. Due to its keen awareness of the changing market, Silk Way West Airlines is now putting cargo.one, as the best-in-class digital enabler, at the center of its digital sales growth trajectory.”

cargo.one’s more than 40 airline partners profit from its targeted innovations that enable forwarders in dozens of countries to book more easily and often. Silk Way West partners with cargo.one shortly after the launch of its revolutionary cargo.one pro and cargo.one protect solutions for instant and seamless agent-to-agent bookings. A transformed digital booking experience for all import and export shipments now makes cargo.one the air cargo one-stop-shop for many agents worldwide.

From Autumn 2023, freight forwarders can book Silk Way West Airlines capacity using cargo.one.

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