Cargo record at Port of New York and New Jersey

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced that it has beaten its previous annual cargo record from 2012 by 4.1%, handling a total of 3.3m cargo containers in 2014. This marks an increase of 5.4% from 2013 figures, in addition to breaking the previously established 2012 record. Subsequently the port maintains its position as the busiest on the East Coast, accounting for nearly 30% of the total market share.

Another annual record was broken in 2014 by ExpressRail, the port’s ship-to-rail system serving New York and New Jersey marine terminals, which handled 9.3% more cargo containers than in 2013, at a total of 465,405 containers. Once again, the previous annual record was set in 2012, with 433,481 containers handled. The agency has invested more than US$600m in ExpressRail, aiming to improve port efficiency, competitiveness and reduce emissions, and plans to build a new facility in Greenville Yard in Jersey City. Funding for all of the port’s road, rail and security projects is now provided by portwide Cargo Facility Charges.

FedEx changes domain at Illinois

FedEx launched new operations at Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington on February 2, following announcements that it was terminating business at Peoria airport, on the west bank of the Illinois River. Flights will mainly operate to Indianapolis and Memphis from the new location. According to the carrier, the move will allow improvements to its priority overnight service and enable earlier delivery times to the central Illinois customer base, while maintaining its Peoria delivery schedule.

The future of de-icing

Gary Lydiate, Chief Executive of Kilfrost, a major supplier of de-icing and anti-icing chemicals, predicts that within 15 years, a durable fuselage coating will be developed to combat icing in aircraft. This may mean an aircraft need only receive preventative treatment monthly, or potentially even less frequently, during the winter months. If the new concept is approved by industry regulators, Gary believes the sector would be open to a verified alternative to chemical spraying. Commenting on the main constraints of the endeavor, he said: “It’s mainly a technical issue at the moment… trying to make something that’s adhesive to the wing and does not distort the airflow.”

Similar ideas already in operation include liquid-metal “heating blankets” such as those bonded inside the leading edge of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner’s wings, which are powered electrically and are intended to deter or remove ice. Other “bleed air” designs use hot air from the engines to remove ice, though according to Boeing this is less efficient and creates additional drag and noise during flight. Eventually, the fuselage coating technique could merge with other aircraft designs and be used more extensively on aircraft. Some researchers even speculate that nanotechnologies might be implemented in aircraft design and used to combat ice-related problems by changing the shape of the wing or other flight surface.

Air Canada agreement with IBT

Air Canada’s US-based workforce has reached a provisional agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents approximately 650 Air Canada airport, cargo and call center employees based in the US. The tentative agreement is subject to verification by union membership. Details of the agreement will not be released prior to ratification and approval by the Air Canada board of directors.

In October last year, Air Canada reached a tentative agreement with the Air Canada Pilots Association, which represents 3,000 Air Canada pilots, on a ten-year labor contract.