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Electric turn a first in the US

It has been some time coming, perhaps, but the first green turnaround has finally been executed. Dnata achieved this significant milestone in its sustainability journey by successfully executing a green turnaround at JFK in November. The handler ensured a smooth and safe turnaround of a VivaAerobus Airbus A320 aircraft using only zero-emission ramp ground support equipment at Terminal 1. RAMP EQPT NEWS dnata
During the green turnaround, dnata’s team transported baggage with electric baggage tractors to the aircraft and applied electric conveyor belts to offload and load baggage and cargo. Staff pushed the aircraft back from the gate with a Mototok electric, remote controlled towbarless pushback tractor, positioning it ready for taxi and departure. David Barker, CEO of dnata USA, commented on the exercise.
“We are thrilled to achieve this memorable milestone by using only green equipment to deliver a smooth airport experience for passengers, and ensure safe and timely departure of our customer’s flight.
“We constantly invest in infrastructure and equipment to improve operational efficiency and reduce our carbon footprint. We are committed to converting our USA fleet to electric GSE to preserve our environment for future generations. We continue to enhance our operations to deliver the highest possible value for our partners by being an employer of choice and socially responsible in our communities.”

Virgin Atlantic Cargo to launch San Juan service

Virgin Atlantic Cargo is to launch a new cargo service from London Heathrow to San Juan.

Commencing on November 24, it is the first time that the airline has operated a cargo schedule to Puerto Rico and it will be serving the destination twice weekly on a Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

Virgin Atlantic cargo 1This new fast, efficient cargo service will present new opportunities for companies looking to export and import goods such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices and electronic devices between prime markets in the UK and Europe and Puerto Rico.

Dominic Kennedy, Managing Director at Virgin Atlantic Cargo, said: “We are delighted to welcome San Juan to our network, and we are excited about the new growth opportunities this presents for our customers. Over 11m kilogrammes of cargo move between Puerto Rico and Europe each month and we are confident Virgin Atlantic Cargo will gain a healthy share of this market.”

SAAM Completes Aerosan Purchase

As of October 28, the SAAM fully controls the airport services company Aerosan, which operates in Chile, Colombia and Ecuador.

Aspiring to play an important role in the industry consolidation process, SAAM closed a deal to purchase 50% of Aerosan from American Airlines. The company invested US$ 32m in the transaction, which was agreed last August. After obtaining regulatory approval, SAAM now fully owns the company.aerosan 2020

The CEO of SAAM, Macario Valdés, commented, “This transaction will help us strengthen our businesses other than ports and towage services, with a special focus on air cargo, where we see opportunities for expansion and consolidation, accompanied by our operating model. Aerosan is well positioned thanks to long-term contracts and important concessions at airports in the countries where we operate, enabling us to offer importers and exporters services along the entire air logistics chain.”

The airport services company has over 40 years’ experience and moves more than 300,000 tons cargo annually, boasting 33,000 square metres of infrastructure to provide cargo, ramp, warehouse, charter and passenger services at eight airports.

Ross Aviation’s new carbon-offsetting initiative

Ross Aviation has launched a new initiative to reduce its carbon footprint and associated impact on the environment. Says company CEO Brian Corbett, “Ross Aviation is pleased to do our part by assisting our customers in becoming carbon neutral through their purchase of fuel with us, and participation in our carbon offset initiative.”

Dubbed “Fly More. Leave Less.” Ross Aviation’s new carbon offset programme works thus: With a customer’s permission, Ross will add less than 10¢ per gallon to all or part of a fuel order to purchase carbon credits under its partnership with Carbonfund.org. Those credits will appear as a line item on the customer’s invoice, and funds will be forwarded to Carbonfund.org to support their key initiatives to combat climate change and improve the overall health of our planet.

At the end of each year, Carbonfund.org will send customers summaries of all the carbon credits they purchased, along with a report on how the funds raised were used to support meaningful environmental change in three key areas: energy efficiency, renewable energy, and forestry.

“We looked carefully before selecting Carbonfund.org as our partner in the “Fly More. Leave Less.” initiative and were very impressed with outstanding work they do as an organisation, as well as their great attention to detail in every transaction,” comments Corbett. “Now customers can take great pride in knowing their contributions through fuel purchases at any of our 17 first-class FBOs can have a very positive impact on the environment.

“At Ross Aviation, we view the drive for carbon neutrality as a
responsibility all of us in business aviation should take on – and we’re excited to help lead the way.”

The latest from Textron

RAMP EQUIPMENT NEWS TUGA newly refreshed line of TUG 660 beltloaders has been announced by Textron.
Petrol, diesel, LPG or electric motive power combine to give the customer a breadth of choice when it comes to purchase and the latest Textron offering endorses the tenets of versatility, reliability and safety.
The petrol, diesel and LPG units are all equipped with 4LHD transmission whilst the battery-powered model is equipped with an AC powertrain and a regenerative braking function. Running on robust Newage axles, these 660 beltloaders incorporate a return-to-neutral functionality as well as a gearshift inhibit feature and are delivered with the company’s Smart Sense anti-collision technology fitted as standard. A host of options is also readily available, which embrace such add-ons as multi-position E-stops, electric belt controls, an electronic shifting facility and handrails. Both diesel and electric versions are built with CE certification in mind.
In line with Textron’s lean manufacturing methodology, the beltloaders benefit from a wide commonality of parts in order to ease maintenance requirements and render the units more economical to run.

Keeping on top of ULDs

Descartes Systems Group has announced that ground handler dnata is deploying Descartes Core Bluetooth Low Energy readers across its global cargo operations to support the tracking of international mail, parcel and cargo shipments.

“We rely on best-in-class facilities and state-of-the-art cargo handling technologies to provide over 150 airlines with premium services for approximately 3m tonnes of cargo annually,” commented Guillaume Crozier, Divisional Vice President Operations and Product Development at dnata. “The innovative Descartes solution is expected to help us further improve service efficiency as we move customers’ cargo smoothly from one destination to another, tracking its progress in real-time the entire way.”

Descartes Core BLE readers capture the movement of ULDs that have either Descartes or third-party BLE tags attached. The readers are part of the Descartes Core BLE Network and a Descartes Global Logistics Network service. Shipments can be tracked, whether in the air or on the ground, via the Descartes Core ULD Tracking solution to help air carriers and their partners automate freight tracking and improve asset management by providing real-time visibility of air shipments bundled into a single ULD container or pallet. In addition to location, other sensor-based information such as precise temperature, movement and humidity can be monitored. This data, combined with the forecasting of asset location requirements, helps carriers reduce ULD fleet losses, better match capacity with ULD inventory, and reduce the costs associated with misplaced equipment or the requirement to lease additional ULDs.

Circumventing COVID-19

Because of the growing demand for international pharmaceutical transportation to Latin America in the midst of the current crisis, LATAM Cargo has extended its PHARMA coverage. This care option, which is CEIV Pharma certified, is part of the company’s product portfolio and offers specialised transportation for these sensitive and delicate shipments.

latam cargo 2020The pandemic which is currently affecting Latin America has triggered closed-border policies and passenger flight restrictions worldwide. This in turn has led the Latin American carrier to adopting various measures to modify its itinerary and strengthen its operation in order to mitigate the effects on its clients. The reactions have actually allowed LATAM Cargo to maintain a constant service throughout the crisis period.

One of the most important modifications has been that of the expansion of PHARMA’s network in order to satisfy its clients’ growing interest in transporting products from Europe to more Latin American markets. During the last three months, the company has implemented four transit stations to expand coverage, namely Miami, Santiago and Buenos Aires, as well as a second entry point in Sao Paulo

Reaching for the sky

Edmonton International airport recently made a huge investment that will create the largest airport-based solar farm in the world.

Airport City Solar is set to dramatically transform the west side of the airport site, create jobs and bring in a potential new power source for airport operations and the Edmonton Metro Region.  GREEN NEWS Edmonton 2020

An agreement with Europe-based Alpin Sun will see the company develop a 627 acre, 120 megawatt solar farm. All available information shows this will be largest development of its kind at an airport anywhere. The new solar farm reflects the airport’s ongoing commitment to economic development and diversification, along with its core value of being dedicated to sustainability.

Airport City Solar is expected to begin construction in early 2022 and be operational by the end of that year. The project will bring in an estimated US$169m in foreign direct investment to the Edmonton Metro Region. Power generated by Airport City Solar will feed into Fortis Alberta and airport distribution systems.

Aircraft heater breakthrough

Absolute Combustion International and Edmonton International airport have successfully completed a three year test to commercialise a faster and more efficient portable diesel aircraft heater. This heater significantly outperforms standard heating technologies on metrics ranging from fuel consumption and safety to extreme cold weather durability. The partnership reflects the airport’s commitment to supporting innovation and supporting Alberta’s technology sector, according to the co-founder and CEO of Absolute Combustion International.

“Our incredibly strong partnership with Edmonton International airport, which worked with us every step of the way, and support from organisations like Alberta Innovates, have allowed ACI to make the challenging quantum leap from research to commercialisation. This success is proof that Alberta has the infrastructure needed to help companies create technologies that will have an international impact,” commented Koleya Karringten.

Designed to withstand northern winters, the ACI-SM1000 heater can operate at -50ºC temperatures and bring the cabin of a Boeing 737 from -30ºC to 20ºC in half an hour. This is a major improvement over conventional systems which typically take over one and a half hours to accomplish the same task. The technology’s unique design results in a 50-70% reduction in diesel fuel usage and requires no assistance from the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit to quickly heat the aircraft on the tarmac.

 

Joint effort to help Albany

Plug Power, a provider of hydrogen engines and fuelling solutions enabling e-mobility, along with and Charlatte America, a manufacturer of battery-powered electric airport ground support equipment that is deployed throughout Europe and the US, have delivered fuel cell-powered electric cargo tugs for use by FedEx at Albany International airport.

The ground support vehicles were built by Charlatte America and operate using Plug Power’s zero emission ProGen hydrogen engines. The ProGen-powered tugs are currently in operation at the Albany International where they see service transporting FedEx packages from the sorting facility to delivery aircraft. Performance and reliability data were collected during the winter months, when temperatures can drop as low as -10º F. The Charlatte America electric GSE vehicles require less maintenance than internal combustion-powered equipment and are designed to support the ongoing market trend towards the electrification of mobile assets.

The addition of Plug Power’s ProGen hydrogen fuel cell technology enables the cargo tugs to tow up to 40,000 pounds without stopping, for a period of up to four hours; moreover, the refuelling process just three or four minutes. These zero-emission vehicles also operate with a high energy efficiency that is put around 45%. Predictably, the wear and tear on the vehicles is lower, thereby reducing maintenance demands such as oil changes, brakes and starter replacements. Consequently, these vehicles permit lower operational costs coupled with increased levels of productivity.

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