Leipzig Sets Up AMS November

“Leipzig was great,” said Emirates Sky Cargo DSVP, Ram Menen.
     “We had a good AGM and the executive seminar was excellent and well received.
     “The association is moving in the right direction and well on track to evolve into the next stage under Uli Oggiermann’s able leadership.
     “Chris Chapman's induction into the Hall of Fame was also a grand affair.
     “Leipzig Airport did a great job in hosting.”
     Miami-based The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) held their AGM last month in Leipzig, Germany.
     TIACA is well known for their Air Cargo Forum, which is held in various world locations every other year.
     This year ACF will be held in Amsterdam with the theme:
     “The Global Supply Chain—Air Cargo’s Connection for Profitability & Growth”, so naturally, the upcoming event November 2-4 led much Leipzig AGM conversation.
     ACN FlyingTypers spoke to the CEO of Cargolux, Uli Ogiermann, who has somehow found the time in 2010 to also serve as current President of TIACA.
     Mr. Ogiermann has been a leader for change, bringing a fresh approach and new focus on developing TIACA ACF in its outreach toward education, involvement in industry affairs and also the overall raising of TIACA’s profile.
     “Our hosts, Leipzig Airport Managing Director Mr. Naether (left) and Mitteldeutsche Flughafen Holding went out of their way with the support for the event.
     “This year’s AGM was a diverse and interesting couple of days that included some wonderful memories, including a reception last Sunday evening on board an Antonov 124.”
     TIACA was also hosted at two other dinners with great entertainment.
     “One of the evening affairs took place in the Porsche Center in Leipzig.
     “AGM attendance was very strong.
     “We had more then 200 participants in the conferences on Monday and Tuesday.
     “Focusing on TIACA—it has been a lot this one year and for me the most important thing is the change in the ‘atmosphere’ at TIACA.
     “Today, the organization is filled with energized, committed people that want to improve our industry.
     “Now, TIACA has clear mission-statements that involve our organization with the most pressing issues confronting air cargo.
     “Each one of these issues is ‘owned’ by a dedicated committee with clear deliverables for each committee.
     “But aside from the networking and good times together, and of course planning and thinking ahead, the highlight at Leipzig was a panel with Doug Brittin, (right) (Head of Cargo for TSA) and Mr. Karl Heinz Köpfle (Executive Board Member Operations Lufthansa Cargo AG).
     “As these two gentleman spoke, it became evident how divergent positions in air cargo are.
     “Herr. Köpfle was very outspoken about the non-responsive attitude of TSA.
     “Mr. Brittin countered, saying that TSA is very willing to look at the individual country security programs, but the EU does not provide them.
     “Looking ahead, Amsterdam 2010 will be a great event.
     “We have opened up TIACA for shippers and forwarders and we have a lot of response.
     “ACF booth space is oversold and we are freeing up more areas for the exhibition.
     “We have also planned a worthwhile program in addition to the conference, including visits to Alsmeer for the flower auction and the opportunity for conferees to inspect the distribution centers of large shippers in and around AMS.”
www.tiaca.org
Geoffrey

     "Enjoy your day with love, peace and happiness."
     This was the sentiment delivered by Swiss Airlines’ CEO Harry Hohmeister to the 217 passengers aboard his carrier’s inaugural flight LX 038 to San Francisco, immediately before the A340 landed at the Californian city’s airport last Wednesday.
     "After having evaluated the route Zürich-San Francisco for about two years, we finally gave the link a go because we are convinced it will be very successful," stated Hohmeister upon arrival.
     He could be right, both in terms of passenger demand and cargo transports. There are some 650 Swiss companies with more than 30,000 employees located in and around the northern Californian metropolis. The universities of Berkley and ETHZ, a Zürich-based academy for technique and sciences, collaborate very closely, both Zürich and San Francisco are sister cities, and finally, Californian giant Google has a strong presence in Zürich with about 700 think tanks working there.
     "These ties should guarantee a steady flow of personnel between the two cities," said the carrier’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, Rolf Jetzer.
     Besides passengers, there should be also plenty of air freight traveling both ways. "Prior to commencing this route, we signed a transport agreement with pharmaceutics producer Roche and their San Francisco-based U.S. subsidiary, Genentech, that gives us basic and steady loads," said Oliver Evans, Swiss’ cargo helm. In addition, he expects a constant flow of biotech products and shipments coming from the computer industry.
     "The air freight rates from Europe to the U.S. are consistently strong, so they are on the way back after a period of greater volatility in recent times," states Evans.
     SFO is Swiss Air Lines’ seventh destination in North America. The market contributes 20 percent to the turnover of SwissWorld Cargo, the carrier’s air freight division.
Heiner Siegmund

Volcanic Latitudes

     Airports in the path of that busy Icelandic volcano became captive closing and reopening due to a cloud of volcanic ash hanging over the region, which was affecting airline safety.
     Recently as Valencia airport in Spain was closed along with NAV air traffic authority airports in Portugal, Morocco’s Casablanca airport was also affected by the ash cloud.
     Ash monitoring service Eurocontrol said ash concentrations at lower altitudes are still causing problems for transatlantic flights, as well as flights in the mid-Atlantic islands of Madeira and the Azores.
     Last month on May 12, the European Aviation Safety Agency said that it wanted to bring in new rules to shrink the no-fly zone around volcanic ash particles in an effort to decrease future airspace closures and travel delays.
     This will be based on the U.S. practice of imposing a 120-mile no-fly buffer zone for all aircraft in the area surrounding visible ash cloud.
     The Association of European Airlines has welcomed the new proposal, saying it will be hundreds of miles smaller than the current no-fly buffer zone used throughout Europe.
     Still as these new volcanic latitudes become a fact of life, 2010 has seen the airline business weathering crises weekly in its busiest air lanes as everybody now must also keep a watchful eye whilst BP tries to plug a leak under the sea.
     Speaking of the price of oil, here are some thoughts on what the rest of 2010 may bring in that department from our resident financial guru Dr. Julius Maldutis, who says:
     “ In USA Commodity Future Trading Commission (CFTC) has opened 90 days for public comment on a proposal to limit energy futures contracts.
     “Excessive speculation would be taken out of the market.
     “But CFTC must set the limits of a level that does not allow excessively high
speculative positions that it permits, currently at 98 million barrels of crude oil.
     “Not to be overlooked is the risk of military conflict in the Middle East still growing.
     “Israeli conflict with Hezbollah and or Iran over nuclear proliferation could produce a surge in oil prices to $300/barrel.
     “The economic results are clear.”
Geoffrey

FlyingTypers
Up Close & Personal

No Deep-Six For JFK Terminal

     Pulitzer Prize winner and architecture critic, Paul Goldberger, (right) shares his thoughts about Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s proposed demolition of Terminal Six at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York:
     “I'm shocked that the building, which represented such an extraordinary advance in airport terminal design, would be summarily dismissed by the Port Authority as if it were no different from the old (passenger) Terminal One or Terminal Two at JFK. “
     Well, we have not saved it yet, nor have we had much of a response from the people who want to tear it down. Nevertheless, Air Cargo News FlyingTypers continues to hope for a positive outcome while also working to raise awareness about the building and its historical import.      The exquisite “Light Box” or “Sundrome” is one of the most important, influential creations of airport architecture in the world, and designs to eradicate it are incredibly ill-informed.
     The effort has been dubbed by New York’s Daily News as “No Deep Six”, and we are grateful and thankful that they have stepped up to join in the effort to save the building with the appearance of a major news story featured in the Tuesday, June 1st edition of the paper. http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/06/01/2010-06-01_pa_panned_for_terminal_deepsix.html
     Terminal Six was designed by I.M. Pei, who is 93 years old.
     Pei, the master of airy light and glass in modern architecture, also designed the Pyramid at the Louvre in Paris, Kennedy Library in Boston, German Historic Museum exhibition hall in Berlin, Islamic Museum in Doha and about sixty other world landmark buildings.
     It is absolutely outrageous that Port Authority thinks that they have a mandate to go around knocking down works of art on property that they only rent from the City of New York.
     Terminal Six at JFK belongs to the people and, because of its design and historical significance, to the ages.
     The call is out for people everywhere to demand that Port Authority quit its plan to destroy this building and allow time for preservationists to have it declared a landmark.
Geoffrey

AN-124 Goes Volga

     As reported here earlier, Volga-Dnepr Airlines, a world leader in the global market for the movement of oversize, unique and heavy air cargo, recently announced that it will buy up to 40 AN-124 (Ruslan) carriers over the next several years.
      Analysts believe that acquiring the largest production airplane in the world will help Volga-Dnepr to increase its volume of cargo traffic and strengthen its position in the airfreight market.
     While there are no AN-124 being produced currently, the Russian government is expected to resume production of Ruslans in 2012 to respond to the ever-increasing demand for these planes among leading Russian air freight carriers, as well as the country’s Ministry of Defense.
     In June 2008, United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), a Russian government-owned corporation, and Ernst & Young completed a business plan to restart production of AN-124 planes.
     In accordance with the document, the production of AN-124 planes will only begin upon condition of receiving at least 40 orders for the plane.
     "Today the demand for AN-124 is rather high, especially among the domestic air freight carriers,” an official representative of UAC said.
     He also added that by 2030 more than 70 AN-124 planes are expected to be sold in Russia.
     Construction of the planes will probably be dependent on the capacities of the Ulyanovsk Aviastar plant, which can handle about 2-3 planes per year. Prices for the new AN-124 will be in the range of $USD 150-160 million.
Eugene Gerden

Remembering Morris Sloane

     Morris Sloane died May 24, 2010 in Yonkers, New York at the age of 87.
     Morris was General Manager of John F. Kennedy International Airport from 1968-1973, back when PANY NJ offices were there in Building 148.
     After Ike Dornfeld (pictured here with Morris in June 1998 at JFK’s 50th anniversary celebrations) took over JFK, Morris moved into the World Trade Center where he served as Director of Aviation Operations under several Port Aviation Directors, including CB Pattarini and later, Bob Aaronson.
     By the time he retired (my friend, the old Ozark Airlines Station Manager at LGA, Dennis Wrynn, used to say Morris looked like the fictional detective Boston Blackie—both had pencil-thin moustaches), Port Authority thought enough of him to rename their first construction (1948) at Idlewild (or IDL, the old name for JFK) Building 141 in honor of Mr. Sloane.
     Morris Sloane was also awarded the Port Authority’s Distinguished Service Medal in 1990 for his “creativity and superb managerial abilities in conceiving and completing bold public projects” throughout his career.
     When we talked, Morris always mentioned and credited his Alma-Mater, The Wharton School, where he studied finance.
     Morris was a guy who believed in making lots of money and always watching the bottom line.
     I remember once sitting together aboard that beautifully restored JU 52-3M that Lufthansa flies around, taking people on joy rides ‘back in time’ in a 1930s passenger plane.
     The “Tante-Ju” took off from the old Eastern Airlines Cargo Hangar Nine at JFK (interestingly, where the new Lufthansa Cargo Building now stands at the airport), and away we went, off into the wild blue yonder.
     Our Lufthansa JU-52 flight took us across Queens, New York over to New Jersey and then above the George Washington Bridge, finally coming down the Hudson River before returning to JFK.
     As we flew past The World Trade Center, Morris leaned over, looked out the window and thought out loud:
     “I wonder if those contracts have been signed yet.”
     It’s funny what you remember about incidences in your life.
     But ever since that day, I have often thought of Morris Sloane’s remark as we flew past WTC at about the the 65th floor—the same level where the PANY NJ Aviation Department was located.
     Those words echoed in my mind on that horrible day the World Trade Center was taken from us forever.
     Keep ‘em flying, Morris.
Geoffrey

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