Air India Goes Postal

     The lack of infrastructure in the aviation sector in India has not dimmed the enthusiasm of the country's domestic express majors.
     In fact, most of them have managed to keep their heads well above the water. However, with the fuel price hike, the situation seems to have taken a turn for the worse.
     Yields have gone down and operating costs have suddenly gone up leading many small courier companies to even think of closing down business.
     To add to their problems, the government's postal services has decided to heat up the market by inducting four more freighter aircraft by the end of this year.
     Simply put, India Post wants to strengthen its speed post services – for which it will use freighters -- to around 15 major cities in the country.
     India Post has, in fact, not hiked its tariff like the private courier services which have raised rates from 8 to 20 per cent.
     This has made India Post's speed post services cheaper by at least 30 per cent.
     While private couriers charge around USD$20 for a 500 gm packet from India to the U.S., India Post's rate is a mere USD$15.
     The cheap rates, according to Post officials, would bring in more volumes. Hence the need for expanding its Speed Post services to more cities.
     India Post's freighter story started way back in August last year (see Flying Typers) when it leased an Air India freighter for dedicated postal service to the land-locked eight north-eastern states of the country with Guwahati, the capital of Assam state (well known for its tea gardens) as the center.
     The aircraft with its 15-ton load capacity has been ferrying Speed Post packets and parcels.
     It was a move that brought the staid, old Post and Telegraph department to the jet age in one swift move.
     Over the last six months or so, the service has not only become a virtual lifeline for the north-eastern states but also gained enough popularity to warrant more freighters.
     According to M S Bali, India Post's Chief General Manager (Operations), there was always a plan to induct more freighters.
     He pointed out, that negotiations were on with Air India to lease four of its Boeings.
     He also mentioned that if there were hitches in the lease with AI, India Post would approach other leasing agencies.
If the lease with Air India does go through, it will be good for the carrier since the postal department would be utilizing the freighters for eight hours only from some time at night to early morning.
     The planes will be available for cargo services by Air India during the day.
     Air India has seven Boeings which it has been leasing out and if once they are put into service by India Post, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore would be covered.
     Express majors like Blue Dart or DHL do not seem to be worried about the moves by India Post. For them, the low cost is hardly a factor.
     Instead, their officials pointed out, customers were looking for reliability, safety and transit time: features which were not the high points of India Post, a government organization.
Tirthankar Ghosh

RAK Logistics Builds
Ras Al Khaimah

     Everybody knows Dubai but describing Ras Al Khaimah located down the road about 60 kilometers from the UAE powerhouse is something else.
     RAK as everybody calls the place is a genuine article—an area in the Middle East of great soul and strength where you can feel the power of the earth in groves of date nut palms and camels grazing around low slung homes of the locals there.
     If DXB is a slick cosmopolitan area, RAK is the wild west.
     But all of that is changing as huge billboards line the roadways proclaiming enormous building projects that are underway all over the place.
Global Logistics (RGL) a company to watch in RAK recently announced the appointment of Albert Soliman as Deputy General Manager for the company here.
     Albert previously worked as the Executive Manager for Jets Transport Express, a national road feeder company servicing major airlines, and he started his career with Australian Airlines.
     Albert has assumed day-to-day oversight for RGL and reports to CEO of Rak Global Logistics, Mr. Ven Govinda, who is also the advisor in Logistics & Maritime to H.H. Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qassimi - The Crown Prince & Deputy Ruler.
     RGL is a joint venture with RAK Ceramics - a pioneer in the field of ceramics with a worldwide reputation and RAK Investment Authority.
RGL is one of the leaders in freight forwarding and logistics in the region, having branches offices around the globe.
     “RGL’s state-of-the-art ultra-modern Logistics Park is ideally located in the heart of the fast growing industry zones in Ras Al Khaimah and has a warehousing capacity of 2,500 square meters, including a 12 meter high fully racked warehouse which is capable of storing 10,000 cubic meters of cargo,” Albert said.
     “Our inland container depot is spread over 20,000 square meters and is equipped to handle 1,500 TEUs.”