Guillaume Halleux walks into the room and lifts any mood.
     He is in his element as Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Cargo and makes no secret that he is on the ride of this life, guiding the fortunes of the best air cargo carrier in the Middle East with passion and élan, a carrier that is at this point in time moving inexorably toward landing on top of the world.
     Right now in 2020, when others appear in a state of hangover hibernation, Qatar Cargo is having none of that, having just announced a major expansion of new initiatives including equipment, services and destinations.

The Year That Was

     “2019 was a successful year for Qatar Airways Cargo, Guillaume enthuses.
     “We wrapped up the year with an extremely busy peak season helping deliver cargo for our global customers all around the network.
      “We are quite positive about the new year. This month, we have expanded our network in South America with twice weekly freighters to Santiago, Bogota and Campinas, while also introducing freighters that will operate two times a week to Osaka in Japan.
     “Lima is also on the list and will be launched once we receive all the necessary permits.

Big Time Expansion

     “This is a massive expansion in just one month,” Guillaume declares, “and we have also commenced an additional freighter capacity to Singapore with a Boeing 777 freighter operating every Sunday on the Doha-Singapore-Hong Kong-Doha route.

Going Fiercely Digital

     “Given the rise of digitalization, our industry is no longer operating like the past and new technology is being deployed all across various organizations within the industry.
     “For 2020 and beyond, we will be fully embracing the trend with a number of innovations.
     “Digitalization is a key pillar of our new strategy,” Guillaume smiles.

More Lift & China

     “Five more Boeing 777 freighters that were ordered at the Paris Air Show in June 2019 will start arriving from April this year.
     “After the launch of transpacific freighter services from Macau to North America in October 2018 our customers in People’s Republic of China are able to transport their cargo directly to the USA and Mexico over the Pacific, significantly reducing air transport time.
     “We started off with twice-weekly Boeing 777 freighters and have now doubled up the frequencies to four Boeing 777 freighters each week.
     “We have seen a lot of growth in Asia.
     “For us, China, Vietnam and Hong Kong continue to perform well.
     “Additionally in correlation to our capacity increase we can see growth from South Korea, Malaysia and Myanmar.
     “With the normalizing of trade between USA and China, we are confident that business will be even better in 2020,” Guillaume declared.

Reaching Out & Helping Others

     “As one of the leading players in the air cargo industry, we believe in giving back to the community and the environment.
     “One of our key focus areas in 2020 will be Corporate Social Responsibility.
     “We want to help and reach out to those in need of aid and who require support, we will be working to develop more in this area.


Taking The Lead On Lithium

     “The transportation of lithium batteries is also another key focus for us.
     “The industry has to take stringent measures to ensure safe transportation of lithium batteries which can pose a significant risk, and endanger lives around the world.
     “We have taken the lead on the lithium batteries transportation issue which affects our entire industry, working closely with organizations such as IATA, ICAO and a number of regulators throughout the world.

Product Development As Usual—Unusual

     “We are focusing quite a bit of attention on developing our products, for example ecommerce, and investments in QR Pharma, such as CEIV IATA certification, data loggers in aircraft, a centralized temperature monitoring system, reefer trucks and so on.
     “Innovation is also key on the agenda with strong focus on utilizing technology and data analytics to enhance customer experience and business efficiency.
      “Technology enables us to continuously scale and manage the rapid growth within a short time frame.
     “The innovation theme supports the drive to attract new and fresh talent into a traditional business but with the right platform to take the big leap into Industry 4.0,” Guillaume Halleux said.
Geoffrey

Ingo Zimmer, ATC CEO is the braniac in the move to add Brainway to the company fold in January 2020, declaring “We have acquired Austrian GSSA Brainway affording our company an immediate, solid foothold in Eastern Europe to better serve our customers and further expand our capabilities across that area.”
     Brainway and its subsidiaries in Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia are now members of ATC Aviation Services Group.
     Amongst the airlines represented in Austria and Eastern Europe are Saudi Arabian Airlines, United Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, NCA, LOT Polish Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Air China.
     Günter Pepl, Managing Director, Brainway pictured right with Ingo declared: “We are very delighted to join the ATC team.”
     As 2020 unfolds, ATC with a turnover over USD$400 million annually, emerges as top GSSA in 31 countries worldwide, representing more than 75 airlines.
More: www.atc-aviation.com

     Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year and Spring Festival (to be inclusive of the East Asian diaspora that is not Chinese) began on January 25, 2020. It is the year of the Rat. The Rat occupies the first position in the Chinese zodiac. The story of how he earned that position has many versions, but they all center around a mythical race hosted by the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor, ruler of all the gods of Chinese mythology, desired 12 guards and decreed that the first 12 animals to pass through the Heavenly Gate would form his regiment.
     In most retellings, the race involves crossing a river. The Rat, who was not a very good swimmer, knew that he would never come in first without a little help. The other animals had strengths that ensured good finishing placements. The Ox was strong and industrious, the Tiger and the Rabbit were fast, the Dragon could fly. The Rat knew that, in all likelihood, he would drown before he reached the other side. However, the Rat was quick witted and cunning—smarter than many of his compatriots. He was also a devout early riser. On the day of the race, the Rat got up very early and asked the Ox if he wouldn’t mind a companion as they crossed the river. With his smarts and the Ox’s strength, he assured, they would certainly finish in the top. The Ox, ever obliging, kind, and trustworthy, saw no reason to deny the small animal a little help. The Rat hitched a ride in the Ox’s ear, far above the raging water, and glided safely across the river. As they neared the far bank, the Rat jumped from the Ox’s ear, landing at the feet of the Jade Emperor and securing his first-place position. The Ox wasn’t too pleased to have the first position stolen, but he was the Ox. He took it in good stride.
     There is one animal conspicuously missing from the Chinese zodiac: the Cat. The Cat and the Rat, both possessed of a superior intelligence, were very good friends at the time. There are two versions of the story—both involve deception, though one seems intentional while the other seems less pointed. In the first version, the Cat asks his best friend the Rat to wake him up for the race. The Cat is a notorious late sleeper. Unfortunately, the Rat forgets to wake his friend, and the Cat misses the race entirely. In the other version, both the Rat and the Cat strategize riding the Ox across the river because they know they will drown otherwise. As they reach the far shore, the Rat pushes the Cat into the river. The Cat drowns, and the feline fear of water is born. Both versions secure the Cat as the eternal enemy of the Rat owing to this first broken trust.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson celebrates Lunar New Year at 10 Downing Street.

     It’s an amusing story, but I don’t recommend modeling your 2020 after the Rat. Don’t deceive your friends. Be an early riser, but don’t take advantage of your most steadfast, reliable compatriots. If they help you achieve something significant this year, acknowledgment of their assistance is an objectively better move than snatching any accolades they might earn. Being cunning is a virtue, but so is being genuine and dependable. There’s something to be said for the animals who ended the race in the latter placements. The dragon, who should have come in first place given he could have simply flown over the river, only came in fifth—he stopped to help douse the flames of a village on fire. The dog, who came in second to last place, was distracted by how much he enjoyed his swim, having not had a bath in quite some time. The pig, who came in dead last, was very hungry, stopped to eat and then, drowsy with food, took a nap. I can respect that.
     There are many traditions and taboos around Lunar New Year. You may not believe in such things. The power of intention, and moving through your life with intention, should be considered. Infusing your actions with meaning is a little like adding healthy spices to your food. Maybe turmeric doesn’t help with inflammation, perhaps cumin can’t lower cholesterol, but if the food tastes better for it, why not? Placebos have power. If you believe it, that belief will empower your attitude and actions. It can’t hurt. A few rituals to remember as you move through Lunar New Year:
          1.  Try to clean before, not during, the new year. You’re not just sweeping dust out of your home—you could also sweep away your good fortune.
          2.  Don’t cut your hair until the new year is over. As with cleaning, you don’t want to cut short your luck or success for the year. By that same token, don’t wash your hair or your clothes on the first day of the Lunar New Year unless you want to see your good luck go down the drain.
          3.  Only use positive words. Any negative words will linger for the rest of the year. This is sound advice in general.
          4.  It might be cold out, and oatmeal might be healthy, but skip the porridge on the first day of Lunar New Year. Eating porridge will bring poverty in the new year. Porridge is delicious but use this as an excuse to eat a large, hearty breakfast that morning. Pancakes are great. Skip the bacon, though, out of respect for the vegetarian Buddhist gods.
          5.  Wear bright clothes. No black or white, which symbolize death. Red is preferred. Make sure your clothes aren’t raggedy, as that courts poverty.
          6.  Crying is believed to bring bad luck, so try not to cry. There’s no crying in Lunar Festival.
          7.  Try not to borrow money, and if you’ve lent someone money, don’t collect it during Lunar New Year. It is believed it will bring bad luck.
     Do spend time with your family. Share a meal with loved ones—fish increases prosperity, dumplings ensure great wealth, and rice cakes encourage a higher income or better position at work. For the record, when you say kung hei fat choi you’re wishing for someone to have a happy, prosperous year. It’s common in formal situations, especially in the workplace. If you’d like to say Happy New Year to a stranger or acquaintance, say Xin nián kuài lè (Shin nee-yen kwai ler); with friends and family, shorten the greeting to Xi¯n nián hao (Shin nee-yen haow). You can learn more customary greetings here.
Flossie