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Zero Petroleum to supply its revolutionary fossil-free fuel to Dronamics

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Zero Petroleum to supply its revolutionary fossil-free fuel to Dronamics. Image: Dronamics
Zero Petroleum to supply its revolutionary fossil-free fuel to Dronamics. Image: Dronamics
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Zero Petroleum will supply its revolutionary fossil-free fuel to the world’s first licensed drone cargo airline, Dronamics, for testing with a view to commercial use in its long-range cargo drone. The partnership aims to support the creation of Dronamics’ sustainable same-day delivery service for items such as e-commerce goods, perishable food, manufacturing parts and medical supplies.

Zero Petroleum’s ZERO SynAVGAS fuel will be used in Dronamics’ ‘Black Swan’ drone to enable the company to deliver a carbon neutral operation. The drone, which can carry a 350 kg payload over distances of up to 2,500 km, is powered by a ROTAX propeller engine provided by CFS Aeroproducts.

Dronamics recently became the first drone cargo company in the world to obtain a European drone airline license and is currently working with a consortium in the UK to build out a medical supply drone network for NHS Scotland.

“As a former Formula One engineer, I have spent my entire career working on cutting edge innovation so I am very excited for Zero Petroleum to partner with Dronamics and CFS Aeroproducts on this potentially ground-breaking project. Operating an
autonomous delivery network on this scale makes great sense but to carry these heavy payloads over such great distances would be impossible using electric power. Our fossil-free fuels, which have a carbon neutral lifecycle and can be produced in a factory on any site close to water and renewable power, are the ideal way to deliver this as a fully sustainable alternative to the existing air freight solution.” said Paddy Lowe, Co-Founder and CEO of Zero Petroleum.

“Sustainability is a vital part of our plans and as the first drone cargo airline in the world we are delighted to have secured an agreement for Zero Petroleum to supply their fuel for Dronamics’ future drone network. Not only is the fuel entirely sustainable
and fossil-free, the modular manufacturing process has a small footprint so it fits perfectly into our future droneport plans, potentially enabling the fuel to be produced on site. We are very excited to work with the team at Zero Petroleum as we move towards commercial operations in the coming year.” commented Svilen Rangelov, Co-Founder and CEO of DRONAMICS.

Dronamics’ fixed-wing aircraft is 8m long with a 16m wingspan and can operate from unpaved runways as short as 400 metres. It can fly up to 22,000ft in altitude and at speeds up to 125mph and is designed to fill the critical missing middle mile in air freight, securing the provision of same-day deliveries to even the most remote areas of the world.

The use of Zero Petroleum fuels, rather than fossil fuels or even biofuels or fuel from waste, is key to the company’s long-term sustainability plans. According to research, transporting cargo using kerosene-fuelled belly freight produces 755g CO2 emissions per tonne-km tank to wheels. In contrast, Dronamics’ drones flown with synthetic fuel will operate in an entirely carbon neutral process.

ZERO SynAVGAS is a direct drop-in replacement for existing fossil-based fuel, delivering the same performance and range as existing products but entirely sustainably and fossil-free. It is manufactured by extracting hydrogen from water and capturing carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide, a process that is entirely sustainable when using renewable energy sources such as wind or solar. When burned it emits exactly the same amount of carbon as is used in its production, creating a fully circular process.

The new partnership with Dronamics is the latest commercial link-up for Zero Petroleum and follows the signing of a contract in July to work with the Royal Air Force on the development of its fast jet aviation fuel. The British-based company completed a second round of funding in July and is in the process of setting up a new technical development facility to commence low volume production of its synthetic fuels in the coming months.

In collaboration with the RAF, the company secured the Guinness World Records title ‘First aircraft powered by synthetic fuel’ in 2021 using ZERO SynAVGAS in a ROTAX-powered aircraft. Earlier this year, the company ran the first prototype of its ZERO Syn95 petrol in two supercars for a demonstration run on BBC’s Top Gear, leading the presenting team to declare it a ‘magic bullet’ that heralds a ‘bright new dawn’ for the automotive industry. The same fuel was also used to power the Duke of Richmond’s motorbike at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

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Air Freight

MSC acquires the majority stake of AlisCargo Airlines

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MSC acquires the majority stake of AlisCargo Airlines. Image: Unsplash
MSC acquires the majority stake of AlisCargo Airlines. Image: Unsplash
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MSC has acquired the majority stake of AlisCargo Airlines, a Milan-based air freight carrier; the parties confirmed that the transaction is a first step towards the acquisition of 100% of AlisCargo Airlines by MSC, expected to happen at the beginning of 2024, once AlisCargo Airlines will restart operations with the delivery of a Boeing 777F. This transaction is yet another step to further developing MSC Air Cargo operations and creates a European gateway and transit point for MSC’s air cargo solutions. Furthermore, the deal complements MSC Air Cargo’s aim to expand its existing trade lane network with better coverage and increased flexibility.

MSC Air Cargo Senior Vice President Jannie Davel stated: “The acquisition of a majority share in AlisCargo Airlines is a step towards expanding MSC’s Air Cargo solution capabilities, and ultimately providing our customers with a quality and consistent offering. I am equally proud that we have found a partner that shares a common vision with us and has built a strong foundation for which we hope to further develop.”

The majority selling party is represented by the Leali Group, led by Mr. Domenico Alcide Leali who, after the success with Air Dolomiti started AlisCargo Airlines in 2019.

Mr. Giacomo Manzon, General Manager of AlisCargo Airlines briefly commented: “I am proud to see a group like MSC entering as a major shareholder of AlisCargo Airlines and developing further the project that Leali Group has initiated. I am thankful for MSC’s trust in us, and we will work hard together to make it a success story.”

MSC Air Cargo has been building up its air cargo offering through numerous strategic partnerships with sales agents and software providers. MSC Air Cargo provides a complementary solution to MSC’s core shipping services and operates two aircraft managed by Atlas Air Worldwide between Europe, Central America and Asia and will add two more in the next 6 months. Following the completion of the operation, MSC Air Cargo will have a new operating license and a fleet of 5 wide-body aircraft within the next 12 months.

Banca Finint acted as financial advisor to Leali Group. Gianni & Origoni acted as legal advisor to MSC and Leali Group, with two separate teams of lawyers from its Milan and Padua offices, respectively.

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Air Freight

cargo.one announced a landmark partnership with Eastern Air Logistics

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cargo.one announced a landmark partnership with Eastern Air Logistics. Image: cargo.one
cargo.one announced a landmark partnership with Eastern Air Logistics. Image: cargo.one
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Eastern Air Logistics and cargo.one announced a landmark partnership to bring extensive capacity from both China Eastern Airlines and China Cargo Airlines to the real-time digital booking platform. The air logistics group will utilize cargo.one’s award-winning seamless digital booking experience, and gain access to its global footprint of many thousands of freight forwarders. cargo.one is already collaborating intensively to help guide and maximize the airline’s sales digitalization journey. On the heels of cargo.one’s recent launch of cargo.one pro, the deal reflects a strategic focus by Eastern Air Logistics to utilize the most modern and globally relevant partners for its digital transformation.

Eastern Air Logistics harnesses the scale of China Cargo Airlines’ dedicated Boeing 777 and 747 freighter fleet as well as belly capacity in nearly 800 China Eastern Airlines passenger aircraft. The carrier offers 184 countries and regions and benefits from state-of-the-art air cargo depot facilities at major Chinese hub airports such as Shanghai, Beijing, Kunming, Xi’an and Wuhan, as well as a nationwide transportation network.

The addition of Eastern Air Logistics capacities into the cargo.one platform means freight forwarders in close to 5000 forwarding offices worldwide will gain the most user-centric instant access to its valuable capacity into China and across Asia Pacific. The connectivity cargo.one delivers as a 24/7 booking platform will help Eastern Air Logistics to grow its international bookings and remain front of mind with freight forwarders in all relevant markets. cargo.one guarantees an unbeatable digital buying journey to every booking customer.

Jonathan Xu, General Manager of Logistics Solutions Business Dept. at Eastern Air Logistics, comments, “Our close collaboration with the cargo.one team over the past months stands out and forcefully boosts our trajectory to become the most innovative integrated logistics service provider. A clear benefit of partnering with cargo.one is the strength of its insights, proactive partnership support and the valuable best practices for digital that we are gaining for our first steps into digital distribution.”

“It is vital that every freight forwarder globally has rapid and seamless access to the best capacity options for China. cargo.one and Eastern Air Logistics compliment each other perfectly in offering end to end agility and a great experience that forwarders can depend upon”, says Moritz Claussen, Founder & Co-CEO of cargo.one. “It is a real pleasure to work alongside Eastern Air Logistics as they leverage our substantial market force, and benefit from the only next generation multilateral marketplace, and one loved by forwarders”.

Both companies enjoy a proven track record of innovation-leading to drive growth in global freight forwarding markets. For example, cargo.one pro now empowers agents to conduct seamless digital agent-to-agent bookings globally in seconds. cargo.one will position Eastern Air Logistics to profit from the surge in digital forwarding in all markets.

Over the past year, cargo.one has rapidly expanded its participation in the Asia Pacific market. Partnering with national carriers and top three airlines in countries including China, Japan and Singapore, cargo.one is the clear partner of choice for airlines in the region to go digital. cargo.one comprises an essential component of an airline’s efficient multichannel sales setup, as well as supporting revenue and capacity management endeavors.

From Summer 2023, freight forwarders can soon book Eastern Air Logistics capacity using the cargo.one marketplace. Customers will enjoy access to important trade lanes between China and hubs including within Europe – Frankfurt, London, Budapest, Amsterdam, in North America – New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, and in Asia Pacific – Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh.

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Air Freight

Silk Way West Airlines joins forces with cargo.one

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Silk Way West Airlines joins forces with cargo.one. Image: cargo.one
Silk Way West Airlines joins forces with cargo.one. Image: cargo.one
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Silk Way West Airlines and cargo.one announced a global partnership to bring the airline’s freighter capacity to the air cargo booking marketplace. By joining customer experience advocate cargo.one, favored by forwarders in all important markets globally, Silk Way West Airlines will expand its digital footprint and align with the highest standards for digital air cargo booking. The airline also gains the market experience and actionable support of cargo.one teams to accelerate digital sales adoption for its capacities.

Headquartered in Baku, at the heart of the Silk Road, Silk Way West Airlines is the largest cargo airline in the Caspian Sea region. The airline carries over 420,000 tonnes of freighter capacity annually, utilizing a fleet of 12 Boeing 747F aircraft with front-loading capabilities. Silk Way West Airlines is progressing an impressive strategy of expansion, in which maximizing its digital distribution to every relevant market plays a vital role.

The strategic location of Baku as a hub helps Silk Way West Airlines to span over 40 key destinations across Europe, the CIS, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Asia, and the Americas. Silk Way West Airlines is unique in building an attractive digital offering for larger shipments, where the market is currently under-served. Freight forwarders have long been attracted to the airline’s connectivity, which cargo.one will now deliver to agents with digital speeds and greater convenience than ever before.

President of Silk Way West Airlines, Wolfgang Meier, comments, “Our partnership with cargo.one is an important milestone in our ambitious digitalization journey. By bringing our capacity to cargo.one’s expansive customer base, we will both broaden our reach and enable many more forwarders to benefit from our services. cargo.one and Silk Way teams are collaborating very closely, and we are relying on their proven expertise to enhance our buying journeys and drive up our share of digital air cargo sales.”

Moritz Claussen, Founder & Co-CEO of cargo.one, adds, “For the many thousands of agents who are thriving with digital bookings on cargo.one, the addition of Silk Way West Airlines’ capacity is fantastic news. Due to its keen awareness of the changing market, Silk Way West Airlines is now putting cargo.one, as the best-in-class digital enabler, at the center of its digital sales growth trajectory.”

cargo.one’s more than 40 airline partners profit from its targeted innovations that enable forwarders in dozens of countries to book more easily and often. Silk Way West partners with cargo.one shortly after the launch of its revolutionary cargo.one pro and cargo.one protect solutions for instant and seamless agent-to-agent bookings. A transformed digital booking experience for all import and export shipments now makes cargo.one the air cargo one-stop-shop for many agents worldwide.

From Autumn 2023, freight forwarders can book Silk Way West Airlines capacity using cargo.one.

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