Hapag-Lloyd will offer its customers significantly shorter transit times in the ANP service between Australia/New Zealand and the US East Coast (via Panama) from May/June this year. The port rotation is being streamlined thanks to the new cooperation on this route between Hamburg Süd and Maersk, for which Hapag-Lloyd is slot charterer.

Geneva  – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released international traffic data for May that showed a significant drop in cargo growth to 1.3% while passenger traffic grew 6.0%.

European Court overturns European Commission decision on state aid involving Deutsche Post

Deutsche Post World Net will receive a repayment of around 1 billion euros after the European Court of the First Instance in Luxembourg today overturned a 2002 decision by the European Commission. The European Commission in 2002 ordered Deutsche Post to repay 907 million euros in purported state aid and interest. Deutsche Post in 2002 appealed the decision and will now receive a repayment. Responding to the decision, Deutsche Post said the court had confirmed the company’s legal position. The company expects to receive the cash inflow in several weeks’ time and would prefer to earmark the amount for returning to shareholders, pending clarity regarding other cash-relevant issues.
In June 2002, the Commission determined that Deutsche Post from 1994 to 1998 covered a cost deficit in the competitive business parcel segment through improper cross-subsidization with State aid funds earmarked for the financing of the universal service. Deutsche Post has always disputed this claim. Furthermore, no cross-subsidization was found in Commission antitrust proceedings completed a few months earlier. In September 2002, Deutsche Post brought an action for annulment of the Commission’s state-aid decision before the European Court of the First Instance. As a result of the Commission’s decision, however, Deutsche Post had to repay 572 million euros that was determined to be state aid plus 335 million euros in interest to the Federal Republic of Germany at the beginning of 2003. Germany will now repay this amount with interest to Deutsche Post.

soruce: dhl.com press release

DHL, the world’s leading express and logistics company, today announced a new five-year agreement with Airbus, one of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers.

Under this agreement, DHL becomes the lead transport provider and a tier one partner of Airbus. DHL will implement its full transportation system, 4PL control tower and optimization program to streamline the flow of materials to Airbus manufacturing plants.The Control Tower will manage a significant part of inbound transportation including air and ocean freight, road freight, customs and value added services.

DHL’s expertise in deploying transportation solutions to deliver harmonization and optimization of transportation processes aims at generating savings for large size customers.

‘We are delighted to foster closer partnership with Airbus with this significantly enlarged business portfolio. This win is a testimony of our relentless focus on delivering the best for customers like Airbus,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO, Global Customer Solutions, DHL.

Implementation of the new transportation concept will start 1st September this year.

Global Customer Solutions (GCS) has been serving DHL group’s major customers through a dedicated customer management organization since 2004. Industry experts within GCS act as empowered single point of contact along the entire supply chain of the individual key customers. The team of experts also continuously develop the group’s business in line with changing market conditions and customer needs.

Source: Dhl.com press release.

Geneva – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) congratulated the European Commission on adopting the second package of legislation for a Single European Sky (SES).

“Every drop of fuel saved counts. With oil at US$135 and jet fuel even higher, saving fuel is critical for financial survival. And it is at the core of our commitment to improving environmental performance. Today’s adoption of the Single European Sky II package is a welcome response to IATA’s call for governments to act quickly to eliminate inefficiencies in air traffic management,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

At its recent Annual General Meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, the 230 members of IATA agreed an Istanbul Declaration that asks governments, labour and service providers to show leadership and responsibility in this time of crisis. The Declaration specifically called for governments to “invest to modernise air transport infrastructure urgently, eliminating wasteful fuel consumption and emissions.”

“Vice President Tajani has quickly understood the urgency of the situation. Commission adoption is a step in the right direction, but we have a lot of ground to cover before a Single European Sky can become a reality,” said Bisignani.

“Only with the support of national governments will the European Parliament and the Council be able to follow up on Vice President Tajani’s quick action. I urge Europe’s national governments to put aside local politics and focus on what is best for Europe and for the environment. That is a Single European Sky with the ambitious objective of a 10% improvement in carbon emissions and fuel savings. After decades of discussion, it’s time for success,” said Bisignani.

Notes for Editors :

• IATA (International Air Transport Association) represents some 230 airlines comprising 93% of international scheduled air traffic. 

For more information please contact:

Anthony Concil                            
Director Corporate Communications          
Tel: +41 22 770 2967                       
Email: corpcomms@iata.org

Source: IATA press release.