Covid churns cargo handling. Transportation
community meets the challenges
BY JEFF YAPALATER
In an unparalleled time
in our country all industries
are facing turmoil including
the collapse of the commercial
airline industry. While
the government has placed
restrictions on everyday life,
essential services remain
open. Transportation logistics
which include air cargo,
freight brokers and trucking
remain excluded from the ban
and support the airlines, and
international trade arriving
daily into our airports.
These cargo handlers are
the lifeline for all necessities
and have recently step-up to
handle a huge increase of air
cargo coming into JFK and
Newark with medical supplies
in fight against the corona virus.
The air freighter business
that operates out of JFK has
increased double triple fold
with the use of more giant
planes like the Boeing 747 and
the Antonov serving the relief
effort in bringing medical
supplies to the US from China.
Almost every day another
of these freighters from Atlas
Air, Cargolux , China Eastern,
China Airplanes Korean
Saudi, SF, Turkish , NCA,
ASL, CAL Qantas, arrives
with thousands of pounds
and cartons of these supplies
and necessary goods, at times
straining resources. But collaboration
and cooperation
among all has kept operations
running. Worldwide Flight
Services (WFS), AGI, Lufthansa,
and other ground handlers
are busy shuttling thousands
of pallets of products
from planes to warehouses.
Here goods are sorted and
broken down for pick-up by
truckers. These truckers are
the last link between these
goods and final destinations.
At cargo buildings all over
the airports of JFK and Newark,
truckers from around
the country line up and wait
for their cargo to be loaded
aboard their vehicles. Drivers
then spread out delivering
to local stocking warehouses,
medical facilities and hospitals.
Many of the products in
these flights are ventilators,
surgical masks, gowns and
face shields. critical to the
containment and treatment of
the virulent virus.
Ground handler Worldwide
Flight Services VP Rinzing
Wangyal who is managing
4 AIRPORT VOICE, APRIL 2020
several warehouses at JFK
proudly said, ”These flights
provide much-needed cargo
capacity for many of the airline’s
regular cargo customers,
and emergency medical
flights allowing them to continue
operating in this challenging
environment. We are
proud of our workers, our colleagues,
our freight handlers
who are frontline labor in
the fight against Covid-19 and
thankful for the Port Authority,
CBP, FAA, TSA and agencies
for their assistance.”
Airport veteran WFS VP
Phil Jensen who has seen
other crisis added, “These
are uncertain times and our
teams of people have been
working non-stop to arrange
cargo flight options for our
customers. We see up to 11
freighters come into our JFK
facilities in a single day. Yes,
we have virus related issues,
but our team and management
continue to do our jobs
despite the logistical challenges.”
JFK CBP Port Director
also said,” Ensuring an
efficient, secure supply chain
during these unprecedented
times is imperative for the nation
and the economy, and we
will continue to work with our
government and trade partners
at JFK to streamline the
process. I am proud of our
dedicated staff for sacrificing
their well-being to move
these goods as quickly and efficiently
as possible.
Commercial airlines are
now using some of their passenger
planes for cargo. American,
Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic,
Delta, Korean, Air France,
Avianca, are now bringing in
cargo flights in regular aircraft
to JFK Airport on a 1-5
time a week basis. The idea being
that the usage of smaller
and more fuel efficient aircraft
can be used for goods shipped
in smaller quantities and
faster than on huge 747 freighters.
Smaller consignments can
be handled less expensively
without flight attendants,
and quickly with less tonnage
shipped on each flight.
In addition to the actual
cargo business, commercial
passenger aircraft are using
passenger planes for cargo
purposes. Due to precipitous
drop in passenger demand,
some airlines have decided
to use the aircraft for cargo
which includes good to and
from international destinations.
Airlines have leases
or financing on most of their
fleets and need to continue to
draw revenue from the aircraft
and cannot be left idle
on some faraway airport or
desert while waiting for the
pandemic to end and passengers
to fly again. For decades
the passenger number has
climbed and so have the number
of planes and airlines to
handle the growth. Now with
the embargoes on international
travel from more and
more countries, the passenger
volume is shrinking quickly
and more space is available
for cargo and cargo charters.
Cargo on passenger flights in
stored in the belly the lane,
the under section that we all
see our bags entering the aircraft.
This rush to use the aircraft
to produce needed revenue
has brought some interesting
complication long with
it though. The operations at
airports is complicated with
all the vehi9cle and service
traffic, aircraft movements
from the landing to gates, areas
where aircraft can stand,
gate logistics and the warehouses
which are scattered
around the airport. Arrangements
have been made with
some passenger terminals to
allow the aircraft to be handled
at the gate by dnata, Swissport
and Asak,
Cargo handlers and FAA
logistics are put to the test by
days of increased freighter
flights. Cargo facilities are
in different areas from passenger
gates so logistics are
required for rapid movement
and handling. The pathways
for airport interline has been
fairly steady and all ground
handlers and freighters know
where to go and crews know
how to handle the goods. With
a change in using passenger
aircraft exclusively for cargo,
the whole system changes
with alternates routes and
systems needed to provide efficient
and safe procedures.
Some freight brokers were
concerned over the changes
at JFK but according the CBP,
there are no problems with
landing rights but they need
to be informed of where the
flights will be located so that
the officers know where to
find flights to be inspected.
The CBP has issued some
guidelines to brokers in light
of the increased diverse consignments.
The Ark at JFK is the sole
horse quarantine station on
the East Coast since other
USDA facilities are temporarily
closed by the . This makes
import and shipment to the
metro easier for horse transporters.
All the companies say
they are doing the best they
can and look forward to the
“other side” of this crisis. The
increase in these emergency
flights is certainly ah= help
but does not equal the volume
and revenue lost due to
the world pandemic. However
companies will themselves to
remain optimistic are many
of the companies that the
CARTES Act will help them
stay solvent, keep workers and
live to handle another day.
Antonov freighter brings FEMA load of medical supplies for New York
State. Photos by Jeff Yapalater
Message
from the JFK
Air Cargo
Association,
President Dayna
Harap. JFK ACA
Dear Members,
Friends and Air Cargo
Professionals, .
The air cargo community
around the world
and here at JFK is experiencing
tempestuous
difficulties that threaten
our industry. The leadership
of the JFKACA is
working to forge a sense
of normalcy and security
by quickly adapting
to the shifting landscape
surrounding the Coronavirus.
It’s important to
us that you know we’re
right there with you,
learning to live in the
new normal. We’re working
remotely, isolating
our families, following
the extensive suggested
cleaning procedures
and wondering what the
world will look like in
the after.