Qatar Airways is pleased to announce it has signed a comprehensive codeshare agreement with Air Serbia, the flag carrier of Serbia, allowing passengers seamless travel to over 40 destinations when travelling on each other’s networks effective 01 February 2023.

Qatar Airways currently operates five weekly flights between its hub in Doha, Qatar and Belgrade, the Serbian capital. The codeshare agreement opens up a host of new exciting destinations for its passengers to use a single booking to continue their journey to European countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Slovenia among others served by Air Serbia.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “This partnership will allow us to expand our footprint in the Central and Eastern European markets where we are looking forward to offering additional travel choices for our customers. We are extremely proud to unveil this partnership with Air Serbia, the leading airline in this region since it was founded in 1927 and we look forward to working effortlessly together.”

From its hub at Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, Air Serbia serves more than 70 destinations in Europe, the Mediterranean, North America, Asia and Africa. As a part of this collaboration, Air Serbia will add its marketing code on Qatar Airways direct flights between Belgrade and Doha, as well as various points beyond Doha including Adelaide, Baku, Brisbane, Tbilisi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Muscat, Nairobi, Perth, Seychelles, Singapore and Sydney. Additionally, subject to obtaining all necessary government approvals and once all conditions are fulfilled, Air Serbia plans to extend its coverage to Bangkok, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Phuket, Seoul, Tokyo, Yerevan, Zanzibar and many more.

Air Serbia, Chief Executive Officer, Jiří Marek, said: “It is our great pleasure to announce the codeshare agreement with Qatar Airways, known for its global network of destinations and premium service. We are joining forces to provide passengers with new connection opportunities and access to unique destinations from both networks. Through this cooperation, we believe that we will be able to jointly bring to Serbia more traffic and opportunities for trade and tourism, as well as to increase the traffic between the two hubs.”

Qatar Airways and Air Serbia have a long standing interline cooperation and today’s signing marks a milestone in the mutual commitment of both airlines to improving customer experience. Passengers can book their travel with both airlines, through online travel agencies as well as with local travel agents.

A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was recently announced as the ‘Airline of the Year’ at the 2022 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. The airline continues to be synonymous with excellence having won the main prize for an unprecedented seventh time (2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022), while also being named ‘World’s Best Business Class’, ‘World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining’ and ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’.

Qatar Airways currently flies to more than 150 destinations worldwide, connecting through its Doha hub, Hamad International Airport, currently named the ‘Best Airport in the World” by Skytrax World Airport Awards 2022.

With an overall tonnage of more than 1.7 million tonnes in 2022, Qatar Airways Cargo serves more than 170 destinations, of which 70 have a dedicated freighter service, ten more than in the pre-Covid period, Qatar Airways Cargo can boast an impressive growth last year.

In 2022, Qatar Airways Cargo successfully managed a broad range of demanding shipments. With an overall 84,000 tonnes of pharmaceutical products transported, including 4,000 tonnes of vaccines and over 1200 tonnes of COVID vaccines, the cargo carrier has maintained its strong engagement in helping curb the pandemic. Moreover, providing safe transportation of 12,600 horses has confirmed its leading position in this field. Qatar Airways Cargo has also achieved a considerable number of charter operations with more than 1,400 charter flights last year, which includes charters for e-commerce, exotic animals, music band tours and FIFA related activities.

By applying its Next Generation vision to all areas of its business, Qatar Airways Cargo has brought enhancements to its services and sharply accelerated its digital transformation. In that respect, another key event in 2022 was the launch of the Digital Lounge, Qatar Airways Cargo’s new web platform, designed to provide a more streamlined and connected booking experience to customers. As part of the carrier’s omni-channel strategy, the platform offers users direct access to the main three bookings platforms of the industry.

Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways Cargo said, “We are really proud of all that we accomplished in 2022. Launching The Next Generation has allowed us to bring an entirely new perspective to everyone involved in the air cargo value chain. This truly represents a milestone in our development and in the way Qatar Airways Cargo is doing business.”

“We are grateful to our customers for their long-term trust and loyalty, and we will endeavour to preserve these relationships in the future. We are also thankful to our great teams for their dedication and hard work. With a motto such as “Moved by People”, Qatar Airways Cargo has always been aware of the major role played by its team in achieving success and is committed to promote it.”

This commitment resulted in the launch of two major WeQare chapters in 2022: Chapter 3, Let’s Stand Together, consisted of organising the collection of donations for children; as for Chapter 4, Diversity, it was a spectacular celebration of the carrier’s highly diverse team in the form of a livery showing some of their faces.

Environmental sustainability and decarbonisation are central to Qatar Airways Cargo's corporate strategy. In 2021, Qatar Airway Cargo was the first cargo carrier to join the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) CO2NNECT platform. In 2022, Qatar Airways Cargo launched an online CO2 emission calculator for customers to determine their shipments’ carbon emissions.

Qatar Airways Cargo is currently working on the development of a fully integrated carbon offsetting tool on its Digital Lounge portal which will offer customers an option to offset their shipments as part of the booking process.
IATA certifications being so essential to vouch for best practices in the industry, completing the IATA IEnvA Stage 2 re-certification was a real asset for Qatar Airways Cargo especially since it was the first airline in the Middle East to obtain this environmental certification back in 2017. In addition, it was also one of the first airlines to gain the CEIV Lithium Batteries certification which came as a rightful recognition of its active involvement in this matter.

Ending the year on a high note, Qatar Airways Cargo won Air Cargo Week’s Cargo Airline of the Year award for the second year in a row and received the Development2030 Corporate Social Responsibility Program of the Year at Aidex 2022.

Specialist air cargo management company, Magma Aviation, has transported over 1000kg of flip flops on a pro bono basis for UK-based Non-Profit, Sea Sense.

Sea Sense produces plastic-free biodegradable flip flops, of which the sales fund the prevention of plastics from reaching our oceans. They work with grassroots organisations and communities in Sierra Leone, Kenya and Indonesia to reduce plastic pollution whilst also providing a vital income for plastic collectors in developing countries.

Logistics are crucially important for Sea Sense, as the more cost-effective and efficient the process, the more funds and time they can dedicate to plastic collection. Magma Aviation stepped in to donate their time and resources in transporting the flip flops from the point of manufacture in Fuzhou, China to the point of sale in the United Kingdom using multimodal transport solutions.

Sea Sense founder, Luke McMillan, explains: “We are grateful for Magma Aviation’s efficiency and their eagerness to assist our cause. By donating their time and resources we were able to transport our flip flops across the world quickly, and as a result we have been able to free up funds to employ more plastic collectors in Sierra Leone, providing them with a truly vital income.”

Magma Aviation Operations Manager, James Le Poer Trench, said: “We had two priorities with this charter: the first was to ensure the transport was as quick and easy as possible, reducing Sea Sense’s lead time. The second was that Magma Aviation would pay for the transport, end-to-end. Profits from each pair of flip flops enable 500 ocean-bound plastic bottles to be removed from some of the world’s most polluted waterways and coastlines, so we are delighted to have transported over one tonne of flip flops to their point of sale to fund this amazing endeavour.”

Luke adds: “Plastic flip flops are the world’s most popular shoe, with 3 billion pairs sold globally every year. Awareness of ocean plastics is high, but the methods of helping the cause are relatively unknown. We are providing people with the chance to make a difference; a simple way to convert concern into action.”

Sea Sense is a Climate Positive business, something they have achieved by offsetting in excess of their carbon usage.

So far, Sea Sense has collected over 22,000kg of ocean-bound plastic, equivalent in weight to over 2.2 million plastic bottles.

DP World has teamed up with global shipping services provider A.P. Moller-Maersk (Maersk), to improve operational efficiencies, enhance customer service and collaborate on decarbonising.

The long-term strategic partnership will provide support for Maersk’s customers and implement new processes to improve quayside productivity, all leading to faster gate turnaround times at Jebel Ali Port and reduced bunker fuel consumption.

These are alongside visibility tools, which will allow Maersk’s customers to benefit from real-time information relayed by DP World to plan their supply chains better and ultimately cut their carbon emissions. Maersk will deploy two of its solutions for customers moving their cargo through Jebel Ali -- Maersk Accelerate, a fast-tracking service through priority cargo handling, and Maersk Flex Hub, a cargo storage solution.

Jebel Ali Port is a leading international gateway port, ideally located to serve the East-West trade corridor connecting to 150 cities globally. Lowering carbon emissions is a common goal for both companies and increasingly demanded by customers, who sit at the heart of every decision the companies take. Maersk and DP World will continue collaborating to create new solutions, such as warehousing to drive better customer experience in the future.

Shahab Al Jassmi, Vice President – Ports & Terminals, DP World UAE said: "Jebel Ali’s success has been built on progressive collaboration with partners such as Maersk, enabling us to combine our operational efficiencies and expertise to ensure we deliver the best end-to-end solutions to our customers. This synergy has allowed us to develop a successful ecosystem at Jebel Ali that continues to evolve and adapt to the dynamic markets we operate in. We will embark on this journey together to exceed our customers' expectations."

"This collaboration lets us offer solutions to help a key customer and reliable partner like Maersk to achieve their own sustainability goals. It sits alongside our own commitment to cutting our global CO2 emissions by nearly 700,000 tonnes over the next five years, in part by terminal vehicle electrification, sourcing renewable energy and increasing low carbon fuel use," Al Jassmi added.

"In our journey as an integrated logistics provider, we look at every opportunity that can create value for our customers. DP World’s Jebel Ali Port has been a strategic partner to us for many years, and we have now extended our partnership with a clear focus on improving service delivery to our customers while reducing the carbon footprint through our operations together", said Mads Skov-Hansen, Head of Ocean Customer Logistics, Maersk West & Central Asia.

In January 2022, DP World entered a strategic partnership with the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, an independent, not-for-profit organisation launched in 2020 to undertake intensive research and development to find practical ways to decarbonise the global maritime trade industry.

Maersk itself aims to reach net zero emissions by 2040 across the entire business with new technologies, new vessels and green fuels. DP World has committed to becoming a carbon neutral enterprise by 2040 and net zero carbon enterprise by 2050.

DP World Group Chairman and CEO, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem announced plans in November to invest up to $500 million to cut CO2 emissions from its operations by nearly 700,000 tonnes over the next five years. The reduction in carbon emissions represents a 20% cut from 2021 levels, through electrifying assets, investing in renewable power and exploring alternative fuels.

By all accounts, 2022 was a remarkable year for Global GSA Group with increased business opportunities, a growing team, record yields and an overall growth surpassing even its own forecast.

Having proved itself as a solid partner to airlines during the troubled times of the pandemic and beyond, Global GSA Group has maintained its continuous efforts last year to achieve very rewarding results. With 12 new contracts gained and 35 members of staff recruited, 2022 marked a steep rise in Global GSA Group’s activities leading to a 15% growth compared to the previous year.

This success is largely due to Global GSA Group’s solid customer base. The Group has indeed maintained long-running relationships with its customers, some of which have been trusting it since its beginnings in 1995. The dedication of the team has also been a key contributing factor. Ismail Durmaz, Chief Executive Officer is more than happy about the past year: “I am very grateful to the Global GSA Group team for its highly professional approach, amazing agility and strong commitment to the company. The experience we have acquired during the pandemic, combined with our expertise, has allowed us to embrace all the challenges we encountered, forge long-lasting relationships with our customers and generate growth.”

Among Global GSA Group’s recent investments, technology has been given pride of place. In an increasingly competitive market and with changing dynamics in the industry, digitization appears as an essential means for industry stakeholders to meet today’s new challenges. Global GSA Group understands that digitalization not only allows more transparency but also increases agility with faster responses in a growingly volatile market. Among the tools being used by Global GSA Group are the most cutting-edge solutions on the market. Whether it be for booking, capacity and revenue optimization or pricing decision-making, these solutions have already proved particularly insightful for the GSA and its partners. In order to secure and boost its leading position, Global GSA has also recruited specialised talents thereby ensuring it is fully equipped to tackle the current challenges. Consequently, the further strengthening of digital tools and skills within the company, coupled with its solid local ties and close customers relations will surely give the GSA an edge over its competitors. Enhancing its presence worldwide, through the creation of new companies and the acquisition of existing ones, particularly in the strategic Asian region, will also be an asset.

When questioned about how he anticipates the coming months, Ismail Durmaz, remains cautious: “Our unfailing reliability is what has made us who we are today, and it will definitely last in the future. It is very hard to predict long-term market trends. However, with the market shifting to pre-covid rates and demands, our primary strategy is to protect our carriers market position and revenue. As always, we strive to advise and steer our airline partners thanks to our thorough understanding of the local markets and by continuing to add more digital enhancements to our operations. In any case, Global GSA Group is determined to win new market shares and has ensured it is fully equipped to do so, both in terms of technological and human resources.”

Despite a general drop in demand and capacities, Global GSA Group stays focused on preserving the same level of service and expertise for its customers to ensure they best overcome the turbulences ahead. Whatever the future holds, the only certainty is that Global GSA Group is prepared to face it.

Pharma.Aero has just published the White Paper of the CEIV 2.0 Project representing a broader evaluation of the IATA’s CEIV Pharma Certification Program based on the direct input and insights of the Pharma.Aero global membership.

The document presents the main conclusions and takeaways of an evaluation process that identified potential areas of improvements, with root causes and potential solutions for further actions.

The CEIV Pharma certification has become a quality standard over the years, with more than 300 companies being certified or re-certified at different locations around the globe (December 2022). But what does the industry feel about the impact of the CEIV Pharma certification on the day-to-day business? Did the certification meet the initial expectations over the years? What are the challenges that certified companies face in relation to this program?

The CEIV 2.0 Project started in September 2021 with the dissemination of two surveys to Pharma.Aero members, one for the pharma logistics providers, and one tailored for pharma manufacturers. The surveys aimed to identify various challenges that the companies are facing in relation with the CEIV Pharma certification program. The results of the surveys showed 7 areas of improvement which were further analyzed, one by one, over a series of 8 working sessions with Pharma.Aero members and IATA representatives. Throughout the working sessions, participants deep delved into each category, identifying probable root causes, and potential solutions for the 7 areas of improvements.

The project’s methodology, findings and conclusions were presented in a detailed, comprehensive Technical Report that Pharma.Aero shared with its members and IATA recently. The White Paper published now for the entire industry summarizes the main findings and offers a general overview of the project.

5 of the 15 clustered solutions that were identified will be the focus of a follow-up project to start soon, CEIV 2.0 – Phase 2: Implementation: Authority Endorsement – Seek endorsement from global health authorities to increase the credibility of the CEIV certification program; Shipper Review Group – Obtain feedback on the CEIV Pharma checklist, audit guidelines/standards, and demonstrate the value of CEIV to the GDP; Communications to the Pharmaceutical Community – Increase awareness and understanding of the CEIV Pharma certification program, through workshops, presentations and other events; CEIV Pharma Database – Make audit results and improvements over time available to shippers; Light Version of the CEIV Pharma for companies with limited resources.

We would like to sincerely thank IATA for their trust in Pharma.Aero and collaboration. And to the Independent Validators who shared their expertise towards the development of the project.

Many thanks to the two project leads, Dnata and Brussels Airport, for their time and support.

Special thanks go to the 25 members and partners of Pharma.Aero for their valuable contribution and their participation in the project’s workshops: Airport Authority Hong Kong, Alha Group, BDP International, Brussels Airport, Cargo Service Centre, Cathay Pacific Airways, Changi Airport Group, Dallas Fort Worth Airport, DHL Global Forwarding, Dnata, Envirotainer, Expeditors, First Priority Cargo, GRU Airport, Kansai Airports, Latin America Cargo City, MSD Merck, Miami Airport, Mytigate, Pfizer, Qatar Airways, Tower Cold Chain, Turkish Airline, Validaide and Wiz.

A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) and DP World Jebel Ali Port have entered a long-term partnership through which both parties will collaborate on various aspects of service delivery and work towards a common goal of decarbonising logistics and serve their customers better.

The long-term strategic partnership will give priority berthing for Maersk vessels, support for Maersk’s customers and implement new processes to improve quayside productivity, all leading to faster gate turnaround times at Jebel Ali Port and reduced bunker fuel consumption.

These are alongside visibility tools, which will allow Maersk’s customers to benefit from real-time information relayed by DP World to plan their supply chains better and ultimately cut carbon emissions. Maersk will deploy two of its solutions for customers moving their cargo through Jebel Ali -- Maersk Accelerate, a fast-tracking service through priority cargo handling, and Maersk Flex Hub, a cargo storage solution.

Jebel Ali Port is a leading international gateway port, ideally located to serve the East-West trade corridor connecting to 150 cities globally. Lowering carbon emissions is a common goal for both companies and increasingly demanded by customers, who sit at the heart of every decision the companies take. The Intra Terminal Vehicles (ITVs) at Jebel Ali Port used at the Terminal where Maersk vessels berth will be converted from diesel ones to electric ones leading to a reduction of around 80% carbon footprint from these vehicles alone.

"In our journey as an integrated logistics provider, we are looking at every opportunity that can create value for our customers. DP World’s Jebel Ali Port has been a strategic partner to us over the last many years, and we have now extended our partnership with a clear focus on improving service delivery to our customers while reducing carbon footprint through our operations together." Mads Skov-Hansen, Head of Ocean Customer Logistics, Maersk West & Central Asia.

"Jebel Ali’s success has been built on progressive collaboration with partners such as Maersk, enabling us to combine our operational efficiencies and expertise to ensure we deliver the best end-to-end solutions to our customers. This synergy has allowed us to develop a successful ecosystem at Jebel Ali that continues to evolve and adapt to the dynamic markets we operate in. We will embark on this journey together to exceed our customers' expectations." Shahab Al Jassmi, Vice President – Ports & Terminals, DP World UAE.

Al Jassmi added, “Additionally, this collaboration will help us to achieve our goal of cutting CO2 emissions by nearly 700,000 tonnes over the next five years. Achieving this target alone will be challenging, but by working with reliable partners such as Maersk we can accelerate our progress and offer solutions to help our partners achieve their own sustainability goals at the same time.”

In January 2022, DP World entered a strategic partnership with the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, an independent, not-for-profit organization launched in 2020 to undertake intensive research and development to find practical ways to decarbonise the global maritime trade industry.

Maersk has the ambition to achieve net zero emissions by 2040 across the entire business with new technologies, new vessels, and green fuels. DP World has committed to becoming a carbon-neutral enterprise by 2040 and net zero carbon enterprise by 2050.

DP World Chairman and Group CEO, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem announced plans in November to invest up to $500 million to cut CO2 emissions from its operations by nearly 700,000 tonnes over the next five years. The reduction in carbon emissions represents a 20% cut from 2021 levels, through electrifying assets, investing in renewable power and exploring alternative fuels.

Qatar Airways has become the second airline in the world to become IATA CEIV Lithium Battery certified and Qatar Aviation Services is the first ground handling company to be certified globally.

The certification aims to improve safety in handling and transportation of lithium batteries throughout the supply chain. Both Qatar Airways and Qatar Aviation Services played a key role in the design and implementation of IATA’s recent CEIV Lithium Battery programme, and continue to be actively involved in its fine-tuning and adaption.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Passenger and cargo safety is our utmost concern at all times, and we have continuously advocated for proper regulation in the transport of lithium batteries. We are happy to be the second airline to be certified and we encourage all air industry players to become certified. As an industry, we must focus on active risk prevention and that is achieved through strict regulation, training, and compliance.”

Guillaume Halleux, Chief Officer Cargo at Qatar Airways Cargo added: “Lithium batteries play a huge part in our daily life, from the toys we buy for our children, to the laptops we use every day, and the cars we drive, to name but a few examples. Yet, they also pose a huge daily risk for air travel and transport: one that Qatar Airways has always highlighted and worked to prevent as best possible. We are happy to see this now starting to happen with air cargo industry companies voluntarily undergoing CEIV Lithium Battery certification.”

“Our plan now is to work with our global partners, ground handlers, shippers, and freighter forwarders, to ensure a solid and common understanding of the risks of moving lithium batteries, and to drive positive change in the industry,” he continues.

Halleux urged for faster regulation and compliance adoption concerning lithium batteries in his key note speech at the World Cargo Symposium in Dublin in October 2021. Shortly thereafter, Qatar Airways Cargo announced the complete rollover of its 10,000+ ULD fleet to Safran Cabin's newly developed Fire-Resistant Containers (FRC), designed to resist a lithium-based fire for up to 6 hours. To date, it has already replaced 9,000 of its ULDs, surpassing the 70% goal it set itself for 2022, and will continue the exchange process in 2023.

Lithium batteries are in very widespread use in a range of consumer products from smartphones to electric scooters, while the risks associated with their usage and carriage amongst consumers are not well known. As a global network carrier and integrated group of aviation businesses the issues relate to both Qatar Airways and Qatar Airways Cargo principally, therefore driving greater awareness of the handling of Lithium batteries will help improve safety in the air transport industry.

The Center of Excellence for Independent Validators Lithium Batteries (CEIV Li-batt) certification programme will ensure the elements of the supply chain involved in the shipment of these batteries are able to meet their regulatory requirements. The CEIV Lithium Battery family is IATA’s most recent CEIV certification. It is in line with similar certifications for the handling of pharmaceuticals, perishables, and live animals.