Our global freight forwarding network keeps our customers freight moving across the world.

Boeing remains busy with 777 freighter orders and deliveries

Data published by Boeing demonstrates that 777 freighter activity is still healthy following the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) decision to grant an emissions exemption for the cargo model. The aircraft manufacturer's order and delivery data for 2026 shows that six 777Fs have been ordered this year. Most recently, Ethiopian Airlines Group ordered two 777Fs in September, as part of a wider order for eight new generation Boeing 777-8Fs. The order followed earlier speculation that the carrier was considering purchasing up to 10 freighters from the US aircraft manufacturer. In June, China Airlines and China Southern Cargo also ordered two 777Fs each. On the deliveries front, Boeing's data shows that 20 of the model have been delivered so far this year, with FedEx and Air China Cargo both taking delivery of one aircraft last month. There are also a total of 38 unfilled orders to date. Boeing recorded a total of 15 777 freighter orders and 35 777 freighter deliveries last year. The longevity of Boeing's 777F was boosted in September when the FAA granted Boeing an emissions exemption for the aircraft model that will enable it to continue selling them beyond the end of 2027. The decision by the FAA means that Boeing, which filed its emissions exemption request in December and had requested that the exemption be approved by 1 May, can sell 35 more 777Fs that will be eligible for a Certificate of Airworthiness. "This exemption goes into effect on January 1, 2028, and applies to issuance of the first certificates of airworthiness for up to thirty-five 777F airplanes through January 1, 2031, unless sooner superseded or rescinded," said the FAA decision document published on 16 September. Without an exemption, these aircraft would not be eligible for a Certificate of Airworthiness from 1 January 2028 because they do not comply with fuel efficiency limits to curb emissions. The approval gives the widebody freighter market a huge boost as the sector was facing a supply shortage. As well as meeting continued 777F demand, the exemption will also enable Boeing to bridge the gap until its new generation 777-8 freighter comes to market.

Liege Airport cargo growth flatlines following EU e-commerce charge

Cargo specialist Liege Airport has been one of Europe's fastest-growing freight hubs in recent years but the European Union's introduction of a charge on low-value parcels has put the brakes on growth. The Belgian airport today released its traffic figures for the third quarter of the year, which showed that cargo volumes were 0.1% down year on year at 334,950 tonnes, while aircraft movements dropped by 6% compared with last year to 6,826. To put the fall in context, the airport registered an 11% year-on-year increase in cargo volumes in the first half of the year. Liege said the fall in movements is mainly due to the introduction, on 1 July 2026, of a €3 tax on imported parcels valued at less than €150. The charge was introduced to try and stem the flow of e-commerce goods into the bloc. Since its introduction, volumes of small parcels have fallen by 42%, directly affecting part of the e-commerce- related business and reducing the number of flights dedicated to this segment. However, the airport was also keen to point out that over the first nine months of the year, cargo volumes have continued to grow and are 7.3% ahead of last year's levels at just over 1m tonnes. Flight numbers are up 0.1% at 21,180. Liege Airport chief executive Laurent Jossart said: "The sluggish growth in the third quarter reflects the immediate impact of the new tax regime applied to small parcels. "However, when we look at the results since the start of the year, we can see that the airport continues to grow. We are recording stable traffic in terms of the number of movements, have passed the 1m tonne mark and are seeing particularly strong growth in exports. "These results demonstrate the resilience of our hub and the diversification of our cargo operations." The airport said that the growth levels registered over the first nine months of the year are driven in particular by strong export performance. Between January and September 2026, exports totalled 453,265 tonnes, compared with 382,299 tonnes a year earlier - an increase of 18.5%. Air Cargo News has requested the airport traffic figures for September. In August, the airport remarked that the new charge had "profoundly altered the structure of imports".

Freightmate admits using Flexport docs as AI trade secrets case settles

Freight-tech start-up Freightmate has acknowledged acquiring and using confidential Flexport shipping documents, as a settlement brings to an end a closely watched trade secrets dispute that has raised questions about the ownership of data used to develop AI-powered logistics software. The settlement, approved by a California federal court yesterday, follows a ruling that Freightmate and its founders failed to preserve electronic evidence relevant to the case, prejudicing Flexport's ability to pursue its claims. However, the judge found that Flexport had not proved that the defendants deliberately destroyed evidence with the intention of preventing its use in litigation. Under the stipulated judgment, Freightmate and co-founders Bryan Lacaillade and Yingwei (Jason) Zhao acknowledge acquiring and using some of approximately 2,000 confidential Flexport shipping documents. Mr Zhao also acknowledges acquiring confidential Flexport information, including 'trade secrets', while both founders acknowledge that they knew, or should have known, that acquiring the documents violated their agreements with their former employer. The acknowledgements were made solely for the purposes of the judgment; the court made no findings of fact or determination of liability, and Freightmate has not admitted the remaining allegations in Flexport's complaint. Agreed facts filed ahead of a trial scheduled for 19 October provide a detailed account of how the documents moved between the companies. In May 2024, while still employed by Flexport, Mr Zhao downloaded approximately 2,000 shipping documents from its internal freight forwarding system and uploaded them to Freightmate's Google drive. The documents related to approximately 70 shipments and included bills of lading, shipping instructions, packing lists, and arrival notices. Small samples, approximately five to ten documents, were used to assess how effectively ChatGPT could extract standard shipping information. The agreed facts do not establish that the documents were used to train Freightmate's AI models or incorporated into its finished products. They also reveal that Freightmate had secured a $650,000 investment in May 2024, while Mr Zhao was still employed by Flexport and had already become a Freightmate shareholder, director, and officer. The founders had, however, initially appeared keen to avoid breaching their employment agreements. In a December 2023 message, Mr Lacaillade warned colleagues, "We cannot use Flexport resources for anything as we build this out based on our offer letter", and urged them to compare their contracts and seek legal advice to avoid being sued. But in March, Mr Lacaillade told Mr Zhao: "Man it's tough to focus on Flexport work when I'm so much more excited about the Freightmate work." And by May 2024, Mr Zhao had become a Freightmate director and shareholder while still employed by Flexport, and had transferred both shipping documents and a compressed source-code file from his employer's systems. On 1 July 2024, at Mr Lacaillade's direction, Flexport shipping documents were deleted from Freightmate's Google drive, email accounts, and personal devices. Freightmate has maintained that the removal formed part of a 'clean room' process, intended to ensure its Docmate document automation platform was independently developed. It has also disputed Flexport's allegations that proprietary code was incorporated into its technology. The litigation increasingly focused on whether confidential freight data, AI prompts, and development workflows had contributed to Docmate, rather than simply whether software code had been copied. The court concluded that the loss of evidence had prejudiced Flexport, but found that the company had not established the specific intent required for more severe sanctions. It also ruled that the July 2024 deletions did not breach evidence-preservation obligations, because litigation was not yet reasonably foreseeable. Flexport subsequently challenged the ruling, seeking stronger sanctions, but the settlement has now removed the need for a trial. Under the agreement, Freightmate is permanently prohibited from possessing or using Flexport confidential data, while an independent forensic examiner will inspect specified repositories to identify any remaining Flexport shipping documents, and oversee the deletion or return of identified material and any necessary changes to Freightmate products. The report must address whether any Freightmate products incorporated, were trained on, or were otherwise derived from Flexport data, and whether any necessary remediation has been completed. Freightmate will bear the examination costs, capped at $25,000, as well as the costs of any required remediation. The examiner must report to the parties' lawyers by 30 January 2027. Importantly for Freightmate, the judgment expressly allows the company to continue competing with Flexport, and independently developing and selling freight forwarding software. Its existing products may remain available during the examination, subject to the settlement's conditions. The financial terms of the settlement remain confidential, with both parties bearing their own legal costs. Mr Lacaillade told The Loadstar: "We're glad to have this resolved. I'm incredibly grateful to our team, customers, and partners for their support throughout this journey, and we're excited about what's ahead for Freightmate." The settlement closes a case that has exposed some of the complexities surrounding AI development in freight forwarding, particularly the use of proprietary operational data, and the difficulty of establishing how that information may have contributed to automated systems. Although the underlying 'trade secrets' allegations will not now be tested at trial, the forensic examination leaves one important question outstanding: whether any Flexport information remains incorporated in Freightmate's software, datasets, or AI models. Flexport has been approached for comment.