ISSA BALUCH
Chairman & CEO
Swift Group, Dubai

Swift Freight Int’l LLC has been at the forefront of global transportation and logistics for over a decade. Swift offers customers highly competitive options in seafreight, airfreight, overland transportation, multi-modal transport services, warehousing & distribution services, plus a host of ancillary services such as clearing & documentation services, co-packing, delivery services etc.

Headquartered in Dubai, the company operates from 6 offices and freight stations within the UAE, Swift Freight International offers its customers true global reach by virtue of its associate and representative offices in 27 locations in the Middle East, Africa and the Far East. Additionally, the company’s network boasts a worldwide agency representation - linking all-important markets across the continents.

Swift Freight International is a member and an active participant of a number of local & International freight forwarding alliances, including the National Committee of Freight 

Forwarders (NCFF),  International Federation of Freight Forwarders Association (FIATA), World Cargo Alliance (WCA), The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA), Global Perishables Logistics Group (GPLG) & The Freight Club (TFC). The over 80 international awards the company has received from international carriers & government organisations includes: The largest Sea-Air Handling Agent’ for 8 consecutive years from the Sharjah International Airport; the Top Cargo Agent awarded by Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, KLM, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Malaysian Airlines, Swiss Air; Top Shippers Award for APL and Hyundai, and the prestigious Maersk Millionaire award. These awards stand testament to the organisation’s professionalism and motivated work culture.

An organisation never satisfied with status quo, Swift is continuously working towards expanding its network of offices and range of services. Besides the recent launch of new Swift offices (Hong Kong, Chad, Lusaka), the organisation has also made available to clients state-of-the-art Track & Trace services. The vast Swiss network comprises of offices in Iran, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, D.R.Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. 

DHL’s new EasyShip saves ‘time and money’

Saudi Arabia’s leading banks are impressed with the newest version of DHL’s EasyShip programme, which enables banks to manage their in-bound and out-bound shipments using the latest IT technology solutions. In addition to the totally web-based shipment tracking solution, the programme is also designed to save the user time, money, and effort. Easyship is a windows-based software programme that provides DHL customers with an easy and efficient way to prepare airway bills and process shipments including the preparation of shipments, uploading the daily manifest, preparation of reports, and tracking and tracing shipments. 

Lebanon's TMA Cargo Airline Expands into Charters

Lebanon's Trans Mediterranean Airways launched a charter business to areas not serviced by Lebanon's state carrier, Middle East Airlines. "It is always our president's aim to expand," said TMA Vice-President for quality assurance Nicolas Khoury. "The company has taken advantage of the post-September slump in air travel that has left many planes on the ground and made leasing them cheaper, " he said.

Khoury said TMA has started operating a weekly flight to the Turkish resort town of Bodrum that also stops every other week at Dalaman.