During our 22-year history, Prime Group has been privileged to work with the most prominent and professional air-cargo carriers in the business. I truly believe that the company you keep reflects your business acumen, philosophy, and practices. If “birds of a feather flock together,” as the saying goes, a smart, innovative company surrounds itself with partners that reflect its business acumen, philosophy, and practices.

I’m pleased that we attract similarly smart business partners such as Atlas Air, Inc., a subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc., that is a veritable king of the mountain in this businesses sector. They operate the world’s largest fleet of B747 freighter aircraft and provide customers the broadest array of Boeing 747, 777, 767, and 737 aircraft for domestic, regional, and international cargo and passenger operations. Prime Group has been privileged to serve as Atlas Air’s GHA/GSA since the earliest days of our operations that began in Quito, Ecuador.

So, let me take this opportunity to congratulate Atlas Air on taking delivery of the final Boeing 747 aircraft ever produced. As captured in this stunning arrival upon arrival at Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport, this aircraft represents the last of the last of four new 747-8 freighters that the air-cargo company ordered back in January 2021. Today, Atlas reigns as the world’s largest operator of those freighters.

It’s fascinating to look back at the Boeing 747’s history. For more than a half century this wide-body “Queen of the Skies” has proven itself a reliable, workhorse aircraft. Passengers have enjoyed the world’s first twin-aisle airplane with a distinctive hump and upper-deck seating. From the cargo perspective, the aircraft has tremendous payload capacity and a unique nose-loading capability.

Over the decades, 747s have transported everything from perishables (including fresh flowers, vegetables, fish, medicines, and vaccines) to race cars, racehorses, rocket parts, electronics, overnight express shipments and much more. Among Boeing’s “fun factoids” is that the 747-8 Freighter’s revenue payload can transport 10,699 solid-gold bars or approximately 19 million ping-pong balls or golf balls – just in case you need to know that!

Production-wise, a total of 1,574 aircraft have been manufactured since the original Boeing 747 design was unveiled and factory production began in 1967. Enhancements have included introduction of the 747-400 model in 1988 and the final 747-8 model launched in 2005. Sustainability-wise, that latest model offers a 16 percent improvement in fuel use and CO2 emissions per ton, as well a 30 percent smaller noise footprint, compared to previous platform models. Across all models, the platform certainly has delivered unmatched operating economics and efficiency for both the passenger travel and air cargo markets.

Atlas emphasizes that its history and success are directly linked to the B747 platform and that it plans to operate the aircraft for decades to come. On the occasion of the last of the line, John Dietrich, president and CEO, Atlas Air Worldwide, spoke to how Atlas Air was founded over 30 years ago with a single B747-200 converted freighter, and since then, the company has spanned the globe operating the B747 into well over 800 airports in over 170 countries with nearly every series of the aircraft, including Boeing’s 747 Large Cargo Freighter for the transport of 787 Dreamliner parts.

At Prime Group, we want to “be the best,” and in that regard, I firmly believe that we truly are the company we keep. First and foremost, I appreciate the dedication, focus, and professionalism of our employees each and every day. In addition, all of us at Prime Group are blessed to work with high-quality air-cargo partners including Atlas Air and many others. Together we are forging a bright future, one that will include seeing the “Queen of the Skies” in the air for many years to come.

ABOUT PRIME GROUP

Prime Group is a private company founded over 22 years ago on the idea that providing world-class customer relations is the fastest route to success Today, our Miami-based Group is comprised of four separate enterprises dedicated to offering the best in international logistics, food products, services, and customer support.

Whether it’s Prime Logistics, Prime Fresh Handling, our GSSA PrimeAir, or our popular snack brand Prime Planet, we work hard every minute of every day to ensure that your products and services – and your good name – continue to be a standout in the eyes of your customers. That’s just who we are.

~ Roger Paredes, CEO

In evaluating shipping challenges in 2022 including the ebb and flow of the supply chain, PrimeAir is constantly evaluating how to assist its customers in doing business more efficiently. That’s why I am excited to share with you that we have launched a new onboard courier service – a ‘hand-carry’ resource – to assist local freight forwarders in Colombia and Ecuador.

This premium business service will help freight forwarders get their time-critical shipments where they need to go quickly and with a personal touch – quite literally. While this onboard courier (OBC) service is a commonly used option in Europe and the U.S., it’s a fairly new concept for some small and mid-sized freight forwarders in other parts of the globe including many regions of South America.

What’s making this possible is an agreement we entered earlier this year with Time Critical Solutions Worldwide (TSC Worldwide), a privately owned, independent Dutch company, based at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. So, we are now offering freight forwarders the onboard courier or “hand carry” services to/from Colombia and Ecuador.

Typically, automotive, transportation, pharmaceutical, oil, and manufacturing businesses may – from time to time – face a broken machine that will cause major production delays at a very high cost. Getting the right spare part to where it needs to go is critical.

PrimeAir, which can now tap into “ready to go” couriers in the U.S., the Netherlands, China, and elsewhere, expects the hand-carry option to be useful for transporting all kinds of spare parts, medical samples and other items into and out of both Colombia and Ecuador.

It doesn’t matter if the final client is an importer or exporter, the onboard courier service will solve the problem in the fastest way possible. It’s important to look at the “big picture” when considering the typically higher cost of the hand-carry service, versus normal shipping options.

Bottom line? We believe this new onboard courier service may be the most cost-effective option for freight forwarders to suggest to their clients in certain circumstances. For example, when the spare part being shipped is desperately needed to fix manufacturing machinery, the time saved in the end – by getting production back up more quickly – will more than make up for the onboard courier service price.

Or, when an airplane is parked on the ground day after day because it needs repairs, that’s a financial drain too. It’s not always about shipping an entire engine – sometimes, it’s about just one specific small component that can fit inside a suitcase, to travel speedily with a logistics courier service, thus getting the plane back in the air quicker.

At times, the decision to use a hand-carry service is also about more than cost. It’s about the value of human life. In a medical setting, if a highly sophisticated MRI unit goes down because it needs a key component replacement, that could impede a prompt life-saving medical diagnosis. Quicker transport via an onboard courier service could get the MRI back in service to help save lives.

In general, with the new service, PrimeAir – using TSC Worldwide’s courier – accepts carry-on, checked in and excess baggage including DGR (dangerous goods) and temperature-controlled items in accordance with airline guidelines.

Our PrimeAir team on the ground is always available to talk with any freight forwarders about this new logistics courier service and how it could help your business. In essence, PrimeAir is TCS Worldwide’s agent on the ground in Ecuador and Colombia, with a liaison office in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Again, the goal, is to provide more options for freight forwarders – helping them to serve their clients during the ebb and flow of 2022 and beyond. For more information or to set up a shipment, contact us via email at ecuador@tcs-worldwide.com or colombia@tcs-worldwide.com.

Roger Paredes

CEO Prime Group

You might say that Asia’s recent upsurge in demand for fresh-cut flowers is a sign of the times. Certainly it’s a very good sign for Colombian growers who have an abundance of product available – even as they continue to recover from the pandemic. But what happens when need exceeds capacity in getting these flowers swiftly to market, especially during a peak holiday period?

This exact scenario played out last month, when distributors and forwarders familiar with the typical ebb and flow of the Asian appetite for the world’s finest flowers found themselves struggling with unprecedented market demand leading up to Mother’s Day.

Whether it was a result of pent up consumer demand to finally give the gift of flowers again, or growth in general stemming from heightened expansion of the global flower trade, it is estimated that volume across Asia increased 300 percent year-over-year for Mother’s Day bouquets – with Japan and Korea leading the way.

Bogota-Tokyo Mission Accomplished
Either way, shippers turned to the Prime Group of Companies for last-minute help – and we succeeded. I am proud to share that PrimeAir, our well-known provider General Sales & Service Agent (GSSA) services in Latin America, was able to swiftly resolve the sudden shortfall in air-cargo capacity – by executing a direct B747F charter flight between Bogota and Tokyo’s Narita International Airport. And it was an amazing sight to see.

Tapping from our long-term relationships with major air carriers and cargo agents worldwide, this challenging mission went without a hitch, as 95 tons of fresh flowers were moved via operation of the only direct flight of this kind from Colombia Bogota to Japan thus far this year.

We’ve got a long history of offering logical alternatives to our customers that match their increasing requirements for volume with the necessary extra capacity they need – when they need it. But this Japan charter operation truly stands out because it demonstrates PrimeAir’s ability to immediately mobilize and respond to rapid changes in the market – anywhere in the world. It’s what the people of PrimeAir do and do well.

A Banner Moment for PrimeAir
In fact, I wish to thank all the members of our global team – from Colombia to Miami and those dispatched to Japan – who helped to make this operation such a resounding success. It was a banner moment for our company – and one for which our customers are also grateful.

Whether it’s PrimeAir people skillfully conducting a massive long-haul charter operation, or the experts at Prime Fresh Handling and Prime Logistics providing international handling, shipping, and warehousing of perishables, vaccines, and other essential commodities – more and more global industries are turning to the Prime Group of Companies and our distinctive brand of global products and services.

And we stand ready to welcome you aboard!