The air cargo sector has been a bright spot for airlines throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and this was highlighted at one of the industry’s key events, the Nordic Air Cargo Symposium, earlier this week.
In addition to operators facilitating global trade and delivering critical medical supplies to the regions around the world where they are most urgently needed, air freight has been meeting the growing transport needs of the ever-expanding e-commerce sector.
As operators are creating more capacity to meet the increasing demand, new and exciting innovations are being launched to optimise and simplify processes, resulting in a stronger and more agile air freight industry.
The Nordic Air Cargo Symposium, which took place in Copenhagen on Tuesday 5 April, is the only regional event focusing on the North European air cargo market and brings together cargo operators, forwarders, integrators, shippers, airlines, airports, investors, entrepreneurs and suppliers.
During his welcome keynote, Lars-Gunnar Comén, Director of Euroavia International, which has been running the event for several years, said it was clear that for many delegates the event was the first chance to meet with their industry contacts in person since the pandemic began. He also revealed that the symposium’s attendance was at its highest level ever, with well over 200 attendees gathering in Copenhagen.
The day featured several key topics for the sector, including sustainability, the pharma supply chain and the current state of the market.
Thomas Crabtree, Market Analysis, Air Cargo at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, gave an insightful overview of the current state of the industry, revealing that freighter fleet numbers are predicted to grow by 70% by 2040. “Air freight is set for strong growth and the relative value of air cargo service is more competitive than ever” he said.
Glyn Hughes, Director General of the International Air Cargo Association, praised the industry’s ability to work as a global team, adding: “In the past two years the air cargo industry has worked together more collaboratively than ever, and this needs to continue.”
Digital transformation is always at the forefront when it comes to the priorities for the air freight industry and this year’s Nordic Air Cargo Symposium was no exception. The topic featured prominently at this year’s event, with Emirates Cargo’s Henrik Ambak and Finnair Cargo’s Fredrik Wildtgrube as well as CharterSync Director and Co-founder Ed Gillett, Webcargo’s Camilo Garcia Cervera and InstaDeep’s Jakub Kmec sharing their views on this ever-important topic.
“Digitalisation and new technology provide better efficiency, customer and employee experience as well as environmental sustainability,” said Finnair Cargo’s Vice President, Fredrik Wildtgrube, highlighting the importance of air cargo operators ensuring they continue to adopt new technologies.
The next issue of Inflight has a special focus on the dynamic Nordic air cargo market and we will be featuring interviews from this week’s event, in addition to exploring the current trends, innovation and new services in the air cargo landscape.
