Editor's Note: If it looks like SWISS’s retired Chief Cargo Officer Oliver Evans was carrying the air cargo industry around on his shoulders, then he probably is. As chairman of TIACA and involved with almost every other major global cargo organization, Oliver has worked hard for the industry.
But time and the river and some 20/20 hindsight come into play here, as Oliver offers up some personal observations as IATA Cargo met in Berlin last week.

     “The best view of a territory is always from a certain distance: this is what I am now able to enjoy since my departure from that wonderful company which I led for 12 years with great pride and delight, Swiss WorldCargo. It is therefore my pleasure to try and describe that view in the humble hope that my vantage point offers some fresh insights.
     “The global air cargo industry is blessed with countless dedicated leaders and teams who love what they do and give their all with passion and endless energy. At the same time, the territory seems cursed for a variety of reasons that are particular to this industry and no other. First of all of course, air is only one of many modes of transport, and not well loved from the shipper’s point of view because of the relatively high cost (amongst other reasons). Secondly, the complexity of the territory means that there are many stakeholders, with disparate and unaligned interests, and those with the biggest and least flexible investment, the airlines, are far from being able to control developments. Thirdly, cargo is only one of the markets for an airline, and very much overshadowed by the huge and dynamic passenger market: decisions about capacity and fleet expansion are often made with other interests in mind, and overall supply in the market can and does end up totally out of proportion to the demand.
    “But let’s return to those brave, dedicated, and passionate air cargo leaders: faced with these numerous challenges, they should be realizing the limits of what they can do with their own resources, suppliers, customers, and partners, and stepping up to create, or populate, a common, visionary association that uses communal wisdom and experience to guide and lead the air cargo industry. Granted, efforts to do this have been made repeatedly over the years, and I myself accepted nomination to leading roles at TIACA with exactly this purpose in mind. However, just as the current President of the United States is getting ready to step down and hand over to his successor, while bemoaning the dysfunctional and divided political system of his country, so I went on to the next phase of my life with deep sadness about our collective inability to set a course for the industry and drive it purposefully. Can the industry use existing institutions to regenerate from within? Does it need a totally new vehicle and departure? I don’t know—this decision in itself needs public debate and engagement.
    “But from my vantage point, where I am new engaged in a disruptive new technology and mode of transport (which will not supplant but complement existing modes), I say: take the future in your own hands, otherwise it will carry you by the seat of your pants.”
Oliver Evans

Vol. 15 No. 24
Geoffrey Named FIATA Fellow
SWISSerific Posts Profits 2015
Chuckles for March 21, 2016
Cuban Cargo Havana Good Time