Pictured on November 15, 2013, almost 11 years ago at Emirates SkyCargo at JFK, is newly named Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President Cargo. Others in the picture included L to R—Bruce White, Reservations Mgr.; Edward O'Neill, Cargo Operations Mgr. USA; Brendan Furlong, Cargo Business Development Mgr. USA; Mr. Sultan, Edward Chism, Cargo Manager USA and Hiran Perera, Senior Vice President Freighters.
     Nabil, at the beginning, was out on the hustings doing a FAM tour as the new face of leadership at SkyCargo.
     Born in Dubai, and educated in Dubai and the United States, Nabil had achieved a Bachelor of Computer Science and Management Information Systems from the University of Portland, Oregon.
     Nabil smiled and admitted to loving “every day it rained in Portland, after a life in the desert.”
     Nabil Sultan took over for Ram Menen, who along with Peter Sedgley and some others built a first-class team that included Pradeep Kumar, Hiran Perera, Prakash Nair and others that pioneered the start up, and then ran it right to the top of the air cargo industry for nearly two decades.
     By 2013, SkyCargo was delivered to air cargo as a jewel of a global logistics power.
     In one sense you can say that Nabil Sultan had it handed to him on a silver platter and not be wrong.
     You can also say that Nabil took over an enterprise and not only ran it, but also lasted 11 years on the job into 2024.
     As this is written, Mr. Sultan, while he may no longer wish for more rain in the desert, as Dubai is still recovering from those terrible floods from last month, now has moved to a top job at Emirates passenger where we wish him well.
     At this point no replacement for his job in SkyCargo has been named.
     And Ram Menen?
     Well Ram with his lovely wife Malou, both well, reside in Luxemburg surrounded by loved ones, comfortably retired and are “home on the range, where never is heard a discouraging word,” to quote the tune "Home On The Range".
     In the header picture above, where the rubber meets the road, the late Bruce White, (ex-Pan Am), an absolute trove of cargo operational knowledge, sadly was an early casualty of Covid; Eddie O’Neill and Ed Chism, a consummate sales professional (Pan American Clipper Cargo) are now retired. Ed who clocked 48 years in the cargo business is often seen at Miami cargo events.
     Brendan Furlong is still at Emirates as Northeast Regional Manager Sales. Of all the people I have ever known in this business, he is the best, a quiet guy who simply loves this business and does it better than anyone else, period.
     We met Brendan when he was working at JFK for China Airlines Cargo, and Peter Yap, who was top executive in Taiwan for China Airlines Cargo.
     Brendan was always hands on and you could believe what he said was Emmis, so when he told me to go to Taiwan and see Peter, I did and that only got better.
     Peter said he was looking for new markets (to meet seafood demand in Taiwan), so we suggested Miami.
     Peter thought about the fish imports, then made a bigger deal with fledgling ACMI provider Atlas Air founder Mike Chowdry to rent some freighters and both Miami Airport and Atlas were spurred into a bigger air cargo business.
     Later when Brendan was recruited into Emirates SkyCargo, he set the standard for being not only the face but also the integrity of that airlines’ air cargo offering.
     Finally Hiran, we remember fondly as "the kid", when he took over as SVP Freighters and filled the skies with lift for SkyCargo. Hiran retired from EK after a stellar career and recently joined Stan Wraight’s SASI World in April 2024, serving as Senior Advisor.

Geoffrey and the late Peter Yap in Taipei at China Airlines HQ in 1995.      From this meeting came the first Asian cargo carrier, China Airlines Cargo with scheduled flights into Miami.      Friendship A Perfect Blendship . . . Two complete originals in our business together—Peter Yap with Atlas Air founder Mike Chowdry at MIA for the Miami/ Taipei cargo flights launch in the summer of 1997. At one time when it really counted, China Airlines Cargo was biggest Atlas ACMI customer, and, as it happens in life, Mike and Peter became solid best friends. Sure, it was business, but as their contact deepened, the duo would often share a personal passion at the Midway Theater over on Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills, New York. Together with a tub of popcorn, they would sit and watch the latest Jackie Chan movie.      I sometimes think of the two of them having departed this dimension, still sitting together watching movies in the sky.