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#INTHEAIREVERYWHERE

Vol. 25 No. 49	Tuesday November 3, 2026

     “By ignoring the comparisons and focusing on United Cargo's commitment to our forwarder partners and the industry, Jan Krems is a legend, no denying that and I (as well as many others) have learned a tremendous amount from him.
     “I will never have the hair or the karaoke voice of Jan Krems, so no need to take the comparison any further.
     “We plan to expand upon and refine the amazing position Jan has secured for United Cargo in the industry,” said Krems team member and 19-year veteran at UA, United Cargo President Chris Busch, pictured above with Jan Krems and FlyingTypers Publisher Geoffrey Arend.
     “Jan Krems was a brilliant leader for all of us at United Cargo,” said Jacques Leijssenaar, Vice President of United Cargo EMEIA and Managing Director of United Airlines, based out of the Amsterdam/Schiphol region.
     “Jan recognized the benefits of building a team that worked and especially adding people with greater strengths than he had in certain job functions.
     “Jan developed and maintained leadership qualities that inspired everyone, including United’s service partners and customers.”
     As a furious weather front and a full moon Tuesday evening October 27 continued, the emotional highpoint of the ACF was felt by several hundred people who braved the weather and stood slightly soggy side-by-side at The Standard Hotel’s Lido Beach Bar under a tent in a beautiful garden to raise a glass and say thanks and farewell to Jan Krems.
     As the rain subsided, the full moon over Miami cast long shadows over the scene of friends and colleagues.
     There’s something poetic about an air cargo crowd standing cheek to jowl through bad weather to honor someone who spent a career moving goods through unpredictable conditions.
     In a way, it all fits.

Jan Krems, Jan Meurer      “Our beloved industry has said goodbye to my dear friend Jan.
Jan came into my life late eighties at KLM Cargo. From our first contact, it became clear that he was the right guy for the Air Cargo business.
     “Working together was a great pleasure. Eager listener, hard worker and successfull with customers. Social skills became very apparent during our many bar, restaurant and golf visits and outings. And now in 2026 he decided that it was time to end his hard working life. Spend time and focus on family affairs. Manon, Max and Boris will be happy to have him around them more often.
Jan can be very proud of all his achievements and success during 40 years of aviation!
     I wish him many years of good health and lots of happiness.”
Jan Meurer

     Jan's wife Manon and oldest son Max were there.
     Beautiful and reassuring Manon brought the kind of calm you can feel holds things together.
     “Jan is going to be all right,” Manon assured.
     Jan Krems capped a 40-year career in aviation and air cargo that included 27 years at KLM Cargo / Air France-KLM-Martinair Cargo and over 12 years as President of United Cargo.
     At United Cargo, Jan and his team delivered what in 2026 is the largest U.S. combination carrier by cargo volume with revenue performance, solidly double that of its nearest U.S. competitors.
     During the COVID-19 pandemic, under Jan’s leadership cargo inspired the entire airline, pioneering the use of passenger aircraft as mini-freighters, directing roughly 17,000 cargo-only flights.
     “Jan Krems strengthened freight forwarder relationships and modernized the carrier's global reach and customer commitments,” said TIACA when he was inducted into the ‘Air Cargo Hall of Fame” in 2025.
     Silvio Strathausen, (left) SVP Air & Ocean North America for Forward Air/Omni Logistics with a tinge of sadness said, “It is quite emotional, great to see how many people are gravitating to him to wish him farewell. I have known Jan for probably for probably two decades in different capacities and I’m so grateful first of all for that. But secondly for what he has done for the industry. He will be genuinely missed, not only in his professional capacity, but also as a friend.”
     Brandon Fried, retiring Executive Director, (right) Airforwarders Association added, “I think this industry is going to sorely miss Jan. He has been a ray of sunshine in the United Airlines organization but also for our industry in general. His knowledge, expertise and his willingness to experiment are just unsurpassed. I’m going to miss him, I wish him the best of luck.”
Click here.

Kester Meijer, Jan Krems Jacques Heeremans, Roos Bakker One From
The Heart

     Pictured with Jan Krems at his farewell, the outpouring of friendship, love and caring on every sleeve at ACF 2026 were from left Kester Meijer, trade compliance expert from KLM and Jacques Heeremans, IAS Cargo and Roos Bakker.
     Roos stands out in a roomful of powerful men as the Chair of The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) for 2026–2027.
     “The Air Cargo Forum was fantastic,” Roos declared, “very well attended, with a high-level program that truly moves the industry forward.
     “Having so many professionals in one place created an energetic atmosphere and plenty of valuable conversations. Personally, I'm glad there was so much focus on the next generation, because they will shape where our industry goes from here,” she enthused.

Geoffrey Arend

Daniella Levine Cava, Danielle Cohen Higgins,Amar More, Ralph Cutie,

     Kalé Logistics Solutions Is The Big Enchilada At Miami TIACA ACF
     It’s one thing when you find yourself in another town on the half shell at a press gag at an air cargo trade show.
     It’s quite again something else when your subject is a project that could very well impact, even spell the host gateway's future place in the global air cargo market.
     Feels like that is exactly what just happened between Miami International Airport and Amar More of Kalé Logistics Solutions.
     The absolute biggest enchilada of news stories from last week's TIACA Air Cargo Forum being held on Miami Beach took place at 0:930 on Tuesday October 27 as Amar More, (extreme right) Kalé Logistics Solutions wunderkind CEO and co-founder is pictured with (from left) Ralph Cutié, Director and CEO, MIA, Daniella Levine Cava, Mayor, Miami-Dade County, Danielle Cohen Higgins, Esq., Commissioner, Miami-Dade County.
     Miami International Airport (MIA) and Miami-Dade County have signed an agreement with Kalé Logistics Solutions to create the world's first AI-powered Airport Cargo Community System (ACCS).
     With The International Air Cargo Association's (TIACA) Air Cargo Forum in Miami, as venue, this partnership is aimed at establishing MIA as the largest cargo airport in the world to adopt an AI-system for air cargo.
     Mr. More, having no doubt, that his plan will work said that the system will begin abuilding early next year and should be completed by year's end.
     Elsewhere in USA, Kalé operates Cargo Community Systems at Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), New York (JFK) operating at the Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) facility., Philadelphia (PHL): Implementation underway and Chicago-Rockford (RFD).
     More power to Miami air cargo.
     It will be groundbreaking, educational, exciting, and maybe even some fun watching all of this come together.
     It certainly cannot be said, nothing happened of historic importance to all of air cargo at ACF 2026.
     Mark the date . . . it just did.
GDA/SSA

Zayed International Airport. Caroline Pappas, Lubna AlLaham, Eric Lamare

     “TIACA Miami ACF First Up” belonged to Etihad Airways Cargo where their display stand greeted everyone at the event from just inside the main entrance portal to the rest of the show all last week.
     Pictured lifting Etihad Cargo to new heights are USA team members Caroline Pappas, Area Commercial Manager Americas Cargo and Eric Lamare, Regional General Manager Europe & Americas Cargo
     And Lubna AlLaham, Senior Manager Cargo Customer Experience.
     The night shot is breathtakingly beautiful Zayed International Airport home of Etihad Airways. Zayed International Airport was dedicated in 2024 to honor Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father and first President of the United Arab Emirates.
     You gotta like Etihad Cargo.
     The airline is tenacious and has a no-quit attitude.
     Its cousins down the road a few clicks may get more media play, but anybody paying even a casual amount of attention to the facts knows that Abu Dhabi, minus the indoor ski hill and some of the flash and sizzle, is the true business, political and cultural capital and, in many ways, the heart and soul of the UAE in 2026.
     Here is a great place to be where much of the logistics world of Europe, Turkey, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa can jump on a jet and say hello to Abu Dhabi to what’s nexus, yet to be discovered in logistics in late 2027 and ahead for 2028.
     It’s a Capital idea to be where business meets and exceeds the need in the UAE, and that means air cargo gets a ringside seat where the action is November 9–11, 2027 at the beautiful Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Hosts Etihad Cargo and MGME, supported by the Department of Culture and Tourism will offer the Abu Dhabi experience with panel discussions, and a massive trade show featuring new logistics technologies and products.
     A city of hospitality and class, Abu Dhabi offers room to elevate industry networking and mixers alongside special social events.
     So here you might lock away inhibitions and take your shoes off at a beach party or go for some fast-track fun at Ferrari World that includes a roller coaster ride that feels just like a rocket to the moon.

Federica Crucianelli, Ilaria Lamanna, Marco Gobbi
     Rome’s air cargo is centered primarily at Rome Fiumicino Airport (Leonardo da Vinci International Airport - FCO), which transitioned air freight from its predecessor, Ciampino Airport, and built out dedicated cargo infrastructure over several decades.
     Airport operator Aeroporti di Roma invested roughly €140 million in a brand-new Cargo City, increasing throughput capacity to about 300,000 tons per year (roughly triple the size of the previous facilities).
     “Our Specialized & Certified Storage: FCO features GDP-certified (Good Distribution Practice) and CEIV-certified handling areas, including controlled room temperature storage (+18°C), coolers (+5°C), frozen storage (-20°C), and secure alarm-monitored vaults for high-value or vulnerable cargo and more,” assures l to r, Federica Crucianelli, Head of Cargo Operations Maagement; Ilaria Lamanna, Aviation Business Development and Marco Gobbi, Head of Cargo Development & Airline Experience Manager.
     At FCO are two unique ways to experience the history and glory of ancient Rome: an in-terminal museum exhibition directly inside Terminal 3, and massive, uncrowded archaeological ruins located just outside the airport perimeter.
     Question is, will a runway ever run through it? Marco emphatically says, “never, we are proud of our heritage and we will always honor it.”

Ramsin Abrahams, Ruben da Silva Jorge, Claudia Bandeira, Bruno Aires
     Earlier this summer TAP Air Cargo joined Pharma.Aero a global cross-industry network of pharmaceutical manufacturers, airports, airlines, logistics providers, and solution partners working collaboratively to address healthcare supply chain challenges through innovation, knowledge exchange, and operational alignment.
     TAP Air Cargo from its strategic Lisbon hub, connects key pharmaceutical trade lanes.
     “We aim to share specialist knowledge, support the development of best practices and further strengthen the reliability, transparency and resilience of end-to-end pharmaceutical supply chains worldwide,” said this TAP Cargo group at ACF Booth 214. From left are, Ramsin Abrahams, Country Manager-USA; Rúben da Silva Jorge, Sales Director-No. America; Claudia Bandeira, SPA Cargo Manager and Bruno Aires, Head of Cargo and Mail.

Michael White, Eduardo Del Riego, Gregory Maloney

     If you work in transportation, you know the name PayCargo.
     They’re known for changing how money moves in air and ocean cargo, making it faster to pay and easier to get paid.
     But there’s a whole other story happening alongside the Fintech action.
     Here at the PayCargo booth, looking pretty relaxed are (L) Michael White, former International Air Transport Association (IATA) Cargo Network Services Corp. (CNS) President; Eduardo Del Riego, President and CEO of PayCargo and Gregory G. Maloney, Ph.D. Teaching Professor of Marketing and Logistics at Florida International University.
     Nothing flashy.
     But the conversation wasn’t business deals.
     It was about education, and here like a horse of a different color that talk was not in the vague, “we should invest in the future,” kind of way.
     Everyone talks about bringing the next generation into logistics. Then you look around and realize: where are the big programs? Where’s the real funding?
     Lots of speeches, not enough structure.
     PayCargo driven by Eduardo Del Riego stepped into that gap nearly four years ago.
     On September 19th, 2023, PayCargo made a USD$1.25 million gift to Florida International University’s College of Business creating the PayCargo Supply Chain and Logistics Program. The point is to expand and strengthen FIU’s logistics education, but with a modern edge.
     The PayCargo move today is bringing leading logistics technology and real-world Fintech concepts straight into the classroom, so students aren’t learning supply chain like it’s still ten years ago.
     The endowment goes beyond course materials. It funds fellowships, helps recruit students into the program, supports corporate internships, and backs an executive speaker series. That’s a full pipeline: get students in, support them while they learn, connect them with employers, and let them hear directly from leaders in the field.
PayCargo, when you broaden your understanding, is leaning into hands-on professional training as a way to open doors for more students locally, not just the ones who already have access.
     As example they also partner with Cristo Rey Network schools.
     Cristo Rey blends strong college-prep academics with something powerful: a Corporate Work-Study Program.
     Students from under-resourced communities actually work in real companies while they’re in school.
     PayCargo has pushed even further, internationally.
     They partner with the AREAS Foundation to support physical educational infrastructure and scholarships across multiple levels in multiple countries: India, Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Gambia, and Spain.
     The point here is that education doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when people fund it, design it, and stay committed to it.
     Sometimes, the most important action on a convention floor isn’t a sale. It’s a decision to invest in who comes next.

Take a Load Off

VRR Group (Rotterdam) combined common sense and economy and came up with the world's lightest fire-resistant AKE (LD3) air cargo container, which features a baseline tare weight starting at just 54 kg (119 lbs). Adds up, when it comes to kero-cost of humping and running a typical LD3 that weighs between 137 and 185 lbs, (62 kg to 84 kg)
“Our container balances ultra-lightweight structural efficiency with advanced safety,” assures this team. From left to right are, Corné Nijhof, Account Manager; Geert van Riemsdijk, Managing Director and Robert-Jan Buitendijk, Account Manager.

One More Once!

     Bright faced students that travelled from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University to Miami Beach from their campus at Daytona Beach, in some cases were expressing some bewilderment that there was no one facilitating their attempts to integrate their presence at Air Cargo Forum.
     Duke Thurmon (left) and Alexander Shopov (right), said, “the Embry Riddle group would have been bigger, but the students had to pay their own way, and many of them couldn’t afford it."
     After all, they are students.
     Perhaps TIACA 2028 can consider a travel sponsorship.
     Great idea to bring in the next generation, we say.
     Next time if TIACA plans to bring in more students and needs a volunteer to be a guide for that visit please count me in as a volunteer to help them ease their way into the rough and tumble air cargo trade show experience.
     My view, after 55 years in air cargo is, it is an honor to walk next-gen around.      Rubbing elbows makes us all smarter and better understanding is looking good.
     When you’re smiling, the whole world smiles at you!   GDA

Lisa Sheehan, Angela Foster-Rice Energizing
Future Fueling

Future Energy Global’s (FEG) Lisa Sheehan, head of Airline & Lessor Solutions and Angela Foster-Rice, Chief Eternal Affairs & Sustainability Officer were at TIACA ACF to answer all questions about the innovative independent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market accelerator.
Founded in 2023 and headquartered in Ireland, the company acts as a commercial bridge connecting corporate buyers, airlines, and fuel suppliers to fast-track the decarbonization of global transit The company’s “Book & Claim System” allows businesses and airlines to buy certified sustainable fuel attributes even if the physical fuel is not available at their local airport.

     Air Cargo Chronicles—A new series presented by Air Cargo News Flying Typers, tracing the evolution of air cargo from the beginnings of flight to the present.
    Canadair CL-44D4 “swing-tail” freighters in 1960 pioneered large commercial aircraft able to accept outsized cargo.
     Prime operators were The Flying Tiger Line with a fleet of 16, Seaboard World Airlines and Slick Airways.
     For more air cargo history:
Introduction click here.
Air Cargo Debuts In 1910, click here.

Mammen Tharakan, Roos Bakker, Glyn Hughes

  There are lots of pictures all over social media from the Air Cargo Forum in Miami last week, (in these pages too). Big smiles, handshakes, that warm feeling of being together. There’s even a German word for that kind of comfortable, friendly atmosphere: Gemütlichkeit.
  On day one that vibe was real. Strong turnout, busy booths, a packed show floor. Tuesday, October 27, the place felt alive inside that huge Miami Beach Convention Center.
  But then came the flip side. Because life isn’t, as the saying goes, “all beer and skittles.” Not everything is easy or carefree, especially when you’re running or exhibiting at a trade show where time and money are on the line.
  The second day felt noticeably different. Attendance thinned out, and people on the exhibitor side started describing the aisles in a way you don’t usually hear as a positive.
  One booth team told us the space in front of them felt like a superhighway, lanes that were just wide and open, with not enough feet on the floor.
  Another practical complaint came up again and again: navigation.
Attendees and exhibitors pointed to signage that simply didn’t do enough to help people find booths quickly.
  Booth numbers weren’t elevated or easy to spot from a distance.
If you’ve ever wandered a convention hall, you know how basic that is. If you can’t orient yourself in seconds, you lose momentum.
  Another gripe: aisle signage placement. Signs were posted high up, mixed in with structural columns showing other numbers, instead of being front and clear, where you naturally look when you’re trying to get your bearings.
  The biggest point of discussion was the decision to charge walk-in attendees a per-person fee just to access the show floor.
  Trade shows do charge fees sometimes, sure. We talked to someone who follows this part of the business closely, and they didn’t deny that fees are common in today’s event world.
  Their argument was sharper: even if you collect that money, it’s usually one of the smallest revenue streams.
  In other words, the loss of attendance might cost more than the fee might bring in.
  They went further and basically said: the entrance-fee income here was probably negligible, and not worth the effort. And if that’s true, then the question becomes simple. Why add a barrier at the door at all?
  For perspective here, the Miami Beach Convention Center often hosts truly massive events.
  In that ecosystem, a niche industry gathering can feel small, even if it means a lot to the industry itself.
  That contrast showed up in other small frustrations, exhibitors talked about. Things you might not think about unless you’re the person paying for a booth and trying to create a welcoming space.
  Like not being able to easily get adequate maintenance help when something needed fixing. Or struggling to source live plants or floral arrangements to make a booth feel inviting.
  None of these issues alone affects an event. But put them together: lighter foot traffic on days two and three, unclear booth signage, and an entrance fee that perhaps held down attendance.
  But for ACF 2026 all indeed was not a doom-and-gloom story.   Plenty of participants genuinely enjoyed the forum. You could see it in those photos and in the conversations that went well.
  So the real takeaway here is forward-looking. These are fixable issues. Event organizers can make it easier to navigate. They can think hard about whether a walk-in fee helps or hurts. They can tighten support on the floor so exhibitors aren’t chasing basics.
  Air Cargo in Miami is a serious engine of commerce, and it’s tied to the city’s future. When you host an air cargo event there, expectations are naturally high.
  The next Miami edition is roughly two years out. There’s plenty of time to act.
  That’s a long runway, which is good news. Time to keep what worked, listen to what didn’t, and make the experience better for everyone exhibiting and walking those aisles next time.
GDA/SSA

If You Missed Any Of The Previous 3 Issues Of FlyingTypers Access complete issue by clicking on issue icon or Access specific articles by clicking on article title
Vol. 25 No. 46 Busch United Cargo Miles Of Heart Rap TAP On Wood Chuckles for October 26, 2026 New India Transshipment Framework	Vol. 25 No. 47 TIACA Rock N Rolls Smack Dab In The Middle Chuckles for October 27, 2026 TIACA ACF Advances Logistics Education	Vol. 25 No. 48 Amy Feltham Safeguarding Life-Saving Products Chuckles for October 26, 2026 Smith At AfA Remains In Washington

Publisher-Geoffrey Arend • Managing Editor-Flossie Arend • Editor Emeritus-Richard Malkin
Senior Contributing Editor/Special Commentaries-Marco Sorgetti • Special Commentaries Editor-Bob Rogers
Special Assignments-Sabiha Arend, Emily Arend • Film Editor-Ralph Arend • Photo Editor-Anthony Atamanuik

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