Vol.
24 No. 22 Monday
May 5, 2025 |
Meanwhile In Abu Dhabi
Meanwhile, just down the road a piece in Abu Dhabi, while the air cargo business enjoyed Dubai on the half-shell for a couple days at the IATA World Cargo Symposium in April 14-17, Stanislas Brun, Chief Cargo Officer of Etihad Cargo has been working away at integrating Etihad Cargo into an operational and commercial powerhouse, with focus on enhancing efficiency, elevating service quality and driving sustainable growth. |
Reflections On WCS 2025
With Dubai feeling in the rearview mirror it's time to reflect a little on WCS 2025.
Digitalization was one of the three key agenda items so it was not surprising that you could hardly throw a stone anywhere in the event without hitting somebody or something on this particular subject. But at the same time this is an industry that seems to observe the status quo, one notable comment from the concluding session “Innovation Showcase” was “this industry needs to get better at letting things go,” a remark that resonated for me.
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Chuckles for May 5, 2025
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The Brandon Fried Story
Brandon Fried came to mind the other day watching Max Fried a classy southpaw pitcher, who as baseball 2025 moves into May, is a New York Yankee, undefeated at 5-0.
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Jewels In The Crown
We are situate inside our rooms we branded "North Beach Club", at an after work prayer meeting, upstairs inside The Marine Air Terminal (MAT) at LaGuardia Airport.
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Feliz Cinco de Mayo
In 1862 France at war with Mexico, fought a battle at the Batalla de Puebla and on the fifth day of May 1862, Napoleon III’s army was defeated by General Ignacio Zaragoza.
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Vol.
24 No. 21 Wednesday
April 16, 2025 |
A Flipping Great Show In Dubai
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Watching And Learning IATA Style
So once again the IATA WCS show rolled into a big shipping hub, with Dubai looking to upstage last year’s event in Hong Kong . . .
During the opening press conference Willie Walsh, when asked how he felt about the prospects for air cargo over the coming few months, replied in a very confident tone that the start of the year had gone very well and “this is a very adaptable industry.
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Chuckles for April 16, 2025
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Jeffrey Van Haeften An Overview
Geoffrey Arend of Air Cargo News (that’s me, folks!) met Jeffrey Van Haeften, Senior Vice President of Commercial, Emirates SkyCargo, just before IATA’s WCS in Dubai in the springtime.
Originally it was an interview, but in the end it became something more thoughtful and unexpected and it is best told as a short essay. With our readers’ support we give you Van Haeften’s views on air cargo, trade events and beyond, in first person(s).
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Robert van de Weg Will Deliver
If you are not satisfied with the status quo and you wish to have something better for yourself and others, you could say in Spanish that you want “màs” i.e. more. In this instant interview with Robert van de Weg, the new CEO at mas, in Mexico – and Mexico is a Spanish speaking country – you have a glimpse on why mas actually means more for its customers.
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Vol.
24 No. 20 Tuesday
April 15, 2025 |
Pictures At An Exhibition
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Matt And A Great Doggone Ride
Matthieu Casey, Managing Director Commercial Cargo joined Air Canada a dozen plus years ago, but he has been in aviation for more than 30 years, 15 of which were in Cargo.
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Issa Baluch Once A Swift Operator
In my time spent in Geneva for the spring FIATA Headquarters, on an invitation extended by Geoffrey Arend I managed to dine with Issa Baluch, a person who will not fail to be recognized by those working in transport and logistics. Issa and I share the same age and parallel paths in life, in particular within FIATA. |
Vol.
24 No. 19 Sunday
April 13, 2025 |
Dubai Saved An Air Cargo Asset
Not sure if H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum of Dubai, the chief force behind Emirates Airlines will cut the ribbon at IATA WCS, the big cargo show in town this week, but I remember standing with him, when he visited the TIACA show in Seattle, Washington in 1994.
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Air Cargo Going Where Exactly? Reflecting On IATA Op-Ed
April 2025 will not go down in history for being peaceful and unexciting. This probably means that delegates travelling to Dubai on April 15th for IATA’s WCS will come to the event with a bunch of burning questions. Choosing the timing for an event is a skilful exercise; agendas will remain in conflict no
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Up Close Delta's Peter Penseel
Peter Penseel joined Delta in June 2024, responsible for leading the Cargo Commercial division with a focus on driving revenue and profitable growth, delivering industry-leading customer service and ensuring operational excellence within Delta’s Cargo business.
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IATA FIATA Can Join Forces
“Thriving in an uncertain future” is the subtitle of one of the event streams at IATA’s WCS in Dubai and it captures everyone’s attention today with this message: “Aviation is committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, including the air cargo sector. At the World Cargo Symposium, Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Chief Economist and SVP, Sustainability, put this challenge into context.”
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ICAO Cargo Debut Roaring Success
Ask Amar More Kale Logistics Solutions Founder and guiding spirit who just attended ICAO’s first ever Global Air Cargo Summit at Istanbul April 9-11 about that organization moving into organized air cargo events and the erstwhile executive always on the go in between flights onto Dubai for World Cargo Symposium that kicks off on Monday April 14 puts it this way:
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Vol.
24 No. 18 Thursday
April 10, 2025 |
FIATA IATA In Merry Go Around
“This is Major Tom to Ground Control
I'm stepping through the door
And I'm floating in a most peculiar way
And the stars look very different today.”
That is the sequence of verses that David Bowie made immoral in his 1969 hit song “Space Oddity”. Whenever I think of flights, aircraft, air cargo, freighters, ULD’s, pallets, you name it, I get dragged into a sort of ground control to Major Tom feeling. I enter the capsule with great hopes, but then I often find myself stranded in outer space with many, many questions, “one hundred thousand miles” from home.
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Pre-Tariff Deadline Freighter Flights
How about exhaling for a double entendre ?
"You know why right now everybody is investing in Ireland?
"The Capital is always Dublin!"
But back to where the rubber meets the road, or rolls down the runway
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Chuckles for April 10, 2025
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Marie Epstein's Birthday
April 8 was Marie Epstein's Birthday.
Great lady of air cargo (retired) . . . Pioneered herself into the heads and hearts of an entire industry. Many happy's, always, dear Marie.
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Vol.
24 No. 17 Tuesday
April 8, 2025 |
Indian Tariffs No Fooling
On April 2, U.S. President Donald Trump with "friendly" reciprocal tariffs celebrated “liberating day” in the White House Rose Garden stating, “we’re getting back some of the wealth that very, very foolish Presidents gave away because they had no clue what they were doing.”
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Autonomous Ramp Tugs @ Hong Kong International
Unless for some reason you have been on the front lines out on the ramp at Airport Authority Hong Kong, you are probably unaware of the silent revolution going on as this airport embraces autonomous self-driving vehicles.
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We Shipped A Small Package From China
Recently after a series of articles we published (here) and (here) on the subject of De Minimis, we created a shipment to measure what impact if any, a small package moving from Hong Kong China to New York City might encounter?
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When Human Beings Talk Humanitarianism
Somewhere between the mechanical bull and an opulent sumptuous gathering in Dallas, Texas Early in March 2025, several sessions at AirCargo Conference did manage to get down to where the rubber meets the road for the three unique host associations including Air & Expedited Motor Carriers Conference (AEMCA), Airports Operators Council North America (ACI-NA), and Airforwarders Association (AfA).
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Love This Show More & More Every Year
Came across an uplifting post on Linkedin and thought to share it here with some additional thoughts of the recently concluded AirCargo Conference in Dallas, Texas.
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Vol.
24 No. 16 Friday
March 28, 2025 |
FIATA In Springtime—Connecting Emissions & Business Sense
After a long journey, as both Italian and Swiss railways decided that this Sunday was the best day for network and equipment maintenance, I arrived in Geneva after dusk.
On Monday 17th of March at 9 o’ clock, as sharp as a Swiss clock, the FIATA Headquarters’ meeting began with a rather ambitious programme, harbouringOppenheimer, died at 2:37 pm Saturday March
15.
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Gen Z & The Seasoned Logistician
Just as some space fliers from that big international air cargo station in the sky arrived in Florida, USA recently, earlier in the day it felt somewhat like an arrival from a parallel universe as the FIATA Headquarters Session turned futuristic, hosting a panel of older and younger people in conversation about the future. |
Chuckles for March 28, 2025
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For Tanzania The Blues Ain't Bad
Right now in 2025 is an exciting moment for the Government of Tanzania through the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Samia Sulu Hassan.
She wants to see things taking place.
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Talking Pictures @ FIATA HQ
FIATA International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations Geneva Headquarters Meeting Announces Sustainability Awards.
When was the last time you witnessed the celebration of youth at an logistics gathering?
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Vol.
24 No. 15 Tuesday
March 25, 2025 |
Julius Maldutis Greatest Financial Airline Analyst Dies
Julius Maldutis, who many people rightfully believe
was the grandaddy of all transportation analysts and unquestionably the
greatest of all time for his industry-leading 26 years covering the airlines
for Salomon Brothers Smith Barney, and then beginning in 1998 as Research
Group Managing Director of CIBIC Oppenheimer, died at 2:37 pm Saturday March
15.
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Bill Boesch Remembers Julius Maldutis
When we lost the great Julius Maldutis on March
15, 2025 or on the Ides of March, gone was the last of the great airline
Wall Street analysts.
Julius made the airlines a main feature in the
Wall Street stock market. |
Other Voices For Julius Maldutis
Holly Hegeman, Airline Analyst—Wow. Thanks for the mention! Definitely the end of an era. In the
90’s, the Salomon Brothers airline industry investor conferences
in NY were THE place to see and be seen. If you couldn’t wrangle
an invite to the conference itself . . . |
Vol.
24 No. 14 Friday
March 14, 2025 |
FIATA Meetings Sláinte March 17
The actor Gene Hackman died, together
with his beloved wife, about a month ago after a long and successful life.
One of his greatest performances was his role in The French Connection.
His character as Jimmy ‘Popeye’ Doyle in the film represents
the epitome of the intuitive and cunning detective, who is proven right
against all odds and manages to successfully conclude his investigation.
This was the masterpiece that our local TV decided to show to commemorate
Gene Hackman’s life upon his death. When I was preparing for the FIATA
Headquarters’, the film’s counterintuitive and intriguing plot
came back to mind, because it exposes the incredible power of connections.
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They Got The Seafood Mama
In Boston March 16-18 Seafood Expo North America/Seafood
Processing North America is North America’s largest seafood trade
exposition.
The annual trade show that brings the world
to Boston Convention and Exhibition Center is considered one of the best
annual shows for business leads, business decisions, and just plain fun.ces look like and
how they are supposed to work.
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Chuckles for March 14, 2024
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Up The Irish 2025
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these words
as you lift your glass to friends and family:
May
the road rise up to meet you
And
may the wind always be at your back
May
the sun shine warm upon your face
And
the raindrops fall soft upon your fields
And
until we meet again
May
God hold you in the small of his hand.
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Vol.
24 No. 13 Monday
March 10, 2025 |
Designing Women—Kristin Beck & Leyla Solaksubasi
You can imagine our surprise in Dallas
as Air Cargo Conference met all last week when we met this very dynamic
duo, together for the first time, but dedicated in our industry to designing
and creating airport buildings for air cargo.
Leyla
Solaksubasi works for Dearborn-Based Ghafari Associates as project manager
in the aviation design center in Chicago Illinois.
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The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Compliance Galaxy
Linkedin warns us that
Gabriela Diaz, CAMS, CP/AML is a 2nd degree connection, whilst we would
wish to know more about her. She is Global Compliance Executive at PayCargo
with “Proven Track Record in Removing BSA AML Enforcement Actions”
as expert in BSA AML, OFAC, and Regulatory Exam Management for Fintech
and Banks. Her profile suggests she knows what finances look like and
how they are supposed to work.
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Chuckles for March 10, 2024
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Celebrating International Women's Day—Flossie Arend On Gender Equality
The reason why we've covered women in air
cargo since 1975 is because once upon a time, the only woman you saw in
aviation was pushing a beverage cart down the aisle of a plane or pictured
half-dressed on the walls of a cargo facility.
We
have come a long way from the days when women were only allowed subservient
jobs under men, and feel it is important to both showcase it and shed a
light on the fact that no, things were not always this fair.
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Vol.
24 No. 12 Tuesday
March 4, 2025 |
Five Minutes On Air Forever
Somebody said there was an announcement.
In a way I felt a disquieting expectation for something completely unexpected.
But I was the news, in fact, not the President!
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Leading Future Leaders
Roger Samways, who celebrates 27 years at American Airlines Cargo in 2025, no doubt can easily list a hundred things he did recently, but – ever the understated executive – not only does he own up when things go wrong, but also stands up and credits his team for the cargo division’s continued success. Ask Roger Samways, the easy breezy likeable and hard-working long time all pro VP Commercial, American Airlines Cargo, what is most important in being a leader, his answer is instant and refreshing: “Humor!”
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Fat Tuesday Knows What It Means
Today is Shrove (Fat) Tuesday Mardi Gras Day, March 4, 2025.
Fat Tuesday Knows What It Means
Celebrated in New Orleans since 1699, and in cities all over America including Dallas, Parades and Parties, on this last big blast (formerly a day of penance) before Ash Wednesday, begins in the
Christian calendar, and incudes 40 days of Lent, ending on Easter Sunday April 20, 2025.
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Vol.
24 No. 11 Monday
March 3, 2025 |
The Delta In The Value
On Feb 4th, 2020 Andy Kirschner, Director Americas Sales, Cargo, Delta Air Lines sat with Freightways for a ten-minute interview. This talk preceded the eruption of the COVID pandemic by a few days, and if you look at the interview with today’s hindsight you realize how much is unpredictable in the air cargo industry, as well as how big its strength and resilience. We all know what aviation went through, and Delta in particular was put to test by the situation developing five years ago.
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Chuckles For March 3, 2025
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Mentoring Tomorrow's Leaders
On Monday March 3rd at 1700 hours great expectations at sundown in early March 2025 get a reality check as a determined group of futurists that have met in one form or another for the past several years at Air Cargo Conference will be once again center stage.
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EMO Generations & I
My name is Tom, Thomas Bayes actually, Vice president Asia at Emo Trans in the USA. I shall try to tell you why succession is a success element at EMO Trans. Please let me show you that the alliteration is not out of place this time.
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AIR
CARGO NEWS
CELEBRATING
50 YEARS
We
are the original Air Cargo News founded 50 years ago in 1975 in New York
City, USA.
Edited by Geoffrey Arend, the acknowledged dean of
air cargo publishers, we are the go to source for the air cargo industry
worldwide.
In-depth and knowledgeable coverage of the air cargo
market. No advertorials, no press releases, no dubious
awards. Just market savvy.
Responsible for saving the Marine Air Terminal, LaGuardia
Airport, New York and Building One, Newark International Airport, New
Jersey—historic first-generation aviation buildings.
Only publication ever to be honored by the U.S. Department
of Transportation for outstanding contribution to transportation and aviation.
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