Cargo Facts Connect

Freighter operators remain optimistic about the prospects for the industry and its resilience in dealing with crises, drawing from the handling of disruption caused by the Iran war.
As the war broke out on Feb. 28, Compass Air Cargo and Atlas Air were among the many carriers that collectively had fifty or so freighters stuck in the region.
Atlas, for one, had a 777F (69788) in Abu Dhabi (AUH) and a 747-8F (60118) in maintenance in Tel Aviv (TLV), Graham Perkins, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa for Atlas Air, said during the opening panel discussion at Cargo Facts EMEA 2026 in Brussels last week.
“All the focus at that point in time was on our trying to get our people out, those who were not based there, looking after our people who were living there and are based in the [United Arab Emirates] in particular,” Perkins said. “And then, of course, the aircraft themselves. So, it was people first, and airplanes second in that regard.”
Now that most operations have resumed, the industry should learn to react to major events in an even more agile manner to address the demands of customers, Teleport Chief Business Officer Jan Philipp Poter said during the panel.
“The world continues to grow; e-commerce continues to grow, and other people move things by air — it’s a structural part of how we move things, and that will stay,” he said. “So, that optimistic view, I think, is important to keep, especially in times of crisis. And if you’re optimistic, you have your crisis playbook and you stay connected, I think you are well-prepared.”
The industry should also take pride in how it pivoted during the initial stages of the war, Compass Air Cargo Chief Commercial Officer Rainer Mueller said.
“Looking at what has been managed in the Middle East over the last five or six weeks, it is amazing,” he said. “And I’m 100% convinced that we are ready even for the next crisis.”
Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear an excerpt from the opening panel at Cargo Facts EMEA 2026, moderated by Editor Jeff Lee.

Chapman Freeborn has been especially busy fielding charter requests since the outbreak of the Iran war at the end of February, as airspace closures led to grounded aircraft and a sudden drop in capacity.
“It is true that aviation is a very volatile industry,” Group Chief Executive Saska Gerasimova says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” “So, it’s not about whether a crisis will happen, but it’s a matter of when and where it will happen.”

Gerasimova, who was appointed group CEO in October 2025, says that her experience at Amazon Air in Europe, in particular, is helping her understand the needs of cargo customers.

“The biggest struggles that our customers have is the uncertainty of the geopolitical situation and the volatility in supply,” she says. “Many customers use these elements as an opportunity and are able to react and adjust quickly, while others are rather postponing the decisions. And this is a very big impact that we’ve seen in the last two or three weeks, for example.”

Gerasimova will share her perspective of the freighter market in light of the war and more in a fireside chat on Wednesday, April 29, at Cargo Facts EMEA 2026 in Brussels.

“I would really love to challenge the ideas that [fellow executives] present,” she says. “I would really love to hear the ideas that they have of how we can work together to minimize the impact on the customers, [not just] in the short term, but also in the long term.”
 Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Gerasimova discuss her upcoming fireside chat with Editor Jeff Lee.

Carsten Hernig, deputy general manager, VP of sales and marketing and production at Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo Terminal, has implemented a flexible strategy for the cargo facility as the Iran war continues to shift trade volumes and cargo flight schedules, he says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”
 
With Shanghai (PVG) one of the major airports connecting the Asia-Pacific region to Europe, the war concerns Shanghai Pudong International Airport Cargo Terminal (PACTL), Hernig says. 
 
“Some of the main carriers who are serving this route from the Middle East are actually experiencing a disruption of their operation at the moment,” he says. “This has capacity impacts on the market, which means for us as a handling provider, that we have to be extremely flexible and react fast to schedule changes and also additional capacity.”
 
In turn, Hernig says he believes the war is driving demand for dedicated freighters as passenger flights remain limited.
 
“I think it will underline the importance of freighter aircraft being a practical tool to increase the resilience of the system of air cargo, as disruptions on the passenger side lead to capacity impacts,” Hernig says.
 
The air cargo sector must “find quick solutions” for “non-controlled” variables — such as political tensions, tariffs and other factors — affecting the industry amid high global demand, and remain resilient, he says.
 
Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Hernig discuss the market’s outlook and PACTL’s role in handling air cargo at PVG with Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

Lima Airport Partners Chief Commercial Officer Norbert Onkelbach expects his new facility to expand its air cargo market share, he says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”
 
Onkelbach sat down with Cargo Facts at the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Lima, Peru, this week to discuss the capabilities of Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM), which “has undergone a significant expansion, increasing its land area from 270 hectares to 940 hectares,” he says.
 
The construction was backed by Germany-based global airport operator Fraport, which acquired an 80% stake in Lima Airport Partners in 2001.
 
While Onkelbach says he sees “increasing e-commerce interest from all over the world,” LIM is “exporting more than 60% in perishables, blueberries, avocados and, increasingly, mangoes.”
 
Lima Airport Partners may consider developing a direct cargo corridor between LIM and Peru’s seaport, Onkelbach says.
 
“We see another opportunity as our location of the airport is just eight kilometers from the seaport to basically, in the future, develop contract concepts to integrate seafreight and airfreight.”
 
Onkelbach hopes to secure the support of the federal and provincial governments of Peru to create special economic zones that will attract investors to the project.
 
Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Onkelbach discuss Lima Airport Partners’ plans for LIM and share his outlook of the industry with Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

Brandon Fried may be retiring as executive director of the Airforwarders Association at the end of the year, but he intends to remain active with the industry, he says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”
After leading the Airforwarders Association for more than twenty years, Fried looks forward to aiding the industry’s growth independently, noting that there is still much work to be done.
He identifies two main areas of focus: the near-term tightness in global freighter capacity, and sustainability, since only 2% to 3% of the SAF needed by the industry is available.
“I’m concerned about a lack of feedstock for the future,” Fried says. “There are only about 650 [large-widebody] freighters now available worldwide, and we’re concerned about that.”
Reflecting on AfA’s milestone achievements, Fried points to TSA’s Certified Cargo Screening Program, which enables certified facilities to pre-screen air freight before acceptance by an aircraft operator or indirect air carrier. The idea faced significant resistance in Washington, D.C., when it was proposed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“There were opinions on Capitol Hill that freight should not be flying in the bellies of passenger planes due to security issues,” he says. “And we convinced Congress as well as the TSA that we could handle the job of handling our own security, and we did.”
Fried’s outlook remains upbeat despite the uncertain trade environment and believes freight forwarding will always have a role in helping customers overcome the challenges ahead.
“We’re advisers and we’re called in for that role,” he says. “Flexibility, being the source of information to the customers, is never going to go out of style, so we’re bullish on the future.”
Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Fried discuss his takeaways as an industry leader with Editor Jeff Lee and Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.