b'32American Journal ofTransportation ajot.comAIR CARGO QUARTERLY Do ocean carriers have a future in airfreight?Container ocean carriers have moved into airfreight.Isaflightoffancyoralong-term strategy?By Stuart Todd, AJOTEuropes three leading oceandesignedtooffercustomersa shipping groups, Maersk, CMAnewrangeofcomprehensive, CGMandMSC,havepursuedagile and customized solutions.afast-pacedstrategyinrecentBut it was also driven by the yearswhichhastransformedattractionofspectacularyields themfromsimpleboxcarri- that could be had as rates, like ersforinternationaltradeintothose in ocean freight, hit record An Air Canada Cargo 767-300F making a delviery. somethingapproachingone- highs during the pandemic.stop shop logistics players.Such diversification movesn ormAlizeDP osT -P AnDemicAir Canada Cargos freighter feeder toweretriggeredlargelybyA irfreighTm ArkeTCOVID19andtheresultingHowever,Maersk,CMA passenger jet strategy is powering growth supply chain chaos in its wake,CGM and MSC are today oper-which in turn brought into sharpating in a normalized air freight view the need for both ocean andmarket, radically different from By Chris Barnett, AJOT airfreightcapabilitiesinship- the one they entered. The airlines ping goods around the world. they set up are now confronted Canadians typically are not drumbeating self- In an industry driven by dramatic change, AirTheunprecedenteddis- with tougher market conditions, promotersand AirCanadasmanagementrarelyCanada Cargo stood out in the competition by cre- ruptiontoboxshipscheduleswithcapacityonceagainout-deviatesfromthatdescription,buttheairlinesating a digital environment giving shippers directengendered by the pandemic sentstripping demand.aggressive,standalonecargooperationrecentlyaccess to computerized route searching, schedul- freight rates skyrocketing, gener- Withcarrierscoreocean captured the spotlight for exceptional performanceing, booking and tracking tools plus consistentlyating super profits for the carri- shipping business posting losses and earned the right to take a few bows on theincreasingworldwidecapacitywithagrowingers and giving them the financialas rates fall amid a supply and global stage. freighterfleetandanever-expandingpassengerclout to set up airlines, purchasedemandimbalance,cost-cut-In February, Air Canada Cargo won the soughtwidebody network. and lease aircraft and acquire for- ting is high on the agenda after after accolade of 2024 Cargo Operator of the yearwarders,LSPande-commercewhat have been golden years in as part of the 50th annual Air Transport World Air- c omBinATionc Arrier fulfilment specialists. thesector. Airfreight,beinga line Industry Achievement Awards, the first Cana- ButtheCanadianaircarrierdidnotsuddenlyThemoveintoairfreight,marginalactivitywithintheir dian carrier to ever take home the honor.That samebecome boldly innovative overnight. Launched inwith the operation of wide-bod- portfolioofservices,couldbe month, Canadas largest air freight carrier was sin- 1937, as TransCanada Airlines, its first flight wasiedfreightersonmajorinter- considered a prime area for the gled out for Exceptional Cargo Service at the 202415-minutes long with two passengers and mail. Incontinentaltradelanes,was,(FUTUREcontinued on Aviation Achievement Awards in Dubai. (STRATEGYcontinued on page 34) as one of the Big Three put it,page 34)LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA, USAideal forChennault International Airport, strategically located near the central U.S. Gulf Coast, is the ideal site for locating air cargo operations.UNBEATABLE INCENTIVES air cargo. Sign a five-year lease agreement for a new air cargo pass-through facility and youll get two years free Chennault offers:ideal for A brand-new expandable pass-through facility.Foreign clearance.KANSAS CITY ST. LOUISLanding fee incentives.the americas.Uncongested airspace and ground space.ES600 MIL 600 MILWICHITA LOUISVILLETULSA ES KNOXVILLEMulti-modal connections to interstate, deepwater port, and rail.AMARILLOOKLAHOMA MEMPHIS CHATTANOOGACITY LITTLEHUNTSVILLE NEW OPPORTUNITY, IDEAL LOCATION ROCKLUBBOCK BIRMINGHAM Chennaults new $4 million air cargo pass-through facility includes FORTDALLAS JACKSON MONTGOMERY ATLANTA a 1,000-square-foot finished office area and a 9,000-square foot-WORTHSHREVEPORT warehouse, expandable to 30,000 square feet. The associated 600 MILES BATON ROUGEMOBILE TALLAHASSEE aircraft parking apron is 127,000 square feet. 600 MILESAUSTIN BEAUMONTSAN HOUSTON NEWANTONIO CHENNAULT ORLEANS FOREIGN CLEARANCE CORPUS(CWF) Gulf of Mexico U.S. Customs and Border Protection can handle the regular CHRISTI clearance of select international aircraft for the clearance of foreign crews and air cargo.IDEAL FOR YOU. Contact Chennault Executive Director Kevin Meltonchennault. organd team at [email protected] or 1-800-272-2422'