CAAS- Spring 2026-Powerd by AI

In the turbulence and uncertainty of the past
12 months, some new patterns have emerged,
while certain old trends, tendencies and truths
have been further highlighted, underlined and
reinforced – or in some cases, left behind.
Many of these are illustrated in the accounts
of air cargo industry experts and senior
stakeholders within the Outlook 2026 Report
within this magazine (pages 4-49). Senior
industry leaders from freight forwarding
companies, carriers, airports, cargo handlers,
technology specialists, associations, and
other organisations describe their recent
experiences and how they have responded
to key changing market conditions and
circumstances, and new trends and patterns.
Emerging themes include the ever-increasing
importance of resilience, responsiveness,
visibility, and good data.
Ai is mentioned frequently, and you will
have your own experiences with this. New
use cases within air cargo will continue to
emerge this year, and air cargo will continue
to play a key role in transporting the
semiconductors and other technologies that
support its development – and the wider
supply chains of this and other verticals – as
cargo owners and their logistics partners
navigate complex and fast-changing tariff,
trade, and competitive dynamics.
Some of these trends are explored in
further detail within the report on North
America (page 50), where stakeholders
have faced the sharp end of fast-changing
tariff and trade rules.
In the GSA Interviews section (pages 57-65),
GSAs highlight how recent market changes
have affected their businesses, and new trends
in outsourcing airline cargo sales, services and
operations – where closer partnerships and
predictive data are particularly emphasised.
And in the Technology Interview (page
68), CargoAI CEO Matt Petot outlines how
innovation, automation, and Ai are steadily
redefining how the industry operates.
In the ‘year of the wood snake’ that we
recently left, many companies and individuals
have needed to shed old skins and past
behaviours, expectations, and business
practices, amid last year’s extreme geopolitical
and trade turbulence, and further advances
in Ai. The ‘year of the fire horse’ seems sure
to bring new dynamic challenges – and
opportunities for those agile and versatile
enough to respond positively to them.
The next issue of CAAS will include
a substantial article on ‘Women in Air
Cargo’, based around the conclusion of
IATA’s 25by2025 initiative and interviews
with a variety of women working at senior
levels within air cargo and allied sectors.
It was originally planned for this Spring
edition, but I have rescheduled it in order to
strengthen the article by including a wider
diversity of voices. It will be part of a greater
focus within CAAS on people issues within
the sector, which will include topics such as
training, recruitment, and diversity.