Cargo Facts Connect

PACTL’s Carsten Hernig shares insights on cargo handling in Shanghai

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.

Norbert Onkelbach on air cargo growth potential at Lima’s new airport

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 closes chapter with Airforwarders Association

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.

Amerijet bullish on Latin American market

Amerijet will continue to focus on Latin America as a major source of growth for its scheduled and charter business in 2026. “More volume is going into Central and South America versus the U.S., and with de minimis, trade patterns certainly have changed,” Chief Executive Joe Mozzali says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” “So, we’ve seen a lot of demand for e-commerce in various countries and on a scheduled charter basis.” Amerijet’s revenue increased by 12% and EBITDA by 9% in 2025, and the carrier was ranked third in terms of tonnage in Miami (MIA) in 2025, Mozzali says. Two 767-300BCFs have joined the fleet on lease from NAS Aircraft Leasing [https://cargofacts.com/allposts/fleets/amerijet-makes-1st-fleet-addition-since-2023/] in the past three months, although Amerijet will have to furlough around thirty-five pilots at the end of February because of the termination of a CMI arrangement for Maersk [https://cargofacts.com/allposts/fleets/maersk-to-end-amerijet-767-cmi-after-february/]. While Amerijet faced a 30% escalation rate in engine costs in 2025, the carrier expects that to normalize somewhat this year and is leaning into AI to develop a reliability portal so maintenance can be more predictive than reactive, Mozzali says. “We’re just probably about three months into it, so it’s in its early stages,” he says. “But we have some high expectations that we can improve our reliability by leveraging AI.” Once the most recent 767 addition begins flying, it will bring Amerijet’s own fleet to eleven 767-300 freighters.  “With the additional aircraft, we can be a little bit more opportunistic on the on-demand charter market, but overall, we think that in existing markets the tide is going to continue to rise,” Mozzali says. Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Mozzali discuss Amerijet’s plans with Editor Jeff Lee and Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

Columbia Airport seeks larger role in air cargo segment

Columbia Metropolitan Airport wants to play a larger role in the air cargo industry and serve as a less congested alternative to airports including Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International and Charlotte Douglas International. The South Carolina Department of Commerce awarded Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) a $5 million grant [https://cargofacts.com/allposts/airports/cae-looks-to-attract-freighter-operators/] in 2024 to acquire new ground service equipment and renovate its west cargo building to support additional warehousing and air cargo operations. Apart from FedEx and UPS, there really are no other cargo-handling capabilities at CAE, Ryan Kreulen, vice president of operations at the airport, says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” Air cargo flights accounted for 14% of CAE’s total traffic in 2025, with most of the 40,000 tonnes of air freight moving through the airport being handled by FedEx and UPS. In addition to having customs on site at the airport, CAE provides an escape from the congestion found in larger markets and the experience of working with large freighter operators, Chief Executive Chris White says in the podcast. Tune into this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear White and Kreulen discuss with Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke how they plan to attract more cargo operators to the capital of South Carolina.