Cargo Facts Connect

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Jun 2026

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Cargo Facts Connect addresses all things freighters and aircraft. Connect delves into what's new in freighter transactions, belly capacity trends, conversion activity and aircraft finance. Brought to you by Cargo Facts, long the industry's leading information resource on freighter aircraft, Cargo Facts Connect gets you inside the freighter business. Cargo Facts has been the newsletter of record of the air cargo and freighter aircraft industries for over 40 years. Cargo Facts, published by Royal Media, provides its readers with timely, actionable news and industry intelligence. The deep value in Cargo Facts centers on its detailed coverage of the market and exploration of every nuance of air cargo and freighter aircraft. Cargo Facts offers a Premium subscription service, which includes a digital monthly newsletter, a weekly email Update, exclusive event discounts, and more. The Cargo Facts Premium subscription provides its subscribers with unparalleled coverage of the market. Subscribe now at https://cargofacts.com/subscribe/. Cargo Facts produces the following leading industry events: Cargo Facts EMEA, Cargo Facts Asia and the Cargo Facts Symposium.

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June 13, 2026Episode 16535 min

Alpine Air Express Beech 1900D conversion ‘perfect’ freighter for GAM Air

After beginning revenue service with Australia’s first Beech 1900D Super Freighter at the end of May, GAM Air will soon take delivery of another.The carrier signed a deal this year to purchase three aircraft from Provo, Utah-based Alpine Air Express to operate for Team Global Express in Australia under a ten-year contract. The first unit (UE-254) arrived in April.GAM Air started to seriously evaluate the Beech 1900D Super Freighter about two years ago, when Alpine Air Express, which holds the only STC to convert the type, began marketing it.“We started doing some numbers on the airframe then with what we did know, just from a soft approach to see if that was the right sort of aircraft for our client, and it was really the only aircraft in the market — and still is,” GAM Air Chief Executive Carl Jepsen says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” “They had a point of difference against the Metros, the Dornier 228, and it blew the socks off the SkyCourier as well.“So for us, and what we do in Australia, the routes that we have, the speed we need and the payload we carry, it was the perfect airplane.”The deal with GAM has opened more opportunities for Alpine as interest has grown, Alpine Chief Operating Officer Bob Frisch says.“I think that this airplane fits a really good niche and it’s got that specific market,” he says. “And I think people are starting to look at that not only because of that niche that they have, but also just at the other replacements and the other costs of the airplanes, and what this can do.”Alpine CEO Michael Dancy says he would be reluctant to sell any Beech 1900D freighters to other operators in the United States.“I think the whole idea is I just don’t want them showing up next to me,” he says. “But there is so much interest from these aircraft in Canada, in Europe, in Africa and so forth.”For now, Dancy is happy to have GAM Air as a partner in Australia and wants to see the Australian carrier be as successful as possible.“So, we’d love for them to be the only operator in Australia, because for us, that's a great relationship,” he says. “We know how advantageous that is.”Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear more about the Beech 1900D as Dancy, Jepsen and Frisch speak with Editor Jeff Lee, Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke and Associate Editor Jay Aelick.

May 27, 2026Episode 16421 min

Airfreight industry must address people, data, flexibility

The airfreight industry should focus on attracting talent, implementing open data standards and providing flexibility for the rest of 2026 and beyond, according to Flexport.“We have a lot of experienced people today approaching retirement, and the pipeline behind them is very, very thin in all roles: in operations, in customs, in commercial roles,” Milena Milenkovic, head of airfreight for the EMEA region at Flexport, says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” “And if we don’t fix that, we will create a people problem that no new aircraft or software can solve.”The industry is not doing enough to appeal to young people, and it can do that by being more vocal about the vital role that air cargo plays, Milenkovic says.Two other areas that air cargo must continue to improve are data and flexibility, according to Milenkovic.The industry has the technology to process and share the increasing amount of data generated today but still does not make use of it effectively, she says.Additionally, in a market characterized by instability, carriers must develop flexible options for customers and build redundancy into their networks.Overall, Milenkovic believes the largest hurdle for the industry is still its inability to recruit and retain skilled personnel, and inspire their excitement.“I started this career when I was twenty-two,” she says. “I still love it, and it’s twenty plus years later.”Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Milenkovic speak with Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.

May 9, 2026Episode 16318 min

Lessons from Iran war disruption

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.

April 21, 2026Episode 1629 min

Chapman Freeborn’s Saska Gerasimova previews Cargo Facts EMEA 2026

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.

March 28, 2026Episode 16124 min

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.

March 14, 2026Episode 16011 min

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.

February 28, 2026Episode 15915 min

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.

February 7, 2026Episode 15823 min

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 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.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.

January 24, 2026Episode 15723 min

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 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.

January 10, 2026Episode 15638 min

EnComm Aviation’s Jackton Obuola discusses BAE lawsuit

EnComm Aviation’s regional freighter operations came to an abrupt halt in September 2025, causing the carrier to write off more than $100 million after BAE Systems surrendered its ATP aircraft type certificate to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority.EnComm had made multiple investments building its infrastructure, including heavy maintenance repairs for its ATP fleet, when it learned of BAE’s decision to discontinue its support, making it nearly impossible for the carrier to continue operating the type, EnComm Aviation Director Jackton Obuola says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.” “There were a lot of investments we were still making,” Obuola says. “For instance, we were in the process of overhauling landing gears, overhauling engines, returning to service a lot of aircraft, spending up to $15 million.” EnComm has filed a lawsuit in London seeking $250 million in punitive damages and claiming negligent misrepresentation and misstatement by BAE. The Kenyan startup was surprised by the decision after meeting with BAE and receiving commitments for continued support for its ATP fleet, Obuola says. EnComm was operating four ATP freighters and was preparing to enter service with the remaining nine ATP aircraft it had acquired from Sweden-based West Atlantic. BAE invited EnComm to the United Kingdom for a meeting when the startup reached out to the manufacturer in May 2024, Obuola says. Parts and suppliers for the ATP aircraft type were in attendance, including parts distributor Saywell International, component supplier Safra[MM3] n and propeller supplier PropTech. “Our BAE representative at the time said as long as there’s one BAE ATP aircraft in service, they will continue supporting it,” Obuola says. Even though EnComm has ceased operations, its legal pursuit of BAE is just beginning. Tune into this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Obuola discuss with Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke the events that grounded the regional carrier and the next steps it will take.

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