Many big-name operators, including Airbus and Lufthansa, have modified fleets to compensate for the shortage of belly-hold air cargo capacity due to the grounding of aircraft. Others, like Turkish Cargo, have increased the frequency of their freighter-operated flights in order to avoid any delays.

One propitious outcome has been greater creativity: Trip & Co’s joint venture with Netherlands-based technology company SII for instance has led it to registering patents that are designed specifically for cargo-in-cabin solutions.

Our thought leadership piece on page 28 picks up on this and delves into how the freight forwarding community will need to be both creative and flexible to weather this storm.

As Andre van Linden from CH Robinson points out, technology companies have a fundamental role to play in analysing data, processing the capabilities of new supply chain innovations and understanding what specific requirements operators will have as they reconsider their goods movement strategies in the post-Covid landscape.

Undoubtably, it is in the pharmaceutical transportation where the impact of the pandemic has been most keenly felt. Our five-page feature (page 32) relates how hubs such as Miami International Airport have seen an increase in pharmaceutical shipments since the disease took hold. Elsewhere, countries are seeking more local manufacturing and near-sourcing to reduce the risk of supply chain disruption and there is a rising demand for temperature-controlled container solutions.

We hop you find the issue of interest and helpful in your line of work; we’ll be back in the autumn with features on air charters, widebody conversions, security systems and aircraft leasing.