Air cargo and logistics companies have by now (mostly) adjusted to business practices that would have been unthinkable only one year ago, before the pandemic. The early, disastrous collapse of airfreight capacity has rebounded relatively quickly, and the industry has charted a new path forward until the world recovers from COVID-19.

Our main March feature, “New year, new flight plan: Airfreight maintains a new course a year into COVID,” highlights how operators have adjusted to the new constraints and demands of global logistics during the COVID-19 pandemic. In reporting on this story, I was heartened to hear from executives that airlines and freight forwarders aren’t sacrificing future planning in service to current strategic changes. Despite the quick adjustments demanded during 2020 — and already seen in 2021 — logistics companies are looking to keep their operations sustainable for the short-term, and scalable for future success in a recovered market.
The team at Air Cargo World is making similar adjustments. COVID-19 pushed the logistics industry, which had been slow to adapt to the digital age, toward greater digitalization and innovation, and the magazine is no exception to this trend. We are very pleased to present this newest “issue” of Air Cargo World in a new online format, featuring the same great content in a more accessible format for online and mobile platforms. We invite you to check out our exciting new online edition at AirCargoWorld.com/magazine.
Our second feature, from contributor Joshua Aelick, looks at the innovations that have emerged in the pharma transportation space as a result of the global COVID-19 vaccine deployment. The airfreight requirements for the vaccine rollout may be less onerous than operators feared last year, but the investments in improving pharma airfreight reliability will benefit the industry in the long run, while helping the world safely return to normal soon.
The Air Cargo World team is optimistic about the future and has many timely stories and virtual events planned for the year ahead. In April, you can look forward to an update on how cross-border and customs trends are evolving during the pandemic as global trade metrics continue to recover from 2020’s lows. In June, we are excited to present the second live webinar in our 2021 series, on “The new normal: Commercial relationship strategies in 2021.” Look for all this and more in the months ahead at AirCargoWorld.com.
Caryn Livingston
Editor, Air Cargo World