EDITOR’S
WELCOME
MISSION
STATEMENT
New Year’s
resolutions
The year 2019 is upon us and with much in the way of political
upheaval on the cards, many are wondering what change this will
bring to the industry. Much like the movement of cargo through
an airport, delays continue to plague the finalisation of any decisions –
both for Brexit and the tariff war between the US and China. March 1
is the next deadline for the latter two countries to ink a deal, at which
point there will be more clarity on the future of imports and exports
between the regions, while for Brexit, uncertainty remains the order of
the day until the divorce date of March 29. Until this time, businesses
cross-industrially and globally remain in limbo over expectations – and
strategies – for the year ahead.
Until the political waves break, therefore, it’s a difficult time to be
making predictions. Figures showed that last November was the first
month since the US-China trade war began that the year-on-year volume
change was negative in both directions. A 1.4% year-on-year decline in
cargo volumes was recorded globally in November, too; and even more
surprisingly there was a slip of 2% compared with October, at a time
when, typically, air cargo demand would be increasing, as the industry
enters its peak season.
This time last year, the industry was in a favourable position as it
entered 2018, with IATA having just declared 2017 the strongest year
of growth since 2010, at more than double that of 2016. Full-year
results for 2018 are not so encouraging, with FTKs having increased by
just 3.9% over the first 11 months, and predictions that FTK growth is
unlikely to pick up dramatically in the near future.
Growth is nonetheless expected in 2019, however – owed in part to
support from fast-growing areas like e-commerce – albeit at a slightly
lower rate than in 2018, with current estimates of around 3.7% growth
in FTKs for the year overall.
Let’s hope that the disappointment from the fourth quarter of 2018
isn’t a sign of things to come – and that the new year brings some
resolutions to political uncertainty.
Felicity Stredder, Deputy Editor
ALI comes from the
same team responsible
for the well-established
titles of Ground Handling
International and Ramp
Equipment News. As
such, it builds on over
20 years of industry
experience and, with
a comprehensive and
skilled team of writers
based in both Europe
and the US, aims to bring
the reader up to date
with the world of air
transportation.
2 February 2019 www.airlogisticsinternational.com
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