Air Cargo Europe 2009 – Industry gathering in a year of challenges

The air cargo business, like many other sectors, is feeling the effects of the economic crisis. IATA, the International Air Transport Association, is expecting the downturn this year to be at least five percent. This is the general background against which the international air freight sector is coming together at the 4th Air Cargo Europe at the transport logistic trade fair in Munich, which takes place from 12 to 15 May 2009. Air Cargo Europe encompasses a two-day trade conference on 13 and 14 May, and an exhibition on the subject of air cargo.

Leading industry experts, among them Michael Kerkloh, CEO of Munich Airport, Ulrich Ogiermann, President of Cargolux Airlines International, Ram Menen, Director of the Cargo Division at Emirates Airline and Andreas Otto, Board Member of Lufthansa Cargo, will be taking part in the trade conference to discuss the economic situation and the factors affecting the sector. The themes they will be tackling are 'Economic outlook – How to cope with the economic situation?', 'Emissions trading in the EU: How we will prepare?' and, concerning the long-term prospects for the air cargo sector: 'Where will be the location of the next major logistics hub – Eastern Europe, Gulf Area, China, Central America?' The conference will be held in the English language.

In the exhibition accompanying the trade congress, Messe München is expecting over 160 exhibitors, who together will take up an entire exhibition hall (A4). Among industry professionals, this exhibition is regarded as an excellent meeting place: Stephan Blank, Managing Director of EasternAirCargo: "This will our third time here in Munich. Air Cargo Europe is the leading global trade fair for the transport sector." Air Cargo Europe is also the occasion for the presentation ceremony for the ACW World Air Cargo Awards. At a gala dinner on 13 May, the winners will receive their awards – for best air freight forwarders, chart brokers and airports, for example.

The dominant theme for the sector, as can be seen from the titles of the lectures in the accompanying trade conference, will be how to overcome the economic crisis. 2009 could have been a good year – air cargo volumes had risen again significantly in 2008. At 1.76 million tonnes, unloading volumes at German airports over the year rose by 6.9 percent in comparison to 2007. But since November the economic crisis has impacted the sector with a massive downturn in business. For alongside the long-term trend of continuous expansion, the air cargo market is also characterised by a high degree of volatility. The level of general economic activity strongly determines the volume of goods to be transported. For this reason the sector is seen as a key indicator for future economic development. The traffic results from IATA for January 2009 – a drop of 23.2 percent over the same period in 2008 – illustrate very clearly the drastic downturn in global freight volumes. These figures could lead to a decrease in revenue in the air cargo sector for 2009 of 35 billion US dollars to 500 billion.

However, despite the current uncertainty in the global economy, air freight volumes will return to their long-term upwards trend, according to industry estimates. "When the crisis is over, the German airports can again expect average growth rates of four to five percent," forecasts Ralph Beisel, Principal Managing Director of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Verkehrsflughäfen (ADV). For 2020 this German airports association is predicting that German airports will be handling 6.8 million tonnes of air cargo. These estimates for the German air cargo market tally with the long-term forecasts for the global market: in the next two decades the worldwide air freight business is set to grow by an average of 5.8 percent per year, estimates the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing. Which means that international air freight traffic will treble by 2027, and the global air freight fleet will rise from 1,950 aircraft today, to around 3,900 in twenty years time. The trend is towards ever larger aircraft. As a result, by 2027 35 percent of all cargo planes will be bulk carriers, compared to a figure of 26 percent in this category today.

Already, each year over 27 million tonnes of goods are transported around the globe by air in cargo planes. The logistical benefits of air cargo are obvious: in particular with time-critical consignments such as replacement parts or urgent deliveries to distant locations, air cargo is the first choice. Another benefit of air cargo over other transport carriers is the high security, thanks to the strict regulations in force at airports.

transport logistic

The 12th International Exhibition for Logistics, Telematics and Transport takes place from 12 to 15 May 2009 at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre. transport logistic is the world´s biggest trade fair for the multi-facetted industry of moving goods by road, rail, water and air. The fair´s portfolio covers logistics and freight transport, telematics and in-company transport and material flow. Integrated in transport logistic 2009 is Air Cargo Europe, an exhibition and conference for the global air cargo business taking place for the fourth time. The extensive conference programme and the trade conferences, the 4th Air Cargo Europe and the 5th marilog for maritime logistics, provide an expert overview of new markets, trends and innovations in the international transport and logistics industry. transport logistic 2009 is expected to attract over 1,600 exhibitors from over 55 countries. In 2007 47,636 visitors came from a total of 118 countries. The statistics for the fair are independently audited on behalf of the Gesellschaft zur Freiwilligen Kontrolle von Messe- und Ausstellungszahlen (FKM), a society for the voluntary control of fair and exhibition statistics.

Messe München International (MMI)

Messe München International (MMI) is one of the world´s leading trade-fair organisations. It organises around 40 trade fairs for capital and consumer goods, and new technology. Over 30,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, and over two million visitors from more than 200 countries take part each year in the trade fairs in Munich. In addition, MMI organises trade fairs in Asia, Russia, the Middle East and in South America. With six subsidiaries in Europe and Asia and 66 foreign representatives covering 89 countries, MMI has a truly global network.

Messe München International
Messegelände
81823 München

Press contact:
Petra Gagel, Manager Communications
Tel.: +49 89 / 9 49-20244
Fax: +49 89 / 9 49-20249
e-mail: press@transportlogistic.de
http://www.transportlogistic.de

This release was published on openPR.