Cargo Live 8: Expert insights into the airfreight market  

Our eighth Cargo Live episode – and the last of 2022 – reflects on the impact of the major changes in the automotive industry, IAG Cargo’s loyalty programme FORWARD.REWARDS, and how data on prices and airfreight demand from the past year can help predict what’s coming in 2023. This episode featured expert speakers including:

  • John Cheetham, Chief Commercial Officer, IAG Cargo
  • Eva Amos, Vice President, Electrification and Ability Competence Centre, DSV
  • Matthew Gardiner, Head of Marketing & External Communications, IAG Cargo 
  • Niall van de Wouw, Chief Airfreight Officer, Xeneta

Here are three essential take-outs from the eighth episode of the series… 

Eva Amos, Vice President of Electrification and Ability Competence Centre, DSV

“Almost 75 per cent of lithium-ion batteries in the world are consumed by the automotive passenger car industry. We recognise that the world and needs of the customer are changing, and we want to be part of that transition and help the logistics industry evolve. So we formed the Electrification and Mobility Competence Centre, which is a global competence centre. We really want to engage with our customers to help them figure out what their goals are and what strategies will get them there.”

Matthew Gardiner, Head of Marketing & External Communications, IAG Cargo 

“This year, IAG Cargo has been celebrating the fifth birthday of our loyalty programme FORWARD.REWARDS. Over the five years of the programme, flights with British Airways and Iberia have proven to be the most popular redemption option. But in addition to thousands of free flights, customers have also really benefited from hotel stays – we’ve seen customers enjoy more than a million pounds’ worth.”

Niall van de Wouw, Chief Airfreight Officer, Xeneta 

“I joined Xeneta about 11 months ago, which is the largest provider of ocean and air freight data. What I’ve learned in the last 11 months is that the air freight and ocean freight markets are much more connected than I initially thought. There is an inverted correlation between the reliability of ocean freight and air freight. When ocean reliability goes down, air freight rates go up. I think it would be for everybody involved in airfreight to keep a close eye on ocean developments and how they continue into 2023, as they will have a profound impact on the demand for air freight.”

You can watch Cargo Live, Episode 8 here