Air Cargo is the transportation of goods by airplane, also known as air freight. With this form, goods will be transported from one place to another by specialized Cargo aircraft/Freighters or carried in the belly of passenger aircraft (Passenger Plane). Air cargo handling services refer to the landside processing of goods right from shipment booking and planning to preparation, transit, unloading and forwarding for dispatch and delivery.
There are two types of air cargo – general and special cargo.
General cargo includes high-value goods, such as electronics, jewelry, and pharmaceuticals.
Special cargo requires special conditions for transporting goods, such as temperature control, certain air conditions or protected casing (e.g. if the goods are hazardous or livestock).
The use of the right and effective cargo handling equipment can help in securely handling air cargo. Some of the air cargo handling equipment used at airports include:
-Dollies
-Tugs and tractors
-Container loaders
-Transporters and transfer vehicles
-Slave pallets
-Roller conveyors
-Ball decks
Airlines transport over 52 million metric tons of goods a year, representing more than 35% of global trade by value but less than 1% of world trade by volume. That is equivalent to $6.8 trillion worth of goods annually, or $18.6 billion worth of goods every day.
According to World Air Cargo Forecast 2020–2039 by Boeing, Asia will continue to lead the world in average annual air cargo growth, with domestic China and intra–East Asia and Oceania markets expanding 5.8% and 4.9% per year, respectively.
IATA forecast that in 2023, airfreight will account for 24.4% of total passenger and cargo airline sales.
Some popular air cargo equipment manufacturers are Heli, JBT and Textron. HELI specializes in forklift trucks. JBT provides vital equipment and services to local and international air transportation customers. Textron Inc.’s product portfolio includes a wide range of ground power units, belt loaders, baggage tractors, and other similar products.
