Introduction to Air Freight

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Prior to World War Two, the air cargo industry was almost limited to the transportation of air mail and emergency supplies. During the period from 1939 to 1945, a tremendous development took place in response to military requirement. Like the beautiful lotus flower with an ugly looking and dirty root system. Wars have somehow been the mother of invention for many new equipment, machinery and in this case transportation logistics, namely the air transportation.

The progress made in aircraft design and conversion of military transport aircraft into civilian purpose led to the growing use and demand for this mode of transportation. The birth of the fan jet engines brought about the birth of the Boeing 707 and the McDonald Douglas DC-8 aircrafts, the forerunners to yet better designed aircrafts to come to uplift greater capacities of cargo by air.

As a result, airlines after the end of the war improve their fleets, enlarge their networks and were soon able to provide fast and economical services to all major commercial areas.

Following this development, the air cargo industry now represents a vital part of the international transportation system essential for world trade, especially with the introduction of wide bodied aircrafts and the all-cargo freighter aircrafts. More and more goods, especially goods and cargoes of high value, time sensitive and perishables are moving by air.

It has been estimated that goods moving by or account for about more than 20 percent of the world trade terms of value.

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