From January 9 2024 we launch or "Summer Reruns " with a look at the pioneer ACMI individual of all time Mike Chowdry who took that form into the big time. We aalso mention some greats still among us in air cargo so you should not spend your summer stuck in the past.

Welcome aboard.

In December 2020 as the world held it's breath under the global threat of the deadly infecting COVID-19 , came the air cargo industry leading the way in delivering the antidote to millions.

Based on the job air cargo did for getting COVID vaccine to people all over the world the great expectation based on general knowledge amongst the masses was that maybe finally our industry and particularly the USA would embrace wider spread induction of freighters.

One executive in 2020 actually called for closer look at freighters.His name is Bill Boesch.

This is his story from our pages and the edition of Flying Talkers dated December 14,2020 when hopes ran high as vaccine deliveries began in earnest.

As we revisit that story here ,alas in 2024 the conversation so far all year long at air cargo industry gatherings has bounced back between sustainabiity and digitalization.

Bill Boesch for freighters echo's and re-echo's the words of the true main deck advocate in air cargo, now most notably lacking in numbers at every USA flag airline.

As India inches closer to the ambitious target of 10MMT of air cargo handled per year by 2030, one question that is being asked is: Why are there so few freighter operators from India? One of the major reasons is the high belly capacity available in India. Around 80 percent of cargo traffic is carried on passenger aircraft. Today, Blue Dart apart, there are only a handful of freighters carrying the India flag.

August 15 brings a great golf tourney as the 19th Annual Dan Ferrante gathering takes place at JFK International Airport.

In The Lav of a DC9 With Donald Trump
When Donald Trump bought the old Eastern Airlines Shuttle, that had served Boston and Washington with hourly flights, he came to LaGuardia Airport to launch the newly branded Trump Shuttle, in the form of an old DC9 that waited quietly outside at the gate bound for Washington.
The Donald stood at the check-in gate greeting the press.
I was there as the Trump Shuttle flak came to my office at Air Cargo News FlyingTypers in the Marine Air Terminal and asked me to attend the event.
"Look I need numbers, maybe we could comp you to stay a few days on us at The Trump Taj Mahal AC in Atlantic City that he owns!"
I said we don't gamble but took sympathy and jumped aboard the airport bus to the main terminal. Something good for LGA and New York City was the larger calling during those days.

Sometimes things happen that change everything. The first flight, the first Tesla electric car, the first cup of Starbucks coffee.

Here from 2023, the rarest of up close and personal interview with Eduardo Del Riego, CEO of PayCargo.

Eduardo and his team from Coral Gables, Florida have changed the way to pay shipping cargo forever, all over the world.

This interview created in April 2023 laid out the PayCargo plan that has succeeded way beyond what many people thought possible.

Many,that is with the notable exception of the erstwhile Eduardo Del Riego!

Mr. Del Riego began his career with Crowley Maritime starting inoperations, then sales, to line management running Crowley's Dominican Service from Jacksonville. In 1984 he left Crowley to start EDR International, Inc. (EDRII) partnering with Southern Steam, Inc. with franchise for Florida and Caribbean.

In 1992 upon sale of the company to Inchcape Shipping of London, Mr. Del Riego remained with the company through 1994 heading the Latin America Divisiosion .

In late 1994, he partnered with the Di Gregorio Family of Brazil to build U.S. Network $100 million company.

In 1999 along with a partner, he started Athena Information Systems which was sold to Plus Integration of Holland in 2001 and also started Marine Cargo Line which he merged with Active International of Pearl River New York in 2005 to create Active Freight & Logistics and headed as company President.

EDR International sold its interest in AF&L in 2009 after growing company to $30 million revenue.

Mr. Del Riego is currently Managing Partner and CEO of PayCargo, an online payment system for the transportation industry. He is an investor in several companies where he serves as Advisory Board Member (Super Terminais, DG Holding, United Agency, and others).

It’s Summer Dog Days and time when cargo people and their organizations kick back a bit, almost everywhere in the world by taking one for the team at various golf and social events outside the daily grind of industry events.Trade shows and upbeat discussion groups and company pitchmen and women are off somewhere spending lazy afternoons for a brief few weeks, catching their breath after a very active business and social first half of 2024.While the interlude in contact air cargo will be brief, one way you can tell early July heralds a slow air cargo news month, is to Google “air cargo” as we did on July 8 to the following result:“Get your Tommy Hilfiger John Light Cargo Shorts in Khaki Only $48.00,” lit up our screen for the Google search word "Cargo."When a snazzy pair of cargo shorts is bigger 'cargo' news than “sustainability, digitalization, or artificial intelligence” in Google, that seems like a good time to get to work to find news that is always there, where the rubber meets the road.Exciting news from Emirates SkyCargo, which has just named Badr Abbas as Divisional Senior Vice President (DSVP) SkyCargo, reporting to Nabil Sultan, who himself got upped from DSVP SkyCargo to Emirates Airline Executive Vice President Passenger Sales and Country Management, (also in charge of SkyCargo).EK come to think of it has only had three top Cargo executives (DSVP’s) since it was founded in 1985, the aforementioned duo named here and the man that put them into business in the first place, Ram Menen.

When Sirius would appear in the sky just before the sun, in July, that marked the beginning of the very hottest days of the year.
The Romans referred to this period as "dies caniculares" or "days of the dog star," which was eventually translated as just "dog days."
Too hot to handle?
Now that the world seems warmer and that last trade show of the first half of 2024 was over at PVG last week, we are counting the ‘Dog Days’ as July 4th in America approaches Thursday wishing all A SUPER SUMMER 2024!
At home we look at our four-legged friends with some passion whilst they continue to do what they have always done best as great spirits looking up every time, we enter the room and no matter what, asking us the same question with longing in their eyes:
“What’s up?” they always want to know.
Lulu, our faithful companion (pictured here), could not be described as a wonder dog, that’s for sure.
No heroics on tap for July 4th either.

Okay put down those margaritas for a moment, and read what was said at a great air cargo gathering last week in Cancun, Mexico.

Look for the entire transcript of these comments in FlyingTypers at www.aircargones.com.

Here is Kale Logistics Solutions self-generated initiative, branded Clear View Americas.

Our view is that Clear View is fresh, while other industry events these days seem tired.

First Session: Collaborative Growth in the Air Cargo Industry – The Vital Role of Partnerships and Airport Leadership. Speaker: Michael Webber, CEO Webber Air Cargo Inc.

“In terms of total air cargo business HKG exceeded 4 M tons. MEM, PVG, & ANC exceeded 3 M.

MIA holds 82% of the air cargo market share from U.S. to Latin America

Cultivating Partnerships:

Americas top four international gateways: MIA, LAX, ORD, JFK.

While ATL ranks far up the line for passenger, ATL ranks far down the line in air cargo due to the reduced amount of cargo carriers that land/take off from ATL.

Today in a world where information is king, a major challenge is lack of communication; airports must communicate with the full logistics supply chain – airlines, cargo handlers, regulators, forwarders/brokers, truckers, material vendors, etc.

“The action must be a partnership to be successful," Mike Webber decalred.