Last week, I blogged about my passion for ocean container shipping—an industry that still mesmerizes me. There’s something serene, almost romantic, about standing on the shore, watching a container ship glide across glistening waters. It’s a slow and steady marvel of engineering, where patience is rewarded, and the global supply chain unfolds over weeks.
And then, there’s airfreight.
Airfreight doesn’t do slow. It’s fast. It carries a sense of urgency, a rush of adrenaline and excitement that makes ocean freight seem like a leisurely Sunday drive in the countryside. It’s all about speed, precision, and turning the impossible into the possible—because when something absolutely, positively has to be somewhere tomorrow, airfreight is the hero that saves the day.
The High-Octane World of Airfreight
While my logistics journey started with ocean freight, it was only in the past dozen years that I truly got exposed to the world of air cargo. And what a world it is! Unlike ocean shipping, where transit times are measured in weeks, airfreight operates in hours. There’s no time for delays, no luxury of waiting for paperwork to catch up while a ship leisurely sails across the globe. From take-off to touchdown, every second counts.
Consider this:
- Airfreight moves about 35% of global trade by value but only 1% by volume. That means while it’s a small fraction of total goods moved, it’s responsible for the most valuable, urgent, and mission-critical shipments.
- More than $6 trillion worth of goods are transported by air annually—nearly equivalent to the GDP of Japan!
- Aerospace, pharmaceuticals, luxury goods, and high-tech components dominate air cargo—anything where time is money, and delays could mean disaster.
And when I say disaster, I’m not talking about a missed online fashion order (though the mother of the bride might disagree when her outfit doesn’t arrive in time for the big day). I mean an aircraft part stuck in transit, grounding a plane and costing an airline thousands of pounds per hour or a critical medical shipment needing to reach a hospital within hours.
Why Airfreight Has Led the Way in Technology
It’s often said that airfreight has been ahead of ocean freight in terms of technology and digitalization, and that makes complete sense. Here’s why:
1. The Airlines' Passenger Business Drove IT Investment
Airlines have spent billions on digital infrastructure to move people efficiently. Passenger travel requires real-time booking systems, automated check-ins, baggage tracking, and seamless global interconnectivity. Cargo, though often treated as the "less glamorous" side of aviation, benefited massively from these advancements.
2. Speed Demands Instant Data
Unlike ocean freight, where there’s time to sort out documentation while goods are in transit, air cargo operates in a high-speed, high-pressure environment. Customs clearances, freight bookings, and tracking updates must happen in real-time—not in a spreadsheet that someone updates manually two days later.
3. Airfreight Cargo Is High-Value and Time-Sensitive
When you’re transporting aircraft parts, medical supplies, or high-end electronics, visibility and control are paramount. That urgency meant the industry had to embrace automation and interconnectivity far earlier than the ocean freight sector.
But… It’s Not All Smooth Flying
Now, before we get carried away imagining air cargo as a perfectly synchronized ballet of logistics brilliance, let’s be real: there’s still work to do.
Despite its technological lead, many airfreight operations still rely on manual processes. I’ve seen first-hand how much spreadsheet-crunching still goes on behind the scenes—data downloaded, copied, pasted, and analysed manually, sometimes leading to delays, inefficiencies, and certainly missed revenue opportunities.
Even with all the advancements in ULD (Unit Load Device) optimization, route planning, and digital tracking, there are still areas where AI and automation could revolutionize the sector.
How AI Could Supercharge Air Cargo
AI has the potential to take airfreight operations to the next level, improving efficiency, reducing waste, and optimizing space. Imagine:
Automated Load Planning – AI-driven systems could optimize ULD configurations in real-time, ensuring every cubic centimetre of cargo space is utilized efficiently while maintaining weight limits.
Smart Cargo Routing – AI could dynamically reroute shipments based on live weather conditions, airport congestion, or urgent demand changes—minimizing delays and optimizing delivery speed.
Real-Time Decision Assistance – Warehouse teams and ground handling staff could receive instant AI-driven recommendations for contour planning, fuselage shapes, and optimal load sequencing.
Advanced Forecasting & Capacity Planning – With historical trends, demand predictions, and real-time cargo flows, AI could help freight forwarders and airlines maximize revenue per kilogram while ensuring faster turnarounds.
AI-Powered Pricing & Instant Quoting – In airfreight, speed isn’t just about transit—it’s about winning business. The fastest quote often wins the shipment. AI can:
- Instantly analyse emails and inquiries, extracting key shipment details.
- Generate real-time pricing quotes based on weight, dimensions, and hazardous elements.
- Automatically validate data against regulations and capacity constraints.
- Reply to customers within minutes, securing the booking before competitors even finish reading the request.
In an industry where every second counts, AI isn’t just about moving cargo faster—it’s about winning business faster.
While airfreight has long been ahead of ocean shipping in digital transformation, the next big leap will come from AI-driven intelligence, automation, and predictive logistics—and the industry is perfectly positioned to reap the benefits.
Final Thoughts: From Ocean to Air, the Logistics Passion Continues
Whether it’s watching a container ship float across a sunset-lit ocean or standing on the tarmac as a cargo plane takes off, the thrill of logistics never fades. Both industries have their strengths, their quirks, and their challenges, but at their core, they’re about the same thing: moving the world forward, faster and more efficiently.
And if AI has its way, air cargo is about to get even faster, even smarter, and even more exciting.
About Problems Solved
At Problems Solved, we help businesses bridge the gap between logistics tradition and cutting-edge AI innovation. From ocean freight to air cargo, road, and rail, we leverage smart technology to optimize operations, increase visibility, and drive efficiency.
Because whether it’s shipping by sea, air, or space (one day!), one thing’s for certain—supply chain efficiency will always be mission-critical.