Air Cargo Community Frankfurt Addresses Politics and Authorities

During the 4th regional event on air freight, the air freight professionals of the Air Cargo Community e.V. exchanged views with politicians from the region and the federal government, representatives from authorities and associations, as well as media. This time, the focus of the online conference was on strengthening air freight in Frankfurt during the Corona pandemic.

(Frankfurt/Main) “Air freight at Frankfurt Airport is currently experiencing a ‘full load’ with the highest freight volume [1] ever recorded at the site in January – and this despite limited capacity in the air,” says Patrik Tschirch, Chairman of the Board of the Air Cargo Community Frankfurt e.V. and Managing Director of LUG aircargo handling GmbH.

Due to the complicated intercontinental transport routes, air freight is ensuring connectivity to global markets even during the pandemic and is in demand like never before. “All partners at the site are collectively facing the special challenges that the persistently high demand brings. The stakeholders are working under high pressure and very flexibly, ensuring a functioning air freight community at Frankfurt Airport through close communication. We have been pursuing common goals for years, especially regarding pharmaceutical shipments.”

Europe’s Pharma Hub No. 1

As Europe’s Pharma Hub No. 1, Frankfurt is optimally positioned during the pandemic – also for Corona vaccines, which must be stored at extremely low temperatures. The hub is characterized by the world’s largest temperature-controlled infrastructure at an airport, established processes, and many airlines, ground handlers, and freight forwarders certified for pharmaceutical transport. Additionally, a multitude of globally active pharmaceutical companies, including well-known manufacturers of Covid-19 vaccines, are located within a 250-kilometer radius.

Annually, around 120,000 tons of pharmaceuticals are handled at the airport. Currently, this primarily includes raw materials and starting substances, samples, medications for treating severe Corona symptoms, as well as test kits, protective equipment, or medical devices.

Transport Capacity Tight Since March 2020

The transport capacity for air freight has been very tight since March last year, as approximately 40 percent of freight is usually transported in the lower deck of passenger aircraft in Frankfurt. As a stopgap solution, since March 2020, around 9,500 passenger aircraft loaded solely with freight have transported protective equipment, pharmaceuticals, as well as industrial and commercial goods to and from Frankfurt.

“Air freight is part of the global fight against the pandemic and is important for the economic stability of the region, Germany, and far beyond,” says Dr. Pierre Dominique Prümm, Deputy Chairman of the Air Cargo Community and Board Member of Fraport AG. “For this to be optimally possible, there needs to be uniform and reliable rules across borders.

Maintaining Logistics Chains Made Difficult

There is a need for action, for example, regarding entry conditions for logistics workers, international safety regulations for vaccine transports, or exceptions for mixed air freight transports by truck on Sundays and public holidays. The current patchwork of regional individual regulations makes it difficult for us to maintain the logistics chains. Here in Germany, we can still improve.”

To strengthen the location, the organizers also appealed to politicians and authorities to collaborate even more closely than before, to find joint solutions on issues ranging from traffic management to personnel matters, as well as climate and noise protection. Furthermore, promoting digital data exchange with authorities is also an important prerequisite for more efficient handling of freight.

[1] Air freight here refers to mixed goods excluding airmail; Cargo = air freight plus airmail

Photo: © Air Cargo Community

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