7.5 Economic Importance of Global TradeBoeing reported that air cargo tonnage grew a robust 12% in 2004, but that wasfollowed by three very weak years (1.7% in 2005, 3.2% in 2006, and 5.1% in2007) attributed to the high cost ofjetfuel.Boeing projects that air cargo trafficwill triple over the next 20 years (5), primarily due to an increase in worldtrade in the increasingly globalized economy. The share of nondomestic tradegrew by nearly 14% between 2003 and 2009, as shown in Table 7-4.➤ Table 7-4 Cargo revenue tons (tons of revenue traffic) enplaned by region (in thousands) Region Share of Latin Other Non-DomesticYear Domestic Atlantic America Pacific International Total Trade (%)2003 12,723 1,429 756 2,327 5,455 22,691 43.92004 13,260 1,687 850 2,785 6,206 24,790 43.92005 12,923 1,717 924 2,671 6,800 25,035 46.52006 12,612 1,732 953 2,833 7,108 25,238 48.42007 12,415 1,700 1,111 2,777 7,178 25,182 50.02008 11,046 1,691 1,050 2,457 6,846 23,085 52.22009 10,357 1,693 878 1,986 5,809 20,723 50.0SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Air Freight Summary Data (All US). www.transtats.bts.gov/freight.asp?pn=0&display=data2. Accessed June 12, 2010.220 | Intermodal Transportation: Moving Freight in a Global EconomyAir cargo growth is also fueled in part by the rapidly expanding andnewly emerging economies in Asia. The economic boom in India and Chinais expected to result in intra-Asian traffic having the largest share of the aircargo market. Figure 7-5 illustrates the projected international air freightshares in 2011. Figure 7-6 shows the primary intercontinental air freightflows in 2007.Despite the financial crisis of 2009, the general midterm outlook for theair cargo industry appears strong. Nonetheless, there are growing concernsabout factors that could hinder its growth. Rising oil prices, unrest in financialmarkets, and political uncertainty in many areas of the world haveslowed the overall development of the market. Many consumers in Europeand North America are also concerned about the environmental impact ofplane trips. Air freight accounted for 0.4% of the ton-miles of domesticfreight in 2001, but was responsible for 23.2% of the fuel used in the domesticfreight sector. (6) Global companies may try to limit their carbon footprintby looking for alternatives to shipping goods from one end of theworld to another. In addition, technological advancements that improvethe speed of goods movement by ship may make sea transport a viable solutionfor express shipments.Asia Pacific - North America13%Within Asia Pacific26%Europe - Asia Pacific18%Within Europe6%Europe -North America12%WithinNorth America1%North America -Latin America5%Within Middle East2%Others17%Within Latin America1%➤ Figure 7-5 Projected 2011 international air freight sharesSOURCE: International Air Transport Association Economic Briefing: Passenger and Freight Forecasts 2007 to 2011,October 2007.The AIR CARGO Industry | 221➤ Figure 7-6 International air freight flows in 2007SOURCE: MergeGlobal Value Creation Initiative. End of an Era? American Shipper, August 2008: 33-47. Reprinted with permission of MergeGlobal.FEU-Kilometer—a 40-foot container transported one kilometer.7.6 Managing Air Cargo SuccessfullyEven in a growing market, success does not come easy in the air freight industry.Most airlines in the United States and Europe have shown poor returns onthe investment for their shareholders. Several major carriers in the UnitedStates have been in bankruptcy proceedings at least once in the past severalyears. Former market leaders, such as Pan Am and Eastern Airlines, have goneout of business. Rising fuel expenses and the cost of meeting new security requirementshave placed increased pressures on air cargo operators. At thesame time, an abundance of capacity and strengthening buying power fueledby consolidation in the forwarder markets have put pressure on the revenueside. Airline executives need skills in a variety of business disciplines in orderto achieve positive results for their shareholders.7.6.1 Fleet Management and Network PlanningManaging a profitable freighter airline begins with the selection of a fleet thatmatches the airline’s business model. Successful airlines invest in aircraft thatmeet their operational needs while minimizing operating and maintenancecosts. Constrained resources in the market, such as the limited number of aircraftavailable and the shortage of qualified pilots, in conjunction with themassive financial resource commitments that have to be made up front, contributeto the challenging task of fleet management.When selecting routes, a carrier must decide if it wants to be a network carrierwith a published schedule or if it wants to be a charter carrier with a flexibleschedule. Charter carriers market their air cargo capacity in conjunction 222 | Intermodal Transportation: Moving Freight in a Global Economywith their operational capabilities and make routing and other operational decisionsafter securing business. Network carriers publish a reliable scheduleand look for business for the routes in their network. The network can consistof many point-to-point routes, although most carriers operate with a hub-andspokenetwork. In a hub-and-spoke network, freight is transported first to thehub, where it is reloaded on another aircraft that will bring it to its final destination.There are two advantages of the hub-and-spoke system. First, the concentrationof the fleet in one place allows a company to make appropriate operationdecisions, such as which aircraft to use for which destination. Second,the hub-and-spoke system provides the possibility of consolidating freight onone flight. The disadvantages of hub-and-spoke are that most freight will nottake the most direct route to its destination and that the operational challenges
of managing all freight at one hub can be considerable. Regardless of the network
structure, trade imbalances often make it difficult for airlines to fill available
cargo space. For example, the demand for cargo capacity from China to
the United States greatly exceeds the demand for capacity from the United
States to China—and this trend is expected to accelerate over the next few
years. (7) Some flights will, as a result, travel relatively empty in one direction.
Airlines need to obtain traffic rights (called “freedoms of the air”) from foreign
governments to operate internationally. There are a total of nine freedoms
that describe the right of one nation’s carrier to operate in another country.
The first freedom, for example, is the right to fly across the territory of a foreign
country without landing; the second freedom is the right to land in a foreign
country to refuel or for other purposes. These freedoms are typically exchanged
between countries, and a carrier must apply for the traffic right
referred to in these international agreements. (8)
In 2007, the United States and China signed an agreement that vastly expanded
a carrier’s right to fly to the destinations in the other country. (9) The
EU-US Open Skies Agreement of 2007 went even further by allowing carriers
to fly between any two cities within the two areas of jurisdiction. In addition to
traffic rights, airlines need to negotiate with airport operators to obtain landing
rights. Often landing rights become part of the “intergovernmental traffic
right” discussions, as limited gate capacity at airports can constitute a trade
barrier. As part of the negotiations between the United States and the European
Union, London-Heathrow Airport has been opened to more US carriers;
previously, only United Airlines and American Airlines had the privilege of operating
in and out of this lucrative gateway. (10)
All-cargo carriers may have different routing needs than passenger carriers
and thus require different sets of air traffic rights from those needed by passenger
carriers. But separating air cargo and passenger rights will be fraught
with difficulty in Asia because of the distinctive characteristics of its air cargo
market, where most passenger carriers have substantial cargo business and operate
combination fleets. (11)
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