According to www.aircargonews.net, Brandon Fried, executive director of the Airforwarders Association (AfA), warned on 6 July 2026 that reduced U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) capacity at major U.S. gateway airports threatens air cargo reliability — underscoring stability as the industry’s most valuable commodity.
Stability Is Operational, Not Abstract
For freight forwarders, stability is not a theoretical policy goal — it is the difference between a medical shipment clearing customs on time and sitting idle while hospitals wait. As Fried stated:
“Stability is the difference between a shipment clearing on time and a consignment sitting at an airport when a hospital, manufacturer, or customer is waiting for it.” — Brandon Fried, executive director, Airforwarders Association
This operational reality has been tested repeatedly over more than 20 years — through security threats, financial crises, the Covid-19 pandemic, tariff uncertainty, capacity shocks, and government shutdowns.
Fried emphasized that each disruption was distinct, yet yielded the same lesson: freight forwarders keep global trade moving when systems buckle. During the pandemic, passenger belly capacity collapsed almost overnight, forcing rapid adaptation — charter networks scaled up, freighter utilization intensified, and passenger aircraft repurposed cargo space. Medical supply chains remained functional because forwarders absorbed systemic failure risk — a role that remains invisible until breakdown occurs.
Collective Voice, Practical Rules
No single company can resolve congestion, regulatory uncertainty, tariff volatility, or infrastructure gaps alone. When rules are drafted without operational insight, they may look sound on paper but fail in practice — resulting in truck queues, missed cutoffs, and higher costs. Fried stressed that the industry’s responsibility is not resistance to change, but bringing evidence and frontline experience to policymaking before policy and operations drift apart.
This principle proved vital post–September 11. Rather than being treated solely as a risk vector, freight forwarders engaged sustainably with regulators — co-designing programs like the Certified Cargo Screening Program and Air Cargo Advance Screening. These frameworks succeeded because industry helped shape rules that were both secure and grounded in real-world cargo movement logistics.
Infrastructure and Policy Gaps Persist
When cargo is excluded from infrastructure planning, consequences cascade across the supply chain. Fried cited tangible outcomes: extended ground-handling delays, missed airline cutoffs, and elevated landed costs — all traceable to underinvestment and misaligned priorities. He noted that abrupt trade policy shifts force forwarders to manage uncertainty they did not create — for customers who depend on predictability in delivery timing, documentation, and duty liability.
The AfA’s advocacy has contributed to measurable progress, but challenges remain urgent. As Fried prepares to step down after 20 years leading the association, he affirmed that stable policy, modern infrastructure, practical regulation, and free trade remain non-negotiable. The next two decades will bring accelerated digitalisation, heightened security expectations, stricter sustainability mandates, new geopolitical risks, and continued pressure on global supply chains — none of which justify retreat, fragmentation, or protectionism.
Essential Role, Not Special Treatment
Freight forwarders do not seek preferential treatment. They ask only for recognition of their essential function: keeping commerce flowing, communities supplied, and critical goods — from pharmaceuticals to semiconductors — moving reliably. As Fried concluded:
“You know the freight doesn’t move itself, so our industry cannot afford to be an afterthought.” — Brandon Fried, executive director, Airforwarders Association
This stance reflects broader industry trends. Airfreight supports high-value, time-sensitive shipments and delivered £392 million in trade value in 2025. Meanwhile, global air cargo hubs face mounting pressure from e-commerce growth and labour shortages — factors driving adoption of AI-native logistics solutions, as seen in recent deployments by Finnair Cargo and TAP Air Cargo.
Source: Air Cargo News
Compiled from international media by the SCI.AI editorial team.
