American Airlines And United Find New Love For Air Cargo Sector, Which Takes A Bow For Pandemic Work

American Airlines And United Find New Love For Air Cargo Sector, Which Takes A Bow For Pandemic Work

American Airlines employee loads a pallet on the carrier's first all-cargo flight since 1984. The ... [+] March 2020 flight went from DFW to Frankfurt. (Photo by Tom Pennington) The pandemic caused an economic disaster for the airline industry, which has lost an estimated $200 billion as a result, but it was a different story for the air cargo sector. Not only did cargo operations generate revenues and sector profits for nearly grounded passenger carriers but also air cargo played a substantial role and visible role as the world sought to recover. In fact, the final session at the International Air Transport Association annual meeting in Boston was entitled: "What's Next for Air Cargo After its Heroic Performance in the Covid-19 Crisis?" The event, which attracted about 600 from the airline industry and media, concluded last week. During the final session, the CEO of FedEx Express recalled the widespread exhilaration when FedEx and UPS made their first vaccine deliveries in December 2020, while a Qatar Airways cargo executive recalled how exhausted employees worked long shifts to make sure that medical supplies were delivered around the world. At US passenger airlines, the cargo divisions, which have periodically been overlooked, gained new