It's a turbulent time for air cargo: but industry executives remain upbeat. (Transportation Cargo & Shipping).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

There's a real quandary in the air cargo industry at the moment. Growth rates are among the worst in three decades; security concerns are a pressing issue and will likely force price hikes; and customers are demanding even faster delivery times.

According to Robert Dahl, project director for Seattle-based Air Cargo Management Group, and aviation consulting firm, "Traffic was down on a global basis 5 to 7 percent through August during last year," Dahl says. "Then, following Sept. 11, there were steep declines in September and October before things rebounded a bit toward the end of the year." The statistics are significant, considering there were only two years during the past 30-year period that posted declines: 'And, they were only modest declines of 2 per cent or less," Dahl says.

Naturally, security concerns remain at the top of everyone's list, whether it has to do with passengers or cargo. For instance, loading unsecured material onto a passenger flight threatens the passengers' safety. However, the same unsecured material, such as an explosive device, could be loaded onto a cargo plane and detonated over a populated area, says Eric J. Williams, vice president of international sales for Pilot Air Freight.

Providing adequate security within the U.S. is a daunting task. Trying to secure cargo and pilots that originate from outside the U.S. almost seems impossible, especially when it changes hands multiple times and small or lesser-known companies are involved.

Although the air cargo industry acknowledges the vulnerability in the system, particularly for freight that is being flown into the U.S., there's not yet a formal and concerted effort underway to implement changes. "Right now, these concerns are all in the ...