CARGOCONNECT-JUNE2026 - Flipbook - Page 43
COVER STORY
AIR CARGO ASCENDS
Digitalisation, AI, automation, and predictive
analytics are transforming cargo planning, visibility,
and operational efficiency.
has been significant enough to generate
entirely new capacity pressures, particularly
around aircraft parking availability and
infrastructure utilisation. While geopolitical disruptions, shifting trade 昀氀ows, and
currency 昀氀uctuations continue in昀氀uencing export dynamics, she notes that the
broader trajectory for Norwegian air freight
remains 昀椀rmly upward. In fact, cargo today
contributes more than 30% of revenues on
certain passenger routes operating from Oslo
Airport, further highlighting how deeply
integrated cargo economics have become
within wider aviation network planning.
A similar momentum is becoming
increasingly visible across India’s airport
cargo ecosystem as well. Arun Chandra,
VP– Aviation Business, Bangalore International Airport, points out that cargo
trends today are being shaped by geopolitical
realignments, supply chain diversi昀椀cation
strategies, and evolving sourcing patterns
across industries. According to Chandra, this
is steadily expanding demand across alternative trade corridors connecting South India
with Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe,
and North America, while sectors such as
electronics, pharmaceuticals, engineering
goods, e-commerce, and perishables continue
emerging as major cargo growth drivers.
Despite ongoing volatility across global
logistics networks arising from geopolitical
developments, shifting trade routes, and
capacity 昀氀uctuations, Chandra notes that
the broader cargo demand environment
is displaying greater structural stability
compared to previous years. Reflecting
this trend, BLR Airport handled over 5.32
lakh MT of cargo in FY2025–26, recording
steady YoY growth across both domestic
and international cargo segments.
To mitigate operational volatility while
sustaining throughput growth, BLR Airport
is increasingly focussing on adaptive slot
planning, scalable warehousing infrastructure, coordinated peak-hour management,
and deeper ecosystem collaboration involving
airlines, freight forwarders, and logistics
stakeholders. Infrastructure developments
such as the new domestic cargo terminal
and the AISATS BLR Logistics Park, Chandra
adds, are further strengthening the airport’s
ability to e昀케ciently manage rising cargo
volumes while simultaneously building
greater long-term resilience into the broader
cargo ecosystem.
The Rise of the Intelligent
Cargo Ecosystem
With cargo networks becoming more fragmented and operational environments
increasingly volatile, the industry is also
entering another de昀椀ning transition, one
where technology, automation, and AIdriven decision-making are steadily moving
from experimental concepts to operational
necessities. Across airports, airlines, and
cargo terminals, the pressure to improve
throughput predictability, reduce manual
dependency, optimise capacity utilisation,
and enhance visibility is accelerating
investment into next-generation cargo
infrastructure at an unprecedented pace.
For airports in particular, the challenge
is no longer simply about handling larger
cargo volumes. It is about managing increasingly complex cargo flows with greater
speed, precision, and reliability, especially as
high-value and time-sensitive shipments such
as pharmaceuticals, perishables, electronics,
and e-commerce continue expanding across
global trade networks.
Pradeep Panicker, CEO, GMR Hyderabad International Airport, believes automation inside cargo terminals is rapidly moving
beyond pilot-stage experimentation towards
scaled operational deployment. According
to Panicker, rising cargo volumes, labour
constraints, safety requirements, and the
growing need for predictable throughput are
collectively making automation an operational
imperative rather than a future aspiration.
Among the earliest large-scale applications, Panicker sees autonomous Unit
Load Devices (ULDs) and pallet movement
systems emerging as high-impact solutions across cargo terminals. He further
indicates Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs),
operating along 昀椀xed routes between cargo
acceptance zones, build-up areas, storage
facilities, and airside interfaces signi昀椀cantly
reducing manual handling dependency
while simultaneously improving safety and
operational consistency.
At Hyderabad’s air cargo terminal, GMR
is already exploring the deployment of
AGVs to stabilise throughput and improve
handling e昀케ciency. At the same time, stationary robotics and robotic-arm systems are
also expected to witness wider adoption
across repetitive and precision-intensive
functions such as palletisation, cargo sorting, scanning, X-ray image assistance, and
As airspace volatility
and geopolitical
uncertainty continue
affecting traditional
trade corridors,
carriers are steadily
shifting focus from
expansion-led
thinking towards
building flexibility
and resilience within
existing networks.
VIJAYANT VIKRAM MALIK
AREA MANAGER– CARGO
(INDIAN SUBCONTINENT),
ETIHAD CARGO
CARGOCONNECT JUNE 2026 | 43
