Every Sunday evening, CargoForwarder Global publishes a ‘Spotlight On…’ a particular contributor to air cargo, to illustrate the many different careers and roles this industry offers. Alongside traditional stakeholder posts at airlines, airports, freight forwarders, handling agents, ground service providers and the like, is a growing number of aviation technology startups designing solutions to bring about a cleaner, more efficient sector. Aerovect is one such company. It develops autonomous driving systems for airport ground support equipment and is focused on automating ramp and cargo operations for airlines and ground handlers. This week, its Co-Founder, Eugenio Donati (ED) takes the spotlight to talk about his role and share his views and experiences of the air cargo industry.
CFG: What is your current function and company? And what are your responsibilities?
ED: I’m the Co-Founder of AeroVect, a company that develops and deploys autonomous ground support equipment (GSE) solutions for airlines and airports. Together with my co-founder, Raymond, I’m responsible for setting the company’s vision, leading our global go-to-market efforts with airlines and airports to deploy our solutions at scale, building our team, and managing our operations.
CFG: What does a normal day look like for you?
ED: There really isn’t such a thing! Some days I spend most of my time working directly with our customers on current or upcoming deployments. Other days are focused on meeting with our team and prospective hires we want to bring on board. I travel quite a lot (100+ flights in 2025!), as spending time in person with our customers and being boots on the ground in the operations where we’re deployed is something I consider exceptionally important.
CFG: How long have you been in the air cargo industry, and what brought you to it?
ED: We started AeroVect about five and a half years ago, right after graduating from college. Two things drew us in. First, a genuine passion for aviation, airlines, and airports – it’s an incredibly dynamic and exciting industry. Second, we saw an opportunity to have meaningful impact. Especially post-COVID, airlines faced growing demand alongside significant workforce constraints. We wanted to build solutions that could help the industry unlock its next phase of growth by empowering teams on the ground to do more with the resources they have.
CFG: What do you enjoy most about your job?
ED: Two things stand out. First, the people I get to work with – both our customers, many of whom bring years or decades of aviation experience, and our own team, whose energy and passion for what we’re building is truly the biggest highlight of this journey. Second, the reward of seeing our technology deployed in live operations with some of the world’s largest airlines and airports. There’s nothing quite like watching something you’ve built make a real difference at scale.
CFG: Where do you see the greatest challenges in our industry?
ED: I’d highlight two. The first is the lack of cohesive, harmonized policy and regulation around automation across geographies. Some regions are meaningfully more advanced and flexible in setting frameworks that allow airlines and airports to benefit from new technology, and I think there’s a real opportunity for the industry to work toward greater alignment globally. The second is that demand for aviation – whether commercial or cargo – has outpaced the industry’s labor supply. There simply aren’t enough people to meet the growing needs, and even with automation, attracting and retaining talent remains a meaningful challenge for the industry.
CFG: What advice would you give to people looking to get into the air cargo industry?
ED: I’d say the industry is so much more welcoming than you might think. When we started AeroVect, I was 22 years old. I didn’t have previous experience in air cargo or aviation, and I didn’t have any real connections to this space. And yet the industry welcomed me with open arms – that warmth and generosity truly motivated me to keep building in this space. So, my advice would be: don’t hesitate. Reach out, show up, and you’ll find a community that’s genuinely excited to bring in new perspectives and new energy.
CFG: If the air cargo industry were a film/book, what would its title be?
ED: ‘Everything Flies’ – because the sheer breadth of what air cargo moves around the world is extraordinary.
Many thanks, Eugenio!
If you would like to share your personal air cargo story with our CargoForwarder Global readers, feel free to send your answers to the above questions to cargoforwarderglobal@kopfpilot.at We look forward to shining a spotlight on your job area, views, and experiences.
