This year’s BUD Cargo Day, held on October 9 at the historic Ferihegy 1 airport terminal, offered a kaleidoscope of current air freight and logistics topics. The event was attended by 305 industry experts, mainly from Eastern and Central Europe, but also from Western Europe, Mexico, and Japan. Top participants were Brandan Sullivan, Global Head Cargo, IATA, and the two TIACA leaders, Steven Polmans and Glyn Hughes. For Polmans, it was his last appearance as TIACA Chairman at an air freight conference, as Roos Bakker will succeed him in this position at the beginning of 2026.

We asked several industry representatives about their motives for attending the cargo event and their views on the outcome of trade show.

Gábor Talabos, accountable manager, Hungary Airlines
We obtained our AOC in DEC2024 from the Hungarian Civil Aviation Authority and started operations with a single A330F in early 2025. In addition to the Airbus freighter, we leased a B747-400F serving routes between China and Budapest. Come November, we will add a B777F to our fleet, the first of five Triple Seven freighters flying on behalf of our airline.

Due to our consistent volume growth, we started to build a bonded warehouse on the agglomeration of Budapest at Vác comprising 33,000 sqm. It has a direct rail link, enabling multimodal transport, because in addition to our four or five cargo flights per week from China to Europe, we are also involved in rail logistics.

To ensure the rapid handling of processes at the future logistics center, 700 robots complemented by automated guided vehicles will be operating there. AGVs and industrial robots can work around the clock, are more precise than humans, and reduce the risk of accidents and, in the medium term, lower handling costs.

What sets Budapest Cargo apart from other airports is the integration of the cargo division into the entire local logistics community, including customs, authorities, freight forwarders, airlines, and shippers. Under the chairmanship of BUD Cargo Director, Jozsef Kossuth, there is a regular, intensive exchange of experiences and opinions. In our view, this is extremely valuable because changes or adjustments to regulatory requirements, for instance tax issues, are tabled there and suitable industrial solutions can be developed proactively together. As a community, we need to know in advance which rules apply, and what the players need to do to comply with them. Conversely, government officials also need to know what we expect, such as transparency in decision-making and strict security checks on air cargo shipments, including eCom.

From this perspective, the annual BUD Cargo Days are a forum where members of the community can contribute and exchange ideas on stage, in panels, or through bilateral discussions. They also offer an opportunity to look beyond the horizon and learn about the new challenges facing the industry in recent times, such as the elimination of de minimis regulations in the US, and what this means for the players involved. 

Finally, we are very proud to be awarded the IATA CEIV Lithium Batteries Certification as first European Cargo Airline and congratulate freight forwarders and other representatives of the cargo industry who have received a similar award.

Guillermo Nava Villarreal, Head of Cargo Development & Operations at Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte, OMA
Some colleagues and I flew from Mexico to Hungary in support of our airport Monterrey, which belongs to the Vinci Group, as does Budapest Airport. Our main motive was to talk to our peers to deepen relations and exchange valuable information, for instance with cargo managers of Lyon Airport in France, who are also part of the Vinci Group and decided to attend the BUD Cargo Day as we have done. Talking about information exchange, for us, the human factor plays a key role in just about everything we do. Because we are nothing without the support of our people, which also applies to a close relationship with our customers. Following the positive experiences we have had here, I will advocate for Monterrey to organize similar events at other airports belonging to the global Vinci Group. After all, that includes more than 70 airports operating in 14 countries. What particularly impressed me at Budapest’s Cargo Day was the close cooperation between the airport, particularly its  cargo division, and the local cargo community, including customs. I believe that teamwork that is practiced by BUD Cargo became very clear at this trade show which includes transparent communication structures. This is a key takeaway feature we will bring back home to Monterrey as a result of our participation in the BUD Cargo Day.

Kamilla Kasler, Country Manager Hungary, Lufthansa Cargo
I have been with Lufthansa Cargo since 1994 and in comparison, to other places, I must say that Budapest is a very cargo-minded airport. This is not least thanks to Jozsef Kossuth, BUD cargo’s helmsman and his team, who we believe are doing a fantastic job day in, day out. It is also worth mentioning that the ground infrastructure of BUD’s Cargo City is state-of-the art and as an airline we are supported whenever support is needed. This includes trucking solutions because roughly 95% of all exports we generate in Hungary are trucked to either Munich or Frankfurt to be flown to their final destination from there by the Lufthansa fleet either as belly or main deck cargo.

My personal preferred topic is sustainability, where Lufthansa Cargo has been playing in the top league of airlines for some time now. To this end, we specifically target our freight forwarding customers and, together with them, we speak with the shippers of goods. However, we never contact producers directly, but always in combination with a freight forwarding partner. As an airline, we can only offer airport-to-airport solutions, including ground handling, customs clearance, and packaging. But we do not handle the pre- or post-carriage of goods, which is the responsibility of our road feeder partners.

Lufthansa Cargo currently has a total of five employees in Hungary. In 2012, there were 12 employees. However, colleagues from Bulgaria and the Benelux countries have gradually taken on work packages as needed so that we can continue to offer our customers the service they require.

Finally, I like to mention an aspect that is important to me, and this is addressed to the BUD Cargo team: Their events are very male dominated, as can be seen in the composition of the panels. I would very much welcome a more balanced gender ratio come BUD Cargo Day 2026 and after.

Attila Becze, Director Sub-Region Hungary and Romania at cargo-partner
Over the years, the event has become increasingly important for the entire air cargo community. Today, it is one of the top formats for the industry not only in Hungary, but for the Central and Eastern European countries and even beyond. This is also reflected in the fact that more and more top managers from the air freight industry are participating, ranging from freight forwarders, airlines, sales agents, airport executives, and leading representatives from the e-commerce sector. This diversity provides an in-depth examination of the current challenges facing international supply chains, as was the case in Budapest. In addition to new risks, such as the abolition of the de minimis rule in the U.S., the opportunities arising from this were also exemplified. So was the gradual shift of supply chains towards the East, especially East and Southeast Asia. This will likely be increased in the coming years, as panelists emphasized on several occasions.

I found it very encouraging to hear that, despite many challenges and bureaucratic hurdles, Europe still has a very strong industrial core on which other countries depend. I also found remarkable that the many Trump tariffs have so far caused only a small dent in global economic growth, as panelists emphasized.

Finally, I like to mention that, in addition to many exciting topics, the BUD Cargo Days always offer participants the opportunity to network. Direct contact and the personal exchange of experiences still are the best foundation for successful business relationships.

At this year’s BUD Cargo Day, most speakers and panelists highlighted the phenomenal growth in cargo traffic at Budapest Airport (BUD). The remarkable upswing in volumes is the result of a very convincing cargo strategy, reasoned panelist, Michal Grochowski, Director Cargo at LOT Polish Airlines. It benefits the entire Hungarian economy and creates value, was the unanimous opinion among the 305 participants who attended the trade show.

Máté Lóga, State Secretary for Economic Development and Industry from Hungary’s Ministry for National Economy, also emphasized the driving force of the air freight sector in his opening statement. As evidence of value creation, the politician pointed to the growth in throughput reaching almost 200% over the past five years. Since Hungary is a relatively small market with only 10 million inhabitants, the airport has focused on becoming a bridge between China and Europe, and to some extent also to the U.S., M. Lóga stated. However, this upward trend is increasingly limited by tariffs and trade barriers. “Nowadays, a growing number of countries are imposing tariffs. This contrasts our policy since our government advocates free trade, an open economy, and liberal traffic solutions.”

Liberal air policy accelerates economic growth
The open sky policy has stimulated new investments and created many jobs, not only at the airport, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, but also at companies that depend on reliable supply chains and have settled in or around Budapest. This applies above all to the machinery and IT industries, which are now very strongly represented in the region, emphasized Francois Berisot, CEO of BUD Airport, in his welcoming speech to the 300+ participants.

“Outstanding performance”
Among the participants was the outgoing TIACA Chair, Steven Polmans, whose leading role at the organization will be taken over by Ross Bakker at the beginning of 2026. Regarding air freight, Polmans said that he would like to clarify his keynote delivered at BUD Cargo Day in 2024, where he called Budapest a “rising hub”. Given the enormous growth in air freight volumes since then, BUD is now a “leading hub” offering its clients “outstanding performance”, he corrected.

In an online survey orchestrated by moderator, Brendan Sullivan, Global Head of Cargo, IATA, most participants said that speed and reliability are their top priorities when it comes to choosing an air freight capacity provider, followed by real-time tracking, seamless digital integration, state-of-the-art ground infrastructure and handling performance.

Space is becoming a rare commodity
The outcome of this vote sends a clear message to the BUD Cargo team, because when reaching a throughput of 450,000 tons, space becomes a rare commodity at the airport’s Cargo City. New, sustainable solutions are therefore needed to ensure the further growth of containers, pallets and parcels. This scenario could soon become a reality, as outlined by the Airport’s Cargo Chief, Jozsef Kossuth. By the end of August, 385,582 had been handled at BUD, which translates into a shipment value of one billion euros per month (sic!). Currently, more than 65 full freighters land at Liszt Ference Airport every week, accounting for 80% of the total volume handled there. This figure was supplemented by two further numbers tabled by Glyn Hughes, Director General of TIACA. According to him, global tourism generates USD 1.4 trillion annually. However, goods transported by air are worth USD 8 trillion. “Our industry should therefore be confident, because its contribution to the global economy has significantly reduced poverty over the past 15 years,” Glyn illustrated.

Stop whining, be more assertive
Markus Klaushofer, CCO BUD Cargo, urged the industry to communicate its achievements more offensively and to stop whining. “We need to show more self-confidence. In Europe, in particular, we still have a very strong industrial base that will remain indispensable to many markets. Once the EU and the Mercosur blocs have ratified their free trade zone agreement, the largest sustainable region on the planet will be born. This offers a multitude of new opportunities for trade and transport,” the manager emphasized.

However, another vote by the participants made it clear that volumes in Budapest will not skyrocket either. Most believe that growth will slow down in the coming years but will remain well above the EU average, driven mostly by e-commerce. They also estimate that the European economy will get a major push once Russia ends its war in Ukraine.

AI is a tool, not more
The future role of AI in air freight was another agenda topic in Budapest. In an online survey, most participants said that AI will help to solve operational issues, when integrated into supply chains. BUD’s Cargo boss, Jozsef Kossuth added that, as a tool, AI will help to analyze processes, be valuable for providing tailored customer support, and help accelerate the learning curve of employees, however, it will not replace human labor, he stated.

Moderator, Adrian Palangyi, Cargo Development Manager at Budapest Airport, addressed the topic of e-commerce. A survey showed that most attendees expect further growth in the parcel business over the next five years, but with a significantly flattened curve.

At the same time the e-commerce panel was taking place, the Nobel price committee in Stockholm decided that Hungarian writer, László Krasznahorkai, was to be awarded this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature. The result of this announcement was resounding applause.

Supply chain threats and no end in sight
However, two other decisions announced shortly after the BUD Cargo Day was over, are unlikely to have been consented by the Budapest attendees: U.S. President Trump’s tariff hike of 100% on Chinese imports to the U.S., which will be levied from 01NOV25. It a counter measure to China’s decision to impose far-reaching export restrictions on rare earths such as magnetic minerals. This export ban complicates Western efforts to establish their own value chains based on rare earths. Without these metals, no computer chip, smartphone, or electric car will be able to function. The impact of these two measures on international supply chains and thus also on cargo volumes, will become apparent shortly after their introduction – to the detriment of the global economy.

First Poland, then Denmark, Romania, Norway, Sweden, and now Germany. An increasing number of unidentified drones are violating the airspace of EU countries, jeopardizing air traffic. Their origin is speculative, with the military and secret services suspecting Russia as the culprit.

On 09SEP25, Poland’s busiest airport, Warsaw (WAW) had to be closed for several hours due to a drone alert. This was followed by similar events in Denmark and Norway, on 22SEP25: Copenhagen (4-hour closure) and Oslo (3-hour closure) were temporarily shut down for safety reasons because drone flights had been reported.

Disrupting civil aviation
Due to the closure, Danish aviation authorities had to divert incoming aircraft, including cargo planes, and cancel around 100 flights, according to airport information. Around 20,000 passengers and numerous cargo shipments were affected by the temporary suspension of air traffic. According to the Danish National Police, there were more than 500 reports of drone sightings in Denmark in mid-September. Each one is being taken seriously, a police spokesman assured media. Aalborg Airport in the north of the country, was also affected, with airspace being temporarily closed.

Coordinated action
The drone intrusions were coordinated by a major cyberattack on the IT service provider, Collins Aerospace, a subsidiary of the U.S. group RTX Corporation. This led to massive disruptions at several European airports, affecting security controls and check-in procedures including Berlin, Brussels, London-Heathrow, and Dublin.

The next drone attack followed last Thursday and Friday, causing the repeated shutdown of Munich Airport (MUC). There were 32 flights affected, including 17 cancellations and 15 diversions to Vienna, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, and Frankfurt. Around 6,500 travelers were left stranded, some of whom were accommodated in hotels, but many had to spend the night on camp beds in MUC’s airport terminals. The airport provided them with blankets, drinks and snacks.

Air freight also affected
Numerous air freight shipments remained on the ground or had to be transported to Munich by truck from the afore-mentioned airports. It is currently unclear who will cover the additional costs.

On Saturday morning (04OCT25), shortly after 3 a.m., there was another drone sighting, confirmed by the federal police. “The drones immediately flew away before they could be identified,” a police spokesperson reported.

Security experts recognize a pattern: those responsible for the drone flights want to create uncertainty and frighten the population. At the same time, they want to test how well NATO countries are equipped to defend their airspace against such attacks. The fact that, according to current information, only three of the 19 drones that entered Polish airspace as a swarm in mid-September, could be shot down, points to glaring weaknesses in the airspace defense of NATO member states.

Poland, a member of the EU and NATO, is an important political and military ally of Ukraine, which is constantly under Russian attack. Poland also plays a key role as a logistical hub for Western military aid to Kyiv.

Munich drones are scaring Bavarians and Octoberfest visitors
Commenting on the escalating drone threats, EU Foreign Affairs Representative, Kaja Kallas spoke of the “most serious violation of European airspace by Russia since the start of the war [in Ukraine]”. There are signs “that this was intentional and not accidental.” And German Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius compared the recent airspace violations by drones and fighter jets in the European NATO countries of Poland, Estonia, Scandinavia, Romania, and Germany, to the Cold War. “No shots are being fired, but there are provocations.” Currently, these are “hybrid attacks,” he exclaimed, like the destruction of underwater communication cables in the Baltic Sea by the Russian shadow fleet, which dragged their anchors across large areas of the seabed. While speaking to media, the minister blamed Russia for the recent drone threats: “No one else has an interest in sending large numbers of drones to Denmark or Poland.” Or to Munich, where hundreds of thousands of visitors are currently attending the traditional Oktoberfest.

The air cargo handling world, along with ULD experts, ramp and GSE specialists, those steering the RFS segment, pharma professionals, ground services, airport services and, of course, CargoForwarder Global, are gearing up for this year’s edition of Aviation Connect. Having taken place in Greece and Türkiye in recent years, it is now traveling North for the first time, to Denmark’s wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen. The city’s airport happens to be celebrating its 100^th anniversary, so all the more reason to attend!

If you’re still undecided and haven’t registered, you might want to read the write-up on last year’s event and then venture over to evaintmedia.com for a last-minute registration – you will need to arrange alternative hotel accommodation as the conference hotels are already fully booked. It’s promising to be a mega event again as each one has been bigger than the last, so far. More than 770 participants attended the multi-stream conference organized by UK-based Eva International Media, last year,

As a reminder, Aviation Connect combines six conference streams: the ACHL (which will be CargoForwarder’s main focus), The Airport Services Association (ASA)’s Leadership Forum, ULD Care, Airfreight Pharma, GSE & Ramp Ops Global, and the Road Feeder Services (RFS) Forum.

Collaboration, mindset, change management
Last year’s Aviation Connect key buzzwords were ‘collaboration’, ‘change management’ and ‘mindset shift’ with well-balanced panels including stakeholders from the full breadth of the air cargo industry. This year’s agenda promises a similar set-up and will take up topics from last year, such as the discussion on standardization in the industry – for better safety and service – driving digital transformation with a focus on lessons learned from successful digital projects, and e-commerce in the face of global disruptions, for example. There is also an emphasis on best practices – such as Heathrow’s cargo strategy – and preparing for the future: using AI in air cargo, and building the ideal cargo airport. Those are just a few of the topics from the ACHL stream. The other streams will deep-dive into their core topics, and all participants can look forward to a synopsis of the results from each stream on the final day of the conference – the 10:15 Industry Update Sessions slot on 16OCT25, will see the stream heads provide a comprehensive summary, key learnings, and outlook. If it’s anything like last year, it will be very educational.

Women in Air Cargo Awards
A premiere at this year’s Aviation Connect will be the Women in Air Cargo Awards taking place at the Networking Dinner on 15OCT25. This topic is particularly close to my heart, and I am very grateful that Eva International Media’s Parveen Raja took it up and made a suggestion a reality. See my original article on the subject here.

Women need greater visibility in male-dominated sectors, because without visibility, it becomes even more challenging to attract other women into the industry. It is never easy being the minority in the room and unfortunately there will still be too few female panelists this time around, too, despite there being so many inspiring women in our industry. Since writing the Leading Women article in MAR25, I have learned that we are also face digital inequality: even LinkedIn’s algorithms largely favor men’s posts over women’s when talking about the same topic. Far fewer views, ergo less visibility once again and a Catch 22 situation. So, I will continue to Spotlight the many talented women in our industry, and I look forward to seeing who will win in each category on 15OCT25. Thank you to everyone who nominated someone this time around!

Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen!
So, are you signed up and ready to attend the Aviation Connect event in a little over a week from now? Will you have an interesting story to tell? Are you looking to take away inspiration, insights, and new connections? If you’re still undecided, Perplexity.ai gives these Reasons to Attend ACHL Copenhagen 2025 (even citing CFG’s article from last year among its sources!):

• Access to high-level industry discussions and strategic insights on air cargo innovation and logistics.
• Opportunities to network with global leaders, decision-makers, and stakeholders across the supply chain.
• Exposure to cutting-edge technology trends including AI, blockchain, and IoT for operational optimization.
• Focus on sustainability themes such as green logistics, carbon offsetting, and Sustainable Aviation Fuels.
• Part of the broader Aviation Connect event, combining multiple related industry forums for enhanced value.
• Chance to participate in shaping the future of aviation ground services and cargo handling.
• Strong endorsements from industry leaders highlighting the event as a catalyst for positive change and development.

And it ends with “This event is essential for professionals who want to stay ahead in the fast-growing and transforming air cargo industry.”

Or you could just take Steve Allen’s view, speaking as CEO of dnata on last year’s CEO panel: “This conference is best attended by the most senior people in our industry that I have ever seen!”

See you there!