According to Brandon Fried, Executive Director of the Airforwarders Association: “The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a landmark moment for the air cargo and logistics industry. This legislation delivers the modernization our industry has long needed from billions in Federal Aviation Administration funding to overhaul outdated radar, telecommunications, and air traffic control systems, to major investments in runway safety and airport surveillance. Just as importantly, it reflects our members’ successful advocacy, together with the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, to address airport truck congestion, with the Government Accountability Office now conducting a crucial study to help clear landside bottlenecks. Significant changes to the De Minimis exception, due to come into effect in less than 30 days, alongside a surge in Customs and Border Protection funding, will reshape how we handle e-commerce and cross-border compliance. I will continue to engage and support our members through this period. While challenges lie ahead, this Bill is a clear win for forwarders, infrastructure, and the future of air cargo.”

There will certainly be challenges and there is already opposition. LCV announced: “It is the most anti-environment legislation ever passed and will have disastrous impacts for clean energy, electricity costs, the health of our communities and environment, and much more.” Canary Media stated: “The law takes a sledgehammer to key pieces of American industrial policy, threatening the development of clean energy — a vital 21st century technology.” By rolling back clean energy incentives and prioritizing fossil fuels, the bill undermines efforts to decarbonize air cargo operations, threatening the industry’s ability to meet future environmental standards and risking an increase in long-term operational costs as global markets move toward greener logistics solutions.

And the USD 12.5 billion investment in air traffic control is referred to as a “down payment”, by U.S. Secretary, Sean P. Duffy, who admits that “We will need more money, but this critical funding is a start to cover state-of-the-art radar, fiber optic lines, and new radios – key pieces of equipment that should have been integrated years ago. It’s not the all-new system President Trump wants, and America deserves, but it’s an important down payment to get the job finished.” What is not mentioned here is the rest of the air cargo/aviation infrastructure – much of which has also seen better days and was never intended to cope with today’s throughput. Poor infrastructure means longer wait times, inefficient cargo transfers, and increased operational costs. This can erode the competitive advantage of air cargo, forcing companies to hold more inventory or seek alternative, slower transport modes. Then there are the increased costs and regulatory uncertainty around e-commerce and cross-border businesses, as well as the likelihood of higher airfares resulting from increased airport leases that will impact travel and thus cargo, too. So, beautiful?

ECS Group subsidiary, Globe Air Cargo Switzerland, has been selected to represent Thai Airways as its GSSA in the alpine federal republic. The recently signed “landmark GSSA agreement” comes into effect on 01AUG25. For ECS Group, this latest achievement is another strong move forward in its expansion strategy – not only regarding Switzerland, but also across Europe. The Thai airline operates daily services to and from Zurich (ZRH), deploying Airbus A350s or Boeing 787s. For forwarders in Switzerland, the daily Bangkok connection opens up interesting opportunities for onforwarding to Thai Airways destinations across Asia and Australia. “The contract will focus on the shipment of high-value and strategic goods, including consolidated cargo, high-tech products, and pharmaceuticals.

“This agreement extends a longstanding collaboration between Thai Airways and ECS Group in several countries, and for the first time, brings Thai Airways’ cargo operations in Switzerland under the management of Globe Air Cargo Switzerland,” the release states.

Jean Ceccaldi, CEO of ECS Group, explained: “This partnership with Thai Airways in Switzerland perfectly illustrates our expansion strategy and the trust placed in us by leading global airlines. It is a major step that reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering tailor-made cargo solutions for every market. We are proud to open this new chapter with Thai Airways and to reinforce our leadership in the Swiss market.”

On 11JUL25, South Korean low-cost carrier, Air Premia announced the signing of an interline agreement with Amazon Air Cargo, marking a significant expansion of its cargo operations in the United States. The partnership will allow Air Premia to operate cargo flights on the Incheon–Honolulu route, with Amazon Air Cargo managing onward distribution from Honolulu to 45 cities across the U.S., including major destinations such as Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, Houston, and New York (JFK). The new service, branded as ‘Aloha Express’, officially began operations on 09JUL25. The agreement builds on Honolulu’s strategic position as a trans-Pacific logistics hub, enabling more efficient cargo transfers between Asia and the U.S. mainland. This transshipment model is expected to reduce delivery times and logistical costs by up to 20% compared to existing direct routes.

Air Premia utilizes its proprietary Valley Cargo service for the Incheon–Honolulu segment, while Amazon Air’s extensive domestic network handles final delivery throughout the U.S. This partnership expands Air Premia’s reach beyond its current U.S. bases in Los Angeles, Newark, and San Francisco, positioning the airline to serve a broader range of logistics needs, including global e-commerce, corporate freight, and third-country transshipments. The move represents a major step in Air Premia’s strategy to grow its presence in the American cargo market and strengthen its global logistics capabilities. “We aim to enhance our competitiveness in the global logistics market by leveraging the strengths of our U.S.-focused route network,” an Air Premia official stated.

Last month’s Air Cargo Europe in Munich marked a transformative moment for Liège Airport (LGG) as it unveiled its new identity and future vision under the name ‘Cargoland’. The event, held in early June, saw LGG host its largest and most dynamic booth to date, drawing significant attention and foot traffic throughout the four-day trade fair. The official launch of Cargoland was celebrated during a special reception, where CEO Laurent Jossart and Vice President Sales & Marketing Torsten Wefers presented the airport’s ambitious vision to a packed audience. Attendees were treated to exclusive Cargoland-branded beer, underscoring the festive and forward-looking spirit of the occasion.

Cargoland’s booth, distinguished by its sleek white design, bold new logo, and inviting refreshments bar, also featured a “living wall” and a unique social responsibility initiative. For every photo taken at the stand, Cargoland donated €10 to Liège’s animal protection society, the SRPA, raising a total of €2,500 for charity.

Reflecting on the event’s impact, Frederic Brun, Head of Commercial Cargo & Logistics, remarked: “Because we had such a significant announcement to make at the Air Cargo Europe, it was the first time that we invested in such a large stand, and it more than paid off. We ARE Cargoland! The excellent feedback given to us and the interest shown by the many people visiting our stand, proved Cargoland’s attractiveness. We are no longer simply a regional airport – customers are naturally drawn to us, our service standards, and what we have to offer. This was my greatest takeaway from the event, and I am delighted to see our vision of Cargoland as one of the top three cargo airports in Europe, becoming reality – perhaps even sooner than we anticipate.”

Torsten Wefers, Vice President Sales & Marketing at LGG, agreed: “Air Cargo Europe exceeded our expectations in terms of business interest. Quite aside from the opportunity to meet with so many of our loyal business partners in person, it generated a good number of new commercial opportunities for Cargoland that we are now pursuing. And I believe we set a new record with over 100 meetings held in just four days – our colleagues were certainly busy discussing capacities, rates, lanes, the developments happening at our airport, and the many benefits that Cargoland has to offer, already today.”

Building on this momentum, Cargoland plans an active presence at upcoming industry events worldwide, continuing to promote its new brand and vision for the future of air cargo logistics.