THE SIXTH FORUM, held in conjunction with TRANSPO 72, was built around the theme “The Air Cargo System -- a Profitable Solution.” This Seventh Forum recognizes that air cargo is, in reality, “coming of age” and that it is timely to define precisely its position in the marketplace; hence, the theme: “Air Distribution -- Maturity in Marketing.”
Some of the discussions at the Sixth Forum pertained to containerization, operating costs, rate structures, multi-modal movements, and to transport of cargo by contract and by private carriage. These categories are still applicable to our status today, despite the impact of the energy crisis and the resulting increases in the cost of aviation fuel and other petroleum products.
Admittedly, there are a number of areas where there has been little or no progress since the last Forum -- and some of these will be mentioned. Nevertheless, the main thrust of this review will be to focus on the progress made in our industry during this two-year period.
In this connection it is important we realize that four elements of the economic system, of which air cargo is a part, are in a state of transition. These are:
Although these factors have been subjects of conversation for some years, it is only in the last year or so that they have been gathering momentum.
