Judge rules $45m FAA litigation to be heard

July 4, 2014

The US government’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been unable to stop a $45 million claim against it in the US Court of Federal Claims by American Insurance Group (AIG) company, Commerce & Industry Insurance, and National Air Cargo.

A US Court of Federal Claims judge has ruled that the case can be heard. The FAA confirmed the ruling, but directs enquiries to the US government’s Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ declined to comment. AIG and National are sueing the FAA for refusing to pay out $42 million under a non premium and liability war risk policy. AIG paid National after its Boeing 747-400 crashed at Bagram airbase, Afghanistan on 29 April 2013. All the crew were killed. National’s 747 N949CA, flight NCR102, was to fly military vehicles out of Afghanistan. The plaintiffs claim that the crash constitutes a “war risk occurrence”, and is covered by insurance. The sum insured was $40 million. The claim for $45 million includes crash site remediation and wreckage recovery.

After the accident, National was paid $42,153,003 by the AIG firm. At the time National had a multimodal contract with the US Department of Defense (DOD) and was acting as part of the Civil Air Fleet Reserve, providing services for the United States Transportation Command.

Under the DOD contract National was required to get insured through the FAA, and the Commerce & Industry policy was issued on 28 September 2011. The plaintiffs allege that the FAA is in breach of its contract by failing and refusing to reimburse them. AIG declined to comment on the judge’s ruling, despite it being in its favour. National was also unavailable for comment.

The Afghanistan Ministry of Transportation and Commercial Aviation was unavailable for comment on the progress of the crash investigation. The US government’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) directs enquiries to the Afghan ministry.

According to the NTSB, flight NCR102 was destined for Al Maktoum International Airport and that the 747, “crashed just after takeoff from the US-operated air base at 11.20am local time. All seven crew members onboard were killed and the plane destroyed.”

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January 14, 2026

Air travel in Southeast Asia is growing at a rate well above the global average. This has prompted the development of a new airport to serve as Cambodia’s new capital gateway. Cambodia has responded with Techo International Airport (KTI) – a landmark project by Cambodia Airport Investment Co. Ltd. (CAIC), a subsidiary of Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation, in partnership with the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) – bringing world-class infrastructure and next-generation airport systems to the country’s new capital gateway. Replacing the former Phnom Penh International Airport, Techo International Airport opened on 9 September 2025 and represents the centrepiece of Cambodia’s aviation strategy. The airport is classified as a “4F-class” airport – meaning it can accommodate the largest cargo and passenger aircraft, such as Airbus A380 and Boeing 747, which allows large-scale cargo operations. According to plans, in its first phase the airport is expected to handle up to 175,000 tonnes of air cargo per year. Early official data cited indicates that the airport is designed for around 26,000 tonnes of cargo annually under initial operations. The large cargo-handling capacity (175,000 t/year) is significantly higher than the early-operation figure (26,000 t/year), which suggests the airport will scale up cargo operations as traffic increases. The airport’s infrastructure (runway, terminals, large-aircraft capability) positions it to support major international freight, enabling imports and exports of goods such as garments, agricultural products, electronics, helping Cambodia increase trade volumes. With large-aircraft handling, Techo can link to long-haul cargo routes around the world. Operational cargo logistics at Techo The airport now has a dedicated cargo terminal. Working hours for cargo operations are listed as 08:00 to 00:00 (midnight), seven days a week, though with flexibility depending on flight schedules. Customs operations are generally Monday–Friday 07:00–17:30 (with Saturday half-day), but clearance outside those hours can be arranged by prior coordination. As the airport has just opened, the full ramp-up of freight may take time. So the cargo-handling capability, a maximum of 175,000 tonnes a year, is a target rather than yet-achieved throughput. To give a scale of the planned operation, Cambodia’s three international airports collectively carried 75,000 tonnes of air cargo in the first 10 months of 2025.

January 14, 2026

Crow Holdings and MKE build cargo hub rescuing shipments from chaotic Illinois airports

January 14, 2026

Crow Holdings and MKE build cargo hub rescuing shipments from chaotic Illinois airports

Airfreight’s evolution: Improvisation to ambitious systemisation