• Digitalisation as a core driver: Air cargo operations are increasingly powered by predictive analytics, real-time dashboards, automation, and open APIs, aligning sales and operational processes to enhance responsiveness, margin optimisation, and customer service.
• Balancing automation with human expertise: Intelligent technology accelerates quoting, reduces errors, and handles repetitive tasks, while human intervention remains essential for exception management and relationship-driven decision-making.
• Integration and cybersecurity focus: Successful digital transformation requires phased API-based system integration and robust cybersecurity frameworks, ensuring secure, efficient operations and competitive advantage in a volatile, commoditised market.

Technology is no longer a support tool but the engine driving operational excellence and commercial agility. At the heart of this shift lies the convergence of sales, operations and technology platforms—a movement that is fundamentally reshaping how stakeholders capture value in a market defined by volatility and rising customer expectations.

Gone are the days when digital initiatives were seen as optional enhancements. Today, they are existential imperatives. Predictive analytics, open APIs, automation and real-time dashboards are not just buzzwords—they are enablers of an ecosystem where responsiveness and accuracy define success. The winners in this new era will be those who treat digitalisation as a core competency rather than a bolt-on feature.

But the road to this future is not without its hurdles. Legacy systems, integration costs and data security risks remain significant barriers. At the same time, the industry faces a strategic balancing act: scaling automation without eroding the human expertise that underpins relationship-driven services.

“The air cargo industry is witnessing an unprecedented transformation as the convergence of sales, operations and technology platforms unleashes new levels of agility and responsiveness across the entire value chain,” Adrien Thominet, chairman of Aerion, said.

This convergence does more than streamline processes—it bridges the gap between commercial ambition and operational reality. According to Thominet, real-time alignment is now achievable. “Carriers can now align commercial priorities with operational processes in real time, fundamentally changing how companies extract value from each flight.”

He highlights the radical evolution of sales in this digital age. Tools like Sales Cockpit are no longer theoretical concepts—they are practical solutions that “act as force multipliers by automatically pinpointing optimisation opportunities for clients.” The outcome is twofold: teams focus on high-value activities while ensuring a flawless flow of information across departments.

“Digitalisation is not just about efficiency,” he stresses. “It is about creating a seamless bridge where every decision—from pricing to capacity allocation—is informed by accurate, real-time data. This is the foundation for sustained competitive advantage.”

Predictive power

Market volatility has long been a thorn in the side of airfreight operators, but predictive analytics is changing the narrative. “The integration of AI and predictive analytics into cargo workflows represents a quantum leap beyond traditional forecasting methods,” says Thominet.

The benefits are tangible. “These tools bring unprecedented market foresight, enabling dynamic price adjustments and elevated capacity control precision. This technological revolution allows airlines to navigate volatile markets with surgical precision, transforming uncertainty into competitive advantage.”

Industry solutions such as those developed by Wiremind and Rotate demonstrate this impact. “Their forecasting engines and competitive-analysis modules deliver measurable gains—achieving up to 20 percent greater capacity accuracy while significantly tightening yield management on volatile trade lanes,” he notes.

The message is clear: predictive analytics is no longer a future promise but a present reality. “It fundamentally reshapes how carriers approach market volatility, making them proactive rather than reactive. This is a game-changer for margin optimisation and network planning.”

Without losing the human touch

While digitalisation offers enormous benefits, it brings a critical challenge: how to scale automation without stripping away the value of human expertise. Thominet views this as a balancing act.

“The strategic deployment of automation across core processes is liberating teams from labour-intensive tasks while dramatically reducing error rates. This shift is about more than efficiency gains—it is a fundamental reimagining of how human expertise can be amplified through intelligent technology,” he explains.

For instance, the Aerios Carrier App illustrates this point vividly. “It delivers an immediate 66 percent reduction in quoting time, enabling sales cycles to resume at lightning speed—even via traditional phone channels,” he says. This, he adds, “demonstrates how technology can enhance rather than replace human capability.”

Industry best practices, according to Thominet, focus on “automating repetitive, rule-based tasks while safeguarding expert human intervention for exception handling and relationship-driven decision-making.” The hybrid approach, he argues, ensures personalised customer experiences while maintaining operational efficiency.

“Intelligent automation should amplify—not replace—human capabilities,” Thominet concludes. “That’s how you create distinctive competitive advantages in an increasingly commoditised market.”

Integration and cybersecurity

As adoption accelerates, two critical challenges loom large: integration with legacy systems and data security. “The integration challenge encompasses multiple dimensions—from substantial costs and compatibility issues to complex change-management requirements,” Thominet notes.

A phased, modular approach is emerging as best practice. “We champion API-centric solutions combined with step-by-step migrations to minimise disruption while maximising adoption,” he says. This method has already proven successful in large-scale rollouts.

On cybersecurity, the stakes have never been higher. “The exponential adoption of digital tools has multiplied the stakes for information security. It demands rigorous governance frameworks, continuous audits and granular access management,” Thominet explains. For many operators, particularly those tied to legacy infrastructure, secure digital transition is now a matter of survival.

“Rather than viewing cybersecurity as a constraint, we see it as an opportunity to build comprehensive resilience that exceeds industry standards,” he says, underscoring that robust security is now a competitive differentiator.