Liège Airport didn’t just host ACE 2025; it used the platform to reposition itself—and the role of cargo airports more broadly. While apron space and throughput still matter, the real battleground is influence: on process, on power, and on how integrated the cargo chain really is. That shift in tone defined this year’s Air Cargo Event (ACE), drawing over 400 logistics professionals, forwarders, handlers, and tech firms to what is fast becoming Europe’s most cargo-focused gathering.

“It’s the first time it’s that big,” said Frédéric Brun, Head of Commercial Cargo & Logistics at Liège Airport. “So it’s 400 plus attendees this year. Also, we have 27 airlines, which makes it quite special. If you compare it to their last edition last summer, it was 150 people.”

Torsten Wefers, VP Sales and Marketing at LGG, explained the strategic intent behind hosting again: “We actually wanted to do something similar, but not the same… based on our strategy to focus a lot on the development on the forward and logistics side, we wanted to team up with Neutral Air Partner… to show the attractiveness of Liège and CargoLand… also to the forwarding and logistics industry.”

But ACE wasn’t just about visibility. “The event is obviously outstanding, first of course, in the number of people attending, and also in the quality of people… the agenda is focusing on the challenges of our industry,” Wefers added. “Here we really try to tackle the challenges and also come up with that.”

Watch video with Torsten Wefers, Liege Airport online:

CargoLand: Liège’s vision beyond the runway

Liège Airport has embraced its lack of passenger traffic as an asset. “We have 24/7 operations. That makes it very handy for e-commerce players,” Brun said. “Also, the fact that the airport is non-slot coordinated, so it makes it very flexible in and out.”

Both Brun and Wefers emphasised fast cargo turnover as a key selling point. “You can have a full turnaround of a 747 within a four-hour or five-hour window, which makes it very competitive,” Brun noted. That speed is supported by “fast lanes and dedicated cooling facilities,” with Swissport recently opening a new pharma centre on site.

And the ambitions are growing. “We have the clear vision to double the size of Liège Airport in terms of cargo traffic,” said Wefers. “So we want to reach 2.3 million tons in the next 10 years, which means we want to be a top five cargo [airport] of Europe.”

Watch video with Frédéric Brun, Head of Commercial Cargo & Logistics at Liège Airport online:

A €500 million investment under the 2040 Master Plan is already targeting vertical-specific infrastructure, from pharmaceuticals to automotive. Markets of interest? “One focus definitely is South East Asia… and Miami is definitely on our wish list. And last but not least, of course, also South America, based on our growing flower volumes.”

Communities vs control

The standout panel at ACE 2025 didn’t tiptoe around hard questions. Moderated by TIACA’s Steven Polmans, it brought together representatives from CHI Cargo, Awery Aviation Software and Kale Logistics Solutions to discuss how airports can build not just infrastructure, but functioning cargo communities.

“Airports have taken over… to be the organiser, much more than an infrastructure provider,” said Kai Domscheit, CHI Cargo. He was also clear on limitations. “We also feel in certain developments that we are coming to our limits… some things which are certain zones where maybe then the airport cannot be fully neutral… a neutral platform in the middle gives you other opportunities.”

Domscheit offered a frank perspective: “I don’t know any large airport where the CEO will say, ‘This is my cargo strategy.’ Ninety percent will be done in passengers, parking, retail, fueling… Cargo is usually not part of that main concern.”

Asked whether communities are just ways to keep cargo quiet, Domscheit didn’t hesitate: “I believe that’s the main reason why they have the cargo community: to keep them happy and afloat.”

The panel agreed that a true community model requires more than visibility. It requires airports to relinquish some control. “Important is… if a community is founded… it’s also about sharing power. Decision power,” Domscheit said. “Unfortunately… it’s still about who has the most board seats.”

Digital systems ≠ digital culture

While Cargo Community Systems (CCS) are proliferating, panellists questioned whether most airports are truly ready to use them as anything more than digital brochures.

Sahil Deshpande of Kale Logistics explained the education gap: “It’s not about selling a cargo community system. It’s about educating… about what the benefits of [it] are.”

Wefers described LGG’s digital strategy as pragmatic and incremental: “First, it is also to accept in the cargo community… you are talking about baby steps. I mean, at the end, of course, we want to change the world here in Liège and hopefully later for the entire industry”.

CHI Cargo’s Domscheit was more sceptical. “Most stakeholders in our aviation business don’t render the service as agreed on in the contract,” he said, pointing out delays of “eight hours to clear” e-commerce volumes, and ground operators who are still unclear on basic concepts like PMCs. “To this day, I haven’t met an airport where I feel like, ‘Oh, it’s an easy peasy walkthrough.'”

Still, there was consensus that CCS adoption will increase—if paired with governance and operational accountability. “We implemented like an organic system airport,” said Awery’s Vitaly Smilianets. “And after six months, it’s like a governance: ‘Yeah, we don’t accept papers.’ And now suddenly all freight forwarders somehow know how to send that [data].”

Perhaps the most combative moment of the panel came over slot booking systems. “I have yet to see one airport where the dwell time actually improved for me,” Domscheit said. “Most airport community systems that put in slot booking systems do this for one main reason: the scarcity of labour.”

Wefers acknowledged the limitations, but stressed the need to start small: “We are collecting data on the motion platform and using the data, of course, for the benefit of decreasing dwell times… but we need to also translate it in opportunities, in cost savings.”

For all the systems talk, the core issue ACE 2025 exposed is this: cargo still operates in silos. And the promise of airports as “community builders” hinges not just on technology but on a shift in power and mindset.

“Cargo is hard. Let’s stop pretending it isn’t,” Smilianets said. “But let’s also stop working in silos.”

“For me, the future is to have… strong community system with a strong focus… bringing out the quality, operational excellence, safety… and then hopefully here in Belgium, on a national level,” said Wefers.