This podcast is a new home for anyone with a professional interest in international trade, shipping, procurement, logistics and air cargo. Each episode your host, award-winning journalist Mike King, will be speaking to leading decision-makers, analysts, journalists, operators and shippers to get their take on current freight and logistics markets and the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Latest Episodes

The Critical Window: Why Aerion is Moving Now

August 12, 2026 richard 00:11:58 Comments Off

Mike King speaks with Adrien Thominet, Chairman and Founder of AERION, about why the GSSA model at the heart of air cargo is being reinvented from the ground up. Thominet explains how AERION has moved beyond the classic GSSA structure, building out dedicated arms for pharma (Healthcare), e-commerce (Mail &...

Global GSA Group CEO Aytekin Saray on Consolidation, the Amazon Question, and Expansion into Africa, India and the Gulf

August 6, 2026 richard 00:15:08 Comments Off

Aytekin Saray, CEO of Global GSA Group, joins The Freight Buyers Club at Air Cargo China in Shanghai to explain where he sees air cargo's next growth, and why much of it sits in markets the GSA sector has underserved. Saray describes Africa as a major gap, with the Indian...

Air Cargo Unpacked: Anchorage sizzles as Asia-Europe cools

July 29, 2026 richard 00:40:18 Comments Off

Anchorage keeps growing while air cargo from Asia to Europe falls away. Same freight, opposite directions. Mike King and Neel Jones Shah unpack a freight market pulling apart, with Sean Dolan of NorthLink Aviation on why Ted Stevens Anchorage is booming, and Neil Wilson of TAC Index, calculating agent...

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The Freight Buyers' Club

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Mike King speaks with Adrien Thominet, Chairman and Founder of AERION, about why the GSSA model at the heart of air cargo is being reinvented from the ground up.
Thominet explains how AERION has moved beyond the classic GSSA structure, building out dedicated arms for pharma (Healthcare), e-commerce (Mail & More), total cargo management (TCE) and digital transformation (CargoTech), all under one corporate umbrella. He makes the case that airlines are increasingly comfortable outsourcing more of their commercial and operational activity, and why AERION believes there's a limited window to lead that shift before the air cargo industry consolidates around a smaller number of players.
The conversation covers:
• Why AERION thinks the GSSA concept needs to evolve into something closer to a "general logistics agent"
• How network scale let AERION pivot capacity from Dubai to Lebanon within weeks during regional disruption
• Where air cargo trade lanes are shifting, from China-to-Brazil e-commerce growth to hyperscaler demand out of Asia
• Dynamic pricing, shrinking planning windows, and why shippers are being pushed toward shorter-term commitments
• Which region Thominet flags as air cargo's most fragile market right now
• A hint at two acquisitions AERION plans to announce in the coming months
This episode is brought to you by Dimerco Express Group, connecting Asia with the world: https://www.dimerco.com/
Guest: Adrien Thominet, Chairman & Founder, AERION
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrien-thominet-48585371/
Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/we-are-aerion/

#AirCargo #FreightForwarding #GSSA #Logistics #SupplyChain #AERION #AirFreight #GlobalTrade #Aviation #CargoIndustry
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The Critical Window: Why Aerion is Moving Now

Hapag-Lloyd raised its 2026 profit forecast this month. Torsten Hartmann, who runs its transpacific trade, on where the money actually is. From The Freight Buyers' Club podcast.
Full episode: https://youtu.be/HAeb1TjRupE
Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group: https://dimerco.com/
#ContainerShipping #Shipping #SupplyChain #Logistics #Freight #OceanFreight

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Hapag-Lloyd: "Our Long Term Rates Are Barely Breaking Even"

Jon Gold of the National Retail Federation on why peak season now starts in late May, and what that means for retailers. From The Freight Buyers' Club podcast.
Full episode: https://youtu.be/HAeb1TjRupE
Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group: https://dimerco.com/
#SupplyChain #PeakSeason #Retail #Shipping #Logistics #ContainerShipping

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"We Don't Have The Traditional Shipping Peak Season Anymore"

Torsten Hartmann on what the ZIM acquisition would do to Hapag-Lloyd's position on the transpacific if it completes. From The Freight Buyers' Club podcast.
Full episode: https://youtu.be/HAeb1TjRupE
Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group: https://dimerco.com/
#ContainerShipping #ZIM #HapagLloyd #Shipping #SupplyChain #OceanFreight

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Hapag-Lloyd On ZIM: "A Total Game Changer" For The Transpacific

Hapag-Lloyd raised its profit forecast for 2026 in July. So why does the man running its biggest US trade say the long term contracts are barely breaking even?
In this extended interview from The Freight Buyers' Club, Mike King talks to Torsten Hartmann, Senior Director Trade Management Transpacific at Hapag-Lloyd, about where transpacific contract rates settled this year, why the gap between spot and contract has widened to thousands of dollars a box, why the carrier says it does not have enough ships despite the orderbook, what the ZIM acquisition would do to its position on the transpacific if it completes, and what happens to container shipping markets in 2027.
Recorded 20 July 2026.
Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/HAeb1TjRupE
This episode is produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group, your partner for Asia sourcing, manufacturing and China-plus-one supply chains: https://dimerco.com/
The Freight Buyers' Club is an independent multimedia title covering ocean freight, air cargo, logistics and global trade.
#ContainerShipping #OceanFreight #SupplyChain

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Hapag-Lloyd On ZIM, Rates And Why Contracts Are Barely Breaking Even

The biggest growth in air cargo may sit in the markets the GSA business has largely ignored. Speaking at Air Cargo China in Shanghai, Aytekin Saray, CEO of Global GSA Group, points to Africa, the Indian subcontinent and the Gulf as the gaps where even the competition is thin, and where he says the group is now moving.

Saray sets out where he sees the openings: Egypt and Pakistan, with a Pakistan announcement he says is imminent, and Saudi Arabia next on his list. He argues political tension, in his view more US and Western than Asian, keeps rerouting trade, and that cargo feels it first. He also makes the case for consolidation among GSAs, warning that too many unregulated new entrants are undercutting rates and damaging the market.

We also get into the shift from selling pure capacity to total corridor management, the role of technology and CargoTech in what Saray calls a hyper-integrated GSA, whether a phone-call business survives automation, and what Amazon, UPS and the e-commerce players mean for the sector. Saray predicts most of the market will still look to GSAs.

This episode is brought to you by Dimerco Express Group, your freight forwarder for connections from Asia to the rest of the world: https://dimerco.com/
#AirCargo #AirFreight #GSA #Logistics #SupplyChain #FreightForwarding #Cargo #AirCargoChina #GlobalGSAGroup #CargoTech #Ecommerce #Africa #India #MiddleEast #TheFreightBuyersClub #Dimerco

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Where Air Cargo's Next Growth Is Hiding: Africa, India, the Gulf

Glyn Hughes is leaving TIACA after leading the association since 2021, handing over to Mammen Tharakan later this year.

In this clip from Air Cargo Unpacked, Neel Jones Shah, who has served two stints on TIACA's board, reflects on Hughes's tenure, why bringing him in from IATA was "a tremendous coup," and what he expects from Tharakan, who joins from the King Salman International Airport Development Company in Riyadh after roles at Edmonton International and Air France-KLM. Hughes stays on through a 90-day handover, departing after TIACA's Air Cargo Forum in Miami this October.

🎧 Full episode of Air Cargo Unpacked on the channel and wherever you get your podcasts.

Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group, your partner for Asia sourcing, manufacturing and China-plus-one supply chains. https://dimerco.com/

Follow the Freight Buyers' Club on LinkedIn and YouTube.

#AirCargo #TIACA #SupplyChain #Logistics #Aviation

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TIACA Was a Hot Mess: Neel Jones Shah on Glyn Hughes and What's Next

Neel Jones Shah on the hundreds of billions in debt behind the AI-driven air cargo boom, and whether it lasts. 🎧 Full episode of Air Cargo Unpacked on the channel and here: https://youtu.be/TFPWa36I1R8
#AirCargo #AI #SupplyChain #Logistics #Shorts

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Is the AI cargo boom built on scary debt?

Ted Stevens Anchorage is the busiest cargo hub in the Americas and the world's third-busiest overall, and its growth shows no sign of slowing, even with a major maintenance programme pulling capacity off the ramp.

In this standalone interview from Air Cargo Unpacked, Mike King sits down with Sean Dolan, CEO of NorthLink Aviation, to break down what's really driving the numbers: the carriers gaining and losing ground, why one route into Anchorage is up 476% this year, and what the airport is hearing about the rest of 2026 and peak season.

🎧 Full episode of Air Cargo Unpacked on the channel and wherever you get your podcasts.

Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group, your partner for Asia sourcing, manufacturing and China-plus-one supply chains. https://dimerco.com/

Follow the Freight Buyers' Club on LinkedIn and YouTube.

Hashtags: #AirCargo #SupplyChain #Logistics #AirFreight #Anchorage

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Why America's Busiest Cargo Hub Keeps Growing, One Route Up 476%

Air freight rates are falling, so why is jet fuel surging and what does the return of Middle East tension mean for shippers?
In this standalone rates deep-dive from Air Cargo Unpacked, Mike King sits down with Neil Wilson, editor of TAC Index, calculating agent for the Baltic Air Freight Indices. They work through why the BAI00 composite has slipped for four weeks running yet sits well up on the year, why surging jet fuel hasn't fed through to rates the way it did earlier in 2026, and what's happening on the big lanes: China to Europe after the end of de minimis, China to the US, and the semiconductor corridors out of Seoul and Taiwan. Neil also explains why India is the one to watch as an early indicator, and gives a first look at the new TAC Terminal.
🎧 Full episode of Air Cargo Unpacked on the channel and wherever you get your podcasts.

#AirCargo #AirFreight #TACIndex #SupplyChain #Logistics

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The Air Cargo Rates Puzzle: Falling Prices, Surging Fuel, Rising Tension

Anchorage is now the world's third-busiest cargo hub, and in June its volumes rose again while air cargo from Asia to Europe fell away. Same freight, opposite directions. Mike King and Neel Jones Shah unpack why, with drop-in interviews from Sean Dolan of NorthLink Aviation on the ground at Ted Stevens Anchorage, and Neil Wilson of TAC Index, calculating agent for the Baltic Air Freight Indices, on where air freight rates and jet fuel are heading.
This month: war threatening two chokepoints and a new US tariff regime, the collapse in Asia-Europe e-commerce volumes after the EU scrapped de minimis, the AI and semiconductor boom filling Asian carriers' freighters, Farnborough's order book, what 57 Asia-Pacific shippers told Dimerco about the second half, and a change at the top of TIACA as Glyn Hughes hands over to Mammen Tharakan.
Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group, your partner for Asia sourcing, manufacturing and China-plus-one supply chains. https://dimerco.com/
Chapters
00:00 Welcome and coming up this month
01:00 Two disruptions: war and tariffs
02:00 Houthis blockade Saudi Arabia, Red Sea at risk
04:00 Neel on the Middle East and the tariff scramble
08:00 Asia-Europe volumes collapse after de minimis
11:00 Anchorage: the world's third-busiest cargo hub
12:00 Sean Dolan: what's driving Anchorage's growth
13:00 Sean Dolan: the route picture and peak season
14:00 Neel: e-commerce, AI, and the transpacific boom
16:00 Neel: the debt behind the AI cargo boom
18:00 Rates: Neil Wilson, TAC Index
22:00 Seoul and Taiwan: the semiconductor lanes
24:00 Jet fuel: why it's not feeding through yet
29:00 Farnborough: MSC's order and DHL's converted freighter
32:00 Dimerco's shipper survey and ocean volatility
36:00 TIACA: Glyn Hughes hands over to Mammen Tharakan
Related listening: US container imports are heading for their biggest month ever, then falling for four months straight on the NRF's own forecast. Mike puts it to Torsten Hartmann of Hapag-Lloyd and Jon Gold of the National Retail Federation. https://youtu.be/HAeb1TjRupE
Follow the Freight Buyers' Club on LinkedIn and YouTube.
#AirCargo #Logistics #SupplyChain #Freight #AirCargoUnpacked

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War, Tariffs and a $100 Oil Shock: Air Cargo's Wild July

DHL unveils its newest converted freighter at Farnborough Airshow 2026 —a Mammoth conversion (Manchester & Dallas facilities) with 27 pallet positions and 775,000 lbs uplift capacity. Launching later this year. host Mike King got a tour.

#DHL #AirCargo #Freighter #Logistics #Aviation #SupplyChain

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Why DHL Chose This Freighter Design #aviation #fleet

Matt Petot, CEO of CargoAi, on how AI is transforming freight procurement for forwarders and cargo buyers.

CargoAi connects forwarders directly to 250+ airlines in a single platform, cutting out the tedious one-by-one rate hunting. But that's just the start. By integrating large language models like Claude and ChatGPT, they're building AI agents that can track shipments, predict delays, and automate workflows across email, TMS, and cargo systems.

Matt argues the future isn't centered on traditional TMS systems anymore—it's on LLMs connected to the supply chain infrastructure.

#AirCargo #CargoAi #Freight #Logistics #SupplyChain #AI #LLM #ChatGPT #Claude #AirFreight #FreightForwarder #Cargo #TMS #ShippingTech #LogisticsTech #SupplyChainTech #AirChinaExpo #CargoAI

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CargoAi: Why LLMs Are Replacing TMS

US container imports are heading for the biggest month American ports have ever handled. Then, on the National Retail Federation's own forecast, they fall for four months straight.
In this episode Mike King puts that to the two sides of the same trade. Torsten Hartmann runs the transpacific for Hapag-Lloyd. Jon Gold is Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy at the National Retail Federation, representing America's retailers.
They cover where transpacific contract rates actually landed this year, why Hapag-Lloyd says its long term rates are barely breaking even despite an upgraded profit forecast, what the ZIM acquisition would do to the transpacific if it completes, and what happens to importers as the Section 122 tariff expires and a queue of Section 301 investigations lines up behind it.
This episode is produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group, your partner for Asia sourcing, manufacturing and China-plus-one supply chains. https://dimerco.com/
Our exclusive interview with FMC Chairman Laura DiBella: https://youtu.be/GlZPTBKUzA4
Our analysis of the Hapag-Lloyd + Zim deal
https://youtu.be/4u6wCfwUvc0
#ContainerShipping #Tariffs #SupplyChain
00:00 Welcome
02:00 2026 in three words
03:15 The Strait of Hormuz, and pricing in uncertainty
05:50 Transpacific spot rates, and where contracts settled
08:55 Hapag-Lloyd raises its profit forecast
10:50 Surcharges, and the Federal Maritime Commission
13:40 Excess capacity, blank sailings and Gemini
17:15 Why Hapag-Lloyd is the odd one out on the transpacific
18:58 ZIM, and what it changes
20:20 Consolidation and the World Shipping Council
21:15 A record month, then four months of decline
23:10 Record imports against a cautious consumer
24:45 The tariff deadline, and everything behind it
27:45 Forced labour tariffs, and why the UK and EU are in scope
30:10 Tariff refunds after the Supreme Court ruling
31:55 Sourcing, investment and paralysis
33:00 De minimis, and who carries the cargo now
36:40 The shift into Southeast Asia
37:30 Planning a network around policy that moves this fast
38:40 Is this as good as it gets
39:55 One thing from carriers, one thing from Washington
42:30 The charge shippers never see

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Hapag-Lloyd Vs US Retailers: Container Rates, Tariffs, ZIM And What Happens Next

Radioactive cancer medicine has to reach a patient within 24 hours or the dose is unusable. Carolin Gerstenmaier, Head of Industry Development at Lufthansa Cargo, explains why this specialised, individualised medicine has turned pharma logistics into flight critical logistics, one shipment, one patient, no room for delay.
Full episode on The Freight Buyers Club.
This episode is brought to you by Dimerco Express Group, connecting Asia to the rest of the world. Learn more at https://dimerco.com/
#AirCargo #Pharma #ColdChain #LufthansaCargo #FreightBuyersClub #Shorts

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"24 Hours to Reach the Patient"

Years before it had to, Apple built a separate iPhone supply chain in India. No tariffs forced the move, no obvious reason to spend on it. Then the second Trump administration hit China with tariffs on smartphones, and Apple simply pivoted to India while everyone else scrambled.
Chad Bown explains why that quiet bet paid off, and what it teaches anyone sourcing product. Chad is the co-author of How to Win a Trade War and the Reginald Jones Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a former Chief Economist at the US State Department.
From The Freight Buyers' Club, produced with the support of Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists.
#SupplyChain #TradeWar #Apple #Logistics #GlobalTrade

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Apple's Brilliant Move to Escape US Tariffs #apple #india

Could an AI startup just build its way into air cargo? CargoTech's President Cédric Millet doesn't think so. At Air Cargo China in Shanghai, he told The Freight Buyers' Club why domain expertise, not technology alone, is what sets his companies apart from the tech newcomers: "we know cargo."
Full episode out now. Brought to you by Dimerco Express Group: https://dimerco.com/
#AirCargo #AirFreight #Logistics #CargoTech #Dimerco

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"We Know Cargo": CargoTech's Bet Against Big Tech

A single semiconductor chip can cross the sky ten times before it's ready for market. Carolin Gerstenmaier, Head of Industry Development at Lufthansa Cargo, explains how design in the US, raw materials from Southeast Asia, assembly in China and packaging in Europe add up to a genuinely global supply chain, and why that complexity is only going to grow.
Full episode on The Freight Buyers Club.
This episode is brought to you by Dimerco Express Group, connecting Asia to the rest of the world. Learn more at https://dimerco.com/
#AirCargo #Semiconductors #SupplyChain #LufthansaCargo #FreightBuyersClub #Shorts

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"Ten Flights, One Chip"

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We integrate air and ocean freight, trade compliance and contract logistics services to make global supply chains more effective and efficient. The majority of our global shipping projects connect Asia’s logistics and manufacturing hubs with each other and with North America and Europe.

Started from a single location in Taiwan in 1971, we now serve customers from 150+ Dimerco offices, 80+ contract logistics operations, and 200+ strategic partner agents throughout China, India, Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe