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The Middle East war that began on February 28th has sent shockwaves through global air cargo. Jet fuel has nearly doubled. Gulf hub capacity is still less than 60% of normal. And a fragile ceasefire has done little to restore confidence in the region’s critical air corridors.
In this episode of Air Cargo Unpacked, Mike King and Neel Jones Shah are joined by air cargo legend Ram Menen, who spent nearly 28 years building Emirates SkyCargo and helped make Dubai one of the great global freight hubs. Ram gives his verdict on what this crisis means for the region, how it compares to Gulf War I, 9/11 and COVID, and whether the Gulf’s geographic advantage can survive the damage.
We also have Bachi Spiga, VP Network Operations at DHL Express Middle East and North Africa, on how DHL rewired its entire regional operation to keep trade moving, and Neil Wilson and Peyton Burnett from TAC Index, calculating agent for the Baltic Air Freight Indices, on what the rate data is telling us right now. And we walk through exclusive capacity and fuel analysis from Rotate, giving a granular picture of what has actually happened to the global network since February 28th.
Produced with the support of Ontegos Cloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialists. https://www.ontegos.cloud/
In this episode we cover:

Ram Menen on the history, the crisis and why he calls this a temporary setback rather than an existential threat to Gulf aviation
Why the ceasefire changes less than you might think, and what actually needs to happen before normal returns
Gulf recovery airport by airport, with Dubai at 54%, Doha at 50%, Bahrain and Kuwait at zero
Global capacity shifts by trade lane, including a 28% surge on Asia-Europe as carriers bypass the Gulf
Why jet fuel is still 70% above pre-conflict levels despite easing on ceasefire news
Southeast Asia’s fuel import dependency and why Vietnam, Hong Kong and Australia are most at risk
How DHL rewired its Middle East network to keep trade moving
Rate movements across the key corridors since February 28th, with Baltic Air Freight Index data from TAC Index
The 777-200 freighter conversion approval and whether it moves the needle on the capacity crunch

Journalism featured in this episode:

Damian Brett, Air Cargo News: “Airfreight recovery could take months after US-Iran ceasefire”
Greg Knowler, Journal of Commerce: “Rising jet fuel costs challenging freighter viability as war enters second month”
Eric Kulisch, FreightWaves: “FAA approves 1st Boeing 777-200 passenger-to-freighter conversion”

Data: TAC Index / Baltic Air Freight Indices. Rotate.
#AirCargo #AirFreight #MiddleEast #GulfAirCargo #FreightRates #JetFuel #SupplyChain #Logistics #FreightBuyersClub #AirCargoUnpacked #OntegosCloud #BalticAirFreightIndex #TACIndex #DHL #Emirates

The Strait of Hormuz has been closed to commercial shipping since the end of February. One month on, the world is still counting the cost. Freight rates are rising, bunkers and jet fuel are running short, and the risk of escalation into the Red Sea and beyond is growing.
In this episode of The Freight Buyers’ Club, Mike King is joined by two of the most respected voices in the industry:
Lars Jensen, CEO, Vespucci Maritime
Greg Knowler, Europe Editor, Journal of Commerce
Together they cover:
✅ Is the Middle East conflict actually a global shipping crisis — or a regional one?
✅ Container shipping rates: are we heading for a Red Sea-style spike or not?
✅ Bunker fuel shortages in Asia — why availability is becoming a bigger problem than price
✅ Jet fuel shortages and the collapse of air cargo capacity through Gulf hubs
✅ The intermodal alternatives: Saudi Red Sea ports, Khorfakkan, Salalah — and their limits
✅ The danger of escalation: Houthis, Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb and the eastern Mediterranean
✅ What US importers are facing on top of the existing tariff chaos
✅ Why supply chain resilience always loses out to efficiency — and what shippers can do about it
✅ Lars Jensen’s forecast for container shipping rates in the weeks ahead
Produced with the support of Dimerco Express Group, leading Asia-Pacific freight forwarder and logistics provider. https://dimerco.com
#MiddleEastConflict #ContainerShipping #GlobalTrade #SupplyChain #Freight #ShippingCrisis #Hormuz #AirCargo #BunkerFuel #FreightRates #SupplyChainResilience #FreightBuyersClub #LarsJensen #GregKnowler #Dimerco #OceanFreight #Logistics #Intermodal #RedSea #TradeDisruption

Recorded live at the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Lima, Peru, Mike King sits down with Andres Bianchi, CEO of LATAM Cargo, the cargo arm of the largest airline group in South America.
Andres breaks down LATAM Cargo’s network across North America, Europe and intra-South America, their fleet of 19 Boeing 767 freighters, and why 65% of their cargo is special cargo, dominated by perishables like Chilean salmon, Ecuadorian flowers and Peruvian fruit.
We cover the structural changes hitting e-commerce and de minimis exemptions across Latin America, how LATAM Cargo planned for multiple tariff scenarios without having to implement most of them, and how the Middle East conflict is sending shockwaves through supply chains.
Andres also explains how LATAM Cargo handles fuel surcharge transparency with customers in a volatile pricing environment, and outlines plans for 5 to 7% belly capacity growth in 2026, with a focus on cargo-heavy European routes including Amsterdam and Brussels.
Topics covered:

IATA World Cargo Symposium 2025 takeaways
LATAM Cargo fleet and network overview
Perishables, pharma and lithium battery cargo
US tariffs, trade war and de minimis changes
Middle East conflict and supply chain disruption
Fuel surcharges and price volatility
LATAM Cargo 2026 growth outlook

This content is brought to you by Dimerco Express Group. Learn more at dimerco.com.
#AirCargo #AirFreight #LATAMCargo #IATAWorldCargoSymposium #FreightBuyersClub #SouthAmericaFreight #Perishables #ColdChain #LogisticsPodcast #FreightPodcast #SupplyChain #Ecommerce #DeMinimis #Tariffs #TradeWar #FuelSurcharge #CargoFleet #FreightMarket #AirCargoIndustry #Dimerco
 

Logistics technology promises a lot. But how do you know if a vendor is selling you reality or a roadmap? In this Freight Buyers’ Club interview from TPM26 in Long Beach, Mike King sits down with independent logistics technology consultant Mike DeAngelis, who has worked across Maersk, INTTRA, WiseTech Global, project44 and FourKites, to get the questions every freight buyer and shipper should be asking before they commit.
From clean versus dirty data to the risks of automating AI workflows on unreliable sources, Mike DeAngelis cuts through the sales pitch to give shippers a practical framework for evaluating any logistics tech platform.
LogTech Industry veteran, ex – Maersk, INTTRA, WiseTech Global, p44, FourKites
In this interview:

Why the sales pitch and the software are often two different things
What clean data actually means and why it matters for AI
How to structure a vendor conversation around your use cases, not their features
Why you should always ask for a live demo, not a PowerPoint
The importance of getting your actual users in the room
Why reference customers are one of the most valuable and underused evaluation tools

Whether you are assessing a visibility platform, a TMS, or an AI-driven workflow tool, the framework here applies across the board.
This content was brought to you by Ontegos Cloud, freight forwarder profitability specialists.
#FreightBuyers #LogisticsTech #SupplyChain #FreightProcurement #AI #ShippingTech #FreightBuyersClub

Everyone’s talking about AI. Peter Creeden thinks we’re building on sand.
Peter Creeden, MD of MPC International and advisor to the IMO’s Port Call Optimization task force, joined Mike King at TPM26 in Long Beach to make the case that shipping’s data foundations need to come before any AI investment. From the IMO’s new PCO Guide to e-bills of lading, smart contracts, and scope three emissions reporting in Australia, Peter maps out the digital layer cake that has to exist before AI can actually deliver.
If you’re a freight buyer evaluating visibility platforms, digital tools, or AI-powered freight systems, this one is required viewing.
Guest: Peter Creeden, MD, MPC International
This content is brought to you by Dimerco Express Group [https://dimerco.com/]
#FreightBuyersClub #TPM26 #SupplyChain #ArtificialIntelligence #DigitalTransformation #Shipping #FreightTech #PortCallOptimization #IMO #LogisticsTech #EBillOfLading #Decarbonization #OceanFreight #FreightBuyers #SmartContracts

Air cargo doesn’t stop for war. It reroutes. Jan Krems, President of United Cargo, joins Mike King at the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Lima, Peru, for one of the most candid conversations in recent air freight memory.
With Middle East airspace closed, fuel prices up sixty to seventy percent, and tariff policy shifting overnight, Jan explains how United keeps cargo moving when the world keeps throwing curveballs. His model is built on belly capacity, smart partnerships, and access to freighter space rather than ownership of it – a position he defends with characteristic Dutch directness.
On the growth side, Jan talks through United’s pharmaceutical business in India, new Southeast Asia services into Vietnam and Thailand, and where he sees opportunity in a market disrupted by both conflict and trade policy chaos.
He also breaks down how United thinks about automation, AI, and the one thing technology still cannot replace: people with a cargo heart.
Thirty-nine years in the industry. Twelve with United. And cargo, he says, is still sexy.
Recorded live at WCS Lima, March 2026.
This episode of the Freight Buyers Club is supported by Dimerco Express Group. https://dimerco.com/
CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome from WCS Lima
01:00 Five years of disruption: COVID, Ukraine and the Middle East
03:00 Middle East airspace closure: impact, fuel costs and workarounds
05:00 Tariffs: coping when policy changes overnight
07:00 India, pharma and new Southeast Asia routes
09:00 South America: how United serves the region
10:00 The freighter question: why Jan will never own one
11:30 Fleet investment, specialty products and the cool chain
13:00 AI, automation and the 50/25/25 booking model
14:30 Thirty-nine years in the industry and why cargo is still sexy

#AirCargo #FreightBuyers #UnitedCargo #SupplyChain #Logistics #AirFreight #GlobalTrade #FreightMarket #Shipping #CargoIsSexy

The Middle East war sent shockwaves through global air cargo markets almost overnight. 18% of global capacity disappeared within 48 hours. Mike King sits down with Ray Zedov, Commercial Director at Rotate, at IATA World Cargo Symposium in Lima to break down what the data actually shows – from grounded Gulf carriers and rerouted integrators to Vietnam’s supply chain surge and what shippers should be watching for in the months ahead.
This content is proudly supported by Dimerco Express Group, your ideal freight forwarding partner for Transpacific Asia and beyond. Learn more at https://dimerco.com/
#AirCargo #MiddleEastWar #FreightBuyersClub #Rotate #Dimerco #AirCargoNews #SupplyChain #Freight #IATAWCS #Lima2026

Recorded live at the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Lima, Air Cargo Unpacked brings together host Mike King, United Cargo President Jan Krems, TAC Index Founder Peyton Burnett and co-host Neel Jones Shah for the definitive air cargo briefing on the Middle East war.
Capacity on the Asia-Europe corridor has collapsed by more than 40% on some routes. Charter prices have tripled. Jet fuel has hit levels not seen in years. And ocean shipping is in simultaneous chaos. This episode covers what’s happening, why it matters, what freight buyers should do right now, and where this goes next.
Sponsored by Ontegos Cloud — freight forwarder profitability specialists.

In this exclusive interview at TPM26 in Long Beach, Mike King is talking to Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd, to discuss three of the biggest stories shaping container shipping right now.
Rolf gives his take on the proposed Zim acquisition and what it means for freight buyers, the impact of US and Israeli strikes on Iran and what that means for ships currently stuck in the Persian Gulf, and whether a return to the Suez Canal is now further away than ever.
He also shares his view on the container shipping supply and demand balance, why he sees underlying demand as still strong, and how shippers should think about US inventory levels and the transpacific market heading into the rest of 2026.
This content is supported by Dimerco, a global freight forwarding and logistics network that believes in the value of independent journalism in the freight industry. Find out more at https://dimerco.com/
#TPM26 #ZimDeal #SuezCanal #IranStrikes #ContainerShipping #FreightMarket #HapagLloyd #LogisticsNews #SupplyChain #FreightBuyers

The US and Israel have struck Iran. The Supreme Court has struck down the IEEPA tariffs. And every freight buyer is asking the same question: what do we actually plan for now?
Mike King sits down with Paul Bingham, Director of Transportation Consulting, Economics and Country Risk at S&P Global Market Intelligence, at TPM26 in Long Beach to make sense of it all.
They cover:

The Iran strikes and what they mean for oil prices, Hormuz and Gulf shipping lanes
The Supreme Court IEEPA ruling and Trump’s Section 122 replacement tariffs
Tariff refunds: what importers need to know
Why countries that did deals with Washington are now worse off than those that didn’t
Scorecard on US trade policy: did it work?
Can freight buyers plan around blanket tariffs?
The $901 billion US trade deficit: reshaped or just rerouted?
Where inventories stand heading into 2026
The outlook for US imports in 2026

This episode is produced with the support of Dimerco Express, a leading freight forwarder and supply chain solutions provider across Asia and beyond.