The Importance of Air Freight

Transportation expert Klaus Rademacher explains why the development of air freight is important.

"When we talk about air cargo, we need to evaluate two important parameters, one is the volume of cargo transported, the other is the value of the cargo. For comparison, the volume of cargo transported by air is 1% of the cargo transported globally, while the remaining 99% is transported by sea and rail. These figures may make us think that air cargo is not important, but this is not the case, and to confirm this, a second parameter comes into play, such as the value of the cargo transported. The value of 1% of cargo transported by air is equivalent to 35% of global cargo turnover. The average value of one ton of cargo transported by air is 150,000 euros, while the value of one ton of cargo transported by ship is on average 2,500 euros, and the value of cargo transported by train is even lower. Accordingly, the development of air cargo transportation is vital for economic development," explains the expert in the field of transportation.

“In a complex analysis of the transportation sector, we first consider the main means of transport for each type of transport, such as trains, cars, planes and ships, then we take into account the energy needed for movement, such as diesel, gasoline, electricity, etc. In too many analyses that discuss the environmental impact of transport, only the pollution created by the use of energy by the means of transport is taken into account, which is incorrect, because each type of transport, in addition to energy, requires the appropriate infrastructure for its full functioning: a railway station, an airport, a port and a parking lot. At the same time, we need connecting infrastructure such as railway lines, roads, tunnels and bridges, and infrastructure necessary for safety, such as traffic lights, video camera surveillance systems, radars, etc. It should be noted that "We don't need connecting infrastructure for air transport, because the main connector is air, just as the main connector for sea transport is water, and there is no need to build anything for these purposes," says Rademacher, and when asked whether this means that rail and land transport infrastructure has a worse impact on the environment than sea transport and aviation, the expert answers: "Absolutely, it is, especially in terms of emissions. When we talk about creating infrastructure, railways and land transport infrastructure require a very large amount of iron, aluminum, concrete and copper, the production of which generates a large amount of emissions, and this is what pollutes the environment. For example, the production of one ton of steel produces 2 tons of carbon dioxide, while the production of aluminum and copper produces even more carbon dioxide.”

Info: bm.ge