ABSTRACT
Carrying cargo has been far more important than carrying passengers for almost every mode of transportation ever used by humankind. Air transportation tends to be used to move passengers and cargo over long distances. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the worldwide aviation industry flew almost 9 trillion revenue passenger kilometers. The air cargo industry includes four types of carriers: integrated carriers, combination carriers, belly-only carriers, and conventional all-cargo carriers. Air cargo traffic continues to grow at a healthy rate, but it has not yet achieved the status envisioned by the air cargo pioneers of the 1930s and 1940s. The most important competitive response by US combination and belly hold carriers is the trend toward contracting out airport cargo services. The growth in US airport freighter activity primarily reflects the development of integrated carrier flight routings. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated growth in the express and e-commerce market.
