Interview with the Air Freight Manager of Savitransport HQ, Andrea Scolari
Savitransport has always been synonymous with airfreight excellence.
Today we have interviewed Mr. Andrea Scolari and asked him to briefly summarize the current situation regarding airfreight exports to the U.S.A., with particular focus on the fashion and footwear sectors; a market segment where Savitransport’s reputation as a strategic supplier is renowned.
If we look at the volume of freight forwarders, we can safely say that we are realigning these figures with those registered in 2019, prior pandemic. Although there is still great uncertainty characterizing the current economic climate, and it is near impossible to predict when this ends, I feel that this situation is in progressive distention. To be more specific, we are seeing growth in the confidence of U.S. markets where the demand for products Made In Italy is gaining momentum. Requests for airfreight bookings to the U.S. are increasing on a daily basis, with a contributing factor also being the ocean freight tariff increases that have been imposed over the last two years, together with services that are to say the least not reflected in these increases, given the frequent blank sailings, delays and lack of empty containers. Ships often have no option but to anchor in waters outside of port terminals, away from the unloading docks, given the congestion at the maritime terminals.
Airfreight is in some ways returning to its natural role as the premier mode of transport for the world of fashion. We do need to remember that at a worldwide level, we can’t compare the current number of operative flights with 2019 figures, as at the moment there fewer operative flights, but wherewith the request for space now exceeds availability, generating an increase in the air freight tariffs. On a positive note, from 1st June, the number of flights from Italy to the U.S. will begin increasing. Summertime coupled with the continually increasing number of people that have been vaccinated should help push the recovery in international tourism and allow the airline carriers that operate passenger-only flights to begin flying again. In fact, many companies have already announced that they will fly more frequently, returning to flying from Italian hubs or to reinforce their market presence. As well as this, and for some time now, most of the major Italian logistics providers have been organizing their own cargo charter flights, as a way of coping with the chronic shortage of aircraft space. Airlines that operate cargo-only freighter flights have also been able to strengthen their market share and reinforce their fleets. Looking at the larger picture where all these factors are taken into account gives us a positive outlook and the belief that we should see growth levels superior to those of 2019.
