Air Cargo & International Transportation Challenges and Opportunities from a Global Perspective

On October 13th HIDC co-organized the Inland Empire World Trade Conference together with San Bernardino International Airport. Earlier this year HIDC and SBIA signed an MOU with the objective of connecting networks on both sides of the Atlantic and creating jobs in both parts of the world. With logistics and supply chain as common ground, examples from business cases were presented from both regions. HIDC CEO Remco Buurman outlined how COVID 19 is impacting global supply chains by describing current and long-term developments in air transport, supply chains and e-commerce.

Arjan Korf, District Manager Amsterdam of Expeditors, related how they have grown from 2 FTEs to 500+ FTEs at their European hub in Amsterdam, and why the Netherlands was chosen for this operation. Eline van den Berg from Royal Flora Holland shared interesting insights on the history and current status of the largest flower auction in the world in Aalsmeer and the importance of joint efforts for supplying Dutch flowers all over the world. Jos Roeven, CEO of Maastricht-Aachen Airport, elaborated on the broad range of services the airport offers and addressed the impact of COVID 19 here. An update of SBIA by CEO Michael Burrows followed, from its origins as a military base to its present logistics function and its course of development, highlighting how Amazon Air recently established their regional air hub at the airport. Matthew McCardle, Head of Policy at Amazon Air, talked about the reasons why Amazon Air set up this hub and the Amazon operational flows supported here. In the concluding presentation Nick Grooters, Chair of CIEDEC, California Inland Empire District Export Council, spoke about the benefits of exporting, and how they assist exporters from California. In this fascinating, in-depth session the strengths of both regions were outlined, and opportunities will certainly arise. Next year’s event is planned as a live session once again.