The growth equates to a 2% increase in total volumes carried in 2018 across ABC’s growing international network. The airline’s pharma volumes rose by more than 60% year-on-year, while dangerous goods shipments using the ABC DG product rose by 40% and ABC XL demand for oversize and heavy cargoes increased by over 20% compared to 2017. The e-commerce segment delivered via AirBridgeCargo’s ABC e-com product increased by 6%, meanwhile.
The increase is attributed to the introduction of new destinations, notably Ho Chi Minh City, Shenzhen, Budapest, and Columbus, which opened new market growth opportunities for ABC’s customers. On top of this, effective fleet utilization, the introduction of digital solutions, partnerships with reliable companies and the reinforcement of its global team. The growth trajectory is expected to continue in terms of shipment volumes as the company increases its focus on performance quality and customer satisfaction also facilitated the company’s growth.
“2019 will be an exceptional year for ABC – the year of our 15th anniversary - and we are delighted to achieve another company milestone supported by the consistent results of 2018,” commented Sergey Lazarev, General Director of AirBridgeCargo Airlines. “New challenges are ahead of us, but that’s what makes the air cargo industry an exciting place to be. We are all set and ready for new plans and accomplishments as we continue to follow our growth strategy.”
One of the main areas for further progress this year will be the development of digital front-end solutions for the convenience of ABC customers worldwide, starting with the implementation of equipment to improve the monitoring of a cargo’s condition - temperature logger, shocking sensors, Bluetooth transmitting devices. Further developments will include partnerships with companies such as Unilode and SITAONAIR, to guarantee 100% traceability of shipments and continue the move towards an ‘Internet of Things’ platform.