The intelligence layer transforming airfreight - Air Cargo Week
E-commerce is reshaping air cargo into a high-speed, transaction-driven market, with operators increasingly relying on rapid processing and dynamic demand management to maximise yields. AI is becoming central. . .
E-commerce is reshaping air cargo into a high-speed, transaction-driven market, with operators increasingly relying on rapid processing and dynamic demand management to maximise yields. AI is becoming central to commercial decision-making, enabling faster pricing, capacity allocation and demand forecasting, allowing operators to respond more effectively to volatile market conditions. Legacy cargo systems are struggling to keep pace with rising e-commerce volumes, driving demand for scalable, automated digital platforms that improve efficiency, support growth and eliminate operational bottlenecks. e-commerce has fundamentally altered air cargo from scheduled uplift planning to continuous transactional flow. In APAC, where export density and parcelisation overlap, capacity is increasingly consumed in short bursts driven by platform-led demand rather than traditional contracts. The commercial implication is a shift in how yield is captured. Speed of processing now determines margin quality as much as network design or belly capacity availability, forcing operators into a constant optimisation loop. “e-commerce is changing the commercial model of air cargo. It’s moving the industry toward higher-speed, higher-density transaction environments where success depends on how efficiently you can process and monetise demand,” Tristan Koch, CCO at Awery, said. At Awery, we’re focussed on giving operators the tools to manage that complexity at scale, handling large volumes of bookings while maintaining control over their operations. ”AI-driven decision cyclesAI is becoming embedded in commercial decision architecture rather than sitting as an analytical layer. The key value lies in accelerating pricing, capacity allocation and demand sensing within compressed trading windows. For APAC operators, this reduces exposure to volatility across lanes where demand spikes can emerge and dissipate rapidly. Decision latency becomes a measurable commercial risk. “The biggest impact is in decision support. AI allows operators to move from reactive to proactive commercial management, adjusting pricing, allocating capacity, and identifying opportunities far earlier,” Koch stated. “Within Awery’s platform, we’re enabling customers to act on both live and historical data in a way that improves efficiency, and therefore increases revenue. ”The structural shift is towards continuous optimisation rather than periodic planning cycles. This changes how revenue management functions are embedded into operational workflows. “The focus should be on performance and scalability. Systems need to be able to handle growth without bottlenecks, and they need to support smarter commercial decisions. We prioritise solutions that deliver measurable improvements, but can also grow in line with a company and its operations,” he expressed. System constraintsDespite accelerating demand, many cargo environments still operate on architectures designed for low-frequency, manual interaction. This mismatch becomes more visible as e-commerce volumes scale. In APAC trade lanes, the effect is amplified by transaction density. Systems reliant on manual processing introduce delays precisely where automation is most commercially valuable. Operationally, this forces organisations into compensatory behaviour. Instead of scaling seamlessly, they manage volume through intervention-heavy processes that limit responsiveness. “A key limitation is the lack of systems designed for high-volume, high-speed booking environments. Many platforms were built for a different era of cargo. As a result, they struggle with throughput and automation,” Koch explained. Digital investment disciplineInvestment priorities are increasingly defined by performance resilience rather than transformation ambition. The ability to scale without operational degradation is now central to competitive positioning. In APAC, uneven growth across markets makes elasticity more important than uniform system deployment. Infrastructure must absorb variability without creating bottlenecks. “Systems need to be able to handle growth without bottlenecks, and they need to support smarter commercial decisions. We prioritise solutions that deliver measurable improvements, but can also grow in line with a company and its operations,” Koch stated. There is growing resistance to software that constrains expansion. Technology is expected to enable growth pathways rather than impose structural limits. “The last thing software should be doing is limiting growth in any way. We prioritise solutions that deliver measurable improvements, but can also grow in line with a company and its operations. The focus should be on performance and scalability,” he highlighted.