The Nordic Air Cargo Symposium is now in its third year. Delegates from 11 countries gathered at the Grand Hotel Stockholm September 19th. Key decision makers from airports, forwarders, airlines, investors, property developers, consulting firms, suppliers and media came together for a comprehensive day focused on what is going on in the North European marketplace. Spegelsalen (Mirror Hall) at the Grand Hotel, which opened in 1899, was a great location for an air cargo event.

Mrs. Kerstin Lindberg Göransson, Managing Director, Stockholm-Arlanda Airport was the welcome key note speaker. Outlining the strong commitment for cargo development, Mrs. Lindberg Göransson focused on the prime location of Stockholm as the business capital of the Baltic region.

The first morning session highlighted IATA's e-Freight program. Mr. Robert Ryan from IATA's Geneva headquarters outlined the challenges, consequences and expected gains with a paperless air commerce industry. This was the first time IATA revealed the program details at any external meeting. Mr. Per Hansson from DHL Danzas Air & Ocean and Mr. Håkan Nilsson, TNT Freight Management joined the panel discussion with remarks and comments on how they see the new opportunities and implications of e-Freight implementation.

The newly appointed Managing Director of Finnair Cargo, Mr. Antero Lahtinen, presented the future strategy of his company. With a strong focus on Asian routes, Finnair Cargo is committed to strengthening its market position in Europe and globally. Mr. Jan Lillieborg, SAS Cargo, discussed market trends in Northern Europe, the implications of the shift towards east and outsourcing of production to Asia. He believes that SAS Cargo, together with customers and business partners, is positioned excellently to provide "Airfreight the Scandinavian Way".

Mr. Pierre Wesner, Cargolux, assessed the highly interesting topic "Where to land in Europe?" Will freighter operations move from or to the main hubs in Europe due to congestion, environmental regulations and new market demands? Mr. Wesner went through how Cargolux views the decision criteria for landing points in Europe and commercial requirements for an effective freighter network structure.

Three interesting speakers participated in the Market Outlook Baltic Republics session. Mr. Kristo Vrager, Sky Partners reviewed the current situation at the Estonian market, and Mr. Haralds Treimanis, air Baltic, focused on the Latvian market. The directional imbalance is still a reality. Lack of correct market data is a problem since significant trucked volumes of air freight is not included in official statistics. The cargo infrastructure has improved in recent years. The future outlook is favorable for the air cargo industry. Mr. Marcus Svedberg, Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics, assessed the macroeconomic outlook for the Baltic Region. Most economic indicators are indeed highly positive for the three Baltic republics.

The last speaker, Mr. Malcolm Macbeth, DHL Aviation, addressed the topic "Turning Airport into a Cargo & Logistics Hub". He identified hub selection strategies for express carriers and how to improve operational and handling processes at airports. Mr. Macbeth's lecture was highly appreciated by the Symposium attendees.

After a long day, the Nordic Air Cargo Symposium 2005 ended with a recognition for the generous support of the host sponsor Stockholm-Arlanda Airport and the other seven sponsors who made this event possible.

Looking forward to see you all next year!

L-G Comén
EUROAVIA INTERNATIONAL

Symposium speakers:

Per Hansson, IT-Manager, DHL Danzas Air & Ocean (Sweden) AB
Antero Lahtinen, Managing Director, Finnair Cargo
Jan Lillieborg, VP Global Sales, SAS Cargo
Kerstin Lindberg Göransson, Managing Director, Stockholm-Arlanda Airport
Malcolm Macbeth, Head of Network Planning, DHL Aviation
Håkan Nilsson, CIO, TNT Freight Management AB
Robert Ryan, Project Manager e-Freight, IATA
Haralds Treimanis, Cargo Manager, air Baltic
Marcus Svedberg, Chief Analyst, Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics
Kristo Vrager, Manager Baltics, Sky Partners OÜ
Pierre Wesner, VP Europe, Africa & ME, Cargolux