Demand for air cargo will grow until 2022, according to UAE airlines - Oleg Sergeev

The increased demand for the transportation of goods, which arose in 2020 during the pandemic, still exists and will continue until 2022.

As an expert, I see no reason to reduce the demand for freight transportation. Demand for the transport of personal protective equipment continues to persist, there has been significant growth in e-commerce, and there are huge delays in shipping lines on key trade routes. It is possible that this trend will continue throughout 2021 and, possibly, even longer.

The same opinion is shared by representatives of some airlines in the UAE, for which cargo transportation has become a real lifeline during the crisis. By re-equipping some of their aircraft, they were able to resume some passenger routes and restore passenger traffic.

ZetAvia, whose fleet consists of IL-76 cargo planes, did not have to re-equip anything during the pandemic. Throughout 2020 and now, ZetAvia successfully transports cargo to the countries of the Middle East, Europe and Africa on reliable specialized Russian-made aircraft with a carrying capacity of up to 50 tons.

Most of the companies operating in the field of passenger air transportation will have to master new routes and methods of work, at least this entire year, in order to maintain their positions in the market. Perhaps they will need financial assistance again. However, there are some exceptions. So, one of the budget air carriers of the UAE recently announced that it is successfully coping with the circumstances during a pandemic and does not yet need financial support from outside. The airline was helped out of the crisis by restructuring and cost cutting.