Membership in Airforwarders Association Surges

The growth in the number of freight forwarding companies joining the Airforwarders Association (AfA) has reached unprecedented levels, with the organization’s regular membership rolls expanding by nearly 25 percent over the past year.

More than half of the increase in the association’s regular membership - which is composed of freight forwarding companies that focus on air cargo - has come in just the past few weeks. The AfA now represents 230 such enterprises in addition to more than 120 other businesses and organizations, including major airlines, that work with or serve freight forwarding operations. Analysts have recently told SCMR that the air cargo sector is poised for growth as well.

“As they contemplate increased business in an improving economy, forwarders are likely realizing that the regulatory framework for air freight and other commonly used modes is now more extensive and complex than ever. So they want to make certain their voice is heard in Washington and that they have a way to keep current on regulatory and industry developments,” says Brandon Fried, the AfA’s Executive Director.

As an alliance of indirect air carriers, airlines, truckers and affiliated businesses located throughout the global transportation community, the AfA currently represents companies ranging from small businesses with fewer than 20 employees to large global enterprises employing thousands of people, as well as business models varying from domestic to worldwide logistics operations.

Fried pointed out that that much of the cargo handled by the nation’s air freight forwarders is transferred across two or more modes of transportation between shipper and receiver. Accordingly, he said, the AfA has become increasingly active in legislative initiatives and regulatory issues that are present across the broad range of transportation modes, including trucking, shipping and railroads as well as air freight.

The association also represents air freight forwarders across more than a dozen government advisory boards and industry councils, including the Department of Homeland Security Aviation Advisory Committee and its Critical Infrastructure Protection Air Cargo Security Working Group, the Transportation Security Administration Aviation Security Advisory Committee and the TSA Known Shipper Users Group, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commercial Operations Advisory Committee, the Department of Commerce Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness and the US Chamber of Commerce Global Supply Chain Security Group.

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