The Covid-19 shock had a disruptive impact on the entire airline industry, which had lost more than half of its turnover by last year. What are the prospects for the future of this sector today? We asked Roberto Melis of Freedom In Sales S.r.l., a young and dynamic company certified by IATA (International Air Transport Association), set up in 2012 to offer shippers, airlines, handling agents and their local representatives its services (from shipment pick-up to booking and subsequent ‘follow-up’, from assistance at stopovers to the management of all types of documentation) – on the strength of the expertise gained over many years of activity and a highly specialised and qualified staff.
by Roberta Imbimbo
Dr Melis, how has Covid impacted the air transport sector? And what is the situation today?
In 2020, due to the spread of the epidemic and subsequent lockdowns in different geographical areas, the air transport industry experienced an unprecedented contraction, losing more than USD 118 billion (data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA)), when dozens of airlines had to stop their entire fleets. Today, thanks to the vaccinations carried out on the world’s population and the consequent reduced circulation of the virus, passengers have begun to travel again and have confidence in air transport; as a result, flight frequencies have returned, albeit partially, to pre-pandemic levels, thus facilitating the ability to transport our products abroad. According to an estimate by ACI Europe – which represents more than 500 airports in 55 countries and about 90% of European air traffic – air transport will only definitively return to pre-pandemic levels in 2025. Also influencing this figure is the war in Ukraine and the consequent new, dramatic drop in bookings for intra-European flights (apart from Russian airlines, the destinations most affected are generally those closest to the conflict).
How has your business evolved during this period?
Our main challenge has been to stay abreast of market developments in order not to miss important business opportunities. Despite the sharp increase in uncertainty – caused precisely by the war and the consequent new geopolitical risks – we have recorded significant growth (in turnover and tonnage transported) in this last period, taking advantage of the good momentum that began with the post-Covid recovery without losing our neutrality, a characteristic that has always distinguished us. In the pre-pandemic period, our company specialised in the air transport of pharmaceutical products at controlled temperatures. This expertise, which was difficult to obtain, proved to be a high added value during the acute phase of the Covid-19 emergency when it was necessary to transport the vaccine around the world. Having overcome this umpteenth worldwide emergency, Freedom in Sales will also aim to grow further in terms of structure and technological innovation. We are very proud of our achievements to date. In addition to having become an important link between airlines, or their local representatives, and freight forwarders, handling agents, in recent years we have further strengthened strategic partnerships, becoming one of the main references in Italy for the aforementioned figures for exports to North America and for Pharma Cargo management. We have decisively improved our ecological footprint, adopting a more sustainable business model and making corporate social and environmental responsibility our main ethical value by actively participating in Heco Energy, an innovative start-up Benefit particularly attentive to sustainability, the environment and people. Thanks to the decision to harmonise economic growth objectives with green policies, we were able to significantly strengthen our brand reputation in our target market. A great achievement for a young and innovative company that celebrated its first 10 years this year!
For more info (http://www.freedominsales-fis.it)
