Air is Essential, Episode Four - The missing piece of the puzzle

Sending cargo via air freight has always traditionally been considered a ‘plan B’ or back-up option for supply chains, but in this unpredictable, fragmented world we find ourselves in - where black swan events are seemingly becoming more and more commonplace - air freight is undergoing something of a transformation.

[@fbkintanar]

I wonder how the integration of airfreight will impact Maersk's commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions sooner than most in the logistics industry. It is an industry leader in addressing ocean operations, which has allowed it to develop capability in sourcing green methanol. This might help it in a transition to sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), and in decarbonizing auxiliary operations at airports. It is not clear to me how to address the embodied emissions in the production of vessels. I can imagine Maersk ordering ships made with green steel in the future, as green steel becomes available. However the transition to greener manufacturing of airplanes is completely dependent on the engineers at Airbus and Boeing, and there is no sign they are designing a future plane with completely carbon-free materials. Even if such a plane were designed and produced, it would take many decades before the stock of planes in the world's fleet would transition to them.