Brandon Fried may be retiring as executive director of the Airforwarders Association at the end of the year, but he intends to remain active with the industry, he says in this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect.”

After leading the Airforwarders Association for more than twenty years, Fried looks forward to aiding the industry’s growth independently, noting that there is still much work to be done.

He identifies two main areas of focus: the near-term tightness in global freighter capacity, and sustainability, since only 2% to 3% of the SAF needed by the industry is available.

“I’m concerned about a lack of feedstock for the future,” Fried says. “There are only about 650 [large-widebody] freighters now available worldwide, and we’re concerned about that.”

Reflecting on AfA’s milestone achievements, Fried points to TSA’s Certified Cargo Screening Program, which enables certified facilities to pre-screen air freight before acceptance by an aircraft operator or indirect air carrier. The idea faced significant resistance in Washington, D.C., when it was proposed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“There were opinions on Capitol Hill that freight should not be flying in the bellies of passenger planes due to security issues,” he says. “And we convinced Congress as well as the TSA that we could handle the job of handling our own security, and we did.”

Fried’s outlook remains upbeat despite the uncertain trade environment and believes freight forwarding will always have a role in helping customers overcome the challenges ahead.

“We’re advisers and we’re called in for that role,” he says. “Flexibility, being the source of information to the customers, is never going to go out of style, so we’re bullish on the future.”

Tune in to this week’s episode of “Cargo Facts Connect” to hear Fried discuss his takeaways as an industry leader with Editor Jeff Lee and Senior Associate Editor Robert Luke.