newstodate.aero

Feb 25, 2021 (newstodate): The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of air cargo as airlines' passenger traffic has largely been stalled.
   This reflects also on the status of cargo in airline hierarchies and financial reports..
   As one recent example, airBaltic has lifted Ilja Seliverstovs from the rank of Head of Cargo, held since February 2017, to the status of VP Cargo as of February 1, 2021.
   Serving with the airline since March 2007, Mr Seliverstovs started his career with airBaltic as Cargo Operations Agent, moving to Cargo Sales Manager from May 2012.
   In 2020, airBaltic handled a total of 7,500 tonnes of cargo, down from 14,829 tonnes in 2019, close to 50 percent down due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
   In spring 2020, airBaltic approved a revised company business plan, Destination 2025 CLEAN, and budget goals were revised facing the airline's traffic coming to a virtual stand-still for 62 days.  
   As it turned out, the full-year volumes in 2020 were actually 31 percent above the revised budgets.
    -The entire aviation industry faced numerous new challenges in 2020. In response to the Covid-19 crisis, we made a decision to strengthen our focus on cooperation with mail operators, expanding the trucking network to EU and beyond, and concluding new agreements with all-cargo operators, which complemented our heavily reduced flight network, Mr Seļiverstovs told newstodate earlier this month.
    In passing, it could be noted that the position as airBaltic VP Cargo has been vacant since January 2017 when its earlier holder, Toms Andersons left the cargo department returning to the passenger business to become instead airBaltic VP Sales.