February 18, 2022 – While airfreight is still in high demand, fewer workers available to process and move cargo is clogging throughput, according to Supply Chain Dive.
Everstream Analytics found that air cargo shippers have encountered slower processing speeds in Atlanta this month as a result of the omicron variant. Swissport, an air cargo handling company, told Supply Chain Dive that “the variant has added pressure to existing capacity constraints.” Swissport manages an air cargo warehouse at the Atlanta airport and reported record cargo demand
“For most of 2021, and especially in Q4, the top tier cargo airports have been operating above capacity,” the company said. “These high volumes combined with existing staffing challenges, which have been accentuated by the arrival of the Omicron variant in early 2022, have had an impact on throughput for many companies in the air cargo supply chain, including Swissport.”
Labor constraints are a significant pain point across the air cargo industry. FedEx “temporarily suspended” airfreight services earlier this year, and Delta Cargo “enacted a temporary embargo” in Anchorage, Alaska because of a workforce shortage. Additionally, omicron has affected travel for passengers, causing cancellations that lead to limited air cargo capacity.
“We’re seeing that the processing times are increasing by the day, and we think the trend is likely to continue for the next few weeks,” Julie Gerdeman, CEO of Everstream Analytics, said of cargo operations at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport.