Author : Raymond A. Ausrotas
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 40 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (548 download)
Book Synopsis The Feasibilty of Large All-cargo Aircraft Systems by : Raymond A. Ausrotas
Download or read book The Feasibilty of Large All-cargo Aircraft Systems written by Raymond A. Ausrotas and published by . This book was released on 1996 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduction: Air cargo has enjoyed uninterrupted growth since the coming of the jet age. World scheduled air freight, in terms of revenue to the carriers and overall cargo carried, has doubled and doubled again every decade during this period. All forecasts indicate 5-7% annual rates for the next twenty years. For example, the 1995 Boeing forecast calls for 6.7% annual growth, to reach some 350 billion RTKs (Revenue Ton Kilometers) by 2014. As impressive as this growth has been it still represents less than 1% of the world's international freight industry by volume, although about 30% by value. Overall world trade will continue to grow with the implementation of various treaties that will facilitate this growth, i.e., General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). From 1970 to 1994, the all-cargo jet fleet has increased from fewer than 100 aircraft to more than 1000 in 1994. Of these, some 750 are old generation aircraft which will need replacement in the near future. To accommodate the expected growth, Boeing forecasts a need for a total of 2,100 freighters, of which 800 are expected to be small (payload of less than 30 tons), 500 to be medium (30-50 tons payload), and 800 to be large jet aircraft (greater than 50 ton payload). Currently some 60% of world air cargo capacity is offered by passenger aircraft; by 2014 it is expected to remain about the same (400 available ton-kilometers). If the old generation aircraft are replaced in this period, as would be expected, these would be largely in the small/medium size categories. Currently these constitute 800 aircraft, so that the new aircraft that will be ordered will be mostly in the large size categories. Thus Boeing expects that some 100 large size freighters will be needed over the next twenty years. How many of these could be of the dedicated large all-cargo freighter category, rather than freighter versions of new technology passenger aircraft, is the great unknown. The forecasts by Boeing, as well as most other sources, link air cargo growth to world GDP growth and average scheduled air freight yield. They do not assume shifts in demand due to new and innovative practices by the air cargo industry. "Time-sensitive" as well as "value-sensitive" goods are prime candidates for fast and reliable air cargo shipments. Time-sensitive goods consist of both perishable goods and emergency shipments. Perishable goods are of two kinds: economic perishables and physical perishables. Economic perishables have a finite time during which they are valuable, such as Christmas toys or seasonal garments. For example, time-based competition has spawned "air bridges"--Dedicated air freighter programs designed to reduce plant-to-plant shipment times, such as the Limited's use of freighters between its Hong Kong garment suppliers and its Columbus, Ohio distribution center. Although garments are low value commodities on a per pound basis, rapidly changing consumer tastes make them perishable commodities and thus targets for air freight rather than ocean shipping. Physical perishables include such items as seafood or flowers. The prime example of latent demand in the air cargo industry is the fresh cut flower business. A business that began in 1970, the volume from South America to the United States now exceeds 150,000 tones of flowers per year. Value-sensitive goods are those goods which, when the total logistics costs are considered rather than just the transportation costs, allow the shipper to use a premium shipment service. For these goods savings on inventory carrying costs are often large enough to offset faster transportation premiums. For example, another new development indicating the need or possibility of faster and more reliable transportation services is the concept of Global Transparks. The world's first network of three Global Transparks will consist of one in North Carolina, one in Germany and one in Thailand. The Transparks are airport-based dedicated industrial estates which manufacture components and assemble finished products in three different continents. For example, working on the Just-in-Time principle, raw materials would be flown in to the Transpark on the morning of work and used during the daytime. Because of differences in time zones, components manufactured in Thailand can be shipped overnight to Germany, where they can be utilized the next working day. The Transparks will be linked by similar "air bridges" (dedicated high-frequency air freighter services), and will have road, and/or potential sea and rail links. Likely industries for global Transpark networks include car manufacturers, as well as any high technology industries with high-value components that can take advantage of the logistics savings inherent in such a service. Aside from such novel developments as Global Transparks, to raise its percentage of overall tonnage carried, the air cargo industry must make air freight more attractive to shippers. This can be done by improving service or reducing the cost of transport. Fast delivery is the service quality which differentiates air freight today. Improving service by reducing the perceived complexity of shipping by air and reducing the total time in transit by improving on pickup and delivery times on the ground portion is within the capabilities of the industry now, but it would make air cargo only somewhat more attractive Reducing the cost of service, however, could cause a quantum jump in the shipments by air. To achieve such a substantial reduction in cost will require an integrated network of large all-cargo aircraft and trucks to provide door to door transportation around the globe. Cargo aircraft capable of handling intermodal truck size containers (twenty or forty foot equivalent units: TEUs or FEUs) containing processed or manufactured goods will be a necessary part of such a large all-cargo aircraft system (LACAS).
