Introduction
Air cargo is a form of transportation of goods by using aircraft. There are different aircraft types, such as passenger aircraft, freight, and combined aircraft, which carried both passengers and cargo. Cargo aircraft are specially designed to carry goods that are either durable or non-durable. Air transportation is often used for high value, time-specific, low volume, or perishable since it is fast. Special cargo is classified as goods that require special handling depending on the nature of the goods being transported. Special cargo often includes animal transportation, pharmaceutical products, valuable freight, perishable products, dangerous items, humanitarian help, and oversized items. Perishable products are often those goods with limited time. They require a temperature-controlled environment to maximize shelf-life with specific handling and packaging instructions such as flowers and food produce.
Perishable Supply Chain
Perishable goods should be monitored and controlled all through the freight process from the warehouse before transportation, and delivery of perishable goods to their point of destination. Perishable products include vegetables, fruits, and flowers which deteriorate quality over time and in uncontrolled temperatures and humidity. Perishable supply chain products are often transported in a frozen or cold environment.
Requirements and Regulations
The regulations and requirements of perishable cargo vary from airline to airline and the government. The government has set rules and regulations of compliance concerning time-sensitive products; however, these regulations majorly expound on the type of perishables, risk management, ground operations, and delivery (Bharti, 2020). Specialized equipment is used for temperature control, storage, and packaging. The temperature of products is controlled using inbuilt specialized equipment specifically designed to maintain product quality.
Material Handling Requirements, the Aircraft Requirements, And Specific Regulations
The perishable supply chain is one of the most delicate aspects of freight as there is a high risk of spoilage, loss of quality, and freshness of goods leading to mass loss. Handling, packaging, and aircraft requirements significantly contribute to the quality of products delivered and need to be qualified before transportation; hence, essential to carry out the necessary procedure before loading. Aircraft hold regular staff training on the temperature-sensitive produce, and goods are checked using the shipping documentation to minimize errors (Pelletier et al., 2018). Perishable goods need to be handled using appropriate gear such as gloves and hairnets to reduce contamination risk. The temperature areas are recorded using automatic temperature monitors and aircraft personnel checks for damaged goods.
Competitor Analysis
Several airlines conduct special cargos; however, very few have specialized in perishable goods such as UPS and FedEx. Federal Express Corporation, commonly known as FedEx Express, is a global cargo-based airline that also ships perishable goods. At the same time, united parcel service (UPS) is also a cargo airline that closely competes with FedEx on cargo shipments. FedEx is widely recognized for shipping cargo internationally, while UPS ships domestically in the U.S. FedEx specializes in time-sensitive air freight gaining popularity and reliability among companies intending to ship perishable items.
FedEx terms and conditions of perishable items indicate that products must be packaged 24 hours before shipment and should be done within the week (Zhao, Xiu, & Yu, 2021). FedEx will need to verify and evaluate the packaging standard of the products. UPS terms and conditions of perishable items state that any damages incurred during shipment will not be refunded by the airline. The airline is liable for disposing of products that are unsafe or unsanitary.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Perishable goods are mainly temperature and time-sensitive, requiring a unique transportation mode that incorporates temperature-controlled areas. Examples of perishable goods include vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Maintaining temperature levels when transporting perishable cargo is vital for the goods’ integrity and quality. A standardized form of regulation on the freight of perishable goods is important across all the cargo airlines
References
Pelletier, W., Chau, K. V., Bucklin, R. A., Brecht, J. K., Hahn, D. W., & Émond, J. P. (2018). Analysis of air cargo temperature variations during transport operations. Transactions of the ASABE, 61(2), 723-732. Web.
Bharti, A. (2020). Supply chain management and strategy implementation for perishable goods. In Supply Chain and Logistics Management: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 284-302). IGI Global. Web.
Zhao, C., Xiu, C., & Yu, G. (2021). FedEx and UPS Network Structure and Accessibility Analysis Based on Complex Network Theory. Complexity. Web.