Brandon Fried closes chapter with Airforwarders Association
From Cargo Facts Connect by Cargo Facts
February 28, 2026 · 16 min · Episode 159
About this episode
Brandon Fried discusses his retirement from the Airforwarders Association and his ongoing commitment to the industry.
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…
People in this episode
Host: Cargo Facts
Guest: Brandon Fried
Topics covered
- retirement
- freight forwarding
- sustainability
- global freighter capacity
- industry growth
Keywords
- Brandon Fried
- Airforwarders Association
- freight forwarding
- sustainability
- global freighter capacity
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Airforwarders Association, TSA
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