United Cargo’s Jan Krems: No Freighters, No Problem - War, Disruption and Why Cargo Is Still Sexy

Air cargo doesn't stop for war. It reroutes. Jan Krems, President of United Cargo, joins Mike King at the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Lima, Peru, for one of the most candid conversations in recent air freight memory.

With Middle East airspace closed, fuel prices up sixty to seventy percent, and tariff policy shifting overnight, Jan explains how United keeps cargo moving when the world keeps throwing curveballs. His model is built on belly capacity, smart partnerships, and access to freighter space rather than ownership of it - a position he defends with characteristic Dutch directness.

On the growth side, Jan talks through United's pharmaceutical business in India, new Southeast Asia services into Vietnam and Thailand, and where he sees opportunity in a market disrupted by both conflict and trade policy chaos.

He also breaks down how United thinks about automation, AI, and the one thing technology still cannot replace: people with a cargo heart.

Thirty-nine years in the industry. Twelve with United. And cargo, he says, is still sexy.

Recorded live at WCS Lima, March 2026.

This episode of the Freight Buyers Club is supported by Dimerco Express Group. https://dimerco.com/

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome from WCS Lima

01:00 Five years of disruption: COVID, Ukraine and the Middle East

03:00 Middle East airspace closure: impact, fuel costs and workarounds

05:00 Tariffs: coping when policy changes overnight

07:00 India, pharma and new Southeast Asia routes

09:00 South America: how United serves the region

10:00 The freighter question: why Jan will never own one

11:30 Fleet investment, specialty products and the cool chain

13:00 AI, automation and the 50/25/25 booking model

14:30 Thirty-nine years in the industry and why cargo is still sexy

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