Echoes 1975-2015   The year 2015 marks our 40th year in the world of air cargo news reporting—first as Air Cargo News and now as FlyingTypers.
   The stewardship of Air Cargo News FlyingTypers hasn't changed since 1975, and while that is an impressive feat, what is even more remarkable is that in 2015 we have been fortunate to present the writings of the nearly 102-year-old Richard Malkin, who remains the first air cargo reporter in history (circa 1942) and now serves as FlyingTypers' Senior Editor.
   Here Richard continues a remembrance of events in an exclusive year-long series, "Echoes 1975-2015."

1998
   Patrick Henry remarkably stated that he knew of no way to foretell what lay in the future than to rely on the past. We make no claim that the immortalized patriot observation on forecasting somehow influenced the seers of IATA, but they have relied heavily on international airlines’ past performance to predict what can be expected in the next five years. If the numbers work out IATA’s way, the scheduled airlines of the world can be expected to establish annualized air freight growth of 5.39 percent, followed by a marginal decline. The previous five-year air freight forecast had been set at 7.5 percent. Regional forecasts ranged from 4.2 percent (Eastern/Central Europe) to 7.9 percent (Central America), and 15.1 percent (Western Europe). Between these regions: North America (5.7 percent); Western Europe (5.1 percent), no figure was offered for all other regions.
Richard Malkin