At times, yesterday is today as we experience events going in our world of logistics.
     Take the case of the Airforwarders Association (AfA) call-out of the U.S. government’s investment failure as a puny excuse for flight cuts from Chicago O’Hare International Airport
      In Washington, D.C. (AfA) took the bull by the horns criticizing the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decision to cut hundreds of daily flights at O’Hare.
     Brandon Fried, AfA Executive Director led the charge noting that the move reflects “long-standing failures to invest in aviation infrastructure and air traffic control.”
     The FAA has ordered airlines to reduce operations at O’Hare to 2,708 daily flights during the summer season, down from more than 3,000 planned peak-day movements, in a bid to reduce delays and congestion at one of the United States’ busiest cargo and passenger hubs.
     “This is not a surprise,” Brandon declared, “it is the consequence of years of underinvestment in airport infrastructure and a failure to adequately staff the air traffic control system.”
     “When demand outpaces what the system can safely handle, the result is disruption, reduced capacity, and higher costs that ripple across the supply chain.
     “Moreover,” he warned, “cutting flights at a major global gateway will constrain air cargo capacity, increase delays, and add further pressure to already strained supply chains, particularly for time-sensitive shipments.”
     AfA also reiterated its call for an immediate resolution to the ongoing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown, warning that the situation is approaching a critical point for aviation security.
     Reportedly more than 780 Transportation Security Administration officers have resigned during the shutdown and funding for the twice-monthly payroll is expected to end in early May.
     “While aviation security remains robust, the longer-term impact of workforce disruption is real,” said Fried.
     “We urgently need a resolution that restores stability, including a sustainable, long-term approach to pay for Transportation Security Administration personnel.
     “AfA calls on federal authorities to take coordinated action to address infrastructure constraints, rebuild staffing resilience, and ensure that policy decisions support, rather than restrict, the efficient movement of goods.”
     Brandon Fried has been an outstanding and most interesting industry leader for decades.
     Fried was elected to the AfA Board in 2001 and has served as Executive Director since 2005, He recently announced his retirement from AfA at the end of 2026 .
     Looks like Brandon’s move toward hanging it all up has not slowed down his zeal to continue his attempt to get a better deal for air forwarders, airports and air cargo in general.
     Mr. Fried continues to keynote at small and large airport air cargo clubs; at various industry events and gatherings and of course is no stranger in the U.S. halls of Congress.
     Dylan Thomas the Welsh poet could have been describing Brandon’s mindset in 2026 when he wrote these words in 1947.

               “Do not go gentle into that good night.
               “Old age should burn and rage at the close of day.
               “Rage, rage against the dying of the light!”

     You go, Brandon!
Geoffrey Arend

     Intermodal South America, held in São Paulo, wrapped up another historic edition reinforcing its offering as a heavyweight logistics trade show.
     Intermodal in 2026 is the largest annual logistics event in the Americas and the second largest in the world when it comes to cargo transport, logistics, intralogistics, and foreign trade.
      This São Paulo-held opus 2026 celebrated its 30th edition April 14- 16, in fine style despite all else going on in the world, attracting professionals, companies, and experts from more than 90 countries to the Anhembi District in São Paulo. Attendees were projected to include more than 49,000 professional visitors and 500+ national and international brands and reportedly those numbers held up.
     As a logistics, cargo, and transport event Intermodal was lots of innovation, technology; a huge variety of products and services, accented with end-to-end solutions to connect operations from start to finish.

It was Day 2 of Intermodal South America and as attendance at this event was moving with the easy sway of a supple bossa nova the place to be this day was at ATC Aviation Services GSSA AG booth with Mark Thiermann, Regional Director South America.      Mark once again confirmed the importance of Intermodal.      “This is the best place to meet partners and friends, exchange experiences, and strengthen relationships that are built on trust, partnership, and mutual growth.      “ATC South America continues connecting people, advancing ideas and building opportunities and solid relationships that last.      Our deepest thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth to exchange experiences, strengthen connections and learn more about ATC Aviation's solutions and services.      “We look forward to taking things farther in the year ahead.      “It is always a pleasure to receive partners, customers and friends for such rich and constructive conversations,” Mark Theirmann concluded.

     One of the major highlights of this edition was the 4th Interlog Summit Congress.
     Interlog was born from the union of two relevant conferences: CNL, the National Logistics Conference, held in partnership with ABRALOG, and the Intermodal South America Congress.
     The Summit’s proposal was clear: to project the future of logistics and infrastructure, not only for the Brazilian market but with global ambition and language.
     For 2026, the Interlog Summit adopted a format that included panels and lectures expanding the reach of discussions and creating an experience designed for a truly global audience.
     With translation at hand (always a plus) Interlog made its case for “Connections that move Brazil logistics and infrastructure toward global leadership.”
     Additionally, the congress dove into topics that are redefining competitiveness.
     Discussions covered innovation, multimodality, artificial intelligence, and also geopolitical factors, showing how logistics has shifted from mere execution to strategy..
     There was also a practical change in Intermodal’s day-to-day schedule. “We are all about improving our conferees experience,” said Fernando D’Ascola, responsible for the Infrastructure and Technology portfolio at Informa Markets, the event’s organizer.
     Schedule and available time forconferees to absorb all of the offerings during the Intermodal  three day event were put under the microscope
     “As example the Interlog sessions program was concentrated in morning through mid-afternoon, starting at 11 a.m. running until 4 p.m that including lunch time.
     The logic was to allow attendees to take advantage of technical and strategic content without competing with visits to the exhibition.
     Did it work?
     “After the talk sessions ended, participants still had time to walk through the stands, explore solutions, talk with suppliers, and close opportunities until the end of the fair, which remained open daily until 9 p.m.
     “The idea here is to create a sense of immersion that supports logistics competitiveness: infrastructure and multimodality, innovation and automation, and geopolitics along with so-called neo-industrialization.
     “Intermodal sends a clear message that competitive logistics today depends as much on construction and modal integration as it does on technology, data, automation, and understanding the global scenario.”
Another new development that drew attention at Intermodal 2026 was the decision to adopt paid registration for visitors, with tickets purchased directly through the event’s website.
     Attendee costs were R$150.00 (30 USD) for total access and R$75.00 (15USD) for a daily pass.
      Worth noting access to the Intermodal Digital Platform was free to connect with suppliers, solutions, and professionals driving the logistics, transportation, foreign trade, and intralogistics sectors.
     All of this according to the event organizer is to position Intermodal as an environment even more focused on real opportunities and qualified knowledge exchange.
     Intermodal is hopeful moving forward that paid registration helps attract a more engaged audience with clear objectives and preserves the trade show fair experience as a high-level space for relationships between companies, executives, and decision-makers.
     In the end, report card on  the 2026 Intermodal South America delivered among other things left no doubt: major events in logistics trade shows need to deliver not just volume, but relevance.
     Well-structured content, more targeted networking, and an experience designed for those who truly need to be there in organized events today and tomorrow is the message here.
     Intermodal South America is organized by Informa Markets, with the next edition scheduled to be held from April 13 to 15, 2027, when once again São Paulo will remain the stage for one of the main global conversations on logistics and infrastructure.
GDA/SSA