620: Putting AI in Air Freight with Aircon

Air freight has always been a fast-moving, high-stakes sector of global trade. In this episode of The New Warehouse Podcast, Kevin chats with Chris Condon, CEO and founder of Aircon, a company building AI agents to transform air freight operations. Chris shares how Aircon began with a mission to help small and medium-sized freight forwarders compete at scale. He also explains why air freight is more strategic than many assume and how AI is reshaping quoting, booking, and exception management. 

Competing at Scale Through AI and Consolidation

Chris Condon’s career spans from Fortune 100 freight forwarding to founding Aircon. His vision started with freight consolidation to cut costs for smaller players. “You put dense freight, luminous freight… if you’re gonna reduce your chargeable weight by 40%, the net effect of that is instead of a dollar, you’re paying 60 cents a kilo.” That competitive edge mattered when dealing with large shippers like Cisco, Microsoft, and Foxconn, but Chris soon realized consolidation alone wasn’t enough.

Listening to customers, his team developed Captain Cargo, an AI agent designed to help freight forwarders quote, book, and manage shipments. Implementing it internally produced striking results: “We improved our win percentage by 40%. We improved our revenue by two and a half X in the first 90 days.” Those gains sparked the idea that AI agents could scale efficiency for freight forwarders worldwide, regardless of network size.

Rethinking the Role of Air Freight in Supply Chains

For many outside the industry, air freight is synonymous with emergencies. Chris points out that most shipments are by design, not crisis-driven. One customer, for example, regularly ships 20 to 50 pallets of corrugated packaging from the U.S. to India because ocean shipping risks condensation damage. “For the most part, people move via or ship via air by design, or it’s part of their supply chain.”

Still, the market is shifting. Rising passenger travel means less cargo capacity in passenger aircraft bellies—where 80% of global trade moves. Rate volatility, geopolitical events, and compliance requirements all shape decisions. Aircon’s agents manage these complexities proactively. “If something goes wrong in London, we’ll rebook it… If you need it faster, we can rebook it on British Airways, and it’s gonna cost you X.” That level of transparency gives power back to the buyer while helping freight forwarders retain trust.

The Future of Air Freight: Standardization, AI, and Relationships

While AI is central to Aircon’s model, Chris emphasizes it’s not about replacing humans. “We believe that it actually, if done right, will improve your business beyond 10x… It removes friction so you can have a more in-depth relationship with your customer.” By handling repetitive tasks, AI agents free up time for freight forwarders to focus on relationships—the lifeblood of logistics.

The future of air freight, according to Chris, lies in greater automation, more streamlined regulatory processes, and industry-wide standardization. Despite representing only 1% of global trade volume, air freight accounts for 27% of trade value and up to 40% of revenue for some companies. With over 800 airlines worldwide, compared to about 20 steamship lines, the sector’s complexity makes it ripe for AI innovation. As Chris puts it, “AI is happening, ready or not. It’s either you get on board and embrace it, or you have to find another advantage.”

Key Takeaways

• Aircon’s Captain Cargo AI agent boosted win rates by 40% and revenue by 2.5x in 90 days.
• 80% of global trade by air moves in passenger aircraft bellies, limiting cargo space as travel increases.
• Air freight represents just 1% of global trade volume but about 27% of trade value.
• Proactive AI exception management empowers buyers to make real-time cost-versus-speed decisions.
• AI frees up freight forwarders to focus on relationships, improving long-term customer loyalty.

Listen to the episode below and leave your thoughts in the comments.

Guest Information

For more information on Aircon, click here.

To connect with Chris on LinkedIn, click here.

For more information about air freight, check out the podcasts below. 

495: End-to-end Supply Chain Innovation with Maersk

581: A Global Logistics Strategy Rooted in Optionality

465: Global E-Commerce Experts on Taking Your Brand International