Air cargo
is defined in North America as anything other than persons or personal baggage traveling by air. Compared with other means of freight transportation, such as ship, rail, and surface vehicles, air cargo is the newest addition
to the freight sector. Since its start just after World War I, the air cargo industry
has become an indispensible part of the world’s global economy, holding an
important niche in the transport of lightweight, high-value commodities. Us-
ing the infrastructure largely put in place by public agencies for air passenger
travel, such as airports and air traffic control systems, air cargo services con-
nect to almost all parts of the world.