A new air cargo world order will emerge over the next five years, as European combination carriers make way for new kids on the block, and niche carriers come into their own, according to Larry Coyne, CEO, Coyne Airways.

Some, if not all, European legacy airlines will leave the long haul freighter business as competition increases, yields from China continue to fall, economies tighten their belts, and shippers turn to surface transport.

'The combination carriers have suffered a series of setbacks including 9/11, SARS, the volcano dust cloud, and, most seriously, price fixing charges,' said Coyne.

'They will increasingly concentrate on passenger cargo services, and the owners of long range freighters, like the B747-800, will need niche carriers like Coyne Airways to help them optimize loads. We can tap into local hubs where a single destination is not able to support a freighter operation.'

Coyne, whose airline Coyne Airways will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year, said the face of the business was changing, with Asian and Middle East operators stepping in to fill the long haul gap, small, agile regional carriers prospering in regional markets, and express operators continuing to target heavy cargo and new markets.

'We believe that ease of doing business will be an important differentiator as we prepare to celebrate 20 years in the business,' said Coyne

'Customers want to deal with real people with the right experience and knowledge, something we pride ourselves on at Coyne.

'Performance, especially speed, will continue to be important. We can move freight from Washington DC to Afghanistan in as little as two days, for example.

'And of course we understand that cost is an issue, we have to be competitive ' we won't charge for War Risk, for example, Delivery on Base, or Proof of Delivery.'