After earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Geophysics at Damascus University, Attiyat began his career in the industry with DHL Jordan in 1996.
He spent more than 15 years of his solid 22 years in the industry with DHL, rising from the ranks, giving him full understanding of the inner workings of the global air freight sector.
He also worked for major companies like TNT and OSN in key management roles before moving to Royal Jordanian Cargo in 2016 where he is credited for making significant restructuring, making the company more profitable and competitive regionally and globally.
In an exclusive interview with Air Cargo Update, Attiyat, who also studied at Cambridge University and holds an MBA from New York’s Rutgers Business School, shares his insights and thoughts on Jordan’s top air freight company and the air cargo industry in general.
Royal Jordanian Cargo is one of the leading air freight carriers in the Middle East serving more than 28 airports throughout the Arab world and 22 points in Europe, what makes it superior to its competitors?
Thousands of years ago, Jordan played a major role in what was called at that time the “Silk Road” wherein it was recognized as the “Regional Distribution Centre” due to its favorable location, weather conditions and its ability to deliver on its tasks.
RJ Cargo is building on those facts in giving value to the logistical world’s map towards meaningful methods of transportation. Jordan’s geographical location and its ideal weather condition help in the supply chain in guaranteeing speed, consistency, ideal cost modeling and flexibility.
With that in mind, and knowing that we have a dynamic network of freighter and passenger aircraft, we managed to add great value to the supply chain globally.
With a great team, we’re able to provide the right solutions connecting the Far East, Europe, the United States to the Middle East, focusing on offering quality transit while meeting the growing demand for efficient air transportation.
How has the air freight industry transformed over the last few years in your opinion?
With regional dynamics and changes that are happening, along with increased demand for e-Commerce (B to C) regionally and globally, a new dimension in air freight service came about where quality and transparency became the key selling points for any carriers.
How can customers track their shipments? What techniques do you employ to track consign-ments?
We at RJ Cargo have re-introduced our website with better features and product information to help customers navigate easily in checking shipments, making inquiries or do other business transactions online.
Now customers can be introduced to our vast services and products apart from calculating the cost of shipping charges before preparing the MAWB, and most importantly, website offers transparent visibility where customers can track and trace their shipment. With those features, customers can know the exact departure and arrival details of their shipments. Thereby, they can plan accurately for receiving the shipments at final destination. This feature is available on http://rj-cargo.com/
Do you agree that e-Commerce will help increase air cargo volumes? If so, please elaborate.
Developments in technology have led to global exposure online of numerous products. This has brought the supply chain closer, between end-user and seller, causing shortcuts that are needed to speed-up the process and reduce cost.
The e-Commerce demand is growing fantastically well in the last few years, and this year was no exception as we are experiencing a major peak caused by the growing demand to link between end-user and supplier.
While regionally we are at “Business to Consumer” Stage “B to C” we are actively looking and watching the (C to C) Consumer to Consumer Dynamics, preparing to make the necessary changes to meet the growing demand in that sector.
Are you planning to increase your clout in the Indian Sub-continent and if yes what steps have you taken for the same?
The Indian Subcontinent is a major player in the logistics world map. We are currently working very closely with our partners, supporting the high-demand through alliances that we have in place. These solutions have been introduced. However, we will watch the increasing demand to make sure that we have the right investment when needed.
Please tell us more about your plans for expansion.
We are going ahead with the plan we started about two years ago— promoting Jordan as a transit hub and regional gateway. Making sure that the investments needed should be well prepared and seized according to the market dynamics.
The air freight market is constantly changing and it’s more like the stock market nowadays. Every morning you open your eyes on something new and only dynamic organizations can capture the opportunities on time.
It’s been a great start to the year. Al Reyami Shipping & Logistics has seen robust air cargo growth throughout 2017
which continued unabatedly over the course of Q1 2018.
ARSL saw the demand for air cargo which continued to be strong, with 9.8 percent growth in February. The positive outlook for the rest of 2018, however, faces some potentially strong headwinds, including escalation of protectionist measures, into a fullblown trade war.
As we have noticed, the logistics sector is gaining momentum as more and more newcomers have started setting up their companies in the UAE in various industries.
The UAE market has a blend of conventional logistics players which are offering the cheapest rates and services to win their airfreight customers. The challenge now remains on how the existing players can face competition from
startups which are more equipped in terms of latest technology, offering transparency at a click of a button, as against traditional logistics companies which are accustomed to the old methods of networking.
Air freight appears to have entered a period of sustainable growth with steadily increasing volume from the e-commerce and pharmaceuticals sectors over the past few years leading to a decoupling of air cargo demand
from goods trade growth and muddying the research waters in the process.
Demand for air freight has been boosted since mid-2016 with stronger economic and trade backdrop, by bottlenecks in manufacturing supply-chains and a broader inventory restocking cycle.
Although this is good for airline margins, the strong demand has been a nightmare for shippers with record high freight rates and severe shortages of space at peak periods.
The growth of e-commerce is brightening the outlook for global air freight demand this year against a dire background of escalating trade tensions and rising fuel costs.
2017 was a big year for e- Commerce in the UAE. Amazon bought Souq.com, the biggest e- Commerce brand in the country and Emaar Properties launched Noon. Al Reyami, incidentally, has also started its exposure with Noon.
Technology has made the world smaller and faster.Real time communication with people from all over the world at different time zones through phones and gadgets
