Every day, thousands of air cargo export decisions are made across Europe. Freight forwarders choose which airline to book, which airport gateway to use, and whether cargo should move by air, road feeder service, or a combination of both. These choices determine how quickly, reliably, and efficiently goods reach global markets. Yet despite their importance, the decision-making process behind them remains surprisingly underexplored. In industry terms, it is often driven by relationships, experience, trust, price, timing, commodity requirements, and operational constraints. In academic terms, however, it remains something of a “black hole” – one that Floris de Haan, University Lecturer, Erasmus UPT, aims to shed light on.
