Maersk Air Cargo Joins BARIG to Push Back on German Air Freight Costs
Maersk Air Cargo has become the newest member of BARIG, the Board of Airline Representatives in Germany, as the trade association sharpens its focus on the country’s air cargo sector.
BARIG has been pressing German authorities to address what it describes as excessive location costs and layers of bureaucratic complexity weighing on airfreight operators. Chairman Michael Hoppe pointed to airfreight’s growing importance for German industrial supply chains, arguing that current conditions put unnecessary strain on operators at a time when the mode is more critical than ever.
Maersk Air Cargo runs a fleet of 19 freighters out of a network centered on Billund Airport in Denmark, with Cologne/Bonn serving as its main German hub alongside routes across Europe, Asia, and North America. CEO Lars Jordahn framed the BARIG membership as a chance to help shape industry conditions directly, tying it to the carrier’s broader push for stability and predictability in time-sensitive logistics chains.
The move comes as Maersk’s air cargo arm continues to expand its footprint following a stretch of fleet growth and new route launches, even as the parent group has been trimming corporate headcount amid tariff-driven pressure on 2025 airfreight volumes.