The decision to ground passenger aircraft due to the outbreak of Covid-19 has significantly affected the movement of perishable products.According to Eric Mauroux, treasurer at the Cool Chain Association (CCA), with passenger aircraft providing at least half of airfreight capacity and that lost, there was a need for quick thinking and f lexibility.“In some instances capacity was reduced by as much as 95%. With lockdowns and quarantine policies still in place around the world, normal activity has yet to restart.”He said while the past few months had been tough on perishable and pharmaceutical cargo operators they did highlight the importance of airfreight.“What Covid-19 has done is create an awareness among the general public about how important it is to have passenger capacity for freight movements and how fragile and at risk societies are when life-saving pharmaceuticals cannot move because there is no capacity.”He said with so much focus on environmental sustainability airfreight was often critically perceived as having a heavy carbon footprint. “The airfreight industry only represents some 2% of the total CO2 footprint – and we as logistics professionals understand the vital role it plays. But this has not always been the case for people outside our sector.”