Who are the top experts in air cargo in 2026?

The provided research materials do not identify a comprehensive list of top experts in air cargo for 2026, as the sources are predominantly focused on the trucking and ocean freight markets. The sole expert cited in relation to air cargo is Ryan Peterson, who notes that Middle Eastern carriers, including Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, and Saudia, collectively account for **18%** of the world's total air cargo capacity . The remaining materials detail the perspectives of experts in other freight sectors, providing a broader market context but no further specific insights into air cargo leadership or analysis.

The most frequently cited expert, Paul Pfeiffer, offers extensive analysis of the U.S. trucking market. He characterizes the start of 2026 as the continuation of the longest, though not the deepest, freight recession on record [11, 22]. Pfeiffer anticipates gradual changes rather than dramatic swings, with no guaranteed catalysts for significant shifts in supply or demand [1, 2, 4, 13, 27]. He predicts that freight rates are at an inflection point and poised to increase, driven primarily by carrier discipline in rejecting unprofitable loads rather than by macroeconomic growth [7, 12, 18, 24]. This carrier discipline is evidenced by a willingness to accept lower positions on routing guides to prioritize profitability over volume . A tight supply-demand balance was already apparent in late 2025, when minor events pushed freight into the higher-priced spot market, a trend that atypically persisted into early January 2026 [8, 20].

Experts focused on ocean freight and general logistics provide a complementary view of the market at the start of 2026. Dave, the CEO of Navia North America, anticipates that ocean carriers will attempt to maintain rates of approximately **$3,000** to the U.S. West Coast following successful General Rate Increases in late 2025 and early 2026 [3, 10, 23, 30]. However, he also forecasts a potential 10% decline in year-over-year volume for the first quarter of 2026 . This is attributed to U.S. companies managing existing elevated inventories rather than replenishing stock amid uncertainty in trade and customs policies [14, 19]. Separately, Jared Flynn is identified as an expert with a bullish outlook on the bulk freight market heading into 2026 [21, 26].