Frankfurt am Main, 7. April 2016: Ivan Santoro, Regional Operations & Ground Handling Director EMEA at AirBridgeCargo Airlines, was appointed as Co-Chairman alongside Michael Hoppe for the direction of BARIG’s Cargo Committee. Santoro is regarded as air cargo expert with long-term experience. He worked for several forwarding agents and was employed by British Airways before he switched to AirBridgeCargo Airlines in 2006.

“I am glad that Ivan Santoro is now co-responsible for the leadership of this committee,” Michael Hoppe comments on the nomination. “Together with the member airlines we emphasize important topics and thereby greatly contribute to securing Germany’s future as an air cargo location.”

The BARIG Cargo Committee works on several topics, which are of high relevance for airlines. Among others, the working groups address cargo charges, security topics and the cargo infrastructure at Frankfurt Airport, Europe’s biggest air cargo hub. The BARIG Cargo Committee also maintains strong cooperation with the Air Cargo Community Frankfurt and the leading cargo and logistics associations DSLV (German forwarding and logistics association), SLV (forwarding and logistics association in the states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate) as well as with VACAD (association of air cargo handlers in Germany). In total, BARIG member airlines transport around 4 million tons of air cargo to and from airports in Germany.

BARIG e.V. (Board of Airline Representatives in Germany) represents the interests of around 100 national and international airlines in scheduled, charter and air cargo business. Since the foundation in 1951 the airline association works for the improvement of frame conditions in the aviation industry in Germany and is the key industry contact for politics, authorities, industry and media. Worldwide the BARIG member airlines transport around 1.7 billion passengers and more than 25 million tons of air cargo to over 1.500 destinations. Every year over 200 million passengers are traveling to and from Germany with BARIG airlines to more than 280 international destinations. The BARIG Airlines have over 105.000 employees in Germany. The overall aviation industry secures 823.000 workplaces and therefore is a major factor of the German economy.