The project cargo industry that has been focused over the years on Africa, the Middle East and Russia increasingly is pointing toward the thinly populated northern region of Canada. Its oil-bearing tar sands, once unprofitable to exploit, and the region's politically "clean" diamond fields are stirring interest among air cargo professionals.
The problem is that although everyone agrees that demand for outsize cargo flights is outweighing supply, there are few hard numbers to back these arguments up.
"Data is always a substantial problem in Canada, and certainly in this area because it's such a niche area, and there are only a few private operators," says David Gillen, professor of transportation policy at the Center for Transportation Studies at the Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, B.C.
"Traditionally in Canada, unlike the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and the EU in general, information is not easily or readily available."
Source: Air Cargo World, http://www.aircargoworld.com