AIR CARG O WEEK


WEEKLY NEWS 60 Seconds With ...


Tea or coffee? Definitely, a decaf coffee guy.


What’s your guilty pleasure TV show or movie? That would be a TV series called Father Ted, fantastic comedy.


What’s the most exciting place you’ve visited for work? That would be Hong Kong. When I lived there, everything was possible, and at that time it was really fantastic.


If you could introduce one new regulation in air cargo, what would it be? A business licence and minimum standards for entry, and then people would have to get recertified every so often.


What’s your go-to karaoke song? Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi.


Describe your job in three words? Nurture sales and growth.


What’s your hidden talent? Being a failed rugby player would be the ability to kick a rugby ball with both feet and score drop goals with both feet.


If you could instantly master one skill, what would it be? Playing those drums on that desert island.


What’s something on your bucket list? Wild mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda. Always wanted to do it. Haven’t done it yet.


NEVILLE KARAI CEO OF THE HAE GROUP BY Anastasiya SIMSEK


Neville Karai is the CEO of the HAE Group of companies and the Founder of the Cargo Solutions Network. HAE Group is a key player in GSSA and Cargo Solutions, covering GSSA, Cargo Handling, Wholesale, Interline and Training and Security. Neville is passionate about transformational change in our industry and driving network expansion.


What was your dream job as a child? I grew up near Heathrow Airport. I always wanted to be an air traffic controller, just like my dad.


What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in the industry? We’re finally getting ourselves digital, almost despite ourselves. We just need to make these options cost-effective and facilitate them for our customers.


What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever shipped? Christmas trees to the desert. When I was in Bahrain in the Middle East, we used to fly them in from the US and then fly them to a number of countries.


What’s one buzzword you secretly dislike? “Circle back,” which actually means you’re probably not going to circle back to what you said.


Window or aisle seat? Has to be an aisle seat.


What’s the best business lesson you’ve learned the hard way? Despite assurances and sometimes personal commitments, some people just don’t pay their bills. You’ve been left doing all the hard work, paying all the costs, and you have nothing.


If you could swap jobs with anyone for a day, who would it be? I’m a big rugby lover, and so it’d be a British and Irish Lions professional rugby player—a younger version of me, of course.


Which three items would you bring to a desert island? A rugby ball, a book on how to build a boat so I could get off the island, and a set of drums, because no one would be able to hear me practising.


What quote has most resonated with you? “A leader who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way,” by a guy called John C. Maxwell.


What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Be evidence-led, deal in facts and ignore the emotion. Easier said than done.


What is the most adventurous thing you have ever done? Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. I did a zip line over a canyon. Still cannot believe I did it, as I’m actually afraid of heights. If you could have dinner with any three people, living or dead, who would it be and why? Jimi Hendrix – loved the music, would just love to understand what was going on in his mind while he made the music. Marcus Aurelius – the Roman emperor and stoic, amazing insights on life, leadership and inner peace, which we could all do with. And Mahatma Gandhi – I’m half Indian, and so I’ve always been fascinated about India’s struggle with independence from British rule.


What’s something we wouldn’t know about you from your CV? I’m a dog person, definitely not a cat person. Can’t understand cat people.


www.aircargoweek.com 23 JUNE 2025 ACW


What’s the best airport in the world, and why? Dubai International - one stop everywhere.


If air cargo had a mascot, what would it be? I think I call him Bill. Airway Bill.


How did you get into airfreight/logistics? Left school, took a summer job with British Airways while waiting for my exam results, and it went from there.


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